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Another day of testing is finished and with one day of testing to go it appears that nothing has changed from last year with Rossi leading the way in the 1st session closely followed by Stoner and then they swapped places in the 2nd session with Stoner over 1/2 second quicker than is counterparts.
The one thing that I have noticed is Vermeulen is constantly showing in the top 5 on the time sheets which he also showed at Sepang, lets hope that we see a good showing from him this year.
Honda take varied approach to first night in Qatar
Monday, 02 March 2009
Mixed strategies for Honda six as rain hits Losail International Circuit.
All six of Hondaâ€s MotoGP riders were present at the Losail International Circuit on Sunday night, although their approaches and reactions to the rain-hit test opener wildly contrasted.
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa had the most conservative strategy for the Sunday run, deciding against putting in any laps. The Spaniard had departed early from the last test in Sepang, and took the same cautious approach as he continues to focus on building up fitness and starting the season injury-free.
Making nearly the same decision was San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Toni Elias, who put in an out lap, two full turns of the track and subsequently an in lap before aborting the session.
“We decided not to test because the track was dirty, so we decided to spare the tyres for tomorrow,†said Elias, back behind the bars of the factory-spec RC212V.
Fastest of the Honda riders was Alex de Angelis, Elias†teammate with the satellite version of the bike. He cited rapid tyre deterioration as the reason for his return to the garage after fifteen laps, the fastest of which gave him a time of 2â€01.074.
Rookie Yuki Takahashi was the next Honda on the timesheet, with the most laps of the sextet to his name, whilst the only man to draw a fully positive conclusion from the day was LCR Hondaâ€s Randy de Puniet, who found a better riding position to that which troubled him in Sepang.
The night was best summed up by Andrea Dovizioso, who felt more of a need to get further testing laps under his belt despite the adverse conditions.
"It was a strange day: finding rain conditions in the desert is very unusual. It was a pity. We only did a few laps even if the track conditions were not good, but I wanted to gather some data and be ready for tomorrow,†said the Italian of his fifteen-lap stint.
“This is a demanding track, with long turns and it is important to test here, especially in preparation of the championship and the first race.â€
Rossi leads the way early on second evening at night test
Monday, 02 March 2009
The World Champion Valentino Rossi only featured briefly on Sunday night in Qatar but Monday eveningâ€s early proceedings saw him set the pace in the desert.
MotoGP title holder Valentino Rossi was the fastest rider during the first three hours of the second evening of practice for the premier class field at the MotoGP Official Night Test in Qatar.
After Sundayâ€s rain affected session Monday saw better conditions at the floodlit desert track but there were still relatively cool temperatures and some sand on the asphalt for the riders to contend with.
By 9pm local time it was Rossi who topped the timesheet with a 1â€57.747 effort, as he tested a new electronics system on his evolving 2009 M1 prototype. The Italian registered his best time on the last of 39 laps undertaken by the midway point in the evening, having lapped just once on Sunday.
Casey Stoner may have sat out yesterdayâ€s rain affected workout completely, but he was soon on the pace on the second evening, leading the way until Rossiâ€s hot lap of the Losail track. The Australian will be anxious to undertake a long run at some stage to fully test the condition of his troublesome left wrist, having only managed short runs thus far, as was the case for him in Malaysia.
The third quickest participant as of 9pm local time was veteran satellite Yamaha man Colin Edwards, whilst Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi completed the top five, as the Sepang pace-setters demonstrated their strengths again. Vermeulen crashed on turn six at around 8.30pm but was not hurt.
A full report will follow at the end of this eveningâ€s session which concludes at midnight Qatari time (10pm CET).
MotoGP Official Night Test – Qatar - Day Two, best times as of 9pm local time
1. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'57.747 (39 laps)
2. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'57.978 (18)
3. Colin Edwards, Tech3 Yamaha - 1'58.014 (29)
4. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.430 (18)
5. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.908 (21)
6. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'59.194 (26)
7. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda - 1'59.225 (26)
8. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'59.233 (18)
9. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing - 1'59.266 (27)
10. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP - 1'59.270 (30)
11. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'59.301 (38)
12. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.396 (35)
13. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team - 1'59.493 (29)
14. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing - 1'59.783 (33)
15. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.785 (25)
16. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team - 2'00.152 (32)
17. James Toseland, Tech3 Yamaha - 2'00.234 (35)
Stoner ahead of the pack on second evening under the floodlights
Monday, 02 March 2009
The second session at the MotoGP Official Night Test concluded with former World Champion Casey Stoner at the head of the timesheet.
Ducati Marlboroâ€s 2007 MotoGP title winner Casey Stoner was the man on the pace on night two in Qatar, finishing Mondayâ€s session more than half a second faster than any of his rivals.
Stonerâ€s best effort of 1â€57.139 was registered just before 9.15pm and put him 0.608s in front of Valentino Rossi, who briefly topped the timesheet at the midway stage of the session and eventually ended up second. Rossi undertook 51 laps in total as he tested a new electronics system, whilst Stoner only undertook five or six lap bursts - and a total of 37 laps - as he debuted a new swingarm and tested the condition of his troublesome left wrist.
Third on the timesheet was Tech 3 Yamahaâ€s Colin Edwards with similar time to Rossiâ€s best, as he continued his good preseason performances, in contrast to his team-mate James Toseland who was last on the timesheet – three seconds off Stonerâ€s pace.
A late fast lap from Andrea Dovizioso with less than five minutes to go before the midnight conclusion of the test put him fourth overall, just ahead of Rizla Suzuki colleagues Chris Vermeulen (who crashed without consequence earlier in the evening) and Loris Capirossi, completing the top six.
Away from the timesheet the big news of the evening was a heavy crash at around 10.00pm for Dani Pedrosa at turn ten. The Spaniard, who did not ride at all on Sunday, has apparently aggravated an existing left knee injury and has hurt his left hand which he also damaged last year in Germany. He will travel back to his native Barcelona on Tuesday for further medical checks.
Following the Pedrosa crash there was a second red flag of the session when Ducati satellite rookie Mika Kallio suffered an accident on turn nine at approximately 10.20pm local time and a puddle of oil had to be cleaned up.
The Qatar test concludes tomorrow night with a third and final evening session from 6pm-midnght local time (4pm-10pm CET).
MotoGP Official Night Test at Qatar - Day Two, best times
1. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'57.139 (37)
2. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'57.747 (51)
3. Colin Edwards, Tech3 Yamaha - 1'57.817 (41)
4. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda - 1'57.879 (60)
5. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.018 (24)
6. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.264 (42)
7. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'58.400 (63)
8. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'58.441 (53)
9. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'58.577 (54)
10. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'58.619 (28)
11. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP - 1'58.936 (55)
12. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.036 (56)
13. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team - 1'59.153 (65)
14. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team - 1'59.195 (63)
15. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing - 1'59.266 (36)
16. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing - 1'59.764 (48)
17. James Toseland, Tech3 Yamaha - 2'00.234 (51)
Pedrosa injured in Losail test crash
Monday, 02 March 2009
Dani Pedrosaâ€s Qatar test came to an abrupt end on Monday evening under the floodlights at Losail, as he suffered further leg and arm injuries when he crashed at 10.00pm local time.
An already difficult preseason for Spanish Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took a turn for the worse on Monday at the MotoGP Official Night Test, as he crashed heavily on turn ten of the Losail International Circuit, sustaining blows to his already injured left knee and the left hand which he hurt at Sachsenring last season.
Pedrosa was stretchered away from the scene of the crash and transferred to the circuit hospital where initial scans showed no immediate signs of broken bones but revealed a possible crack to a bone in his left hand. He has also reopened an injury in his left knee which he hurt at Phillip Island late last season and had surgery on in December.
The rider will need to wait 24 hours for another scan to confirm 100% whether or not he has sustained any fractures. Those checks will take place in Barcelona, as Pedrosa will fly home from Qatar on Tuesday.
The former 125cc and 250cc World Champion did not complete the first preseason test of 2009 at Malaysia due to his knee trouble and todayâ€s crash will further hamper his preparations for the season.
Bridgestoneâ€s intermediate elimination no big problem for 2009
Monday, 02 March 2009
Chief Coordinator Thomas Scholz happy with choice to run only dry or wet options as single tyre supplier.
Single tyre supplier Bridgestone have narrowed down their tyre selection for the 2009 season, streamlining their rubber and focusing their developmental projects. Qualifying tyres have already fallen by the wayside, and an end has also come to intermediate tyres as the limited amount of rubber falls into two different ends of the spectrum.
As of the beginning of preseason, only dry and wet specification tyres are provided to the riders by the Japanese fabricant. Intermediate specification material had previously been a niche product, but in an ironic twist could have proved useful under the unique conditions experienced on Sunday night in Qatar. Bridgestoneâ€s Thomas Scholz emphasised at the Losail International Circuit that the decision to do away with intermediates remained justified.
“Due to the new regulations that we have this season we stopped making intermediate tyres. From the past we could really see that we donâ€t use it too much; maybe in some practice but never used them during the race,†said the factoryâ€s Chief Coordinator.
“So it was a lot of involvement, money and research to produce intermediate tyres. But the effect is so low that I think that everybody agrees why at the moment we stopped with this kind of tyre.â€
Work in Qatar under drier conditions will focus on researching which compounds to run over the course of the season. Scholz also explained that these would be a progression of the tyres used in 2008, a season in which they won their second World Championship with a host of dry and wet weather victories.
“We hope that we can use the same tyres that we are trying now for the test at the races. We have brought compounds a little bit more developed compared to last year, but last year was also the beginning of 2008 and obviously during the year we continued developing compounds.
“This means that we bring compounds still on the same softer side, but itâ€s a new compound family that we developed during last year. We hope to have a little bit better basic grip level from the beginning of the race. Obviously we need to wait and see during this test if the durability of the tyres is sufficient for the race as well, but at the moment our plans are to bring the same spec and compounds for the race as well.â€
Melandri warns of need for time after Qatar return
Monday, 02 March 2009
New Hayate Racing bike requires adaptation for MotoGP star.
Always a bluntly realistic rider, Marco Melandri has warned that he will need time to get fully acquainted with the Hayate Racing bike that has salvaged his participation in the 2009 season. The second fastest man on track on Sunday night in Qatar, in a session that saw reduced activity as a result of rainfall, Melandri put in the most laps of any rider -35- as he searched for comfort on the Ninja ZX-RR.
Breaching the 2â€01 barrier with his quickest lap as one of only two riders to do so, the former MotoGP World Championship runner-up played down any overly positive conclusions from the Sunday action.
“I need so much more time. I did only a few laps and the times were pretty slow because of the dirty track,†he explained after the session.
“The bike is also completely different to the â€08 that I used in November; I need a few more hours to understand it but the first impression was quite good.â€
Melandri was at least familiar with the Qatar track after a recent scouting operation, when he competed at the circuit as part of the Speedcar Series. In between the announcement of his reincorporation into MotoGP and his Sunday test appearance, the Italian also had time to participate in the latest round of the series at Dubai this past weekend –where he finished tenth and eighth.
Qatar impresses sole night debutant Canepa
Monday, 02 March 2009
Pramac Racing rider makes brief first appearance at Losail track
Sunday night in Qatar was one of firsts for the MotoGP World Championship. Unprecedented in the series†history, MotoGP action on track at the Losail International Circuit was cut short by the appearance of rain (in 2007 a daytime test for the 125cc and 250cc riders was cancelled due to a sandstorm). The adverse conditions brought the end to another first –Niccolo Canepaâ€s opening night ride under the Musco floodlights.
The Pramac Racing rookie was not able to put in the expected amount of laps due to the meteorological conditions, but was able to get acquainted with the new feeling –literally as different as day and night to what he is accustomed.
â€This was the first time for me on this track under this impressive floodlights system. It was beautiful, but a pity that the rain has limited our work,†said Canepa after his maiden run, in which he clocked the fifth fastest time of the night with a 2â€01.328 lap.
â€I am anyway satisfied thanks to the good lap time registered. I need to ride for as many laps as possible and I hope that in the next two days we will find optimal weather condition. It has been a good start for me, surely better compared to the last test in Malaysia.â€
Canepaâ€s teammate Mika Kallio was third fastest in the curtailed first of three nights in Qatar
The one thing that I have noticed is Vermeulen is constantly showing in the top 5 on the time sheets which he also showed at Sepang, lets hope that we see a good showing from him this year.
Honda take varied approach to first night in Qatar
Monday, 02 March 2009
Mixed strategies for Honda six as rain hits Losail International Circuit.
All six of Hondaâ€s MotoGP riders were present at the Losail International Circuit on Sunday night, although their approaches and reactions to the rain-hit test opener wildly contrasted.
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa had the most conservative strategy for the Sunday run, deciding against putting in any laps. The Spaniard had departed early from the last test in Sepang, and took the same cautious approach as he continues to focus on building up fitness and starting the season injury-free.
Making nearly the same decision was San Carlo Honda Gresiniâ€s Toni Elias, who put in an out lap, two full turns of the track and subsequently an in lap before aborting the session.
“We decided not to test because the track was dirty, so we decided to spare the tyres for tomorrow,†said Elias, back behind the bars of the factory-spec RC212V.
Fastest of the Honda riders was Alex de Angelis, Elias†teammate with the satellite version of the bike. He cited rapid tyre deterioration as the reason for his return to the garage after fifteen laps, the fastest of which gave him a time of 2â€01.074.
Rookie Yuki Takahashi was the next Honda on the timesheet, with the most laps of the sextet to his name, whilst the only man to draw a fully positive conclusion from the day was LCR Hondaâ€s Randy de Puniet, who found a better riding position to that which troubled him in Sepang.
The night was best summed up by Andrea Dovizioso, who felt more of a need to get further testing laps under his belt despite the adverse conditions.
"It was a strange day: finding rain conditions in the desert is very unusual. It was a pity. We only did a few laps even if the track conditions were not good, but I wanted to gather some data and be ready for tomorrow,†said the Italian of his fifteen-lap stint.
“This is a demanding track, with long turns and it is important to test here, especially in preparation of the championship and the first race.â€
Rossi leads the way early on second evening at night test
Monday, 02 March 2009
The World Champion Valentino Rossi only featured briefly on Sunday night in Qatar but Monday eveningâ€s early proceedings saw him set the pace in the desert.
MotoGP title holder Valentino Rossi was the fastest rider during the first three hours of the second evening of practice for the premier class field at the MotoGP Official Night Test in Qatar.
After Sundayâ€s rain affected session Monday saw better conditions at the floodlit desert track but there were still relatively cool temperatures and some sand on the asphalt for the riders to contend with.
By 9pm local time it was Rossi who topped the timesheet with a 1â€57.747 effort, as he tested a new electronics system on his evolving 2009 M1 prototype. The Italian registered his best time on the last of 39 laps undertaken by the midway point in the evening, having lapped just once on Sunday.
Casey Stoner may have sat out yesterdayâ€s rain affected workout completely, but he was soon on the pace on the second evening, leading the way until Rossiâ€s hot lap of the Losail track. The Australian will be anxious to undertake a long run at some stage to fully test the condition of his troublesome left wrist, having only managed short runs thus far, as was the case for him in Malaysia.
The third quickest participant as of 9pm local time was veteran satellite Yamaha man Colin Edwards, whilst Rizla Suzukiâ€s Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi completed the top five, as the Sepang pace-setters demonstrated their strengths again. Vermeulen crashed on turn six at around 8.30pm but was not hurt.
A full report will follow at the end of this eveningâ€s session which concludes at midnight Qatari time (10pm CET).
MotoGP Official Night Test – Qatar - Day Two, best times as of 9pm local time
1. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'57.747 (39 laps)
2. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'57.978 (18)
3. Colin Edwards, Tech3 Yamaha - 1'58.014 (29)
4. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.430 (18)
5. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.908 (21)
6. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'59.194 (26)
7. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda - 1'59.225 (26)
8. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'59.233 (18)
9. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing - 1'59.266 (27)
10. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP - 1'59.270 (30)
11. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'59.301 (38)
12. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.396 (35)
13. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team - 1'59.493 (29)
14. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing - 1'59.783 (33)
15. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.785 (25)
16. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team - 2'00.152 (32)
17. James Toseland, Tech3 Yamaha - 2'00.234 (35)
Stoner ahead of the pack on second evening under the floodlights
Monday, 02 March 2009
The second session at the MotoGP Official Night Test concluded with former World Champion Casey Stoner at the head of the timesheet.
Ducati Marlboroâ€s 2007 MotoGP title winner Casey Stoner was the man on the pace on night two in Qatar, finishing Mondayâ€s session more than half a second faster than any of his rivals.
Stonerâ€s best effort of 1â€57.139 was registered just before 9.15pm and put him 0.608s in front of Valentino Rossi, who briefly topped the timesheet at the midway stage of the session and eventually ended up second. Rossi undertook 51 laps in total as he tested a new electronics system, whilst Stoner only undertook five or six lap bursts - and a total of 37 laps - as he debuted a new swingarm and tested the condition of his troublesome left wrist.
Third on the timesheet was Tech 3 Yamahaâ€s Colin Edwards with similar time to Rossiâ€s best, as he continued his good preseason performances, in contrast to his team-mate James Toseland who was last on the timesheet – three seconds off Stonerâ€s pace.
A late fast lap from Andrea Dovizioso with less than five minutes to go before the midnight conclusion of the test put him fourth overall, just ahead of Rizla Suzuki colleagues Chris Vermeulen (who crashed without consequence earlier in the evening) and Loris Capirossi, completing the top six.
Away from the timesheet the big news of the evening was a heavy crash at around 10.00pm for Dani Pedrosa at turn ten. The Spaniard, who did not ride at all on Sunday, has apparently aggravated an existing left knee injury and has hurt his left hand which he also damaged last year in Germany. He will travel back to his native Barcelona on Tuesday for further medical checks.
Following the Pedrosa crash there was a second red flag of the session when Ducati satellite rookie Mika Kallio suffered an accident on turn nine at approximately 10.20pm local time and a puddle of oil had to be cleaned up.
The Qatar test concludes tomorrow night with a third and final evening session from 6pm-midnght local time (4pm-10pm CET).
MotoGP Official Night Test at Qatar - Day Two, best times
1. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'57.139 (37)
2. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'57.747 (51)
3. Colin Edwards, Tech3 Yamaha - 1'57.817 (41)
4. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda - 1'57.879 (60)
5. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.018 (24)
6. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.264 (42)
7. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'58.400 (63)
8. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'58.441 (53)
9. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'58.577 (54)
10. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'58.619 (28)
11. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP - 1'58.936 (55)
12. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.036 (56)
13. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team - 1'59.153 (65)
14. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team - 1'59.195 (63)
15. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing - 1'59.266 (36)
16. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing - 1'59.764 (48)
17. James Toseland, Tech3 Yamaha - 2'00.234 (51)
Pedrosa injured in Losail test crash
Monday, 02 March 2009
Dani Pedrosaâ€s Qatar test came to an abrupt end on Monday evening under the floodlights at Losail, as he suffered further leg and arm injuries when he crashed at 10.00pm local time.
An already difficult preseason for Spanish Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa took a turn for the worse on Monday at the MotoGP Official Night Test, as he crashed heavily on turn ten of the Losail International Circuit, sustaining blows to his already injured left knee and the left hand which he hurt at Sachsenring last season.
Pedrosa was stretchered away from the scene of the crash and transferred to the circuit hospital where initial scans showed no immediate signs of broken bones but revealed a possible crack to a bone in his left hand. He has also reopened an injury in his left knee which he hurt at Phillip Island late last season and had surgery on in December.
The rider will need to wait 24 hours for another scan to confirm 100% whether or not he has sustained any fractures. Those checks will take place in Barcelona, as Pedrosa will fly home from Qatar on Tuesday.
The former 125cc and 250cc World Champion did not complete the first preseason test of 2009 at Malaysia due to his knee trouble and todayâ€s crash will further hamper his preparations for the season.
Bridgestoneâ€s intermediate elimination no big problem for 2009
Monday, 02 March 2009
Chief Coordinator Thomas Scholz happy with choice to run only dry or wet options as single tyre supplier.
Single tyre supplier Bridgestone have narrowed down their tyre selection for the 2009 season, streamlining their rubber and focusing their developmental projects. Qualifying tyres have already fallen by the wayside, and an end has also come to intermediate tyres as the limited amount of rubber falls into two different ends of the spectrum.
As of the beginning of preseason, only dry and wet specification tyres are provided to the riders by the Japanese fabricant. Intermediate specification material had previously been a niche product, but in an ironic twist could have proved useful under the unique conditions experienced on Sunday night in Qatar. Bridgestoneâ€s Thomas Scholz emphasised at the Losail International Circuit that the decision to do away with intermediates remained justified.
“Due to the new regulations that we have this season we stopped making intermediate tyres. From the past we could really see that we donâ€t use it too much; maybe in some practice but never used them during the race,†said the factoryâ€s Chief Coordinator.
“So it was a lot of involvement, money and research to produce intermediate tyres. But the effect is so low that I think that everybody agrees why at the moment we stopped with this kind of tyre.â€
Work in Qatar under drier conditions will focus on researching which compounds to run over the course of the season. Scholz also explained that these would be a progression of the tyres used in 2008, a season in which they won their second World Championship with a host of dry and wet weather victories.
“We hope that we can use the same tyres that we are trying now for the test at the races. We have brought compounds a little bit more developed compared to last year, but last year was also the beginning of 2008 and obviously during the year we continued developing compounds.
“This means that we bring compounds still on the same softer side, but itâ€s a new compound family that we developed during last year. We hope to have a little bit better basic grip level from the beginning of the race. Obviously we need to wait and see during this test if the durability of the tyres is sufficient for the race as well, but at the moment our plans are to bring the same spec and compounds for the race as well.â€
Melandri warns of need for time after Qatar return
Monday, 02 March 2009
New Hayate Racing bike requires adaptation for MotoGP star.
Always a bluntly realistic rider, Marco Melandri has warned that he will need time to get fully acquainted with the Hayate Racing bike that has salvaged his participation in the 2009 season. The second fastest man on track on Sunday night in Qatar, in a session that saw reduced activity as a result of rainfall, Melandri put in the most laps of any rider -35- as he searched for comfort on the Ninja ZX-RR.
Breaching the 2â€01 barrier with his quickest lap as one of only two riders to do so, the former MotoGP World Championship runner-up played down any overly positive conclusions from the Sunday action.
“I need so much more time. I did only a few laps and the times were pretty slow because of the dirty track,†he explained after the session.
“The bike is also completely different to the â€08 that I used in November; I need a few more hours to understand it but the first impression was quite good.â€
Melandri was at least familiar with the Qatar track after a recent scouting operation, when he competed at the circuit as part of the Speedcar Series. In between the announcement of his reincorporation into MotoGP and his Sunday test appearance, the Italian also had time to participate in the latest round of the series at Dubai this past weekend –where he finished tenth and eighth.
Qatar impresses sole night debutant Canepa
Monday, 02 March 2009
Pramac Racing rider makes brief first appearance at Losail track
Sunday night in Qatar was one of firsts for the MotoGP World Championship. Unprecedented in the series†history, MotoGP action on track at the Losail International Circuit was cut short by the appearance of rain (in 2007 a daytime test for the 125cc and 250cc riders was cancelled due to a sandstorm). The adverse conditions brought the end to another first –Niccolo Canepaâ€s opening night ride under the Musco floodlights.
The Pramac Racing rookie was not able to put in the expected amount of laps due to the meteorological conditions, but was able to get acquainted with the new feeling –literally as different as day and night to what he is accustomed.
â€This was the first time for me on this track under this impressive floodlights system. It was beautiful, but a pity that the rain has limited our work,†said Canepa after his maiden run, in which he clocked the fifth fastest time of the night with a 2â€01.328 lap.
â€I am anyway satisfied thanks to the good lap time registered. I need to ride for as many laps as possible and I hope that in the next two days we will find optimal weather condition. It has been a good start for me, surely better compared to the last test in Malaysia.â€
Canepaâ€s teammate Mika Kallio was third fastest in the curtailed first of three nights in Qatar