Posted by Administrator on 09-30-2005 at 03:09 pm
Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will both start from the right end of the MotoGP grid at the Losail International Circuit on Saturday after setting the third and fourth fastest times respectively in this afternoon’s single qualifying practice for the Grand Prix of Qatar. Rossi secured his first front row start in five races after lapping almost 1.7 seconds inside the previous pole record time here, his best lap falling just short of the pole time of 1’56.917 set by Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who will start from the front of the grid for the third successive race.
Edwards ended up just 0.087 seconds behind his team-mate after honing his race pace in the morning before spending several lengthy spells at the top of the time sheets in the afternoon as he concentrated on a fast qualifying time. The American starts from the front of the second row in fourth place, his best grid position since qualifying second fastest at the fourth round of the season at Le Mans, as he looks to improve on second place at this Grand Prix last season by taking his first MotoGP victory in tomorrow’s race.
VALENTINO ROSSI (3rd – 1’57.360; 22 laps)
“We are not at 100% but anyway it is okay and we are on the front row so that is important. The grip is much better than last year and now it seems the track is more normal. In these conditions it is possible to push the bike to the limit, so hopefully it stays like this for tomorrow’s race and for sure it will be a good show for everybody. My bike is also working much better than in recent races, we have found better grip on the front and the rear. We still need to make some small modifications before the race and then we will see how it goes. Now the championship is decided so I am riding without any pressure, but of course I still want to win every race before the end of the season.”
COLIN EDWARDS (4th – 1’57.447; 20 laps)
“This weekend everything just seems to work! Everything has been clear-cut on how to make the bike work better and we’ve done just that. We’ve been struggling a bit for grip lately but here it’s great and everything seems easy! This morning we did all of our work, the race tyre stuff, and this afternoon just went out there and concentrated on putting a fast lap time in. I think I did four or five laps on a race tyre at the beginning and then after that we just put the soft tyres in and went for it. I should have won the race here last year and right now I feel the same – we can win it. We are going to go out there with a good attitude, everybody’s been working really good on the team so it would be a nice payback to get the victory.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO – GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“We are more back to normal this weekend, with Valentino and Colin both at the top. At this track we are not facing as many problems as we did at Motegi and Sepang and I think tomorrow there is every possibility of a good race from both riders. The team have done a good job during the weekend. More or less the setting has been good from the beginning so we have been able to spend a lot of time testing tyres and preparing for the race. Still I think Valentino is not perfect yet but we have good positions on the grid and I think both riders can stick with the top pace so let’s see what happens.”
Posted by Administrator on 09-27-2005 at 03:09 pm
Circuit: Losail Circuit
Country: Qatar
Track length: 5400 m
Opened: 2004
Fastest Lap Ever: 1′ 58.988 (Carlos Checa, 2004) MotoGP lap record: 1′ 59.293 (Colin Edwards, 2004) Last year MotoGP winner: Sete Gibernau Circuit tel: +974 4379 788 Circuit web site: http://www.qatargp.net
2004 Qatar review
Valentino Rossi’s race started the inaugural Qatar MotoGP race from dead last, after being relegated to the last grid position due to a protest made by the competition after his crew cleaned the surface of his original starting position (8th position). After one lap Rossi had scythed through the field to eighth position and continued his scintillating progress until he caught the wrong edge of the track with his rear wheel coming out of the second last turn on lap six and was thrown from his bike, he walked away from the crash unhurt.
While Rossi had his worst 2004 race, his current teammate Colin Edwards had his best. Edwards celebrated his MotoGP career best result with a second place, setting the lap record along the way.
Set-up report YZR-M1
The Losail circuit is located on the western side of the Persian Gulf just outside of the capital city Doha, and was used for the first time last year. Being a desert location the high air temperatures - averaging around 37 degrees Celsius during the day, with track temperatures approaching 50 degrees - play a determining role in the outcome of the race. The weather conditions are not unlike the last race venue Sepang, so the settings from this circuit could be a proper starting point for Qatar as well.
The 5.4km Losail track is of a greater length than most MotoGP venues, and certainly few existing tracks feature quite so many corners, and in such varieties. To their credit the track designers have eschewed the adoption of rhythm-disrupting chicanes, yet have managed to make the layout of the circuit fascinating on paper. Several high-speed corners, plus two tighter hairpins, make Losail a circuit of contrasts. Six left and ten right hand corners are laid on top of a largely flat surface, removing at least one complication to the machine’s set-up, bumps.
But in addition to the intricate circuit layout and the high track temperatures another factor comes into play, sand. As the track is located in a desert, the track surface is covered with fine sand which means that grip levels can be deceiving and inconsistent, certainly on coming Thursday when free practice commences (race is held on Saturday). The relatively fast corners will clearly require stability from chassis and suspension set-up. The track will demand an almost constant agility at the same time as offering stability driving off the sides of the tyres. Although there are no real hard braking areas, front-end confidence will again be paramount as the last two races at Motegi and Sepang have proven that this was one of the main determining factors for a successful race. The riders will need to depend greatly on their front tyre giving enough feel and endurance to prevent low-siding out of the race.
Another target will be a good stable turn-in characteristic and a set-up that offers easy changes in direction. Weight bias will start of as neutral as possible to prevent the front overloading in the midpoint of the turn, while also ensuring good drive off the sides of the rear. A slightly lower center of gravity could be utilized in an effort to improve the rate of pitching and the bike’s ability to change direction quickly. With only two hard braking areas on the 5.4 kilometer layout, being turn one and the turn six hairpin, fork springs will be chosen to maximize rider feedback, biased slightly towards the softer side. It will also be a similar case on the rear with the monoshock’s spring rate. Power delivery will need to be mapped to provide the best midrange torque and predictability to drive off the turns, while still being able to push the M1 past the 320 km/h mark on the one kilometer long straight.
Posted by Administrator on 09-26-2005 at 03:09 pm
We’ve added a Valentino Rossi and Motogp photo gallery(pro) at Flickr.com:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/valentinorossi/
From now on and in the future, all photos of Valentino Rossi and MotoGP will be posted here.
If you got some nice photos too? Feel free to add them, we like them!
Posted by Administrator on 09-26-2005 at 04:09 am
A couple of weeks after dismissing suggestions that he will test for Ferrari next year, MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi has admitted he is tempted by the prospect of a switch to Formula 1.
In an interview with The Guardian, Rossi said exchanging two wheels for four to race for Ferrari would be “the ultimate challenge” and appeals to his “crazy” character.
At Monza, Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn claimed that the team had reached an understanding with Rossi that would see the Italian dovetail his MotoGP commitments with an extensive testing programme with Ferrari in 2006.
At the time Rossi poured scorn on the idea that he had made any such commitment.
“Bullshit,” was his crisp response. “How do Ferrari know what I’m doing next year when I don’t know what I’m doing next week?”
However, Rossi has made it clear he is seeking a new challenge after winning everything there is to win in MotoGP, including five successive world titles.
“I do crazy things – like moving from Honda to Yamaha,” Rossi told The Guardian.
“Before that everyone thinks you must ride Honda to become world champion. Yamaha had not won the championship for a very long time.
“[Now] I have won on Honda and Yamaha so maybe it is interesting to win with a third team, Ducati, who are Italian.
“But I could also start F1 or rallying. I love rallying much more.”
Rossi did concede that racing for Ferrari in Formula 1 has a certain allure for him.
“For sure it is the ultimate challenge for me – a crazy challenge,” he said. “Maybe. But I have to decide what is best.”
Rossi emphasised that he would only be prepared to compete in F1 if he had a realistic chance of winning.
“I don’t know what to do. But Ferrari is possible. If I test the car for a year I can be quite competitive the next season.
“I race to win. If I am on the bike or in a car it will always be the same.”
Rossi expressed his satisfaction at confounding doubters within Ferrari with his speed on his first test back in April 2004 – after some initial teething problems while he adapted to an unfamiliar machine.
“When I got ready to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time in my life I hear the Ferrari engineers having bets about me.
“They say if you lap their track at Fiorano in 60 seconds it means you drive the Ferrari quite fast. If you are slower you are not an F1 racer.
“Most of the engineers bet money I never go under a minute. I keep on smiling but, inside, I want to show them.”
Having accomplished that particular mission by lapping in 59.1 seconds, Rossi got down to 57.5s at his most recent test two months ago, and impressed Ferrari with both his pace and his technical feedback.
While he is clearly contemplating a switch to F1, Rossi is apprehensive about the level of media attention he would receive from the Italian press and public driving for the national team.
“It is hard for people in London [where he lives] to understand. I walk around here and I am not recognised much. It’s beautiful.
“The rest of the world is difficult. People chase me. But Italy is the hardest. I go home to see my family but I cannot stay more than three days. There is too much pressure.
“I don’t like being famous – it is like a prison. And driving for Ferrari would make it far worse.
“It is a big problem and so I don’t know for sure if I say yes or no to Ferrari.”
Posted by Administrator on 09-25-2005 at 03:09 am
Gauloises Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi clinched the MotoGP World Championship for the fifth successive season after taking second place in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang today. Rossi became only the third rider in history to win the premier-class title on five occasions, emulating the achievements of Mick Doohan and Giacomo Agostini and adding to his championships in the 125cc and 250cc classes. Now a seven-time World Champion, Rossi marked the achievement by wearing a t-shirt bearing the famous number 7 worn by the legendary Barry Sheene and launched into a riotous celebration with his fan club, dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to commemorate the occasion.
The Italian secured the championship with four races to spare thanks largely to the swift action of his mechanics, who resolved a series of tyre and set-up problems during this morning’s warm-up session and allowed him to charge from seventh on the grid to a sensational second place behind eventual winner Loris Capirossi (Ducati). Rossi’s Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards finished in tenth place after struggling with front set-up problems all weekend.
VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd - + 1.999)
“I am very happy because I gave more than 100% in the race today. We have been in trouble all weekend and this morning I wasn’t sure if I would finish on the podium. But I got a good start and rode a clever race whilst other riders seemed nervous and made mistakes. Little by little I moved to the front and I felt comfortable with the bike. I passed Hayden and then swapped positions with Capirossi a couple of times. In the last seven laps he changed gear and I couldn’t go with him. Anyway, I am World Champion for the seventh time, which is incredible! Last year was a bit of a surprise but this time everybody was out to beat me. I want to thank all my mechanics, Jerry, the engineers… everybody who works for Yamaha!”
COLIN EDWARDS (10th – +22.275)
“We made the same mistake as we did in the first round at Jerez, but in reverse. This morning we went to a different construction front tyre and we fixed the problem we had but then the balance of the bike wasn’t right and we didn’t have time to sort it out. The rear was sitting way too low and started to go quite early in the race. From then on it was a case of survival. At least we know where we went wrong and I’m really looking forward to Qatar because I had a great race there. I want to say congratulations to Valentino because he’s done an awesome job this year.”
JEREMY BURGESS – ROSSI’S CREW CHIEF
“Obviously the situation in Motegi meant that the celebrations were put off for a week but now we can celebrate. It has been a difficult weekend for all the teams, including ourselves, but we made a few changes in the warm-up and managed to give Valentino a bike that we knew could run for the podium. The season started with exactly the bike that we wanted and Yamaha has done everything we asked for. To win nine out of thirteen races is an excellent achievement by everybody and we have a great package. Good rider, good bike, good team… what more could you ask for?”
