Posted by Administrator on 11-30-2005 at 08:11 am
The final day of Yamaha’s three-day Sepang Test was interrupted today, when rain throughout the morning meant that Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were not able to get out on track until mid-afternoon. Despite the delay, Edwards had his first ride on the prototype 2006-spec YZR-M1 and both riders completed some important tyre testing for Michelin.
Temperatures were much lower after the rain and the character and conditions of the track were quite different to the past two days, causing a shake-up in the unofficial times. Fastest man on the track today was MotoGP rookie Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who set a best lap of 2’02.77. This was still short of the 2’02.61 set by Rossi yesterday, which remains the fastest time over the three days of the test. The Yamaha riders were further down the order in seventh and ninth places today; Edwards completing 43 laps with a best time of 2’03.61, whilst Rossi set a fastest lap of 2’03.85 after just 22 laps.
Both riders now fly to Japan for a short promotional visit, before heading back to their respective homes in the UK and America for the holiday season. The Team will reconvene in Sepang on 23rd January for the first test of the 2006 MotoGP season.
Colin Edwards – 7th, 2’03.61, 43 laps
“After it had finally dried up I did one run on the old bike to check a few things and then I got onto the new bike pretty quickly. It took a bit of time to work things out and find my settings, but once I got going it felt great. The track conditions had really altered after the rain; it wasn’t as easy out there as it has been and we encountered a few problems, but we managed to find the right tyres and iron things out. At the end of the day I feel really positive and quite excited about the new bike, especially considering that it’s such early days. The stability is definitely improved and the overall feedback is really good. With a new bike, it’s always a case of sacrificing some things to improve in other areas, but everything combined together on this bike feels great. Anyway, it’s been a pretty good test all round and it’s a good feeling to sign off the year on a high note.”
Valentino Rossi – 9th, 2’03.85, 22 laps
“We had planned to do a longer run on the new bike this morning but unfortunately the weather didn’t allow it and we had to wait to get started. We only had time to do a few things before we changed back onto the old bike. After that we tested some more tyres and still managed to complete some good work, even though we didn’t do so many laps. I am happy about this test because overall it’s been positive. We made some good improvements with the old bike, made a strong start with the new one and gathered some important data. Now Yamaha have some feedback about the new prototype and they can work on it over the winter, before we come back here in January after the winter break to continue our development.”
Davide Brivio – Gauloises Yamaha Team Director
“This has been an important test for us. Yamaha had the new bike ready for us early and we have been able to give them some information about it. Now they can begin to fine-tune it. It’s shown a good level of performance from the start and both riders are positive about it, but we know that there is a lot of work to do yet. Anyway, the information from this test will be very useful for Yamaha over the winter. Now we wait to come back here in January with a more final version of the bike. The rain made the conditions of the track quite difficult today and it was harder for Colin to feel the benefits of the new bike, but despite this he was quite happy. Anyway, it’s good to experience this, as we could find ourselves with these conditions at a race and so the information from Colin is very useful for our engineers. It’s been a good test and now we’re all glad to have a rest before the hard work starts again!”
Unofficial lap times
1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 2’02.77
2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’02.79
3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 2’02.86
4. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, 2’02.93
5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’03.10
6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda, 2’03.39
7. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team, 2’03.61
8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda, 2’03.70
9. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team, 2’03.85
10. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’03.95
11. Randy du Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki, 2’04.27
12. Chris Vermuelen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’04.50
13. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 2’05.00
Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 – 2’02.993
Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 – 2’01.731
Posted by Administrator on 11-29-2005 at 08:11 am
Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards completed a positive second day of testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia today, both making marked improvements to their lap times from yesterday. Rossi topped the unofficial time sheets at the close of play and Edwards was also over eight-tenths of a second faster than on day one.
Rossi spent most of the day testing Michelin tyres and getting to grips with Yamaha’s new prototype 2006-spec YZR-M1, which he rode for the first time yesterday, before switching back onto the 2005 bike towards the end of the day to continue working with Michelin. Edwards also tested several tyres, the American continuing to work exclusively on the 2005-spec bike before he tries the new prototype tomorrow afternoon. Rossi set a best time of 2’02.61, inside the lap record and over a second faster than his best lap of yesterday. He was followed by Melandri and Elias (both Honda) with Edwards in fourth with a time of 2’02.94.
VALENTINO ROSSI – 1st, 2’02.61, 60 LAPS
“I am really happy with what we did today on the new bike and I am feeling quite positive about it. I have a good feeling on it and more stability than with the old M1, so this is very encouraging considering that it’s just the first day of work. Today we did a lot of work with Michelin while trying to understand and gather data for the new bike. At the end of the day I changed back to the old bike and continued testing tyres. Yesterday the feeling was not perfect with the 2005 bike but we changed some settings and today it began to feel much better. We had some problems here in the race and so it’s good to make these improvements. Tomorrow we have some more things to try with the new bike before we fly home for the holidays!”
COLIN EDWARDS – 4th, 2’02.94, 67 LAPS
“During my first run this morning I went over half a second quicker than yesterday and then went even faster later, so it was a good day. We mostly concentrated on testing tyres in the morning and then the afternoon was spent trying out some other stuff for Yamaha. This new style is not so much about my position on the bike – there are small changes to that but I think only a serious ‘Edwards fan’ could notice – its more about my style of controlling the bike before and during a corner. My technique has definitely changed and it’s feeling better each day as I get more used to it. Tomorrow I think I need to do a long run and then I hope to get on the new bike in the afternoon. I am really excited about trying it out; Valentino seems very positive about it so I can’t wait to have a go myself!”
DAVIDE BRIVIO – GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“Both riders worked a lot for Michelin today and it was a positive day all round. Valentino made a good start with the 2006-spec bike and Colin also continued to make improvements to his performance, so it was another good day of testing. Tomorrow Valentino has a few more things to do on the new bike and then we hope to be able to give it to Colin for the afternoon to give him a chance to make his own evaluation.”
1. Valentino Rossi - Gauloises Yamaha Team, 2′02.61
2. Marco Melandri - Fortuna Honda, 2′02.65
3. Toni Elias - Fortuna Honda, 2′02.78
4. Colin Edwards - Gauloises Yamaha Team, 2′02.94
5. Carlos Checa - Honda Pons, 2′02.96
6. Nicky Hayden - Repsol Honda, 2′03.05
7. John Hopkins - Suzuki, 2′03.10
8. Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda, 2′03.15
9. Shinya Nakano - Kawasaki, 2′03.52
10. Casey Stoner - Honda Pons, 2′03.56
11. Chris Vermeulen - Suzuki, 2′04.50
12. Randy de Puniet - Kawasaki, 2′04.50
13. James Ellison - Yamaha Tech 3, 2′05.52
Posted by Administrator on 11-28-2005 at 08:11 am
Just three weeks after rounding off Yamaha’s victorious 2005 season in Valencia, Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were back in Malaysia at their most frequently-visited testing venue today, as they commenced their winter program at Sepang alongside Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha Tech 3. A short rain shower in the morning slightly delayed proceedings, but the weather then stayed dry and the team was able to continue working uninterrupted through to the end of the day.
Rossi concentrated mainly on Michelin tyre testing, before getting on to the prototype version of the new 2006-spec YZR-M1 towards the end of the session. He completed a short run of the 5.548km circuit on the new bike and will begin more in-depth work on it tomorrow. Edwards spent the day focusing on the new riding style he has been adapting to over the last part of the season, working with settings and electronics on his M1 as well as testing some new tyres for Michelin.
According to the unofficial lap times, the fastest man on the track today was Marco Melandri (Honda) with a time of 2’02.95. He was followed by Nicky Hayden, Carlos Checa and MotoGP rookie Dani Pedrosa (all Honda) with Edwards (2’03.78) and Rossi (2’03.80) fifth and sixth fastest.
COLIN EDWARDS – 5th, 2’03.78, 64 LAPS
“As usual it was hot and humid out there, but it feels good to be back on the bike. We had a bit of a rain delay in the morning and got started a bit late, but once we did get going I instantly felt comfortable on the bike. I said in Valencia that I needed to get out and do lap after lap to really ingrain this new style in to my head, and this test is offering me that chance. As soon as I started I felt that it was coming much more easily than at the last two races; I didn’t have to make such an effort to consciously think about doing it and it felt more natural. We played around with some new settings and electronics and found that we are moving even more towards Valentino’s settings; it all felt good. We tested a couple of tyres for Michelin, but mostly today was about getting back into the swing of things and getting comfortable with my new style.”
VALENTINO ROSSI – 6th, 2’03.80, 60 LAPS
“My first impressions of the new bike are very positive. The engine seems a little bit faster and it feels more stable. However I only did a short run; just a few laps, so it’s really too early to make any detailed observations about it at this stage. Tomorrow the real work will start and we will take some time to try to understand the new bike and begin to work on the set-up. Most of today we spent on the 2005 bike, testing tyres for Michelin and trying to understand the problems that we had here during the race in September. We made some investigations and tried to gather some information to help us, and we made some good progress. We will continue like this tomorrow as well as getting started working on the new bike.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO – GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“This morning the track was a bit wet so we had a delay to our starting time. It’s only the first day back but it was a positive start for both riders. Valentino made some laps on the new bike, just to get the initial feeling, and tomorrow we will start to work properly on it, trying to gather as much information as we can. Colin is continuing from where he left off in Valencia, getting used to his new style of riding and adapting his settings to match it. He will carry on like this tomorrow and then on Wednesday he will try the new bike also.”
Posted by Administrator on 11-21-2005 at 09:11 am
MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi finished his first competitive outing in a Subaru WRC car with an impressive second overall - ahead of former World Rally Champion Colin McRae - at this weekend’s Monza Rally Show.
Although far from a ‘full’ rally - the event uses parts of the famous Italian racetrack and its access roads to create asphalt stages - the event attracted top drivers and machines, with Rossi and his Subaru facing a two-pronged attack from the Skoda WRC entry of McRae and former Le Mans winner Rinaldo Capello.
Rossi would finish 5.6secs down on overall winner Capello by the end of the event, with McRae a further 43secs back. The rally consisted of a 13.75km ‘junior’ stage and a 26.75km ‘grand prix’ stage, both of which were used repeatedly to give a total of seven stages. Of those, Rossi would win four and Capello three.
However, Rossi would go on to beat current DTM driver Capello in Sunday’s ‘Master’s Show’ semi final - a form of knockout superspecial competition that ends the rally - putting him in a straight head-to-head battle with McRae in the final. The Factory Yamaha rider would then win the ‘Master’s Show’ final by 1.4secs over the Scotsman.
Rossi plans to make further outings in the Subaru, which are expected to include a further ‘exhibition’ event at the Bologna Motorshow and then perhaps a snow or gravel rally in between his MotoGP pre-season testing commitments.
Monza Rally Show – overall standings:
1. Rinaldo Capello/Luigi Pirollo Skoda Fabia WRC 1h 21m 53.1s
2. Valentino Rossi/Carlo Cassina Subaru Impreza WRC 1h 21m 58.7s
3. Colin McRae/Glen Patterson Skoda Fabia WRC 1h 22m 41.9s
4. Andrea Dallavilla/Daniele Vernuccio I Peugeot 206 WRC 1h 23m 46.3s
5. Pierfranco Uzzeni/Danilo Fappani Subaru Impreza WRC 1h 24m 55.7s
WRC Master’s Show – final standings:
1. Valentino Rossi/Carlo Cassina Subaru Impreza WRC
2. Colin McRae/Glen Patterson Skoda Fabia WRC
by Crash.net
Posted by Administrator on 11-12-2005 at 09:11 am
Valentino Rossi was giving nothing away about his future intentions - or even lap times - after completing his three-day Ferrari test, held at two different circuits.
As previously reported, while many of the MotoGP world champion’s rivals were starting a two-day test at Valencia on Wednesday, Yamaha rider Rossi was back behind the wheel of a Ferrari at the team’s Fiorano test track - scene of his previous F1 outings.
After reportedly dropping his best lap time in the F2004 racer to around 58secs - approximately two-seconds from Michael Schumacher’s Fiorano lap record - The Doctor moved on to the much more challenging Mugello circuit, home of the Italian Motorcycling Grand Prix, on Thursday.
Rossi then concluded his outing with a second day of running at the famous Italian racetrack today, but neither he or the team would give any indication of lap times - although, from the tone of Rossi’s comments afterwards, it could be interpreted that he found Mugello much more of a challenge…
"I am happy to have had the chance to get back behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car," began Valentino, who is expected to test for Ferrari throughout next season - although not once a month as was initially reported.
"On Wednesday I drove at Fiorano to re-acquaint myself with the car in preparation for these two days at Mugello, which is definitely a tough circuit," admitted the #46, who won this year’s Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
"Obviously, I already knew the track, even if it is very different sitting in the cockpit from being on a bike. I was able to do around 600 kilometres, increasing my understanding of the handling of the car on a very different track to Fiorano.
"I have to say it was a great experience and I want to thank Ferrari and all the engineers and mechanics who were with me on these fantastic days for once again giving me this opportunity," he concluded.
by Crash.net
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