Rossi Says Fractured Wrist Is Not 100% But It Is Better Than At Assen

Camel Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi’s broken right wrist is not “100%,” the five-time MotoGP World Champion told reporters Thursday in a pre-event press conference before the British Grand Prix at Donington Park, but it is better than it was for last week’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen, where Rossi suffered the injury in a crash during practice.

“I’m quite comfortable for the weekend because I feel good, I feel good power (but) for sure I’m not at 100%,” said Rossi, his right arm wrapped in clear plastic and bandages. “This is bad because for sure Assen and Donington are two good tracks for me and for the (YZR-)M1 so it is possible we lose some points. At Assen, I was able to arrive anyway eighth with the situation of the wrist was a lot worse. So here I am quite comfortable because I love this track. This is my second home Grand Prix because I live in London, but I always like a lot this track from the first year. I win a lot of times in lots of conditions.

Asked about the timing of his injury, at the second race of a back-to-back-to-back stint of three races in the middle of the season, Rossi said, “It was a big, big crash in one of the worst point of the year. Riding like this is difficult. In the past, I see a lot of riders in this condition. For me, it was the first time, but I think it was good. I need to special thank you to all the staff because I was not very sure of race, but they give me a lot of confidence. Saturday the condition of the wrist for the race especially the pain was a lot less also the movement was not at maximum.

“Now I have 46 points of disadvantage. Nicky at this point of the season is very, very constant. He’s able also to win, but his arrival always in the front when he have problems. So he is very hard, but anyway we are at half-season. The Championship is a lot long. I have a lot of unlucky with the bike and also with the crash, so we have to make a good second half of the season, try to recover points.”

Rossi also suffered a fractured bone in his left ankle in the crash, but he said this injury was no problem at all.

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Rossi recovering speed and strenghts at Donington

	Colin Edwards

After five days of intense physiotherapy on cracked bones in his right wrist and left foot, Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi returned to MotoGP action for the first true test of his fitness since the Dutch TT in today’s free practice sessions for the British Grand Prix. Rossi took to the Donington Park circuit with heavy strapping on his wrist but was able to complete 43 laps over the two sessions, running consistently at the top end of the timing screens before settling for the seventh fastest lap overall.

With Rossi focusing on adapting the bike both to the demands of the circuit and the diminishing limitations of his physical condition, his team-mate Colin Edwards worked diligently beside him on the set-up of his own YZR-M1 machine. With his last-corner battle for victory at Assen still fresh in the mind, today represented a perfect opportunity for the Texan to turn the page and focus on another podium assault in Sunday’s ninth round of the season. Edwards lapped fourth fastest in the morning session and slipped to sixth in the afternoon, but after completing 53 laps he has plenty of crucial data to work from ahead of tomorrow’s single qualifying session.

COLIN EDWARDS (6th – 1’29.379; 53 laps)
“To be honest my pace today wasn’t quite as good as I had expected but we’re still looking for a few things from the set-up that we’ll work on tomorrow. We had a couple of problems today but by the end of the second session it was starting to come. Basically we need to get it turning into the corners a little better and there are some sections of the track where we’re getting some vibrations, but it is nothing major. We played around with the tyres a little today but we’ve got plenty still to do and need to get our heads down in the morning before chasing a lap time in qualifying.”

	Valentino Rossi

VALENTINO ROSSI (7th – 1’29.416; 43 laps)
“I’m happy to be riding again and enjoying myself on the bike. Assen was a very tough weekend for me but my physiotherapist has done a good job and I feel better, although still not at 100%. I still have some pain, especially under braking, but the mobility is much better and this is important. There are three hard braking areas at this track where I am struggling and to be honest I don’t know how this will be in the race; I was losing strength towards the end of the afternoon session today and this could be a problem. As far as the lap time is concerned we need to make up a few tenths in certain areas but I think we can do this with a few changes to the bike. I will get some more treatment tonight and keep some ice on my wrist and we will see tomorrow.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“We’re still working with both riders on the setting of the bike and it has been good to have a ‘normal’ first day – gathering data without anything spectacular happening and no dramas to worry about either. The good news is that Valentino can ride without too much pain or discomfort and he is trying his best to manage his condition and set fast laps. We know we have to be faster but we are still fine-tuning the set-up and have plenty of room for improvement tomorrow. The only question mark is how Valentino can hold up over the course of a race but we can’t know that until Sunday. We’ll just set up the bike and let the Clinica Mobile set up the rider!”

The British Grand Prix at the historic Donington Park circuit is the third race in successive weekends for the MotoGP competitors and while it may be tiring, it has resulted in a steady progress of improved performances for the French Tech 3 Yamaha Team.

Carlos Checa’s overall lap times continue to get closer to the leaders and he is 12th fastest after the opening two free practices and in front of factory riders Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) and Alex Hoffman (Ducati). At present less than a second separates the top 13 riders. His team mate, James Ellison, is also continuing down his own development path with the Tech 3 Yamaha and a new generation of Dunlop tyres to be in 17th position at his home race.

Carlos Checa (12th, 1’29.842, 48 laps)
“This track is quite difficult as it is very different from the beginning to the end and we seem to be having our biggest problems at the end of the lap. We have been testing a few different rear tyres and by the end of the session I think we have found a pretty good pace to work on. On the bike we started the day using pretty standard base settings like we used in Assen but it is not working here so we will have to be making a few changes and try something a bit different.
We have to get some more weight over the front. It is getting better but it is still not enough as it is difficult to get it to steer quick enough. We have some things to try tomorrow and I am quite confident that we can improve. It is also a little hard having different tyres to test as we have to keep the same bike settings so we can tell the difference in the tyres.

James Ellison (17th 1’31.306, 49 laps)
“We have made a few more changes to the frame as we continue to make the bike better to ride but today I spent all of my time on it to compare it to the bike that I have really settled into. It has given us a few things to work on and a new direction to go, to compare to what I found at Barcelona and Assen and the feeling I’m getting from my preferred bike. I’m feeling pretty good after the crash I had last week. I thought my ankle might play up a bit but while I’m on the bike I’m fine, it’s only when I rest and start to think about it that I feel anything.
We have certainly learnt a few things today. My aim was to get into the 1’30 second bracket. We didn’t get quite there but we were working on other things so I can’t be too disappointed. I improved my morning time by well over a second so no doubt we will be making a few changes overnight to get an even quicker time and move up the grid like we did last week.

Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director
“This is a very special weekend for many reasons for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team. The first one is that it is the third race in just over two weeks so I think everyone is feeling a little tired. The second reason is that it is the home Grand Prix for James and also for Dunlop our tyre supplier and major partner this year. The entire team, including Carlos and James, went to visit the Dunlop facility in Birmingham on Tuesday and we were all quite impressed by what we saw with the factory and the speed at what they’re putting into MotoGP tyre development. It was good for all of us to see how difficult their mission is and how much they are involved in the project. We have quite a few Japanese here from Dunlop this weekend to get a feel for the paddock and this will no doubt help things as well. This is good as we haven’t seen this since the winter test and confirms to the team the efforts that Dunlop are endeavouring to accomplish with this MotoGP project.

It’s been a good day in practice as well as Carlos is within 0.8 sec of the fastest lap time and both riders took a second of their morning’s time. We are losing most of our time in the fourth split at the end of the lap so we have to discover why this is happening because in the other three splits we are less than a third of a second off the leading riders. So far we are quite happy. We have been able to do quite a few laps and the weather looks very good for the weekend so –unlike other races - it will allow us to use all the time possible to work.
James seems to be having a bit of difficulty understanding the bike during the sessions but I’m sure we have found the reasons now after speaking with him and he will have a much better time tomorrow. We really want him to do well in his home grand prix.

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Edwards misses out on first win as Rossi brings home the points

	Valentino Rossi

Camel Yamaha Team rider Colin Edwards came within metres of his first MotoGP World Championship victory today after dominating the Dutch TT until a breathtaking finale at Assen. Starting from the front row of the grid Edwards led the way from the first turn and set an electrifying pace that only American compatriot Nicky Hayden (Honda) was able to follow. With two laps remaining Hayden closed in and made his first lunge for the lead, forcing Edwards off the track and onto the escape road.

The ‘Texan Tornado’ looked consigned to second place but he produced a stunning fight-back to pull level with Hayden on the final lap and retake the lead with just a few corners to go. When Hayden launched one last attack into the final chicane, only to run straight onto the gravel, Edwards seemed certain to win but there was one final twist in the tale as he ran onto the grass on the exit from the corner and lost control of his YZR-M1 machine, which threw him into the air. As Edwards slid to the ground within touching distance of the finish line Hayden returned to the track to snatch his first win of the season, leaving the Yamaha man to pick his bike up and limp across the line in 13th place.

Edwards’ Camel Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi also produced one of his best rides of the season so far as he battled through the pain of cracked bones in his hand and ankle to take the flag in eighth place. Rossi started from the very back of the grid after struggling to qualify with the injury he picked up during Thursday morning’s free practice session. However he made up ten positions in a brave ride to seal eight valuable championship points.

	Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi (8th; +23.591)
“That was a really hard race for me but Doctor Costa, Marco Montanari and the entire Clinica Mobile team did a great job on my hand and I was able to race until the end. I was in some pain, especially at the start and I wasn’t able to ride at 100% of my ability, but it was okay. At the start I was worried how it would go, but when the adrenalin kicked in I started to feel like I could race and by the time we got to the midway point I was feeling much better and having some fun. I lost strength in my hand over the last three laps but I was able to hang on and we picked up some decent points in eighth place. The team have done a great job this weekend in difficult conditions. I wasn’t able to do many laps in practice so they didn’t have much data but the bike and the tyres felt great so I have to say a big thanks to everybody. I feel very sorry for Colin – he rode a great race and he was unlucky to make the mistake at the end because he deserved to win.”

	Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards (13th; +40.412)
“What can I say? Obviously I’m really disappointed because I know I should have won that race. The bike felt great from the start and I was really enjoying riding it out there. I knew my pace in practice would be hard for the other guys to cope with and that’s how it proved to be. I got the start I wanted and just kept my head down, doing those times. When Nicky came up inside me two laps from the end he left the pass pretty late and there was nowhere for me to turn the bike into. I had to go straight and luckily it was at a point of the track where I could run back on again. I was determined not to lose hold of him and just gave it everything to give myself a chance on the last lap. I got past him and then tried to keep a really defensive line out of the final corner – I had no idea Nicky had run onto the gravel otherwise I wouldn’t have needed to do it. Unfortunately I ran it a bit too tight onto the grass and the rear just spun up as I opened the throttle and it threw me off. I’m gutted but fair play to Nicky, it was a great race.”

Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director
“It was a great race and Colin missed out on the win by just a few metres. It’s disappointing because we could already taste the victory champagne and we didn’t expect that final twist. He made some wonderful moves on the last lap and he didn’t deserve to go down like that, but that’s racing! Valentino also rode brilliantly today, surprising everybody once again with his mental and physical strength. As a team we are very proud of both our riders today.”

Another top 10 result for Tech 3 Yamaha Team at Assen

The evolution of Tech 3 Yamaha Team continued at the A-Style TT Assen as Carlos Checa furnished the team with another milestone when he climbed into the Top 10 for the second time in a week to finish in ninth position. Nicky Hayden (Honda) was the one to claim the win. Tech 3 team-mate, James Ellison didn’t fair as well, crashing at the start of the fourth lap while in 12th place - right behind Carlos. It’s a disappointing result for James who now heads to his home Grand Prix at Donington next week (July 2) suffering an ankle injury. With the improved results of the last two races, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team has doubled its points haul in the championship, inspiring the entire team to reach new heights in the upcoming Grands Prix to compliment the solid progression of recent weeks.

	Carlos Checa

Carlos Checa (8th, Fastest lap 1’38.119)
“This is a very satisfying result for all of us as now we are in a fight with other riders. In the beginning of the race I tried to follow Melandri and Pedrosa but they started going away and I couldn’t stay with them. It was better to stay with my pace as the feeling from the front wasn’t so good. I caught and passed Tamada then step by step I also got by Vermeulen. I saw Rossi coming and by that time the chatter from the front increased. I also tried to stay with him but as the chatter was quite bad at that stage it was better to finish than risk a crash after all the hard work the team has done. We have to learn now where that is coming from as now we are going faster but we are also much closer to the front than at the beginning of the year. Dunlop has been putting in a very good effort and it is not easy from inside the box, I can tell you, but we have improved to be fighting with very strong rivals. We have made many steps in the last two races and now we are just one second off the top guys so this is the next step we have to work on. I am now able to fight and this is a lot more fun for me. When we compete with other riders it is much better than just trying to be the first Dunlop rider home. Now we hope that the improvements get us even closer in the next races.

James Ellison (DNF Fastest lap 1’39.002)
“Obviously I’m very disappointed but there are positives to take out of this weekend. I had a pretty good start as I’ve got a little trick I’ve been working on. I feel really comfortable on the bike and am able to be a bit more aggressive if anyone tries to get past and have the confidence to throw it back in front of them without hesitating when I see a front wheel coming alongside. I got in a pretty good position and stayed with Carlos but, going into Turn One I went in a little too hot and lost the front. I was trying real hard because I was comfortable and that’s what you do. This is one meeting where I wanted to do really well as things are progressing nicely now and I wanted to use this as a springboard for Donington next week but now I’ve done a bit of damage to my ankle. It’s pretty hard to walk on but with a week off some physio and ice packs I hope to be right. Besides being pretty mad at myself, I’m sorry for the team because they have been working non stop all year and they deserved to get a half decent result as well. Hopefully we can do something next week”

Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director
“We are very happy. Happy with the race result and also happy with the qualifying. We have made another step from Barcelona. We may have finished ninth instead of eighth like last week but we are closer to the front which is the most important thing. We are definitely now racing, as we have Vermeulen on the factory Suzuki and Bridgestones as well as Tamada on a factory Honda and Michelins behind us. We are now in the mid field so it proves we have made big improvements. I’m disappointed for James because he was going very well and was right with Carlos when he lost the front end. Otherwise I think he would have had a very encouraging result for him too. Both riders were quick in qualifying and both riders were strong in the race. We had stable tyres until the end of the race and the lap times are very consistent. Apart from the first four we had similar lap times to many others so that is very encouraging. We now go to Donington where normally Dunlop tyres perform well. We are looking for an improvement in all areas again next week and keep the progression going.”

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Motorcycling Rossi returns despite broken bone

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi refused to let a broken bone sideline him from practice for Saturday’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.

The Italian flipped off his Yamaha into the gravel at 160kph during Thursday’s first session, fracturing a bone in the little finger of his right hand and twisting his left ankle.

He returned from hospital to complete 25 laps on an overcast afternoon with occasional showers, finishing the day as the 12th fastest rider.

“I’m okay and I would like everyone to relax about it, even if it’s been quite hard for me to ride,” said Rossi.

“When I…brake it’s really hard. I don’t have much power or feeling. Plus I took a big bruise on my thorax and I couldn’t breathe well for a long time and it’s still quite hard to breathe now,” he added.

“I had all the examinations necessary to check if everything was okay and with some painkillers I was able to ride this afternoon.”

Spaniard Toni Elias, who fell off his Honda and injured his shoulder in the morning, was less fortunate. He returned to Barcelona for medical tests and will miss the race.

Championship leader Nicky Hayden also fell but was uninjured.

The Dutch round follows a crash-strewn Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona last weekend in which six riders fell at the first corner.

Ducati’s Spaniard Sete Gibernau is absent from Assen after requiring surgery for a fractured collarbone but Italians Loris Capirossi and Marco Melandri gritted their teeth and took part in practice.

GREAT RECORD

Rossi has won the last two races after a troubled start to the year and is now third in the standings, 29 points adrift of Honda’s Hayden and nine behind Ducati’s Capirossi.

The Yamaha rider has a great record at Assen, even though the circuit has been substantially reconfigured since last season. Rossi has won in the Netherlands for the past two years and started on pole there in 2005.

The championship is now in a crucial phase, with a spate of races close together, and the Italian spoke only on Wednesday of the need to stay out of trouble.

“It is very important to keep healthy and concentrate at such a crucial moment in the championship,” he told a news conference.

Rossi’s team mate Colin Edwards was quickest in the two practice sessions, lapping in the afternoon in one minute 38.144 seconds. Spaniard Carlos Checa, also on a Yamaha, was second fastest in 1:38.259. (Reuters)

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Fresh challenge awaits Camel Yamaha Team at historic Assen

Assen, the Netherlands
20/6/2006

Fresh challenge awaits Camel Yamaha Team at historic Assen
The MotoGP World Championship returns to its oldest venue this weekend with a fresh new challenge awaiting it at the legendary Dutch TT. With major changes having taken place at the Assen circuit since last season, the whole of the Northern Loop section making way for a new car park and expanded viewing areas, the Camel Yamaha Team venture into the unknown this weekend as they look to extend their winning run to three straight races.

The 76th edition of the Dutch TT welcomes MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi in top form, the Italian having taken consecutive victories at Mugello and Catalunya in the last two rounds to put his title defence firmly back on track. Rossi has won at Assen for three of the last four editions of the world-famous race and nothing less than another success will do as he aims to cut back a 29-point deficit to current series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), who has yet to win a race this year.

Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards himself took three victories at Assen in the World Superbike series, including a double win on his way to the title in a gripping climax to the 2002 season. Last season he joined Rossi on the MotoGP podium after finishing in third place and, after continuing set-up work on the new version YZR-M1 chassis at Catalunya, he is confident of rejoining the battle for a top three position in Holland.

Valentino Rossi: A great emotion
Valentino Rossi is looking forward getting back out on track just five days after the 56th victory of his illustrious career in Barcelona. Despite his opposition to such a hectic run of races, which will almost certainly see some of the riders injured last Sunday missing at least one round, the Italian sees the next two weekends as a valuable opportunity to maintain his momentum and pull even closer to the championship lead.

“Having three consecutive races is a problem because if you are injured in the first then you risk not being able to ride for two more races,” comments Rossi. “By the third race the riders are also tired and begin to lose concentration so it’s very tough for everyone. In the past Assen was one of my favourite tracks and it was always a great, great emotion to ride a MotoGP bike at the limit there. Sadly the track has been changed so I am not as excited about it as usual, because it seems from reports that some of the ‘Assen magic’ has gone. Anyway, I hope that it’s still a good track and I know it will still be fun to race there; it always has a fantastic atmosphere and the Dutch fans are wonderful.

“We have now won two races in a row and if we hadn’t had the problem in Le Mans then that would be three, which means we are now more or less at the same level that we were at this time last year. These races are really important so I hope that we can manage to win as many as possible. I have moved up to third in the championship now but I still only took five points from Hayden in Barcelona and he is 29 points ahead of me, so we need to keep winning because he is a consistent podium finisher and he always fights to the end.”

Colin Edwards: Familiar Territory
Colin Edwards returns to one of the most successful circuits of his career this weekend but, like Rossi, he is concerned that some of the natural character will have been lost with the recent modifications. After picking up a solid fifth place in the last round at Catalunya the American is now targeting a return to podium form as he heads into three important races at Assen, Donington and Laguna Seca.

“I grew up on the next three tracks and I’ve finished on the podium at all of them in MotoGP so hopefully this can be a good spell for me,” says Edwards. “On paper the Yamaha should work well at the new track and some more time with the new chassis will help us get up to speed. We know that what Valentino is using works so it’s a case of adapting it to me, making a few small changes and getting as close to his pace as possible – if not improving on it.

“Like a lot of the riders I have a lot of affection for the old Assen circuit and I hope it hasn’t lost too much of its character. Whatever the track is like you can bet that the atmosphere is going to be just as crazy as ever and I always have a lot of fans there – especially some of the Brits who come over for the party. Hopefully I can give them something to shout about on Saturday afternoon.”

Davide Brivio: A team effort
Such a hectic schedule of races is a major strain on any team and Camel Yamaha is no different. It requires a special effort from the riders and engineers right through to the catering staff and it is a point of the season where every member of the workforce plays a crucial role. Team Director Davide Brivio says everybody has a major part to play as the points quest continues with a second race in the space of just six days.

“It was amazing watching the boxes being packed up in the pit garage and the hospitality unit being dismantled on Sunday night to think that in just two days’ time they would all be put back together at a circuit 1800 kilometres away,” says Brivio. “It is a huge challenge for the whole team and a lot of pressure but it is another example that shows how a rider cannot be successful on the track unless he has the right staff behind him to put everything in place.

“Our target before Mugello was to win the next four races so now you could say the job is half done. We want the same level of performance at the next two rounds and the same result, although we know it will be difficult. Assen will be a very interesting challenge because it is virtually a new track – like going to China, Laguna Seca or Turkey last year – but the base setting of our bike has improved vastly and we hope it can be adapted quickly.”

Technically speaking: Assen according to Andrea Zugna
Despite the dramatic changes to Assen’s unique layout over the winter, it still promises to be one of the most technically and physically demanding circuits on the calendar for the MotoGP riders. With barely a straight piece of tarmac in sight, handling remains a major focal point due to high-speed chicanes and dramatic camber changes – the latter, in some places, resembling the profile of the public roads that the original circuit was based around 76 years ago. Andrea Zugna, Data Engineer for Colin Edwards, says the information gathered last season will still be highly valuable.

“It will be interesting to see how the track is without the Northern Loop because that was a very characteristic section of the circuit, with high camber and left-right switches,” says Zugna. “I suppose the first section of the circuit will now be similar to China, with a series of tight right-handers from turns one to four causing strain on the right hand side of the tyre, and that will also make it physically demanding on the riders.

“As far as the setting is concerned we will still start with the same as last year because we know it works for around 90% of the track. On Friday morning we will analyse the data from the final 10% and the engineers will be able to make the adjustments based on that information. We expect Assen to be more like a ‘normal’ circuit now. It has always required only partial throttle and that will still be the case, so it is not too critical on gearbox and engine settings but does require a good compromise to cope with the fast direction changes and the slow chicane which was modified last year. Our setting worked well last year and we finished on the podium so hopefully that can be the case for both riders again.”

Valentino Rossi: information
Age: 27
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
GP victories: 82 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 164 (104 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 41
World Championships – 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)

Colin Edwards: information
Age: 32
Lives: Conroe, Texas
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 55 x MotoGP
World Championships - 2 World Superbike

Assen Lap Record: New Track

2006 Dutch TT Results:
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 38’41.808
2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, +1.583
3. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +7.643

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