Posted by Administrator on 07-24-2006 at 03:07 pm
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What looked certain to be another stunning race recovery from Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi ended in disaster today as the reigning MotoGP World Champion retired from the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca with tyre and engine troubles. After starting from tenth on the grid Rossi slowly worked his way through the field and with just five laps remaining he was on course for a valuable fourth place finish. However, with blazing sunshine bringing track temperatures up to a soaring 56ºC, the punishing conditions inevitably took their toll and Rossi’s rear tyre developed a problem, which forced the Italian to drop his pace. To add to Rossi’s woes, his the water-cooling system then malfunctioned and within moments the engine of his YZR-M1 machine overheated, blowing clouds of smoke into the air and bringing his participation in the race to an end.
Things started out brightly for Rossi’s Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards before also ending in disappointment, the Texan getting a decent start from the front row of the grid and lapping with the lead group before identical tyre troubles began to kick in. With the searing heat also playing havoc on his physical condition, having suffered from flu symptoms and an upset stomach throughout the weekend, Edwards was unable to maintain his pace and he dropped back from fifth place to eventually cross the line in ninth. Nicky Hayden (Honda) took his second victory of the season to extend his advantage at the top of the championship to 51 points over Rossi, who has dropped to fourth overall with six rounds remaining.
Colin Edwards (9th; +53.228)
“My start wasn’t great; I got off the line okay but then as I leaned over into turn one the power went a bit and I got slower and slower, so a few guys came past me. After that I just had to give it all I had to hold on and do 24.1s and 2s, which anyway is faster than we were doing on race tyres yesterday. I also had a bit of a problem stopping the bike, which was another thing to contend with. After ten laps I was completely wrecked, I think being ill on Friday took a lot out of me and suddenly I had no power left in my body. I was feeling so bad that I was seriously considering coming in, but then I saw Stoner crash and so I thought I had better hold on and try and get some points! On about lap 20 the tyre started spinning up and it just kept on getting worse and worse on each lap. I had a few big moments where I scared myself a bit, especially coming into turn one a few laps from the end. With about three or four laps to go I looked over at my rear tyre and saw just how bad the problem was, and it was all I could do to bring it safely home. Obviously I’m pretty gutted, the weekend hasn’t worked out how we hoped, but that’s racing!”
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Valentino Rossi (DNF)
“We’ve been in a really difficult situation all weekend, with a lot of problems and unfortunately things got even worse today! We made a big improvement this morning in warm-up and I was much faster, so I thought that maybe we could do a good job in the race and to start with we made good progress from our grid position. But then we had a problem with the rear tyre and I lost all grip and was forced to slow right down in order not to crash. Then we had a problem with the water-cooling system for the engine, it overheated and when I saw the smoke, I knew it was over. Anyway, now we’re 51 points down on Hayden with only six races left, so for the first time I will race for the rest of the season without thinking about the pressure of the championship. My plan is to have a lot of fun over the remaining races and try to win as many as possible, and then who knows what might happen?”
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director
“It’s been a very difficult day from every angle. We had two separate problems of a different nature which affected both riders. Colin could have done a really good race but he was hampered by his physical condition and then later by a problem with his rear tyre. Valentino had exactly the same problem with his tyre and then when he slowed down the cooling system on his engine failed and it overheated, so he had to retire. Now we’re a lot of points behind in the championship and we have a mountain to climb, but we won’t give up and we will fight to the end.”
Tech 3 Yamaha Team secures season best result at Laguna Seca
On the eve of the summer break, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team has secured a season best result with Carlos Checa finishing in seventh position proving that the persistence and dedication the team has put in since the stat of the year is paying dividends.
The race was run in the most severe conditions but Carlos showed his fitness and determination to also be the first Yamaha home after the demise of Valentino Rossi.
James Ellison started on fire to make up plenty of ground from his grid position but he too was affected by tyre wear in the middle of the race before recovering to finish in the points in 13th position.
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Carlos Checa (7th; +44.825)
“We are very satisfied with the result. We made a good position at the beginning of the race to be behind Valentino and Nakano and I was able to keep the gap to them. Then in the middle of the race the tyre dropped down a bit in performance because of the heat and so I struggled the last five or six laps. The final result in seventh is the best result so far so we must be very happy considering the conditions for the entire weekend it was not easy for us. We made the choice of a tyre for the race that we haven’t tested before so overall we have to be satisfied as we struggled a little on this track. Finally, after the risk we take with the tyre choice to finish in this position the team is very happy. Yes we were the first Yamaha home but it has been a shame for Yamaha this year. I think Colin had some trouble with is tyre and for Valentino he is always putting in more than 100% and he doesn’t have much luck this year. At the end of the day I am part of Yamaha and I am disappointed for that. Yes it is nice to be first Yamaha but I would like to do it in normal conditions – that is the right satisfaction that I want.”
James Ellison (13th; +1.19.283)
“That was one hard race but at the start I was feeling very good. I got a great start to be away with Tamada and De Puniet and I thought I was in for a good battle. For quite a few laps I was with them but then the front tyre started to go away and I had some big moments. The front tyre was moving around quite a bit with the rise in temperature and with me trying to brake a little harder as I wanted to pass these guys the tyres was just a bit soft and I lost a lot of confidence in it so I just started dropping back. Then I thought to myself ‘I’m not doing this again as it looks like I’m not trying hard enough so I thought I’m going for it. If I crash I crash but it was actually still turning even though it was squashing like mad. That gave me confidence as even though it was moving around heaps it was still gripping. I was getting quicker towards the end and the bikes in front were getting closer. Plus I could see all these flags around the track with people cheering me so I had a really good race towards the end of it. It’s just a pity that I had those moments in the middle of the race. I should’ve just bitten the bullet and pushed through that. We all got some points so everyone can go away from here happy.”
Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director
“This is for sure the best result we have had so far. It’s also a great way to finish the first half of the season to go on holiday and enjoy them. We knew today was going to be a very tiring race as the temperature was so hot and from practice we saw a lot of guys struggling. We took a big gamble for the race as we started with something for Carlos that we have never tested before and it was quite hard to go into the race without knowing what was going to happen. To finish seventh which is our best race position so far this year to be first Yamaha is really showing that the technical project is really working well. We are happy because we are improving all the time and I think Carlos did a beautiful job the whole weekend long like he did in Germany James did a good job as he was very consistent the entire race and I think that with a bit more consistency he could have caught one or two rider in front of him because he was definitely faster than them towards the end of the race. But anyway let’s be positive. Both our riders are in the points, no tyre problems and were really consistent from lap one to the end so we can be happy with that. Let’s go on holiday and continue to work hard when we return in a few weeks time.”
Posted by Administrator on 07-23-2006 at 09:07 am
Full MotoGP qualifying times from the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, round eleven of the 2006 world championship.
1. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 23.168 secs
2. Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 23.321 secs
3. Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 1min 23.420 secs
4. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 23.490 secs
5. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 23.498 secs
6. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 1min 23.536 secs
7. Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 1min 23.651 secs
8. Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 23.656 secs
9. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 1min 23.750 secs
10. Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 24.047 secs
11. Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 24.153 secs
12. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 1min 24.230 secs
13. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 24.268 secs
14. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 1min 24.578 secs
15. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 24.592 secs
16. Sete Gibernau SPA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 24.634 secs
17. Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 1min 25.420 secs
18. James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 25.763 secs
19. Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 1min 26.567 secs
2006 US Grand Prix:
Fastest practice time: Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda 1min 22.843secs
2005 US Grand Prix - 10/08/2005:
Pole position: Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda 1min 22.670secs*
Fastest lap: Colin Edwards USA Yamaha Factory Racing 1min 23.915secs*
Posted by Administrator on 07-21-2006 at 05:07 pm
Full MotoGP free practice times (1) from the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, round eleven of the 2006 world championship.
As some riders suspected after scooter laps on Thursday, the new-for-2006 resurfacing seems even bumpier than before…
1. Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 1min 23.951 sec
2. Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 24.310 sec
3. Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 1min 24.360 sec
4. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 24.608 sec
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 24.674 sec
6. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 1min 24.698 sec
7. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 24.739 sec
8. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 1min 24.943 sec
9. Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 25.100 sec
10. Sete Gibernau SPA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 25.150 sec
11. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 25.311 sec
12. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 25.614 sec
13. Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 25.659 sec
14. Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 1min 25.977 sec
15. Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 1min 26.599 sec
16. Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 1min 26.658 sec
17. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 26.913 sec
18. James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 26.984 sec
19. Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Pramac d’Antin MotoGP 1min 27.531 sec
2005 US Grand Prix - 10/08/2005:
Pole position: Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda 1min 22.670secs*
Fastest lap: Colin Edwards USA Yamaha Factory Racing 1min 23.915secs*
Posted by Administrator on 07-18-2006 at 06:07 am
From a press release issued by Camel Yamaha:
Just five days after their stunning showing at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany the Camel Yamaha Team will be back on track on the other side of the Atlantic as the MotoGP World Championship takes another whirlwind trip across the globe from the east of Europe to the west coast of the USA. Following an absence of almost a decade, the Laguna Seca circuit near Monterey in California plays host to the world’s premier motorcycle race series for the second consecutive season and represents a crucial date with destiny for both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards.
Last season both riders finished on the podium, an ideal way to celebrate Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary and a fitting reward for the factory’s role in bringing the sport back to the continent. This time, however, nothing less than a victory will satisfy the Italian and the American, who both have their own agendas as they tackle one of the most important races of the season so far.
For Rossi the eleventh round of seventeen represents another key opportunity to close the gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) and provides a chance to strike a major psychological blow on the Kentucky rider, who used his explicit local knowledge of the circuit to take victory last season. However, crucial data gathered by Rossi and his team in that race, as well as track modifications that have taken place since then in the interest of safety, have levelled the playing field and the reigning World Champion is confident the advantage can swing in his favour.
The goal for Edwards is to take his first ever victory in MotoGP racing after coming desperately close in the Dutch TT earlier this season. The American has shown flashes of winning potential this season and he would like nothing more than to finally savour the top step of the podium at his home Grand Prix before heading to Japan with an identical target at the prestigious Suzuka 8-hour race.
VALENTINO ROSSI: STRONG FROM THE START
Following on from his remarkable victory in Germany, Valentino Rossi is looking forward to his second visit to California thanks to an enjoyable and promising Laguna Seca debut one year ago. The reigning MotoGP World Champion was the first non-American rider across the line as he took third place in his first ever USGP but this year he doesn’t plan to have anybody in front of him at all as he looks to sign off for the summer with another maximum points haul.
“Even though I didn’t know the track last year I was able to follow Nicky for many laps and then Colin too, so I learnt a lot from both of them,” explains Rossi. “By the end of the race I was getting stronger and I actually set my best time on the last lap so I hope that this year we can be strong from the start and this time beat the Americans! We had some difficulties with the bike in Germany and we don’t have time to make many big changes before this weekend, but hopefully the good setting we found for the race on Sunday and the data we have from last year will be enough.
“The latest modifications to the track will make a difference and we will see how they are when we get there. After last year we discussed everything with the Safety Commission and we made some more suggestions to improve the track, because really it was not at the level of the rest of the championship. It’s okay for Superbikes but we are coming into the corners 40km faster, so it was necessary to make some more changes, especially at turn one. Now we have to wait to see if it is better and safer this year.”
COLIN EDWARDS: VICTORY STILL THE TARGET
Colin Edwards is approaching the second home Grand Prix of his career with his focus completely set on taking victory, despite his set-up troubles with the YZR-M1 in Germany. After finishing second to Nicky Hayden in Laguna last year and battling with the same rider for victory at Assen in Holland earlier this season - only to lose out in the final corner – conceding ground to his compatriot is a scenario the Texan does not plan on repeating as the pair tussle for home glory this time around.
“Before Sachsenring I said that I am not hoping to win at Laguna Seca, I am expecting to win, and that remains the case,” affirms Edwards, who will be in Los Angeles on Tuesday to take part in a MotoGP bike parade along Hollywood Boulevard before attending the screening of the new MotoGP movie ‘The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid’, in which he stars.
“We had our problems in Germany but we also had problems at Catalunya earlier in the season and seven days later I was fighting to win at Assen. It seems the bike that we have works at some circuits and not so well at others so, like Assen, Laguna will be a bit of a shot in the dark. One thing for sure is that I’m going to fight and barge and do whatever it takes to win. If it comes down to a scrap between the Americans, Hayden and I, then I know I can come out on top this time. Hopefully the bike will work as well as it did at Assen and if it does than I definitely won’t make the same mistakes.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO: DOUBLE TOP THE TARGET
Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is confident that both riders can take the role of protagonists in what promises to be another groundbreaking step for the sport’s popularity in America. Brivio watched Edwards and Rossi finish on the podium in last year’s inaugural event and he is hopeful of a repeat performance on Sunday – this time with one of the pair on the top step.
“Last year both our riders were on the podium and the target is the same this time, but in better positions,” says Brivio. “The competition in MotoGP is getting tougher and tougher as the season goes on but we need to keep working as we are now because there is a long way to go. With six rounds left after the summer it would be nice to go on holiday with the psychological boost of victory at Laguna Seca.
“We know that Nicky Hayden is fast at this circuit but this is the challenge. We are all in racing because we enjoy the battle and on the evidence of what we saw last year I think both our riders can be up there giving Nicky a hard time this Sunday. We’re going there with great confidence after Valentino’s win in Germany and I think Laguna comes at the perfect time for Colin, who needs to get back on the podium. It is only a few days but for him and for us the race can’t come soon enough.”
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: LAGUNA ACCORDING TO DANIELE ROMAGNOLI
Famed, feared and revered for the world-famous ‘Corkscrew’ corner, the Laguna Seca circuit near Monterey in California lived up to its billing as one of the most exciting circuits on the calendar when MotoGP visited for the first time ever last season. With only a few short straights, a series of fast and sweeping corners and elevation changes that leave front wheels frequently spinning through thin air, the 3.602km circuit provides the ideal viewing spectacle for fans but is surprisingly straightforward when it comes to machine set-up.
“Actually Laguna was not as technical as we thought it might be when we visited for the first time last year,” explains Daniele Romagnoli, Chief Engineer for Colin Edwards. “It is a special circuit because there are almost no straights so there is no need to use the full gear range or the maximum power of the bike. Power delivery is much more important than top-end power and it must be smooth and easy for the rider to manage. At the same time the circuit is very ‘up and down’ so the chassis is important because the bike needs to keep turning in several different conditions. You need good traction when the bike is leaned over – especially at the end of the main straight when the bike is at an angle at high speed and in the Corkscrew. The Corkscrew also requires stable suspension and good performance under braking because, as we saw with Colin last year, it is a place he likes to overtake.
“Honestly it was quite easy to find a good set-up for Colin last year. His experience at the circuit meant that we already had some good information for the gear and suspension settings before we arrived. This time things are a little different because, even though we can dial in the same settings on the bike, the tyres have changed a lot from last year so we will need to work on something new to adapt the chassis and the suspension. We had a difficult weekend finding the right setting in Germany but Colin will not let this affect him and we will come out fighting like we did at Assen.”
VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION
Age: 27
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1
GP victories: 83 (56 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 166 (107 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: 58 x MotoGP
World Championships - 2 World Superbike
Laguna Seca Lap Record: Colin Edwards (Yamaha) 2005, 1’23.915
Laguna Seca Best Lap: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005, 1’22.670
2005 United States Grand Prix Results:
1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 45’15.374
2. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +1.941
3. VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Yamaha, +2.312
Posted by Administrator on 07-17-2006 at 05:07 am
| 10 - 2006 MotoGP Sachsenring |
| Sachsenring |
| 16 July 2006 |
| 95000 |
| 20°C |
| Sunny |
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Valentino Rossi |
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Just seven days after Italy won the football World Cup with a dramatic victory against France in Berlin, Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi produced an equally stunning performance to seal another success for his country on German soil thanks to a remarkable MotoGP win at the Sachsenring circuit near Dresden. Starting from tenth place on the grid after struggling to find the right set-up for his YZR-M1 machine in practice, the odds were stacked heavily against Rossi as he aimed to close the gap on series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) with another win. However, the reigning World Champion again confounded all the predictions with his superb skill and dogged determination.
Already shifted up one place on the grid from his qualifying position of eleventh after Casey Stoner (Honda) was ruled out of the race through injury, Rossi continued to make his way forward as soon as the red lights were out, passing four riders by the end of the first lap to immediately get in contact with the lead group. After carefully picking off Kenny Roberts (Team KR) and Makoto Tamada (Honda), Rossi set about the lead group of Hayden, Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Marco Melandri (Honda) and by lap 13 of 30 he was in front. The Italian held on to a slim lead for all but one of the remaining laps, when Melandri made one of his many attacks stick, before holding off a barrage of attacks from all three rivals in a dramatic final corner to seal his fourth win of the season.
Whilst Rossi was able to rescue a dismal situation in practice, unfortunately the same could not be said for his team-mate Colin Edwards, who was unable to make any further progress with his bike setting in the morning warm-up and struggled to eleventh place.
Valentino Rossi (1st; 41’49.248)
“That was an unbelievable race for me and my team. The first thing I have to say is ‘sorry’ to my M1 because last night was the first time in our relationship that I ever doubted her! But she was true to me once again and for this I owe a huge thank you to Jeremy and all my mechanics and engineers. Last night I didn’t think I could win this race but we made a change in the morning warm-up and then again before the race in the afternoon and today my M1 flew. In some parts of the track it was very, very fast. We also did a great job together with Michelin and at the start I realised that my rhythm was good enough to battle for the win. Once I got to the front I knew I was probably two or three tenths faster than the other guys but it wasn’t enough to escape and I had to battle with Dani, Nicky and Marco – each one was a great fight. Marco was so strong at the end of the race and I have to give my big congratulations to him, but thankfully I got the right line in the last corner and I was able to win. Italy became World Champions in the football last weekend and I won today; Germany is a good country for us!”
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Colin Edwards |
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Colin Edwards (11th; + 29.308)
“What can I say? I guess I’m just slow around here. The guys worked their butts off all weekend trying to give me something but we simply couldn’t get the bike working and I never had the pace. It looked like Valentino was in the same situation but today he pulled out something like his 700th miracle and you can only take your hat off to a great champion. We changed some things for the warm-up this morning but I wasn’t comfortable so we went back to the setting from yesterday, which we knew wasn’t ideal either. The first few laps were okay but I struggled to pass Toni Elias and by the time I got past him we were way back. From there on it was just a battle to keep the bike on the track and there wasn’t much more I could do but bring it home.”
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director
“Valentino was unbelievable today, fantastic. This was a very important victory for the championship because we’ve collected a lot of points but more than that it is a big psychological boost to win a fight in this way. This victory is a fruit of the hard work from the engineers, the team and Valentino – we have a great group of people here and they never give up. We always try to win races and today Valentino made it possible. Colin wasn’t able to recover a difficult situation but now he has seven days before getting a big chance to turn things around in his home Grand Prix.”
Sachsenring provides huge step forward for Tech 3 Yamaha Racing Team
With another top 10 finish and a result that saw Carlos Checa finish closer to the leaders that at any other race of the 2006 season, the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring circuit provided a huge step forward for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team and the performance of the team’s Dunlop tyres. Checa was involved in a tense battle throughout the race to miss out on seventh place by just 0.389 of a second to eventually finish ninth in an enthralling race won by fellow Yamaha rider and defending world champion, Valentino Rossi. Carlos was only 17 seconds in arrears after the 30-lap battle. In another positive result, Checa’s best lap of 1’23.097 was just 0.424 of a second off the fastest lap of the race. Englishman, James Ellison had to overcome handling problems in his quest to finish 13th, picking up some valuable points for himself and the team.
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Carlos Checa |
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Carlos Checa (9th, +17.097 secs Fastest lap 1’23.779)
This has been a very good result for us and I am very happy. The gap to the winner was the closest we have ever been this year, so that is another positive step considering that we had some chatter and after 17 laps something went wrong with the engine. This is no excuse of course but, basically overall our consistency and speed is good. The first race of the year we were 59 seconds behind the winner, now we are 17 seconds and also we were with other riders fighting for positions so this has been a very big improvement. I’m quite satisfied. We started with the tyre we knew from practice and overall we are working quite well. Now I hope that Yamaha will help us with the chatter and maybe the engine a little bit. On the chassis side, the tyres are getting better and better but we need to work on the chassis as we can see the official team is struggling as well. I think it is a general problem with the Yamaha we must work together and even us with different tyres we are finding this problem but we will continue to work hard and hopefully we can continue to progress and improve the way we have done in the last four races. “.
James Ellison (13th +1’02.029 Fastest lap 1’25.634)
“I wish I could say I was happy but that would be far from the truth. I had very bad chattering for most of the race. The whole balance of the bike was really good but I couldn’t run it into turns very fast because of the chatter so I had to pull back and I couldn’t run the speed I wanted to. The tyres were working well but I couldn’t get the times I wanted. At the start I could see Colin and the rest of the boys and I kept them close for 10 laps or so but then the chatter starting getting worse and worse and it started happening in more areas of the track. I just had to bring it home so I’m happy I did that and got some more points for myself and the team but that’s about all I’m happy about as I’m pretty disappointed. I’ve had a chat to Carlos about the chatter as he has dealt with things like that for years. He told me that if you try to carry the speed going into the corner it just gets worse so you have to brake as hard as you can and then throw it in because he knows it’s going to chatter. I’ve just got to change my riding to adapt to it because, it takes a while as if a bike is chattering the last thing your brain is telling you is to just throw it in because you think you will crash. I’ve just got to get on with it and see what I can do. I really hope the next race at Laguna Seca is different because this year has become extremely frustrating. I can’t tell you how much I want to improve and get up to a pace I know I can run at.”
Herve Poncharal - Tech3 Yamaha Team Director
“Altogether, a very good weekend and the very best weekend for us so far this season. We were only 17 seconds behind the winner at the end so for sure this is by far the best result we have had. We were a bit worried about the second part of the race but the tyre was really stable and we have definitely gained on performance and durability of the Dunlop tyres. At the end of the race we were in front of Hopkins on the Suzuki and on Bridgestones. We were catching Vermeulen but just a bit too late to pass him – another lap and we would have! We could’ve been seventh, that’s no big deal but clearly we are happy we improving. To be 12 seconds in front of Edwards was another positive sign for us. We are not talking about Valentino because he is on another planet after what he has done today. To be the second Yamaha in the race, second Yamaha on the grid and fastest Yamaha in morning warm-up was extremely satisfying for everyone so it confirms that the Yamaha/Dunlop combination worked very well here at Sachsenring and the improvements are getting bigger and improving all the time. We have another race before the summer break so we hope to continue at this same pace and to be able to fight again for a top 10 finish. James rode a steady race as he didn’t finish that far from Colin which is ok. Both our riders were in the points. In the team’s championship we move up, Carlos is gaining some more points so we are happy.
