Posted by Administrator on 03-28-2007 at 12:03 pm
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Following on from their first and third finishes in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Spain, Fiat Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards got back to work straight away with a two-day test yesterday and today. The scene of their victorious celebrations under sunny skies on Sunday was a very different place on Monday as heavy rain fell throughout the day at the Spanish circuit. This was just what the team wanted however, as it gave them the chance to do some serious wet-weather testing with the new 800cc M1, something they have not had the opportunity for so far this year. Rossi completed 41 laps in the rain with a best lap of 1′51.899, whilst Edwards put in 36 laps with a best lap of 1′53.104.
With all the necessary wet-weather work completed on Monday, the team were forced to wait until this afternoon, when the track was fully dry, to get started with their programme of tyre testing. Both riders tested a range of new tyres with Michelin and the information gathered is sure to prove invaluable when they head to Istanbul next month, the first circuit at which they will not have tested since the new tyre regulations came into play. Rossi also tried out some small engine modifications in order to give the Yamaha engineers more information for their engine development ahead of the next run of races. Edwards was the fastest rider not to run a qualifying tyre today, finishing the test in fifth place with a time of 1′41.755 after 46 laps. Rossi was ninth fastest with a time of 1′42.348 from 42 laps.
There is now a three-week break until the third round of the 2007 MotoGP Championship, which will take place at the Istanbul Park circuit in Turkey on 22nd April.
Davide Brivio - Team Director
Yesterday we had the chance to test in really wet conditions, which was extremely important for us. It gave us the chance to really understand the performance of the M1 in the wet and to give us a lot of information about tyres and settings in these conditions. We’re now more prepared in case we have rain at any of the next races, which is quite possible! Today we had to wait until the afternoon for it to be properly dry, as it was still raining this morning. Anyway we had enough time to get some good work done, mostly tyre testing but Valentino also tried some new engine modifications and we found some small improvements in the engine performance. Now our engineers will work in Japan with the information gathered today, and we will decide whether or not we will use these new modifications at the next race in Istanbul. We also did a lot of tyre testing with Michelin and gathered a lot of important information for the next few races. It’s always hard to get back to testing after a great day like we had on Sunday but everyone has worked very hard - now they all deserve a nice long break before Istanbul!”
Posted by Administrator on 03-25-2007 at 04:03 pm
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Valentino Rossi returned to the top step of the podium today after leading for all 27-laps of the Grand Prix of Spain, taking his first victory since Sepang last year and his 46th win of the four-stroke MotoGP era. Rossi’s 26th win for Yamaha also makes him the most successful rider at Jerez in the premier class, with five wins at the Spanish track. He was joined for the podium celebrations by his team-mate Colin Edwards, who rode a strong race from fourth on the grid to stay in contention behind Dani Pedrosa, eventually finishing third and taking his seventh MotoGP podium in front of a record crowd of 138,000.
Both Yamahas got a good start off the line, Edwards riding around the outside of Carlos Checa to take third at turn two and Rossi passing pole-sitter Pedrosa to take the lead shortly after. By the fourth lap the leading trio had begun to pull away from Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins and Rossi had started to stretch his lead on Pedrosa, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap five. Despite a strong showing from the Spaniard in front of his home crowd, Rossi’s lead never looked in jeopardy and he eventually crossed the line 1.246 seconds in front. Edwards meanwhile never stopped pushing in third place, spurred on by the looming Honda of Toni Elias in the latter stages. Tyre worries for the pair proved unfounded as their Michelins worked well to the flag and Rossi and Edwards now take first and fourth in the Championship after two rounds of the eighteen-race season.
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Valentino Rossi
Position: 1st Time: 45′53.340
“After the situation at this race last year, this is much, much better! Our first priority today was to get points and I knew that to win I would have to ride at the maximum, but today my Yamaha really flew and I was able to do a great race. It feels like a long time since I last won and this is a great emotion and a very special victory for me, especially in Jerez in front of this great crowd. Qatar was good but to taste victory again is a wonderful feeling. We had some problems on Friday and again yesterday and then after this morning’s warm-up we made some more small modifications; I have to thank my team, from Jeremy Burgess to all my mechanics and engineers. They did a fantastic job for me this weekend and they all deserve this win. My tyre worked very well today and Michelin have done a good job too in difficult conditions, so thank you to them. I got a great start, didn’t make any mistakes and had a good battle with Pedrosa, who we knew would be the danger today. I’m really happy for Colin too and to have both Yamahas on the podium shows that we’re in good shape for what’s going to be a long season. Now we have two race tracks which might be difficult for us so it’s very important to leave here leading the championship.”
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Colin Edwards
Position: 3rd Time: +2.701
“On Friday morning you wouldn’t have thought we would end up on the podium, but here we are and it was a good race for me. I’ve got to say an enormous thank you to all my guys because they worked non-stop all weekend and came up with some pretty good solutions to the problems we had. Michelin also had something up their sleeve for us and seemed to know what would work and they were proved right - they’ve done a good job for us this weekend. I got a good start and my best move was getting past Checa so quickly; I knew I had to find some clear air and try to hang onto the back of Valentino and Pedrosa. I made a couple of small mistakes and they were able to pull away from me a bit which was a pity, but my bike was working well so I was able to keep a pretty good pace throughout. Towards the end I could see Elias had appeared behind me and I didn’t like the idea of him getting spurred on by his home fans and trying to snatch a podium, so I really had to keep hammering away! The last few laps were a little hairy at times as I started to slide but anyway we managed to make it and it feels great to be up here on the podium again.”
Davide Brivio - Team Director
“It’s great to be back with both riders on the podium and especially here in Jerez where we struggled so much in last year’s race. It’s a really positive sign and shows what a good job our Yamaha engineers have done with our new bike. Everyone has worked very hard over this weekend and the entire team deserves congratulations. The new tyre regulations mean we have to manage what we have very carefully and this is a great result for us. It’s also a very important result because we now have two tricky circuits and it’s good to be going into this stage of the season in front. Thanks again to all the team and everyone involved, we’re very happy today!”
More championship points for Dunlop Yamaha Tech3 Team
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There were smiles aplenty in the Spanish sunshine for the Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team when both riders, Sylvain Guintoli and Makoto Tamada finished in the points at the Spanish Grand Prix, held in front of over 131,000 screaming fans at the technically demanding Jerez circuit. It wasn’t only the points that made the team happy as both riders on the new smaller capacity 800cc machines completed the race in a faster time than 2006 confirming the constant improvement of the Dunlop tyres. Both riders became embroiled in their own duel that lasted until the flag as they both exchanged places a number of times, Makoto pipping Sylvain for 14th position by just 0.091 of a second after 27 gruelling laps of the 4.423km track.
In his rookie year of MotoGP, Guintoli, 24-year-old Frenchman, improved his performance every time he left the pit box replicating his efforts of the previous race in Qatar confirming that it will be a season that produces every improving results.
His Japanese team mate is now moving in the same direction as he becomes attuned to his return to Dunlop tyres and with this confidence producing result both riders expect to be closer to the leading battles with the championship now moving to Istanbul for the Grand Prix of Turkey on April 22. |
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Makoto Tamada
Position: 14th Time: +36.653
“Although it wasn’t perfect I am happy with the result as I was held up by another rider during the early laps. He was faster in some spots and I was faster in others which caused me to lose a little bit of time but when I got past him I could get away quickly and come back to where Sylvain was so we fought out the rest of the race together which was very good. I was very happy with the bike setting as we used a new front tyre that I hadn’t used before. I had a very good feeling with it although the rear spun a little but even at this early stage of the season I know that this will improve as well. Saying that, it was very consistent during the entire race. We have a gap of just three tenths of a second each lap compared to the mid pack so it was only a small gap in comparison to the last race. Being three seconds faster than my race time last year made me happy as well. The fight with the field this year is a lot more than last year and I know my team are happy with me because I kept fighting until the end. This will help everyone because it is important to fight until the very end so we can give the information to Dunlop so they can continue to improve.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Position: 15th Time: +36.744
“We had had a pretty good weekend and to score another point scoring place is very encouraging. In reality, we have done a much better job here because we are only 36 seconds from the win and six seconds quicker than the time Checa did last year considering the race was four seconds quicker as well. For me it is a big improvement because Jerez is a place I have never done very well at as I’ve had many troubles here in the past. The entire weekend was a big improvement tyre-wise and I am getting more used to the bike as well. I had a bad first lap but then I caught the group in front of me that were fighting for 10th but I just couldn’t manage to stay with them. I had a good fight towards the end with my teammate Makoto which was a lot of fun. I had a very good front tyre which gave me the confidence to push hard throughout the race. The rear was excellent for the early laps which allowed me to catch the group in front and do low 42’s. Then like everyone else the grip level dropped off slightly but I could still maintain a rhythm in the high 42’s. I am confident of continuing the improvement at the next Grand Prix in Turkey.”
Herve Poncharal - Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager
“I’m very happy today as I think both our riders had a very good and consistent race. Sylvain had a great start and pushed really hard but Makoto was a bit more cautious. By mid race they were both together and had a very good battle between them so that was great to see. With both riders in the points it’s a very good result for us as there was only one crash during the race - that says a lot for the progress we are making. Also more importantly the group in front of us with Capirossi, Barros and De Puniet was very, very close and with just 0.3 second a lap quicker we would’ve been with them so that’s very encouraging - and don’t forget Capirossi won here last year. We have made a big step forward especially compared to the previous race, so we are happy. We know the points aren’t easy to come by this year considering how close the lap times are, so with both our guys in the points this is a good result and a good boost to our confidence. I am also happy with the lap times throughout the race because they are very consistent doing mid to high 1’42’s which is very close to the pack, so I think if we can achieve a better grid position and have a bit more speed in the first five or six laps we will have better results. We are staying here to test for the next couple of days. Unfortunately the weather forecast is for rain, but Dunlop have a big wet test program for us anyway.”
Posted by Administrator on 03-25-2007 at 10:03 am
Valentino Rossi’s longest losing streak since 2000 has been broken by an uncompromising victory over home hero Dani Pedrosa in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, in front of 138,000 fans.
Former five-times world champion Rossi had gone five races without a victory, including a surprise loss to Casey Stoner in the Qatar season-opener, marking his longest run without a win since his first ever premier-class victory at Donington in 2000.
Many of the Fiat Yamaha rider’s subsequent 57 MotoGP triumphs have come courtesy of a tactical late race burst to shake-off any remaining opposition, but Jerez was different; Rossi rode flat out from the very first turn to try and break pole sitter Pedrosa. It took the Italian 14 relentless laps, out of 27, to drop the Repsol Honda rider by more than one-second, but from then on Rossi’s first 800cc victory was in the bag.
A jubilant Rossi celebrated his return to the top of the podium - and world championship standings - by bowling an imaginary ball at nine friends dressed as skittles on the side of the track, all of whom suitably collapsed at the required moment! Rossi’s factory Yamaha team were almost as animated back in pit lane, due to a combination of elation and relief.
Meanwhile, Pedrosa had slipped steadily back to finish 3.3secs behind The Doctor by the chequered flag, while Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards spent almost the entire race in third position - a position the Texan eventually confirmed by 2.7secs over Toni Elias.
World champion Nicky Hayden got a much needed strong start to jump from eleventh to fourth by the end of lap one, but the Repsol rider was never able to trouble Edwards and spent much of the race with Rizla Suzuki’s John Hopkins breathing down his neck.
Hopper eventually burst past his fellow American with 11 laps to go, only to lose the front end of his GSV-R just a few corners later - sending the #21 spiralling into the gravel. Typically, the Anglo-American hauled his machine back onto its wheels and rode on to the finish, albeit in last position.
Elias had passed Hayden soon after Hopkins, but Edwards remained out of his reach and he was instead left to defend fourth from fellow Bridgestone rider Stoner, whose Ducati crossed the line just half a second behind the Gresini Honda.
(Source:Crash.net)
Posted by Administrator on 03-25-2007 at 10:03 am
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Valentino Rossi will start from second position for tomorrow’s Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez after an exciting and extremely close qualifying battle today, while his team-mate Colin Edwards will be just behind him in fourth having lost out on third position in the dying moments of the session. It is Rossi’s eighth consecutive top-three start for Yamaha, the Italian having started from the front row in the final six races of 2006 and at this season’s opener in Qatar.
After struggling for grip once again this morning and finishing free practice way down the order in 18th position, it was clear from the start this afternoon that warmer temperatures and the latest changes made to the setting of his M1 had improved Rossi’s package and he quickly posted his fastest time of the weekend so far. Edwards and his crew had made drastic changes to his bike setting overnight and he too showed a marked improvement to his race pace both this morning and again this afternoon, as he and Rossi used the improved track conditions in their quest to find the right tyre package ahead of tomorrow’s 27-lap race. With eight minutes to go Rossi moved into pole position with the first of his two Michelin qualifying tyres, only to be ousted by his team-mate less than a minute later as the Texan set his first flying lap. The last five minutes saw the usual flurry of quick laps and position-changing amongst the leading protagonists before Rossi took the top slot once again with a lap of 1′39.453, before being pushed into second by Spaniard Dani Pedrosa (Honda), who set the eventual pole time of 1′39.402. Edwards’ final lap seemed sure to give him a front-row slot alongside his team-mate but he fell victim to another local favourite as Carlos Checa (Honda) claimed third in the last seconds of the session.
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Valentino Rossi
Position: 2nd Time: 1′39.453 Laps: 26
“It’s been an up and down weekend for us so it’s good that we’ve achieved our number one goal of getting onto the front row. It’s going to be very important for tomorrow’s race I think. It was a good qualifying session and my lap was quite good, but we know it’s possible to be a lot quicker because last month at the test I was more than one second faster! We knew it would be difficult to match the 1′38.394 I did then however, because then we had four qualifying tyres and with the new tyre restrictions now we only have two. With the race tyre we were struggling quite a bit yesterday and this morning it was even worse, so we were a bit worried, but we looked at the situation together with Michelin and found a good solution and this afternoon we were in much better shape. I think tyres are going to be the biggest issue tomorrow and the last ten laps especially are going to be very hard and difficult for everyone. I think it’s going to be an exciting race for the fans!”
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Colin Edwards
Position: 4th Time: 1′39.486 Laps: 28
“I’m pretty annoyed to have missed out on the front row by so little! I didn’t have quite enough speed into turn one with my last qualifying tyre and so lost a little bit of time in the first section and that proved to be the difference that mattered. Anyway, you live and learn! We were a bit worried last night but my team turned the bike upside down overnight and it felt much better this morning. Then this afternoon we used the tyre we’re planning to use for the race and things improved again, so I’m feeling quite happy about my race pace now. We’ve still got a few things to tweak and a couple of decisions to make before tomorrow afternoon but we’re more or less there so hopefully we’re going to be able to get a good start and run a good race. It was pretty close today and everyone’s really stepped up their game, I think it’s going to be one hell of a race tomorrow! Finally I want to say thank you again to my team for working so hard last night to come up with a good setting - they did a great job.”
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Davide Brivio - Team Director
“Well things are much better when it’s warmer! This afternoon we could really work properly and get some proper testing done. In fact Colin was much better this morning and again this afternoon, he seems happy with his tyre choice now so I think he can do a good race tomorrow. Valentino had some troubles this morning but we found a good solution and this afternoon the situation was more normal. It was a shame Checa pushed Colin off the front row and we missed having them both there, like in Qatar, but anyway second and fourth is not so bad and I think they both have the pace to fight at the front now. We’re in a good position for the race.”
Posted by Administrator on 03-24-2007 at 09:03 am
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The first European race of the season got off to a slightly shaky start for Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards today, with the Fiat Yamaha Team riders struggling for rear grip at the Andalucian circuit of Jerez. The Italian and the American finished the day in sixth and ninth respectively and the weekend promises to be a close battle, with the top 12 riders all within half a second of each other after two free practice sessions.
Despite clear skies and sunshine, this morning’s first practice was run in cold temperatures and, with the track temperature reaching a maximum of only 15 degrees, the conditions did not provide the riders with much chance to really get to grips with bike and tyre set-up. This afternoon was considerably warmer and both Rossi and Edwards improved their times and their general race-pace, but neither rider was able to find the perfect tyre combination with the current setting on their M1 and will hope to make considerable improvements tomorrow. The best time of the day was recorded by Honda rider and Spanish favourite Carlos Checa, who set a best lap of 1′40.851.
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Valentino Rossi
Position: 6th
Time: 1′41.198
Laps: 52
“Today was quite difficult for us, compared to how we began in Qatar! Unfortunately the situation with the tyre is not perfect, we don’t have enough grip and the problem is made worse because the condition of the track isn’t so good either. We have a lot less grip than we had at the test here so now we need to work more on the setting of the bike in order to improve the grip with the tyres we have. This morning the problem was a lot worse and we were quite worried after the first session, but we’ve worked very hard today and the situation this afternoon is a lot better. Anyway we’re not that far away at the end of the day, only sixth, and all the riders are very close together so I don’t think we need to worry yet. It’s clear that some of our rivals are very strong and it’s going to be a hard battle, so we need to make the most of the time we have left. I hope that the track grip will improve tomorrow as more rubber is laid down and I hope it will also be a little bit warmer in the morning so we can work properly during free practice.”
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Colin Edwards
Position: 9th
Time: 1′41.305
Laps: 52
“We’ve definitely got a little bit of a problem to deal with and I can’t say we’re in the same shape we were in at this stage of the Qatar race! We know what tyre worked here at the test and the bike is basically the same, with a few improvements, but the conditions here today are pretty different and it seems things aren’t quite working the way we expected. The main problem is that we can’t get the rear to hold on and we’re just sliding around a bit. It’s disappointing because at the test here our grip and our speed through the corners was our best thing, but here it seems we’ve lost that a bit and we’re not entirely sure why at the moment! We’ve tried quite a few different tyres but we couldn’t find something that worked perfectly today. We’re obviously restricted with our tyre choice because of the new rules, so now we’re going to need to make some changes to the bike in order to get it to work with what we’ve got. The bike feels great and I’m happy with it, it’s just a matter of grip. We’ve got a lot of ideas and we’ll have a good chat about it tonight and start again in the morning. I am sure we’ll be able to come up with something!”
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Davide Brivio - Team Director
“Compared to the test we have a lot less grip so now we have to work at 100% to find a way to make the bike work with the tyres we’ve got. The team and riders are working hard together to find the right combination between the elements and tomorrow we will keep going. Obviously the situation isn’t perfect and we need to come up with some good ideas as at the moment we’re not in the best race-shape, but we’re confident we can make some big improvements tomorrow. This morning was very cold and it was difficult to work properly like that so really we only had the afternoon. Let’s hope it’s warmer tomorrow!”
