PHILLIP ISLAND TEST

[KUCIAR666]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
31 JANUARY 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KAWASAKI UNVEIL NEW LIVERY IN PHILLIP ISLAND

Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet were back in green at Phillip Island today, as the Kawasaki Racing Team unveiled the new 2006 Ninja ZX-RR livery during the opening day of a three-day test at the Australian circuit.

Having suffered tyre problems during the race at Phillip Island three months ago, Shinya Nakano opted to run a new rear tyre from Bridgestone - with positive results - while he worked on refining the set-up of his all-new Ninja ZX-RR to suit the characteristics of the fast and flowing Australian circuit.

The 27-year-old Japanese rider experienced chatter from the rear end of his Ninja ZX-RR during today's test, but is confident that this is a problem that can be eliminated by his crew overnight.

Nakano's fastest lap during the opening day of testing was an improvement on his best race lap at the Phillip Island circuit, and the Kawasaki rider is confident that there are more improvements to come over the next two days.

For Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, today was his first experience of the Phillip Island circuit aboard the Ninja ZX-RR.

The 24-year-old Frenchman adapted quickly to the demands of wrestling a MotoGP bike around the twists and turns of the 4.448km Phillip Island track, but his attempts at a fast lap were hampered by the same chatter problems affecting his teammate.

A switch to his second bike for the afternoon session eliminated the chatter problem, and allowed de Puniet to close to within 0.6s of his more experienced Kawasaki teammate during his final ten laps.

Both Kawasaki riders will focus on important tyre testing with Bridgestone over the course of the next two days.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - 1'31.8 (75 Laps)
"We tried different suspension and engine management settings on the bike, and we finished today with a good base setting on the bike. There is still a small problem with chattering from the rear, but we think this is caused by a combination of suspension settings and the rear tyre, and we have some ideas on how to fix this for tomorrow. We had some problems with the right hand side of the tyre during the race here last year, so today I tested a new rear tyre from Bridgestone that was much improved. We had to push hard today to do as many laps as possible, because there is some concern about the weather; it changes so quickly here. Hopefully it will stay dry for the tyre tests with Bridgestone over the next two days."

Randy de Puniet: #17 - 1'32.4 (101 Laps)
"This is a new circuit for me on the MotoGP bike, so today has been a steep learning curve again. I had some chatter problems for most of the day, which we're still working to sort out, but I switched to my second bike in the afternoon, and this felt a lot better. It was on this bike that I set my fastest lap of the day. I think we will continue with this bike tomorrow for the tyre tests with Bridgestone. This is a very different circuit to Sepang, and I'm still adapting my style to suit aboard the Ninja ZX-RR, but I'm confident that my lap times will continue to improve over the remaining two days of testing."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Today has been mainly about finding a set-up on the 2006 Ninja ZX-RR machines to suit the characteristics of the Phillip Island circuit. Both riders suffered from a small amount of chatter, but this we can resolve with some changes to the suspension settings. Both riders have also tested revised engine management settings, again to try and find the best balance for the bike around Phillip Island, which is a circuit very different in character to Sepang. At the race here last year we had some tyre issues, so the main focus of the test over the next two days will be to evaluate the many new tyres that Bridgestone have brought to this test."

 

[KUCIAR666]

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM MEN AT WORK DOWN UNDER.

Loris Capirossi returns to the track where he had a spectacular crash in 2005 while Sete Gibernau continues his familiarisation with the new Desmosedici at Phillip Island.

Phillip Island (Australia), Tuesday 31 January 2006 - Five days after the end of the first 2006 test session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, the Ducati Marlboro Team has now moved to the spectacular Phillip Island track in Australia for its next test.

Sete Gibernau completed his first laps at the Australian circuit with the new Desmosedici, while Loris Capirossi returned to the track for the first time since last October, when his spectacular crash in Australian GP free practice forced him to miss the next two races. The weather was cloudy in the morning but the skies cleared up in the afternoon and the entire day was characterized by the typical blustery conditions of the island circuit.

Gibernau focussed mainly on chassis and tyre set-up for his Desmosedici and after reaching a satisfactory feeling the Spanish rider is now searching for the right set-up to enable him to lap constantly at a quick pace.

Sete Gibernau (71 laps - 1:31.27)
"Today was dedicated mainly to tyre and chassis settings. On this track the engine braking is very important and it has to have different characteristics for the long fast curves and the Honda hairpin. We must make the most of the remaining two days to find a good compromise that will allow us to put in a continuous sequence of quick laps. Bridgestone also has a full programme of work that includes testing new tyres tomorrow".

Loris Capirossi also put in a lot of laps on a circuit that he particularly likes, despite the memories of his crash last October.

Loris Capirossi (74 laps - 1:31.60)
"Today we did a lot of work on the set-up of my Desmosedici GP6 and with the new tyres that Bridgestone brought along: things are going quite well, but we`re still missing something that prevents me from going as quick as I would like. For sure, this circuit has completely different characteristics to Sepang, where we were last week and where we have always been at the top of the timesheets. However we still have two more days work ahead of us, and we`ll use them to find the best possible set-up".

The Ducati Marlboro Team will continue development work on the new Desmosedici bike and the tyres at the Phillip Island circuit for two more days.

Temperature: air 21? min./28? C max. - track 26? min./36? C max.

Unofficial Times:
1) Marco Melandri (Honda), 1:30.79
2) Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1:30.99
3) Casey Stoner (Honda), 1:31.07
4) Sete Gibernau (Ducati), 1:31.27
5) Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1:31.45
6) Kenny Roberts Jr. (KR), 1:31.50
7) Loris Capirossi (Ducati), 1:31.60
8) Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), 1:31.86
9) Toni Elias (Honda), 1:32.23
10) Makoto Tamada (Honda), 1:32.40
11) Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki) 1:32.49
12) Jos? Luis Cardoso (Ducati), 1:32.78
13) Alex Hoffman (Ducati), 1:32.90

 

[Oldbull]

Casey Stoner up there on the pace...good lad :bow:
I know its his home track but to say how much time hes had on the bike he defo isnt scared of it.. a lot of knowledgeable peeps in the racing circle rate him highly... knows the tracks aswell from his time in 250's.. one to watch for sure:yo:

Tamada still looks like hes not quite there again :xmfair fancied him to kik ass last year .. so did lots of others as well

Still miss not seeing Kato's name on them time sheets:cry: that kid WOULD have kicked Rossi's ass..R#?

 

[KUCIAR666]

THE FORTUNA HONDA TEAM BACK TO WORK AT PHILLIP ISLAND

MotoGP action resumes at Philip Island, Australia for the first day of the second test session in preparation of the 2006 season. It was an important test session for both riders of the FORTUNA HONDA TEAM: Marco Melandri worked in particular at the weight distribution of the bike, finding interesting solutions. He lapped with a good rhythm, scoring the best lap of the day. Toni Elias continued his step-by step approach, working to a carefully prepared pre-season test schedule designed to give him a complete overview of precisely what he can expect from his RC211V during his debut season The opening day of the Australian test session was characterized by generally cloudy sky and strong wind, typical for this area.


MARCO MELANDRI (92 laps, 1?30?72 ):

?The bike worked very well today. At the Sepang test we found the right direction to work in and today we concentrated on the geometry of the bike and the weight distribution looking for a base setting that will be good for all tracks. We need to
work on the front suspension to get a better feeling but I feel quite satisfied with what we did today. I am beginning to find rhythm without pushing too hard."

TONI ELIAS ( 100 laps, 1?32?20 ):

"To come back to a track new to me with the RCV I found it difficult to get comfortable on the bike. After the lunch break things got a little better with the set up. We are looking for a base setting that will be good for all tracks. We worked on the general chassis and suspension settings and we continue our step by step schedule."

Temperatures: Air 24?C - Asphalt 34?C

UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES

1) Marco Melandri (Honda) 1'30.72
2) Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1'30.94
3) Casey Stoner (Honda) 1'31.00
4) Sete Gibernau (Ducati) 1'31.27
5) Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1'31.49
6) Kenny Roberts (KR) 1'31.50
7) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1'31.61
8) Makoto Tamada (Honda) 1'31.88
9) Shinia Nakano (Kawasaki) 1'32.04
10) Toni Elias (Honda) 1'32.20
11) Randy DePuniet (Kawasaki)1'32.49
11) Jos? Luis Cardoso (Ducati) 1'32.78
12) Alex Hoffman (Ducati) 1'32.90

 

[KUCIAR666]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
01 FEBRUARY 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAIN DISRUPTS PHILLIP ISLAND TEST

Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet were limited to finding a good wet set-up on the new Ninja ZX-RR today, as rain disrupted the Kawasaki Racing Team's second day of testing at the Phillip Island circuit.

Nakano started the day with full wet tyres front and rear on his Ninja ZX-RR, using this morning's session to get a feeling for the new bike in the difficult conditions.

The Japanese rider worked with his crew to refine the wet set-up on the bike, making changes to the engine management system to improve traction and control around the slippery Phillip Island circuit.

Conditions improved slightly during the afternoon, with dry patches appearing in places on the track, prompting Nakano to switch to a rear tyre with a lighter tread cut than the full wet rear tyre he used throughout the morning.

For de Puniet, today provided him with his first opportunity to test the new Ninja ZX-RR in full wet conditions. The 24-year-old Frenchman concentrated this morning on finding a useable wet set-up, but he was forced to switch to his spare bike in the afternoon, after crashing without injury at the ultra-fast turn one.

Having identified a set-up he was satisfied with, de Puniet continued testing after the crash, setting consistently fast lap times during the still wet afternoon session.

The Kawasaki Racing Team will return to Phillip Island tomorrow for the third, and final, day of testing at the Australian circuit.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - 1'42.6 (27 Laps)
"It has rained all day today, so we've been restricted in what we could do in terms of testing. This morning, with the track completely wet, I did some laps to get a feeling for the new bike on wet weather tyres. We then made some small changes to the engine management system, with positive results. In the afternoon the track conditions were less consistent, and we were able to test a new rear tyre from Bridgestone. This tyre had a lighter tread cut than the full wet tyres, and it worked very well in the mixed conditions we had in the afternoon. I didn't complete so many laps today, but we did end the day with a wet set-up on the new bike that I'm happy with, so it was a worthwhile test for me."

Randy de Puniet: #17 - 1'43.3 (49 Laps)
"The conditions were good for me today, as the rain allowed me to complete my first real wet test aboard the new Ninja ZX-RR. Through the morning we worked to find a good wet set-up on the bike, making some changes to the power delivery and throttle response to suit my riding style. Unfortunately the morning ended with a crash; I got on the gas too hard on a new tyre and went down in turn one. In the afternoon we found a good solution with the set-up and I was able to put in some consistent lap times in the difficult conditions. We're hoping for dry weather tomorrow, as we need to do some work on the set-up of the bike to eliminate the chatter we suffered on Monday, and we also have a lot of new tyres to test for Bridgestone."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"We were hoping for dry conditions today, as Bridgestone have a lot of new tyres for us to test here at Phillip Island. Unfortunately it rained all day, but at least it gave the riders a chance to work on finding a good wet set-up on the new bike. The track conditions were fairly consistent earlier in the day and that allowed us to look more closely at traction control settings in the wet, which is sometimes difficult to do during a race weekend because of the time constraints. Hopefully the weather will improve tomorrow, so that we can get on with the job of tyre testing with Bridgestone."

 

[KUCIAR666]

THE RAIN SPOILS THE SECOND DAY OF TESTING AT PHILLIP ISLAND

A heavy rain spoiled the testing schedule of the Fortuna Honda Team during their second day of testing on the Australian track. Marco Melandri made only 19 laps. He went on track to check the feeling of the bike on wet conditions. He found immediately a good feeling and was satisfied of the sensations on the new RC211V with rain tyres. Positive day for Toni Elias that profited of the heavy rain to test the Rc211V on wet conditions. He found himself comfortable and his feeling with the bike improved lap by lap. According to the weather forecast, tomorrow the weather should improve in the afternoon. All MotoGP squads gathered at Phillip Island hope in good weather to carry on their work programme.


MARCO MELANDRI (19 laps, 1?42?63 ):

?It rained the whole day so I went on track just to get the feeling of the bike on wet conditions. The bike worked very well and I gathered positive information. I hope that tomorrow the weather improves so that we can carry on our work schedule.?

TONI ELIAS ( 45 laps, 1?42?96 ):

?I would have preferred to test on dry conditions because we still have a lot of work to do. Anyway, the rain gave me the opportunity to test my RC211V on wet. I?m happy because I found myself comfortable with the bike and my feeling improved lap by lap. It was a very useful testing day, ?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Wednesday Feb 1 2006
Testing - Phillip Island

RAIN BRINGS A HALT TO SECOND DAY OF TESTING AT PHILLIP ISLAND

The Ducati Marlboro Team riders spent most of the day in the pit garage due to heavy rain at the Australian circuit. Final day of testing tomorrow.

Heavy rain fell on the second day of testing at the Phillip Island circuit today, seriously hampering track activities for the MotoGP riders.

Loris Capirossi only completed ten laps of the island circuit, taking advantage of a gap between the rain showers to make a couple of runs, one with standard tyres and the other with a new type of tyre brought by Bridgestone. He was still lapping out on a drying track when a further downpour forced him back into the garage.

Sete Gibernau, on the other hand, preferred not to take any risks on the wet track and remained in his pit garage all day.

The weather forecast for the final day of testing tomorrow does not look particularly promising, but the Ducati Marlboro Team riders and engineers are hoping that they will be able to get some dry track time to continue development work on the Desmosedici GP6.

 

[KUCIAR666]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
02 FEBRUARY 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAKANO CONFIDENT AFTER PHILLIP ISLAND TEST

The Kawasaki Racing Team managed to complete their planned test schedule at Phillip Island, as the wet and windy weather of yesterday was replaced with almost perfect conditions for today's third, and final, day of testing.

After setting the fastest time in the wet yesterday, Shinya Nakano took advantage of today's dry conditions to continue work on the base set-up of his all-new Ninja ZX-RR. The Japanese rider and his crew worked through a programme of rear suspension changes, which eliminated the chatter problems experienced during the first day of testing on Tuesday.

Nakano also worked his way through an intense tyre-testing schedule for Bridgestone, with positive results. The Japanese tyre manufacturer supplied evaluation tyres with revised profiles and compounds for this test, designed to combat problems Nakano experienced during the race at Phillip Island three months ago.

The Kawasaki rider spent the afternoon session trying different braking points and lines through the turns aboard his Ninja ZX-RR, ending the day by improving on his qualification time from the Australian Grand Prix in October.

Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, also concentrated today on alleviating chatter from the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR, eventually finding an improvement after working through different rear suspension specifications and settings with his crew.

After evaluating four new rear tyres for Bridgestone, the 24-year-old Frenchman then went on to complete a 20-lap race simulation, setting his fastest time of the test on lap 17.

The Kawasaki Racing Team's final overseas pre-season test will take place at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, starting on Tuesday 14th February.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - 1'30.59 (78 Laps)
"The focus today has been on tyre testing with Bridgestone, and also continuing the work from Tuesday to find a good base setting on the new bike. I also spent a lot of time working on my riding today, trying different braking points and lines through the turns to see if I could improve on my lap time. Overall, I'm happy with what we've achieved here. Despite the rain yesterday we've managed to complete our test programme and we leave here with a good base set-up on the bike. We still have some work to do with a revised version of the new engine at the next test but, based on the two tests so far, I'm confident that we'll arrive at Jerez for the first race with a very competitive bike in the new Ninja ZX-RR."

Randy de Puniet: #17 - 1'31.77 (100 Laps)
"Overall this has been a good test for me, but I was hoping to make a bigger improvement to my lap time today. We were still struggling with chatter, although we did make some improvements towards the end of the day after working through different suspension settings on the rear of the bike. I learnt a lot during the wet testing yesterday, and my times during the race simulation today were consistent, but without the chatter problem I know I could have gone faster. We have a few days off now, but I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike in Sepang, where I'll obviously be looking to improve on my lap time from the previous test there."

Ichiro Yoda: KHI Technical Manager
"We had some chatter problems in the dry during the first day of the test, but today we found a suspension set-up for both riders that improved this situation. There is still some chatter, but it is now at an acceptable level. We also tested a number of new tyres from Bridgestone, featuring different profiles and compounds, and we discovered that some reduced the chatter, but also had reduced grip, while with others the grip was good, but they made the chatter problem worse. We also continued testing the new engine, with some changes to make the bike easier to ride, and we will continue with this direction for the next test at Sepang, where the riders have also asked for a little more top end power. Finally, we also evaluated a revised cowling on the bike, designed to increase airflow and improve cooling."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"I'm quite satisfied with what we've achieved here and in Sepang, we have made a good step forward with the new bike. In the past we've had some tyre problems at Phillip Island, specifically with grip on the right hand side, but the new tyres that Bridgestone brought to this test work well here, and I think we can be confident in the performance when we return to Phillip Island to race. Shinya was the fastest rider in the wet yesterday, which also proves the performance of Bridgestone's wet weather tyres. We leave here happy with the progress made with chassis and tyres. At the next Sepang test we will focus on the engine, to improve driveability and top end power, and the KHI engineers are already very busy preparing new engine components for us to test. Overall, the two tests at Sepang and Phillip Island have been very productive for us."

 

[KUCIAR666]

MELANDRI, HONDA FASTEST RIDER ON TRACK

After yesterday?s washout, that spoiled a whole day of work, the sunny sky and the dry track allowed a far more productive session today, third and last day of this Australian test session. Marco Melandri put the track to the most use: he completed 133 laps of the Australian circuit, signing the third fastest time of the day (1?30.60) and the fastest time among the Honda riders. Together with his team, Marco worked very hard to complete the whole schedule of work, interrupted yesterday by the rain. Toni Elias continued his adaptation to the new bike at his debut season on the RC211V. The Spaniard tried different set up solutions and completed 91 laps.


MARCO MELANDRI (133 laps, 1?30?60 ):

?Today the weather was fantastic and we worked without a break. He had a lot of work to carry out and after 133 laps I can say that I am satisfied. I found a good rhythm and the bike worked very well. We also tested many tyres. I leave Phillip Island with optimism. I think we are working in the right direction and I look forward to the next test session.?

TONI ELIAS ( 91 laps, 1?32?15 ):

?I?m continuing my adaptation to new bike, Today we did a step forward, eliminating some solutions that I didn?t like and adopting some new ones. I also tested Marco?s setting. I got a good feeling and I could understand the direction in which we have to go. I still haven?t found the right set up for me and I need to improve the front feeling. I?m happy to have the opportunity to test again in Malaysia in a few days because on that track we have important reference data.?

The Team Fortuna Honda will fly tomorrow back to Europe but the preparation of the coming season never stops. In eleven days a new test session is scheduled at Sepang, Malaysia.

UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES

1. Sete Gibernau (Ducati Marlboro) - 1'29.99
2. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro) - 1'30.20
3. Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda) - 1'30.60
4. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki Racing) - 1'30.65
5. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) - 1'30.95
6. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) - 1'31.10
7. Casey Stoner (LCR Honda) - 1'31.21
8. Kenny Roberts Jr (KR Honda) -1'31.64
9. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki Racing) - 1'31.77
10. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda) - 1'31.87
11. Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda) - 1'32.15
12. Alex Hofmann(D'Antin Ducati) - 1'32.52
13. Jose Luis Cardoso (D'Antin Ducati)

 

[KUCIAR666]

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS ON FINAL DAY

OF AUSTRALIA TEST


Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi confirm Desmosedici GP6`s potential on both qualifying and race tyres.

The third and final day of Phillip Island testing was characterized by fine weather, enabling the MotoGP teams to complete their Australian preparations in view of the new season.

On a dry but not particularly quick track (as demonstrated by the times recorded today and those in last October`s race), the two Ducati Marlboro Team riders notched up just over 885 kilometres to successfully complete the scheduled testing work.

With new Bridgestone qualifying tyres, Sete Gibernau set the quickest time of the day in 1:30.06 and Loris Capirossi the second quickest time in 1:30.25, while on race tyres the Spanish rider was second on the unofficial timesheets, and his team-mate fourth.

Gibernau put in an enormous amount of laps today, 102 in total; he was satisfied with the progress made in the electronics area and with the rapport established with the Bridgestone technicians, and is now looking forward to the future with confidence.

Sete Gibernau
(102 laps) - best times 1:30.92 (race), 1:30.06 (qualifying)
"Today was a positive day, the team is working hard and so are the guys back in the factory. We made a small step forward with the engine braking software. With Bridgestone we`re still trying to find what we need to improve and make the bike`s handling more predictable. There is still a lot of room for improvement and we will have to work hard in the next tests. I`d just like to thank everyone for the commitment and passion with which they have followed me so far: it`s a real pleasure to work in this way."
Loris Capirossi completed 97 laps of the track which included a 13-lap mini-long run. The Italian was confident that he would soon be able to count on tyres that will allow him to be even more competitive.

Loris Capirossi
(97 laps) - best times 1:31.07 (race), 1:30.25 (qualifying)
"Today, thanks also to the favourable weather conditions, we were able to get through a lot of work and do a lot of laps. Every day that goes by I am more and more convinced of the potential of the GP6, even at this track, which is very fast and technical. I tested two chassis, one of which was stiffer than the other, and at the next tests in Sepang we will decide which one to use throughout the season. They both have pros and cons, but for the moment I prefer the less stiffer one. We have a big margin for improvement with the tyres. Bridgestone have got a lot of data to work with to make improvements in the next tests and, knowing them, I`m sure they will."
After travelling around the world and testing for the last fortnight, the entire Ducati Marlboro Team can now fly back home. The break will last just one week however as they will then return to the Far East for the final winter testing session outside of Europe at the Sepang circuit again from February 14-16.

Temperature: air 26?-28? C / track 32?-43? C

Unofficial times:
1. Marco Melandri (Honda), 1:30.60
2. Sete Gibernau (Ducati), 1:30.92
3. Nicky Hayden (Honda), 1:30.99
4. Loris Capirossi (Ducati), 1:31.07
5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 1:31.10
6. Casey Stoner (Honda), 1:31.13
7. Kenny Roberts Jr. (KR), 1:31.68
8. Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki), 1:31.70
9. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki), 1:31.72
10. Makoto Tamada (Honda), 1:31.81
11. Toni Elias (Honda), 1:32.14
12. Alex Hoffman (Ducati), 1:32.40s
13. Jose Luis Cardoso (Ducati), 1:32.52