SETUP REPORT - 16/08/2006

[KUCIAR666]

SETUP REPORT - 16/08/2006

Six race challenge starts at Brno for Camel Yamaha Team

The Camel Yamaha team return from a three-week holiday next weekend to
tackle the first of a final spell of six races that will determine
whether reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi can turn around his
fortunes and make a sixth consecutive defence of the title he has held
since 2001. The Czech Republic Grand Prix takes place at the legendary
circuit of Brno, located just over 200 kilometres south-east of the
capital city of Prague, where last year Rossi took victory and the lap
record as he edged towards his fifth straight title.

The scenario is dramatically different for Rossi this time around but a
similar performance is required as the Italian aims to close down the
51-point gap to series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda). It is a tough task
but certainly not impossible, as Yamaha legend Wayne Rainey proved in
1992 when he pipped the injured Mick Doohan to the title despite lying 65
points behind with only five races remaining.

Fittingly this weekend marks the thirteen-year anniversary of Rainey's
final 500cc victory for the factory at Brno and is also precisely a
decade since Rossi took his maiden Grand Prix win at the very same circuit
in the 125cc class. Since then Rossi has added to his Brno tally with a
further 250cc success and three wins in MotoGP - including last year's
dominant display on the Yamaha.

Colin Edwards can't wait to reacquaint himself with his YZR-M1 machine
after riding a specially prepared YZF-R1 SP Superbike alongside
Noriyuki Haga in the Suzuka 8 Hour two weeks ago. The prestigious Japanese
race proved to be a brief but eventful affair for the American after he
was knocked to the ground on lap one and then mounted a stunning
recovery, only to suffer a mechanical failure a few laps later - continuing a
run of bad luck almost comparable to that of Rossi. Despite the
shortened holiday Edwards was able to take crucial time out to recharge his
batteries at home in Texas and he returns to Europe even more determined
to turn things around.
Valentino Rossi: Race by race
This time last season Valentino Rossi arrived in the Czech Republic
knowing that two more wins would be enough to seal the MotoGP World
Championship title but, for only the second time in his premier-class career,
'The Doctor' must now accept that with six races remaining his destiny
is out of his hands. The latest chapter in a catalogue of misfortune
came immediately before the holidays at Laguna Seca, where a win for
Nicky Hayden combined with a breakdown for Rossi left the Italian focusing
simply on his performance in each approaching race.

"This year I've had a lot of bad luck and Laguna could not have been
worse, but now we have had twenty days of holiday to relax and forget
about what happened there," says Rossi. "Hopefully after this rest we can
try to do something better in Brno. It isn't one of my favourite tracks
but last year it was a great race for me; almost perfect, with the
fastest lap and the victory.I know that everyone at Yamaha and Michelin has
been working hard in the break and hopefully in Brno we can come out
fighting on Friday morning and make the most of the weekend.

"I don't know what to say about the championship to be honest. We only
have six races left which is maybe not enough to make up the difference
but anyway I want to try to have some fun and win as much as possible.
Right now I'm not even thinking about the championship. I want to take
it race by race and try to find a better way forward with this bike and
these tyres so I can have some fun and try to win some more races."
Colin Edwards: Refreshed and relaxed
If anyone has endured as much bad luck as Rossi this season it is his
Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards, whose Suzuka misfortune came on
the back of illness at his home Grand Prix in the USA and, just a few
weeks previously, a last-corner crash that denied him of his first MotoGP
victory at Assen. However, after spending some time with his young
family at home in America, the 'Texan Tornado' is confident he can kick up
a storm at Brno.

"It's been really good to have a holiday because this season,
especially during June and July, has been incredibly hard and I definitely
needed some time off to relax with my friends and family," says Edwards.
"Now I am feeling ready to get back on my bike and enjoy the last six
races. After the disappointment of Laguna I went to Suzuka for the
Eight-Hour and sadly that didn't work out either - it was a long way to go for
six laps! Anyway, I've since had two weeks holiday at home in Texas
with my family and I'm feeling refreshed and relaxed now and ready to get
going again for the last six races.

"Things haven't worked out exactly how we would have liked up until now
but I know that when our package is working we can fight at the top and
this is what I am determined to do for the rest of the season. Brno is
a track I really like and I've been racing there a long time so I know
it pretty well. There's always a good atmosphere there as everyone's
nice and chilled out after their holidays!I'm going to give the weekend
everything I've got and hopefully the bike will work well so we can get
a good result under our belts to set us up for the three flyaways."
Davide Brivio: Keeping the faith
Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio echoes Rossi's sentiments
about the championship being a 'race by race' affair but outlined the
determination of his staff to back up their World Champion with 100%
commitment until the end of the season. The Italian admits his team faces a
tough challenge over the final six rounds but insists that they will not
give up on the title until it is a mathematical impossibility.

"Brno is the start of the final stage of the season and we go into it
finding ourselves in a difficult situation," admits Brivio. "We are
obviously not where we would like to be in the championship with six races
to go but we will not give up and every member of the team is ready to
fight until the end. Of course we still want to win the title and we
still believe we can do it. We have had a lot of misfortune during the
season but we still have faith in our potential.

"The break was good for everybody but after Laguna Seca we are looking
forward to getting back on the track and trying to win races again.
That is Valentino's goal for every Grand Prix between now and the end of
the season. Because of the Eight-Hour Colin barely had a day off for
seven weeks before the holiday so I think he needed the break more than
anybody and we are looking forward to seeing him back in good shape. Our
target for both riders is simply to improve our level of performance
and try to win every race."
Technically speaking: Brno according to Matteo Flamigni
The current Brno circuit is encircled by the tendrils of the various
'real' road layouts that made up the Czech Grand Prix venues of
yesteryear.Used for a Grand Prix for the final time in 1977, the old track was
replaced in 1987 by what is basically the current incarnation, subtly
altered in 1996 to measure 5.403km in length. Brno has come a long way
since riders used to judder across its cobblestone sections but its
winding chicanes and dramatic elevation changes still provide an interesting
challenge for the riders and their engineers.

"Firstly Brno is a difficult track for the riders because it is so wide
- around 15m in some parts - and that makes it easy for them to run off
line and make mistakes," explains Matteo Flamigni, Data Engineer for
Valentino Rossi. "From a set-up point of view we have to give the rider a
bike which is strong under braking because there are many areas where a
rider can pass or be passed in downhill turns, which adds to the normal
stress of braking. The bike must also be stable in the long fast
corners, such as turns one, nine and thirteen, and then agile for the
chicanes. This is always a compromise situation at any circuit but especially
at Brno, where the chicanes are also combined with elevation changes.

"The balance of the bike is critical towards the end of the lap because
there is a lot of weight transfer between hard uphill acceleration,
which naturally lifts the front end, and braking into the chicanes, where
the rider must wait for the front to load up again before turning in.
Brno is one of the circuits where you can most clearly see the evolution
of the MotoGP bikes since changing from two-stroke to four-stroke
because a good lap time has come down by around five seconds, even though
the track hasn't changed. As well as showing the general improvement of
the bikes and tyres, this outlines the need for a lot of horsepower on
the long uphill straights, where gearbox settings are also crucial."
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: 167 (108 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: 59 x MotoGP

World Championships - 2 World Superbike

Brno Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1'58.787

Brno Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1'57.504

2005 Czech Republic Grand Prix Results:

1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 43'56.539

2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, +1.837

3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda +3.444

7. COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Yamaha, +13.532

 

[KUCIAR666]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
17 AUGUST 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BACK TO WORK FOR NAKANO AND DE PUNIET AT BRNO

The Kawasaki Racing Team return to racing this weekend, with Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet determined to get the final part of the season off to a flying start, after spending time relaxing at home with family and friends during the three-week summer break.

The race, at the classic and fast 5.4 km Brno circuit, is the 12th round of the MotoGP World Championship. It is the first of a hectic schedule of races that will see six events conducted in ten weeks to close the season at Valencia on October 29.

While de Puniet managed to stay away from the racetrack for the entire three weeks of the summer break, Nakano was unable to resist the opportunity to attend the Suzuka eight-hour endurance race while at home in Japan.

But it's back to work at Brno this weekend for both Kawasaki riders, at a circuit that Nakano feels has certain sections that will suit the characteristics of the 2006 Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider got his weekend off to a dramatic start on Wednesday evening, as he finished second in the annual go-kart endurance challenge organised by Kawasaki Czech Republic. As a result, Nakano heads into this weekend hopeful of repeating his podium performance in Sunday's 22-lap race.

Despite being one of the fastest go-kart drivers on track, Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy De Puniet, finished well down the order with his team in the two-hour challenge, but remains confident of a better result with his Ninja ZX-RR this weekend.

De Puniet has endured what can only be described as a difficult start to his debut season in MotoGP, but the 25-year-old Frenchman is hoping that the next six races will see an upturn in his race results, starting this weekend at Brno.

Located 200 kilometres southeast of the Czech capitol, Prague, the current Brno circuit was constructed in 1987. Before that, Grand Prix races were held on a public roads circuit, with literally hundreds of thousands of Czech motorcycle racing fans turning out to watch from the roadside.

While the crowd for this weekend is likely to somewhat smaller, the enthusiasm of the present day Czech race fans can be relied upon to easily match that of their predecessors from the 1970's.

Shinya Nakano: #56
"It was good to get away from the racetrack and relax for a while, especially after the tight programme we had in the run up to Laguna, but I didn't manage to stay away from the racetrack for the whole three weeks. While I was in Japan I went to the Suzuka eight-hour endurance race. I've never raced endurance, so it was interesting to see what goes on, and it was good to get the opportunity to meet the fans without the distraction of having to race myself. But now the break is over, and it's back to work at Brno. I like the Brno circuit, and I won here on the 250cc, but it's not been such a good track for me on the MotoGP bike in recent years. The track is fast, but I think the critical part is from the halfway point, where it's all up hill to the finish line. You need to be quick through this section to guarantee a fast lap. After three weeks away from MotoGP, it would be good to start the last part of the season with a good result, and that's exactly what we'll be aiming for this weekend."

Randy de Puniet: #17
"It seems like a long time since the Laguna Seca race. After the US Grand Prix I spent a week in America, travelling up to Los Angeles and Las Vegas before heading back to France and then Andorra. To be honest I've not done much since returning to Europe. It's just been a case of relaxing as much as possible, after a particularly demanding run of races leading up to the summer break. It was good to get away from the racetrack for a while, to recharge the batteries, but now I'm looking forward to getting back to work at Brno this weekend. I like this track; it's enjoyable to race at and I've had some good results here on the 250cc machine in the past. Like many of the circuits this season, it's sure to look different from the seat of a Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machine, but I'm confident that I can make the necessary adjustment during free practice, and I hope we will have a good weekend here."

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
18 AUGUST 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DE PUNIET AND NAKANO ON THE PACE AT BRNO

The MotoGP World Championship battle was rejoined today at Brno, with most of the riders now fully fit after three weeks away from the racetrack. But it was Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet who illustrated best the benefits of rest and relaxation on performance, finishing this afternoon's free practice session in second place, and just one tenth of a second down on reigning world champion, Valentino Rossi.

The 25-year-old Frenchman concentrated on the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR during this morning's opening free practice session, switching between his two race machines frequently as he tested different combinations of suspension and engine settings, as well as a number of different tyres from Kawasaki's tyre partner, Bridgestone.

The Kawasaki rider continued this refinement process during the early part of the afternoon free practice session, before switching to the qualifying tyre on which he set his fastest time of the day to take second place on the timesheet.

But more important than his lap time was the renewed confidence instilled in de Puniet by his ability to get the best performance from Bridgestone's qualifying tyre this afternoon, as a lack of confidence in the increased level of grip offered by the qualifying tyres had an obvious negative effect on the Kawasaki pilot's qualifying performances ahead of the summer break.

De Puniet ended the day satisfied with both the race and qualifying set-up on his Ninja ZX-RR, but remains confident that more improvements can be made during free practice and qualifying tomorrow.

Also satisfied with his race set-up was de Puniet's Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano. The 28-year-old Japanese rider finished this afternoon's free practice sixth fastest, after running in the top three on the timesheet for the majority of the hour-long session.

Nakano is running for the first time at Brno the latest specification Ninja ZX-RR chassis, which has been designed specifically by Kawasaki engineers in Japan to alleviate the rear traction problems experienced at some circuits earlier in the season.

After testing the revised chassis during this morning's practice session, Nakano will continue with this chassis for the remainder of the weekend, as he felt the changes improved both the rear traction and the feedback from the front and rear tyres, especially through Brno's high speed corners.

While some riders opted to run a qualifying tyre at the end of this afternoon's practice session, Nakano decided to continue refining the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR with a long run on race tyres, leaving the soft rubber for tomorrow's all-important qualifying session.

Randy de Puniet: 2nd - 1'58.028
"Today we've concentrated on testing as many different set-up and tyre options as possible on both bikes. For most of the time I was running pretty consistently at two minutes flat, but we didn't get a chance today to put the best tyres on the bike with the better set-up, so I'm confident that, when we do that tomorrow, we'll see a significant improvement in my lap time in race trim. Before the summer break I was struggling to get the best from the qualifying tyres, so we decided to run one this afternoon to see if I could regain the confidence I had earlier in the season. I'm happy to say that it worked, with the result that I finished today with the second fastest time. As I said, we still have some work to do on set-up during tomorrow's free practice session, and I hope I can repeat today's performance on a qualifier tomorrow afternoon."

Shinya Nakano: 6th - 1'59.240
"In the past Brno has always been one of our problem tracks, but after today I'm not sure that's true anymore. The revised chassis is certainly an improvement, giving better grip and virtually eliminating the chatter we've had previously. To be honest, we've had to make very few changes to the set-up of my Ninja ZX-RR since this morning, which has given us more time to focus on evaluating the different tyres that Bridgestone have brought to this race. Compared to last year we also have more revs from the 2006 engine, and this makes the bike a lot easier to ride fast around this circuit. Over a long run this afternoon my times were pretty consistent, which puts us in a good position ahead of tomorrow's qualifying session. Overall, I'm happy with our progress today; it was a good way to start back after the summer break."

FREE PRACTICE - COMBINED TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 1'57.871; 2. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.157; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.599; 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +0.980; 5. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +1.248; 6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.369; 7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +1.383; 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +1.387; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +1.442; 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +1.516

 

[KUCIAR666]

FREE PRACTICE CZECH REPUBLIC GRAND PRIX - BRNO 18/08/2006
---------------------------------------------

ROSSI BACK TO HIS BEST AT BRNO

Valentino Rossi returned to dominant form today as the series
returned to action in the Czech Republic following a brief summer
break. The Italian was able to bounce back from his Laguna Seca
disappointment with a series of fast laps at the Brno circuit after
quickly finding a good base set-up for his YZR-M1 machine. After
lapping second quickest in the morning practice, just 0.047 seconds
behind series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda), Rossi ended the day on top
of the time sheets after improving by almost two seconds in the
afternoon with only Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki) able to lap within
0.5 seconds of his best effort.

It was also a positive first day for Rossi Camel Yamaha team-mate
Colin Edwards, who started the day with one of his two bikes
configured with the same settings used by Rossi on his way to victory
and the circuit lap record last season. The information immediately
put the Texan on the front foot and, after reacquainting himself with
the YZR-M1 machine following his recent exertions on a Superbike in
the Suzuka 8 hour race, he was also able to pick up the pace in the
afternoon and lapped fourth fastest.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st 1.57.871; 34 laps)
Today was very positive for me because the bike worked well from the
start and then we tried some things that improved it even more. We
have experimented with some new suspension settings to help the tyres
work properly, especially the rear, and they had the effect we wanted
so I am happy about this. This year has been difficult because we
have struggled so much in practice and then I have ended up on the
third or fourth row of the grid, so I am pleased to start off like
this. We also tried a qualifying tyre today, in order to give us more
of an idea about what we need to adjust tomorrow in the afternoon
session in order to challenge for a place at the front of the grid.
This is really why I am in first place but anyway the race setting is
also good and I was second fastest in the morning practice too so we
know we have the pace. Tomorrow we need to continue working like this.

COLIN EDWARDS (4th 1.58.851; 38 laps)
It's strange that after all the bad luck we've had this season we
should roll up here at Brno and things suddenly seem to be turning
around! We turned up here today and decided to start with two
different settings one based on what we found in the test last year
and the other on Valentino's 2005 race setting. I have changed my
riding style since then so I went out and tried both this morning and
basically Valentino's setting worked and mine didn't! I felt really
comfortable with that so we went with it in the afternoon and just
continued making small modifications so that it suits me better. It's
early days yet but it is important to get a good start and also a
relief to know that we are onto something good. Hopefully the good
work can continue tomorrow for both Valentino and I."

DAVIDE BRIVIO - CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
"It was a good start to the weekend and just what we were looking for
after the engineers worked so hard during the summer. This is only
the first day and we all know the important thing is to continue like
this and make sure we are prepared for qualifying and the race but it
is nice to have such good result so early in the weekend. It looks
like the bike has responded well for both Valentino and Colin so
let's hope it continues to do so. Today has definitely given the team
a boost and there is a very positive spirit here but it is still
early days."

First day / MELANDRI NINTH AFTER DAY ONE IN BRNO, ELIAS 14TH

After the mid-season break, the MotoGP World Championship roadshow got back underway in Brno with the Fortuna Honda team preparing themselves for the 12th round of the season at the Czech Republic GP. After putting on a good display in the morning session (Melandri third and Elias eighth), the Fortuna Honda riders continued their efforts in the afternoon session. Marco Melandri declared himself saitisfied after securing ninth position, but in truth the time did not reflect his performance as a number of riders moved ahead of him on their qualifying tyres. Elias, who arrived in the Czech Republic in much-improved physical condition, had to settle for 14th place.

MARCO MELANDRI ( 1'59.313, 9?):

I am happy with this first day of qualifying, we did a lot of work on the bike in the morning session on the weight distribution which really improved it for this circuit. In the afternoon we tried to work on my feeling with the bike and now we must focus on our cornering. In the afternoon a lot of riders put on qualifying tyres but we decided to follow the plan we had set out.

TONI ELIAS (1'59.995, 14?):

This morning we started well and I felt good on the bike. In the afternoon the difference was that the majority of riders put on qualifying tyres. I am satisfied as the mid-season break gave me time to get back my fitness. Although the shoulder still hurts a bit from the injury and I am not at 100 percent, my overall fitness is much improved.

 

[KUCIAR666]

QUALIFYING 1 REPORT - 19/08/2006

Rossi smashes pole record at Brno

Valentino Rossi will start a MotoGP race from the front of the grid for
only the second time this season in tomorrow's Czech Republic Grand
Prix after clocking an incredible pole record time in today's single
qualifying session at Brno. Rossi's time of 1'56.191 was almost 1.5 seconds
inside the previous best lap at this track and followed up an
impressive performance yesterday, when he also set the pace. A trial run on a
qualifying tyre in those first free practice sessions paid dividends
today as the Italian defined his race set-up for the YZR-M1 machine before
setting a devastating pace which knocked Loris Capirossi (Ducati) off
the top spot in the dying moments of the session. Capirossi will line up
in second place whilst Kenny Roberts (Team KR) completes the front row.

Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards also enjoyed a productive
day working on his race setting and was on course to challenge for a
place on the front two rows before a minor mistake in the first section
of his fast lap cost him vital tenths. It meant that his final effort
recorded 1'56.967 on the stopwatch - enough for eighth place and a third
row start. Tomorrow's race is the first of a final run of six, which
will determine whether Rossi can cut back a 51-point gap to series leader
Nicky Hayden (Honda) and defend the title of MotoGP World Champion for
a fifth successive season.
Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'56.191; 25 laps)
"I think the practice today was a great emotion for everybody but
especially for us! We worked well on the bike, especially the tyres, because
we have suffered too much this season during the practice sessions and
my team and Michelin did a great job today. When I saw Loris' time I
thought it was very fast and didn't know if I could beat it but I was
very determined and I pushed hard on all three qualifying tyres. In the
end the final lap was great and to set a 1'56.1 was unbelievable! For
tomorrow pole position is definitely better than starting from the fifth
row like in other races so for this I am very happy. We still need to
decide two or three things about the setting before the race, but I am
quite competitive."

Colin Edwards (8th - 1'56.967; 24 laps)
"I really don't know what to think about today!Our race pace is okay,
we're doing 58.6 which looks like it could compete for the top five, but
I won't be happy with that!I think we need to make some more changes
for tomorrow morning to the setting and see if we can find another
three-tenths.With the setting we were using today, the race tyre was working
well for 3 or 4 laps and then it was starting to lose grip and then the
lap times were going.So we've got a few ideas and we'll fiddle with the
setting in the morning a bit to see if we can sort that out.On the
positive side, I think we're finally figuring out what we need to do with
the setting in order to make the tyres work better with our bike, and
today the qualifier especially worked really well for me.Unfortunately I
lost half a second on the first split but the tyre was perfect so
that's pretty encouraging after some of the problems we've had with
qualifiers so far this season!"
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director
"It is very nice to be back in pole position - our first target for the
weekend was to qualify on the front two rows so we are delighted that
Valentino has gone one better! The last three races have all been
complicated for us because of the starting position but hopefully now this
should not be a problem for us tomorrow. Now we need to fix a few things
with the bike and find the best combination of the different settings
we have tried over the course of the weekend so far. There are a few
riders with a good pace so it will be a difficult race but we expect
Valentino to be up there and if Colin can get a decent start then I believe
he also has the pace to stay with the leaders and end the weekend with
a good result. For Valentino this is a very important race because the
championship could be a lot clearer tomorrow night."
Back to the drawing board for Tech3 Yamaha Team

A promising opening day was a distant memory by this afternoon for
Carlos Checa on his Tech 3 Yamaha YZF-M1 after he recorded his worst
qualifying performance of the year. Carlos will start from 17th position on
the grid as fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi stormed to pole position
with an astounding lap time over two seconds below his own current lap
record.
The team battled valiantly to overcome handling problems that surfaced
in Carlos's bike during the morning's final free practice session only
for the situation to be magnified during the afternoon's critical
qualifying session.
It wasn't all bad news for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team as James Ellison
managed to subtract over two seconds off his time from yesterday although
he is only one spot ahead of his teammate in 16th position
James Ellison (16th, 1'59.011, 24 laps)
"It's been a long time coming and obviously I'm happing to be where I
am in front of Carlos but you can see the guy has got a lot of problems
- he is never three seconds off the pace. We both have things to work
on I'm having chattering problems but we have managed to get it down to
just two areas. We really need to find out where the problem is coming
from. Everytime we improve the chatter I go half a second quicker, it's
not just a little step. It's the quickest I've been around here and I
know there is more that can come off but I can't believe how quick Rossi
is going around here. That is incredible.
I've come with the same attitude as ever to push as hard as I can but
fortunately for this circuit has been quite good as we have been able to
eliminate most of the chatter and I can push as hard as I want. We are
by no means on the pace I would like to be but at least we are moving
in the right direction. I don't want to change too much now and ruin it
for the race. I've done 30 laps on the front tyre so I'm happy with
that as it is the bigger tyre as well, so it's just a matter of finding a
decent rear tyre for the distance.
Carlos Checa (17th, 1'59.289, 22 laps)
"I think that is the worst qualifying session of my entire life. I
don't know what happened but everything we tried nothing worked. It is very
frustrating after how we felt after the first day when we were seventh
fastest. Today was a major disappointment because I couldn't lap
quicker on qualifiers today that what we did yesterday
We haven't got too much time to find a cure and even if we do it will
be very hard work from so far back on the grid. I think I will have to
put it down to one of those days and hope we can work a bit of magic
overnight. Saying that it mightn't be as bad as it seems because the lap
times during the race will be nothing like the qualifying laps so that
may help us to stay in touch if I can get a good start and stick with
the pack
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director
Clearly this is not a good day for the team. We were expecting a lot
better especially after the last race in the US before the break.
Although yesterday we did quite a good pace we have never been on the pace. We
seem to have a lot of chatter and we didn't find any real solution to
get rid of it and that is what is upsetting Carlos the most.
On the other hand, I am quite happy with James. He has been using his
qualifying tyre really well to be over a second quicker than on his race
tyre. That is the only good point of the weekend so far.
We have been struggling. We're nowhere near where we are supposed to
be. Dunlop brought many, many new products but we haven't been able to
test them properl. We are not so far off on race tyres so hopefully that
will help us tomorrow. The only good news is that we have another two
days to test here after the race to try and understand what is happening
and to fix the problem for the next three overseas races. The other
thing that may help us a bit is the weather. We do not pray for rain but
if the situation remains the same the race will be quite difficult for
us. We will be looking for a few points and then to work hard on Monday
and Tuesday.


Qualifying 1

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'56.191
2, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 1'56.441
3, Kenny Roberts, Team Robert KR, USA, 1'56.603
4, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 1'56.694
5, Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, JPN, 1'56.770
6, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 1'56.875
7, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 1'56.913
8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'56.967
9, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 1'57.139
10, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 1'57.185
11, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 1'57.221
12, Casey Stoner, Honda, AUS, 1'57.679
13, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 1'57.894
14, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 1'57.906
15, Makato Tamada, Honda, JPN, 1'58.239
16, James Ellison, Yamaha, GBR, 1'59.011
17, Carlos Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 1'59.289
18, Jose Luis Cardoso, Ducati, ESP, 2'0.971
19, Ivan Silva, Kawasaki, ESP, 2'1.433

 

[KUCIAR666]

GAULOISES CESKE REP GP

Qualifying practice / SECOND ROW FOR TONI ELIAS AT THE CZECH REPUBLIC GP

Superb ride from the Spaniard while Melandri will start from the fourth row after finsing a good race rhythm Fortuna Honda riders Toni Elias and Marco Melandri secured sixth and eleventh places in the second qualifying session for the Czech Republic GP and will start Sunday?s race in Brno on the second and fourth rows respectively. Qualifying proved a very tight affair with the top eleven riders all within a second of each other. It was a fine result for Elias who, after the injury problems caused by his fall at Assen, will be able to fight for victory tomorrow. Marco Melandri was relatively satisfied with his eleventh place and is confident of being a major protagonist in tomorrow?s race.

TONI ELIAS (1?56?875, 6th):

?I am very happy with this result. After a good start to the season, we had a series of races which were made difficult by injury. But this is the result of a lot of hard work by the team. There is a great spirit in the team and i want to thank everyone for their effort. It will be important to make a good start tomorrow and try to stay with the lead group.?

MARCO MELANDRI ( 1?58?221, 11th):

?In the two practice sessions I was able to set a good race pace and that means I can look forward confidently to the race. Unfortunately the front tyre got more worn than we expected when I put the qualifying tyre on and I wasn't able to get the full potential out of the RC211V. I am not too disappointed by eleventh position as i think I have found a good race rhythm. It will be important to make a good start tomorrow and try to make up positions and get to the lead group. The forecasts are saying there will berain but I hope to have a dry race.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
19 AUGUST 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SECOND ROW FOR NAKANO AT KAWASAKI'S FORMER 'BOGEY TRACK'

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow's 22-lap Czech Grand Prix from the second row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in fifth position during this afternoon's hotly contested timed session.

The 28-year-old Japanese ace had his sights set firmly on a front row grid position, but lost out by just one tenth of a second, as a succession of fast laps right at the end of the qualifying session pushed Nakano back from third to fifth place on the timesheet.

But the Kawasaki pilot is confident that he can mount an attack from the second row of the grid during tomorrow's race. This confidence comes from finding a race set-up on his Ninja ZX-RR that allowed Nakano to run consistently in the top three on the timesheet on his preferred race tyre, before switching to super sticky qualifiers at the end of this afternoon's timed session.

Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, will start the second Ninja ZX-RR from the fourth row tomorrow, after finishing today's qualifying session tenth fastest; less than a second behind pole sitter, and reigning world champion, Valentino Rossi.

Although disappointed at not securing a grid position closer to that of his more experienced teammate, the 25-year-old Frenchman is still confident of putting in a strong performance in tomorrow's race, as long he can get a good start and make up positions on the opening lap.

Shinya Nakano: 5th - 1'56.770
"After three good free practice sessions here at Brno, the second row was my minimum target this afternoon. Obviously, I'd have preferred to be making my fourth front row start of the season tomorrow, but I think it's still possible to get away with the leaders from the second row of the grid. Our Ninja ZX-RR has been working well at this circuit right from the start of free practice and, with the refinements we've made today, I think we've got the best possible combination of chassis and engine set-up for this circuit, together with a race tyre from Bridgestone that we know will also work well tomorrow. I'm confident going into the race, which is a new feeling for me at Brno, as our results here for the past two seasons haven't been so good. I think our obvious improvement this year, at what we've always regarded as a bogey track for us, just goes to show how much progress Kawasaki have made with the Ninja ZX-RR since this time last year."

Randy de Puniet: 10th - 1'57.185
"While qualifying down in tenth place this afternoon was a little disappointing, more important for the race is that we have a good set-up with our Ninja ZX-RR in race trim, and I'm confident that this will allow me to make up places tomorrow. Of course, starting from the fourth row of the grid makes things difficult for the race tomorrow, as I've discovered already this year. The most important thing is not to lose any further places at the start. If I can get away cleanly from the line then I'm confident I can make up places early in the race, and I hope we will leave here tomorrow afternoon with a good result under our belts."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Both riders go into tomorrow's race confident in both their race set-up and their choice of race tyre and, as we've seen today, this combination of chassis, engine and tyres seems to work well here at Brno. It's unlikely that we'll make any further changes during warm-up tomorrow, but if we do then they'll only be very minor adjustments. Everyone has improved since last year, but I think that, at this track in particular, we've made the biggest improvement overall, putting us a lot closer to the front of the grid than we have been during the previous two seasons. After today's performance, I don't think we will think of Brno as a difficult track for Kawasaki again."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 1'56.191; 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.250; 3. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.412; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.503; 5. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.579; 6. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda +0.684; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.722; 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +0.776; 9. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.948; 10. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.994

 

[KUCIAR666]

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP makes big steps at Brno

Rizla Suzuki racer John Hopkins will start from the front of the third row for tomorrow's Czech Grand Prix, as he and team-mate Chris Vermeulen worked hard to put Friday's difficult day behind them.

Hopkins (P7, 1.56.913) and Vermeulen (P13, 1.57.894) worked thoroughly with their respective crews last night and during today's practice sessions to eradicate the vibration problem that had hampered them yesterday. Hopkins was in pole position for a while during the qualifying session but a tyre gamble stopped the Anglo-American star from improving significantly on his time as the session wore on.

Vermeulen will start from the front of row five, but was equally pleased with his improvement over the day and will be looking to find that extra performance in Sunday morning's warm-up session to give him that bit more confidence in the race.

Today's qualifying was held in warm and sunny conditions and the fastest time was set by World Champion Valentino Rossi on his works Yamaha.

Tomorrow's race is round 12 of the 17 race season and the action for the 22-lap event gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

John Hopkins:

I would like to have started higher but the final qualifying tyre I used was too soft and I suffered with some front end chatter, so unfortunately that limited my performance. As far as race set-up goes we are working really hard with it and we made a big step forward from yesterday. From what I hear through the grapevine we may have rain tomorrow for the race, if it does we would really have liked to have started from the front so we have a clear track ahead of us. We have just got to make sure that we are ready for tomorrow, come rain or shine!'

Chris Vermeulen:

''We made a lot of progress today and I am happy with what we have achieved with the bike. Yesterday we had a big chatter problem but the guys worked really hard and between us we managed to solve it. I got in a good qualifying lap late on in the session and I was happy with the time, but I was surprised by how fast everyone else was going! It's not an ideal starting position but the bike is getting better and better and the aim will be to get a good start and try to get in amongst the front group and see how we go.''

Paul Denning - Team Manager:

''We needed a good step forward today after struggling a bit yesterday and this morning we found it. We made some setting changes to eliminate the vibration problems that were hampering the riders yesterday and they certainly worked in our favour. John's performance on race tyres this morning was up with the top five and he also showed good pace this afternoon. As a whole we are a bit more positive for the race than we were this time yesterday. I think John got all he could out of the qualifier and seventh position is not too bad at all - it gives him a decent opportunity tomorrow.

''Chris''' biggest problem today was simply a reflection of yesterday's difficulties and the fact that he wasn't able to make any movement forward on Friday. That changed today and his potential has improved significantly, but he wasn't quite able to find that bit extra to get him in the top 10.

''I am sure that both Stuart and Tom will be looking to make more improvements during tomorrow's morning warm-up and with the threat of rain forecast it could be a very different story when the race starts.''

Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske Republiky Qualifying Practice Classification:

1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1.56.191: 2. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +0.250: 3. Kenny Roberts Jr (KR211V) +0.412: 7. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.722: 13. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.703:

 

[KUCIAR666]

Stunning final lap secures seventh for Hopkins at Brno

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins produced two fantastic last-lap overtaking manoeuvres to pass Shinya Nakano and Championship leader Nicky Hayden, to steal seventh place at today?s Czech Grand Prix in Brno.

Hopkins got a poor start and was relegated down to 10th at the end of the first lap, but the aggressive riding style of the Anglo-American meant that he never lost touch with the front group and saved his best till last. He overtook Colin Edwards with two laps remaining and then forced his way past Nakano and Hayden with less than a quarter of a lap to go.

Team-mate Chris Vermeulen also produced a solid and hard-fought ride for his 12th place finish. The rookie Australian was chasing the pack all weekend after almost losing a day?s testing on Friday due to vibration problems. He battled all race long to get on terms with the riders in front of him and managed to pass Makoto Tamada with three laps remaining.

Today?s race was watched by 84,125 fans at trackside in warm but cloudy conditions, and they were treated to a dominant victory performance by Loris Capirossi on his Bridgestone shod Ducati.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will now remain in Brno for two days testing before the MotoGP circus travels eastwards for the three fly-away races starting in Malaysia on Sunday 10th September, before moving on to Australia and Japan over the following two weeks.

John Hopkins:

?I would say that this has probably been my best race of the year so far. It?s not my best result but as far as an all out race it was good! We didn?t get the best of starts but we were able to hang on to the lead group and from there try to pick the other guys off one by one ? it wasn?t until the late stages that I was able to do that. Going into the last lap I knew that I had something for Nakano and Hayden. I made some manoeuvres and got by them both and then blocked them till the end. It was really good and I am happy with the result. I want to say a big thanks to my crew this weekend, they have done a great job and worked their butts off! Now we have a two week break so the mechanics can have a nice rest and then we will be ready for the three fly-aways. They are all good tracks for us and we need to get right up there in the points!

Chris Vermeulen:

?It was difficult starting from the fifth row of the grid. I got a reasonably good start but with so many guys in front it is hard to go where you want to go. The thing was that all race there were fifteen guys all going very fast and I struggled a bit at the beginning with grip, but as everybody else?s grip levels came down mine stayed the same and I was able to do good lap times. I had a good battle with Tamada and Elias, but it is still quite difficult to pass a Honda - they do have an advantage in horsepower, but our advantage in grip levelled us out and I had a good fight with them. I managed to get Tamada and finished 12th and only 16 seconds off the podium, which from a bad weekend?s start is a good finish. We have learned a lot here and I am sure we can take it on in the next few races.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?John and Chris? positions weren?t the best we have achieved this year but in terms of rider performance today?s Grand Prix at Brno was one of the best of the season so far, after a difficult start to the weekend ? we struggled to get the best feeling from the bike on Friday and it put us behind where we would like to be. However the team made a great recovery and if we had managed to start in better positions our end results could have been a lot different! John finished less than two seconds from fourth place and did an incredible last couple of laps ? particularly the last lap itself when he passed both Shinya and Nicky, in an undoubtedly aggressive manner!

?I think Chris and his crew learned a lot here and he stuck to today?s task supremely well and again, with a better start to the weekend, he had the potential to finish a fair bit higher up.

?Overall Rizla Suzuki has to be happy with what was achieved today and it will give the whole team confidence for the three up-coming fly-away races next month.

?Rizla Suzuki MotoGP would like to congratulate Loris Capirossi and Bridgestone on such a dominant win. The tyre performance today can only give us increased confidence in Bridgestone?s potential, with some of their favourite tracks coming up.?

Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske Republiky Race Classification:

1. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 43?40.145: 2. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +4.902: 3. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +8.012: 7. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +16.775: 12. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +23.978:

World Championship Classification:

1. Nicky Hayden (Honda) 201: 2. Pedrosa 176: 3. Rossi 163: 9. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 83: 13. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) 61:

 

[KUCIAR666]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
20 AUGUST 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAKANO TAKES HARD FOUGHT EIGHTH PLACE AT BRNO

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in a hard fought eighth place in today's Czech Grand Prix at Brno, to consolidate his tenth position in the World Championship Standings.

Nakano got a good start from the second row of the grid, but dropped down the order after getting his Ninja ZX-RR sideways while battling for position on the opening lap.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider was quick to rejoin the battle for fourth place, but was forced to ride on the limit and was unable to fight his way through to the front of the group.

After lapping consistently throughout the race, Nakano waited until the last lap before setting up Nicky Hayden for a pass, but as the Kawasaki rider positioned himself to overtake the current championship leader, Suzuki's John Hopkins managed to find space on the inside to pass both riders for seventh place.

Undeterred, Nakano set up Hayden again at the final turn, squeezing up the inside of the American to steal eighth place at the line.

Like his Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet also got a good start from the fourth row of the grid, but all his good work was undone in the first turn, when he went for the brakes too early and allowed four riders through, to leave himself down in 15th place.

The 25-year-old Frenchman quickly dispatched Alex Hofmann to move up one position, before chasing hard after the battle for tenth place. De Puniet managed to close onto the back of Chris Vermeulen, but was forced to back off without challenging for the position when the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR started to slide under power.

Although disappointed not to finish higher up the order at the chequered flag than 14th, de Puniet took some consolation from his consistent pace over the 22-lap race, and the fact that he now has one more race finish under his belt, in this, his debut MotoGP season.

The Kawasaki Racing Team will stay on at Brno for a development test on Monday, during which both riders will test and evaluate a range of chassis and suspension settings, as well as conducting tyre tests for Kawasaki's tyre partner, Bridgestone.

Shinya Nakano: 8th
"I got away from the start pretty well, but then I had a big slide halfway round the first lap, which lost me some time and dropped me to the back of the group fighting for fourth. While it was possible to match the pace of the guys in front of me, passing was a different matter. I was right on the limit just staying in touch, and with such a big group battling for position, it was difficult to even see a way past the riders in front. On the final lap I decided to have a go at Nicky Hayden but, as I lined myself up for the pass, John Hopkins charged up the inside of both of us to steal seventh place. I managed to get up the inside of Nicky going into the final corner and was able to hold on to the line to take eighth place, and the all-important championship points. Overall, although I would obviously have preferred to finish higher up the order, I'm happy enough with this result ahead of the overseas races."

Randy de Puniet: 14th
"A mistake going into the first turn cost me dear today. I got a reasonably good start, but then I got on the brakes too early going into the first turn and allowed too many people to come past me. I managed to find a way past Alex Hofmann and, by the mid-point of the race, I'd closed onto the battle between Chris Vermeulen and Toni Elias. At this point I thought it would be possible to pass both, but then, with just eight laps left to run, the rear tyre started sliding whenever I got hard on the gas out of the turns, and I was unable to maintain the same pace. Although I am disappointed with my finishing position today, it is good to have gained more experience on the Ninja ZX-RR, and I'm happy to have another race finish under my belt."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"Shinya's eighth place finish doesn't really do justice to his performance today. He managed to stay with the battle for fourth place for most of the race, and in different circumstances I think he could have finished fifth or sixth. Maybe he should have tried a move on the riders in front one or two times, but it's difficult to know whether this was even possible watching from the pit wall; only he can make that decision. But at the end, Shinya rode a good race, the bike and the tyres worked well, and I think we have to be satisfied with his result. Randy's mistake into the first turn really messed up his race. This is something we need to work on with Randy, and I hope that if we can help him improve in this area, he will then be able to realise his full potential and get the results that he deserves."

MOTOGP RACE RESULT - FINAL TIMES
1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 43'40.145; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +4.902; 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +8.012; 4. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +14.800; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +15.025; 6. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +15.699; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +16.775; 8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +16.942; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +17.061; 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +23.978; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +28.961

 

[KUCIAR666]

GAULOISES CESKE REP GP

The race / SUPERB FIGHTBACK FROM MELANDRI AT CZECH REPUBLIC GP

Having started on the fourth row for what proved a difficult and hard-fought Czech Republic Grand Prix, Marco Melandri took a deserved fifth place in Brno which left him in fourth place in the World Championship on 161 points, behind Rossi, Pedrosa and current leader Hayden. The Italian made a particularly impressive start in Sunday?s race and made light of being in eleventh place on the grid, moving up to fourth spot by the end of lap five. It proved a difficult day for Spaniard Toni Elias who could not take advantage of starting on the second row as he ultimately finished in 11th. Elias currently sits in 12th position in the championship with 64 points. The FORTUNA HONDA team will stay at the Czech circuit tomorrow for a day of testing.

MARCO MELANDRI ( 5th):

?Considering my position on the grid, I have to be satisfied. However, I expected a better result at this circuit. After making a good start I climbed through the field and made it up into fourth position. I had a good rhythm and was lapping strongly but could not attack when I wanted. Pedrosa and Rossi pulled away from me and I could not catch them again. I have closed the gap on Nicky by four points although I wanted a better result. All the team did a good job.?

TONI ELIAS (11th):

?I am satisfied with the work we have done, but I can?t be happy with the result. I did not start well and had no rhythm over the first ten laps. It was then I started to lap better and felt more comfortable. The team did a good job and I hope that continues over the next couple of days testing we are going to do here.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

RACE REPORT - 20/08/2006

Rossi clinshes crucial second place at Brno

Valentino Rossi picked up 20 vital points in the Czech Republic today
after taking second place in a race which saw series leader Nicky Hayden
(Honda) stumble to ninth - a result which reduces the gap between the
pair to 38 points with five rounds remaining. Loris Capirossi (Ducati)
took a dominant victory, leading from the first corner to finish with a
4.902 second advantage, whilst Rossi had to fend off a valiant
challenge from rookie Dani Pedrosa (Honda) four laps from the end before
comfortably sealing the runner-up spot.

It was an even tougher afternoon for Colin Edwards, who started out in
equally impressive fashion to his team-mate but faded in the second
half of the race to finish in tenth. The Texan started from eighth on the
grid and was keen to get in touch with the leading riders as soon as
possible, making up three places on the opening three laps. However, his
efforts took their toll on the rear Michelin tyre of his YZR-M1 machine
and, without the perfect set-up to rely on in the latter stages of the
race, he was forced to drop back and settle for another top-ten finish.
Valentino Rossi (2nd; + 4.902)
"It was a good race today and I am very happy with the
weekend.Obviously starting from pole position you hope that you can win but today Loris
had a completely different pace to the rest of us and I couldn't
believe the gap he made!We weren't perfect today and we still had a few
problems, but anyway I was able to do a good race and fight hard to the
end.I had a great battle with Pedrosa with many good overtakes, which was
great fun, especially since I finally managed to finish in front of
him!Even though I didn't win today this is a very important result for the
championship; we are now third and we've gained on Pedrosa and
Hayden.After this weekend the situation is much clearer for us with the bike
and the tyres and now we have two days of testing, during which we have
some new things to try in order to help us be even more competitive for
the final five races.This weekend my M1 worked well from Friday
morning, which is very encouraging after the problems we've had during
practice this season.Everyone at Yamaha has worked so hard to come back to
this level so I want to thank my team and all the engineers. Now there are
five more races and five riders who can still fight for the
championship, so I think it's going to be a very exciting end to the season!"

Colin Edward (10th; + 19.435)
"At the beginning things felt alright and over the first few laps I was
actually quite excited.I was able to be quite aggressive and pass a few
people, but then after a while things just went downhill.The balance of
the bike didn't feel right and I just couldn't keep the same level.Then
the tyre started to go off after about eight laps and that just acted
as a limiter and my pace went right down.I was fighting really hard just
to keep the pace I was running and it was nowhere near fast enough to
be competitive.The bike didn't feel perfect under braking either and
that makes life difficult here!We've spent all weekend playing around,
trying to find the right balance but we just couldn't find exactly what we
needed.Honestly we've worked hard all weekend but things just weren't
right today.We've got two days of testing now and plenty of work to do
if we're going to improve for the final few races."
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director
"This has been a good weekend, despite the fact that we didn't
win.We've achieved the most important goal of taking a lot of points back from
Hayden and also gaining on Pedrosa.Valentino starting from pole
position is a great improvement after the previous weekends and it's a good
sign for the final part of the season.There are five riders now that can
win the championship and it's clearly going to be a hard fight to the
end, for which we need to be fully prepared!This weekend has shown how
well Yamaha can react to problems and everyone has worked extremely hard
to solve them, so a big thank you to the mechanics, engineers and of
course Valentino!Colin made some big changes before the race and in the
first part of it he looked very good.Unfortunately he couldn't keep that
pace up and now these two days of testing for him will be very
important in order to come up with some things that can help him finish the
season well."
Tech 3 Yamaha Team find satisfaction after a difficult weekend

Fifteenth place for Carlos Checa on his Yamaha YZF-M1 may not be the
position that the Tech 3 Yamaha Team desired today, but after the
difficulties of the previous day, the team is satisfied with the result
attained in the Czech Republic Grand Prix at the Brno circuit in a race won
by Loris Capirossi (Ducati) as teammate James Ellison struggled with his
own problems to finish 17th.

With a difficult race now behind them, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team is
looking ahead to the two-day test at the circuit to endeavour to eliminate
the problems that have surfaced after the positive results of the
previous two races in the USA and Germany.
Carlos Checa (15th, Fastest lap 1'59.630)
"Considering yesterday nothing worked, today we should be satisfied
with the job we did. We changed quite a lot on the bike but we were not
too radical with the alterations we made. This morning the bike felt a
lot better but in the different conditions this afternoon after a few
laps we again had chattering and it increasedduring the race so by the end
we had quite a lot. The tyre wasn't so bad even though I was getting
some movement in the acceleration area but the chattering was the main
limitation.

"We knew it was going to be difficult today because many were doing 1"
58s lap times and we were struggling to match those times but we did
quite a lot of laps in the 59 sec bracket and to keep that pace until the
end was the most positive thing we can take from here.
Also keeping in mind that we couldn't race with the tyres we have been
using for the last two races, with the chattering problems we are
having, today's race was fine."
James Ellison (17th Fastest lap 2'00.608)
"That result was not what I wanted at all. I'm really disappointed.
After yesterday I was definitely hoping for a top 15 finish but I was
secretly thinking that a top 10 might happen. To finish 17th is a huge let
down. I know I can do it - that's the frustrating thing to me. My lap
times to Carlos weren't too bad for a few laps. He could keep that
consistency with his times but after four or five laps my times dropped off.
I lost traction on the rear exactly like what happened at Donington. I
was getting a little bit of chatter but it was mainly rear wheel grip
making it spin up everywhere.

Tomorrow during this test I will get to test the frame Carlos is
running so hopefully, we will be able to find a cure to these problems we
have been having and move forwards pretty quickly so I can score some
decent results that I know I'm capable of getting
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director
Truthfully after the very average qualifying session yesterday, it was
quite a good race. We had a lot of problems during the weekend that
didn't help for the race but it is always a big handicap to start from so
far back. We lost many seconds during the first two laps but we were
able to fight back so Carlos was nine seconds behind Colin (Edwards) at
the end of the race. Our pace was quick enough to be with the group
fighting for 10th position so we're not happy with the position but we are
happy that we were consistent with our lap times until the end.

The bike still chattered but not as much as during practice and the gap
to the guys in front of us was not that big. 15th is not a great result
but there were no crashes and guys in front of us stopped so it's
reasonable. The work we have done here is going to be helpful for Dunlop.
Let's hope we can qualify better so we can have he results of the
previous meetings.

A positive point for Carlos is that he has scored points in every race
but before going to the next three Grands Prix on the other side of the
world, we have two days testing here to find solutions to these new
problems and finish off the year on a good note.


Race 1 - 22 Laps

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 43'40.145
2, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 0'4.902
3, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 0'8.012
4, Kenny Roberts, Team Robert KR, USA, 0'14.800
5, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 0'15.025
6, Casey Stoner, Honda, AUS, 0'15.699
7, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 0'16.775
8, Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, JPN, 0'16.942
9, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 0'17.061
10, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 0'19.435
11, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 0'22.215
12, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 0'23.978
13, Makato Tamada, Honda, JPN, 0'24.967
14, Randy De Puniet, Kawasaki, FRA, 0'28.961
15, Carlos Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 0'29.296
16, Alex Hofmann, Ducati, GER, 0'29.801
17, James Ellison, Yamaha, GBR, 1'2.982
18, Ivan Silva, Kawasaki, ESP, 1'44.775



Best Lap

Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 1'58.157


Rider Standings 20/08/2006


Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Points

1, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 201
2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 176
3, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 163
4, Marco Melandri, Honda, ITA, 161
5, Loris Capirossi, Ducati, ITA, 151
6, Casey Stoner, Honda, AUS, 101
7, Kenny Roberts, Team Robert KR, USA, 92
8, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 90
9, John Hopkins, Suzuki, USA, 83
10, Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, JPN, 75
11, Makato Tamada, Honda, JPN, 67
12, Toni Elias, Honda, ESP, 64
13, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 61
14, Sete Gibernau, Ducati, ESP, 58
15, Carlos Checa, Yamaha, ESP, 54
18, James Ellison, Yamaha, GBR, 20


Team Standings 20/08/2006

Pos., Team, Points

1, Repsol Honda Team, 377
2, Camel Yamaha Team, 253
3, Fortuna Honda Team, 225
4, Ducati Marlboro Team, 216
5, Rizla Suzuki, 144
6, Honda LCR, 101
7, Kawasaki Racing Team, 98
8, Team Roberts KR, 92
9, Tech3 Yamaha, 74
10, Konica Minolta Honda, 67
11, Pramac D'Antin, 22


Manufacturer Standings 20/08/2006

Pos., Manufacturer, Points

1, Honda, 262
2, Yamaha, 201
3, Ducati, 160
4, Suzuki, 101
5, Team Robert KR, 92
6, Kawasaki, 83