Opening MotoGP session at Montmeló ends with Rossi on top

Friday, 12 June 2009

The first MotoGP free practice session of the Catalunya weekend saw the World Champion lap three tenths of a second faster than his premier class rivals.

Valentino Rossi stamped his authority on the opening MotoGP practice of the weekend with the fastest time of Friday afternoon at the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, lapping the Barcelona track on his Fiat Yamaha M1 in 1’43.038.

The Italian star has never finished outside the top three in a premier class race at the Mediterranean venue and he signaled his aspirations for victory at round six, having not won since the third race of the year at Jerez, by starting the weekend on the front foot.

Behind Rossi on the time-sheet was his factory Yamaha colleague Jorge Lorenzo who was 0.302s off the World Champion’s pace on a far better Friday than last year at his home track – where he crashed in practice and missed the race due to concussion.

Third on the timesheet was Mugello race-winner and 2007 Barcelona victor Casey Stoner who went round just over half a second slower than Rossi on his Ducati Desmosedici, as MotoGP’s current big three showed their pace again.

Fourth on the timesheet, just as he has been in the last two MotoGP races, Andrea Dovizioso put in a similar time to Stoner. Dovizioso’s injured Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was down in 14th place as he tested the condition of his injured hip.

At one of his favourite tracks Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) was fifth fastest, whilst a big improvement by Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden saw him finish sixth quickest in one of his best sessions of the season so far – around a second off the pace.

Veteran riders Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) and Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) were seventh and eighth respectively. Yuki Takahashi was number nine on the timesheet, trying to push hard after seeing new MotoGP recruit Gabor Talmacsi join the Scot Racing Team on Friday.

Talmacsi was unsurprisingly the slowest participant in his first 800cc session, four seconds behind Rossi, whilst satellite Yamaha rider James Toseland completed the top ten.

MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1 Classification PDF
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Motorcycle Lap time Km/h Gap
1 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'43.038 324.226
2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'43.340 324.324 0.302
3 27 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'43.636 324.714 0.598
4 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'43.684 322.580 0.646
5 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'43.871 318.960 0.833
6 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'44.152 320.665 1.114 ---well done Nicky
7 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'44.340 321.332 1.302
8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'44.419 320.665 1.381
9 72 Yuki TAKAHASHI JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'44.484 318.114 1.446
10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1'44.580 314.960 1.542
11 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1'44.649 320.665 1.611
12 59 Sete GIBERNAU SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando Ducati 1'44.678 318.490 1.640
13 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'44.744 318.021 1.706
14 3 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'45.043 327.173 2.005
15 24 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'45.101 320.950 2.063
16 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'45.126 321.046 2.088
17 36 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1'45.394 322.773 2.356
18 88 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1'45.454 321.524 2.416
19 41 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1'47.654 307.955 4.616

Hayden delighted with breakthrough

By Matt Beer from: http://www.autosport.com

Friday, June 12th 2009, 17:20 GMT

Nicky Hayden believes his sixth place in practice at Catalunya marks a breakthrough in his adaptation to the Ducati GP9 after a very tough season so far.

The 2006 world champion has been a long way off the pace since joining Ducati from Honda at the end of last season, but the team has worked hard to make the bike more suitable for riders other than team leader Casey Stoner, who has always had a big margin over his team-mates on the 800cc Ducatis.

Today in Spain Hayden was not only sixth fastest, but was only half a second behind Stoner - a much smaller gap than at previous rounds.

"I know it's only sixth position but still I'm pretty happy because I was running up front throughout the session and having fun, which is what racing is supposed to be about," he said.

The American praised the work done by test rider Vittoriano Guareschi, who has been tasked with helping make the Ducati more suitable for a wider range of riding styles. The team had also reshuffled its engineering line-up in recent weeks to devote more resources to getting all its bikes on the pace.

Hayden said this project had resulted in massive - and successful - changes to his set-up.

"Basically Vitto stayed on in Mugello and tested a lot and we have changed almost everything on the bike other than the handgrips," he said.

"We've altered the electronics and the geometry a lot to help me get the bike turning and we've taken a big step. I don't want to get too excited because it's only Friday and we've got to keep working hard but I want to say that I am very grateful to the team and to Vitto, [technical director] Filippo [Preziosi] and 'Pippi' [engineer Cristhian Pupulin] and the test team in particular."

He also praised the team for standing by him during his struggles.

"Nobody here has given up on me even after a few bad races and I have always made it clear I won't give up on them," said Hayden.

"We have had to stay mentally strong and keep positive, even though that hasn't been easy. Hopefully we're on to something here and all the hard work will start paying off."

Stoner expects better pace on Saturday

By Matt Beer from http://www.autosport.com/

Friday, June 12th 2009, 17:13 GMT

Casey Stoner is confident Ducati can get to the bottom of the small issues that kept him behind the Yamahas in free practice for the Catalunya Grand Prix today.

The championship leader was third quickest behind Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, and also had a minor accident at the end of the backstraight.

"We didn't have such a good feeling in the beginning," Stoner admitted.

"We're trying a few different things on one of the bikes and it's working really well apart from in two areas. One is when I'm at full lean on the way into the corner, it feels a bit vague and wants to push me a metre or so wide. When I'm on the gas again it turns really well.

"The other point is that we're not getting much traction, but we're getting loads of corner speed and it's turning really well. It's a case of working to find a balance and unfortunately we lost a bit of time at the end because I tipped off it in the hairpin at the end of the back straight."

He put the accident down to over-caution on his part.

"Basically I'd had a couple of moments before that so I was being a little careful," Stoner explained. "Probably too careful because I didn't push the front hard enough in that corner and it went a little light and tucked."

The Australian reckons the potential is there to challenge the Yamahas in qualifying.

"We've ended up with some reasonably competitive lap times and I'm confident we can go much faster tomorrow," said Stoner. "I'm happy because we know what we're capable of and it's just a matter of getting it done now."

Elias and De Angelis show top ten pace At Barcelona

Moto-Live.com

San Carlo Honda Gresini Team riders Toni Elias and Alex de Angelis are both looking forward to tomorrow's second free practice and qualifying sessions after struggling to make an impact on the timesheets at the Catalunya circuit today.

This afternoon's opening free practice saw the Spaniard and the San Marinese struggle to the 15th and 16th fastest lap times respectively, both complaining of chassis set-up issues around the notoriously technical and demanding track.

For both riders the road to improvement lies in experimenting with different chassis solutions and it is a process that requires time, a rare commodity with the current practice format. Elias is desperate to make major improvements tomorrow in front of his home crowd, the Catalan favourite paying tribute to local patrimony today by wearing a helmet featuring a design typical of Antoni Gaudì, a late, great exponent of modernist Catalan architecture and a symbol of Barcelona around the world.

“We haven't started well but it is early and we have to stay positive. We have a lot of work to do on the chassis, because there is far too much load on the front. I know I am always complaining about that but at this circuit in particular it is just too much”, explained Elias. “We don't have anything new to test so it is down to us to keep coming up with new ideas, experimenting and trying to find a solution with what we have. Unfortunately sometimes you have to go down the wrong road in order to realise which is the right one so hopefully that's the case for us today.
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My Gaudi helmet design is from when we raced here in 2007 and I decided to wear it again simply because I love it!”

“We're still struggling for rear grip, as we have been doing all season, and the bike is sliding around a lot but the truth is that this is our only problem”, said De Angelis. “We really need to sort it out because other than that the bike feels great. The engine is really strong and in a straight line we are really fast but we need to transfer that to the corners. We had a little problem with the front forks in the first part of the session, they weren't working well and I ran wide in one corner but luckily the run-off was asphalt and I was able to keep it upright. We changed the forks and it improved things a lot, even on a used tyre, but we still have plenty to do tomorrow.”

Pedrosa still hampered by injury

By Matt Beer from: http://www.autosport.com

Friday, June 12th 2009, 18:21 GMT

Dani Pedrosa admitted that his hip injury had been a major impediment during practice for his home race at Catalunya today.

The Honda rider won this event last year and expected to go extremely well at the track again, but has been struggling with the latest in his string of injuries - a hip problem sustained when catching a slide at Mugello a fortnight ago.

Although Pedrosa had hoped that a well-targeted pain-killing injection would allow him to ride normally, he was in discomfort throughout practice and only managed the 14th fastest time.

"This wasn't one of the best days of riding for me," said Pedrosa. "I had a pain-killing injection before I rode this afternoon but it's still very uncomfortable on the bike and this means I wasn't able to ride at my normal pace."

"MotoGP machines are very physical to ride - it's not like a street bike - so it's tough when you are not at full strength."

He said he had no intention of withdrawing from the event and hoped his condition might ease as the weekend progressed.

"It's frustrating because this is one of my favourite circuits of the season and also one where I have had a lot of good results," Pedrosa said.

"However, we certainly aren't going to give up. It's a long season and although today didn't go too well, we'll come back tomorrow and see what we can do."

Honda team manager Kazuhiko Yamano shared both Pedrosa's frustration and his optimism that the situation could improve tomorrow.

"Unfortunately he wasn't able to ride to his maximum potential which is a shame because he is extremely strong at this circuit in normal circumstances," said Yamano. "We'll have to monitor his physical condition tomorrow and hope that he can move forward step by step."

Dovizioso leads the way for Repsol Honda At Catalunya
Moto-Live.com

The first practice session for this weekend's Grand Prix of Catalunya took place today with the Repsol Honda Team beginning its meticulous machine set-up process at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona.

It was a positive day for Andrea Dovizioso, who finished the hour-long practice period in a competitive fourth place with a lap time of 1m 43.684s - just 0.646s back from today's pace-setter, Valentino Rossi. This is a track that Dovizioso enjoys and the 23-year-old Italian is intent on making further improvements tomorrow.

"Today's result was pretty good and we are not too far from the front which is encouraging - though we still need to close the gap”, he said. “This afternoon we worked on the set-up of the bike to improve the handling during corner entry and in the turn, which remains our main issue. We tried a different set-up solution on the second bike that worked well and I was able to improve the lap time and reduce the gap to the frontrunners. Fourth place today is a good start but we are still too far from the first three top riders, so we'll continue to work on this tomorrow."


The day was less productive for local hero Dani Pedrosa who wasn't able to ride at 100 per cent pace today as he nurses his problematic right hip. The 23-year-old Spaniard received a pain-killing injection prior to this afternoon's session but remained in considerable discomfort from the unfortunate injury he picked up at the last round in Italy. Pedrosa won the race in Catalunya last year and, in spite of his injury, remains determined to pursue the best possible result here in front of his home fans in Sunday's 25-lap race. Due to low grip conditions here today, all the riders' lap times today were well off the pace of Pedrosa's lap record.
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"It's my home race and already the atmosphere and support is incredible, but of course this wasn't one of the best days of riding for me”, he confessed. “I had a pain-killing injection before I rode this afternoon but it's still very uncomfortable on the bike and this means I wasn't able to ride at my normal pace. MotoGP machines are very physical to ride - it's not like a street bike - so it's tough when you are not at full strength. It's frustrating because this is one of my favourite circuits of the season and also one where I have had a lot of good results. However, we certainly aren't going to give up. It's a long season and although today didn't go t oo well, we'll come back tomorrow and see what we can do."

Talmacsi amazed by first MotoGP encounter

Friday, 12 June 2009 (motogp.com)

Premier class debutant ends packed Friday with culmination of a dream.

Gabor Talmacsi was undoubtedly the busiest rider in the MotoGP paddock on Friday afternoon, making a ‘shotgun debut’ in the premier class with the Scot Racing Honda team and having to start completely from scratch.

The Hungarian had barely put pen to paper on his contract before being whisked off to undertake further preliminaries, including kitting out his new Honda RC212V and leathers with personal and sponsorship logos. Dressed to ride, Talmacsi was then shown the myriad details of the 800cc bike in preparation for his first practice session. He may have received explanations in the garage, but nothing could prepare him for being out on track.

“The bike is amazing. It’s so difficult to explain, as I’ve never felt this kind of power, this kind of braking feeling, the grip of the Bridgestone tyres… it’s another world! Of course, I need more laps in order to improve, but I think that I can do it!” said a determined Talmacsi, seemingly destined for a complicated search for a ride after a split with the Balatonring 250cc team one month ago.

Even finishing an understandable last on the timesheet was of little concern for the former 125cc World Champion, who will never forget the events of June 12th.

“It has been an exciting opportunity for me. I’m happy to be back on track, with this kind of chance. This is my dream. You know, I come from Eastern Europe, and had to work very hard to get here. Myself and the Team Manager, Cirano Mularoni, know each other from 2006 in the Humangest Honda 125cc team, and he’s more like a friend to me.”

Debutant Talmacsi will continue alongside Yuki Takahashi for the remainder of the 2009 season, running the number 41 in a ‘switcharound’ of his previous number 14.