Riders assess Bridgestone material after first ‘competitive’ session

Monday, 30 March 2009- from: motogp.com

Sunday saw the first ‘competitive’ session since the switch to single tyre supply by Bridgestone for 2009, the experience provoking varied but mainly positive reactions from the MotoGP field.

One of the big changes in MotoGP over the ’08-’09 off-season has been the move onto new generation Bridgestone tyres, following the rule change to a single supplier arrangement at the end of last year.

Qualifying sessions in particular will be different this year, with the Japanese company no longer producing ‘qualifying’ tyres as such and with the Official Practices which dictate grid positions having been reduced to 45 minutes, as part of the ongoing cost reduction process in the World Championship.

With the first preseason in the single tyre supplier era now complete - and with Sunday’s BMW M Award session giving an insight into what qualifying may be like in 2009 – a number of MotoGP riders have given positive impressions on the new rules.

Instead of fitting qualifiers in search of hot laps this season riders have the option of putting on a new ‘soft’ tyre from their Bridgestone compound allocation, with all riders receiving exactly the same material in the name of fairness.

The most experienced rider on the premier class grid, Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi played a big role in helping Bridgestone to establish themselves in MotoGP during his time with Ducati and he is a fan on the updated regulations.

The veteran Italian, who has been riding well over the winter on an updated Suzuki prototype and was third in Sunday’s showdown session, commented, “Now it is easier compared to the past because everyone has the same material. We have the choice of softer and harder tyres and maybe some riders will even race on the softer ones because they are not qualifying tyres.”

He added, “We will have these 45-minute sessions and everyone will try hard. Last year we saw instances where someone was tenth or eleventh, they put on a qualifier and suddenly they were second. We won’t see that anymore.”

Another vastly experienced MotoGP rider, Colin Edwards spent years riding with Michelin until the end of last season, but he too is in favour of the new system, despite finishing tenth on Sunday. He stated, “I think the single tyre supplier rule is working out really well as we are now all in the same boat. So instead of trying to find a tyre that works for your bike you have to adjust your bike to work with the tyre.”

The Texan continued, “With our bike it is a little bit different to last year, but we have had the same bike for five years so that maybe gives me an advantage. I know what to do with the bike, or my crew chief especially knows what to do with the bike so we can just adjust it. I think the rule is excellent, you look at other championships that are also going to one tyre and it seems to be working.”

A successful qualifier last year, Jorge Lorenzo remarkably took pole position for his first three MotoGP races and was on pole four times in total last season. He has had to adapt to riding with Bridgestones ahead of his second year in the premier class and he believes that he is at a slight disadvantage now, even though he was the fastest of the 2008 Michelin riders on Sunday.

The Spanish youngster said, “I think that the qualifying this year is going to be quite hard without the special tyres, which always suited my riding style quite well. I was quite a specialist with the qualifying tyres and now I don’t have that advantage, so I have to learn to adapt. My riding style is better with the harder Bridgestone tyre and so it will be quite difficult for me to be as good in the qualifying sessions this year I think.”

Lorenzo’s big rival Andrea Dovizioso, meanwhile, has also been adapting to Bridgestones over the winter but he remains upbeat about the situation, despite going slower than Lorenzo over the weekend at Jerez. The Repsol Honda rider focused on racing rather than qualifying when asked about tyres, saying, “We need to wait until the weekend of the first race to really see, but I don’t think it will be a big problem because you can do many laps with the same tyre. Also we don’t have too many tyres in terms of quantity, I think we have enough for each weekend.”

The last word on the matter goes to Valentino Rossi, the legendary Italian who made headlines last season by regaining the MotoGP title after a dramatic move onto Bridgestone rubber at the beginning of 2008. He stated, “We have to wait and see what it will be like at the first Grand Prix. The situation looks ok and it is possible to push and make quite good lap times, but these tyres are not like qualifiers. There is not the same grip, but you can still enjoy it, push hard and go faster for just one lap. I feel that I still have to improve in this area a bit.”

Jerez testing+2009 BMW M Award

First practice- Sunday

Stoner shapes up sharpest for timed Sunday session

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - from motogp.com

Australian quickest rider in morning run ahead of BMW M Award.

Last year’s BMW M Award winner and a man focusing exclusively on the adaptation of the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 to the Jerez circuit, Casey Stoner was Sunday morning’s hot rider at the MotoGP Official Test. The Australian will attempt to increase his car collection in the 2.05pm timed shootout - broadcast live on motogp.com - by becoming the fastest one-lap rider at the circuit for the second preseason in a row.

A 1’39.804 morning lap less than a tenth of a second slower than Jorge Lorenzo’s quickest time from Saturday gave Stoner an early psychological advantage, placing him at the top of the Free Practice 2 standings. Lorenzo made his own late charge with five minutes to go in the Sunday run, but was unable to break back into the 1’39 range.

The last dry weather winner of the BMW M Award, Valentino Rossi was the final rider within half a second of Stoner’s time. The 2008 World Champion appeared on track at 11.25am - slightly later than some of his rivals - but quickly racked up over thirty laps as he sped through his Sunday workload.

Also going fast as they target the prestigious ‘qualifying’ award were Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen, sandwiching Repsol Honda man Andrea Dovizioso in the session’s top six.

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BMW Awards

Stoner takes 2009 BMW M Award with hot lap at Jerez

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - from motogp.com

Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner was the winner of a special edition BMW 135i in Sunday’s showdown session at the MotoGP Official Test.

The 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner was untouchable in Sunday afternoon’s BMW M Award at the southern Spanish circuit of Jerez, dominating the session onboard his formidable Desmosedici GP9 machine.

Stoner registered a superb 1’38.646s lap in the final ten minutes of the session even finding time to give a wave to his Ducati Marlboro team in their pit-box as he flew down the main straight at the end of the lap. Shortly after, the session was brought to a premature close by rainfall, with just over three minutes remaining on the clock.

The winner of last year’s BMW M Award in the rain at Jerez, Stoner’s repeat trick earned him another car to add to his collection, picking up a 135i ‘BMW Sauber F1 Team Edition’, of which only 135 have been made.

The reigning World Champion and winner of the 2007 BMW M Award Valentino Rossi got closest to Stoner with a 1’39.365s time, which put him second on the timesheet, 0.719s behind the Australian. Like Stoner, the Fiat Yamaha man is enjoying a good preseason and the pair look like they will push each other hard for the title in 2009.

Behind the front two it was Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen who sandwiched fourth placed Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo in the top five.

Causing a surprise in sixth place was Mika Kallio who impressed his Pramac Racing crew with his pace, despite running off track at one point.

In the continued absence of injured team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was the fastest HRC representative. A good performance from returning Ducati rider Sete Gibernau, meanwhile, saw him lap eighth quickest on his Grupo Francisco Hernando satellite bike.

The top ten was rounded off by San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Toni Elias and the winner of the 2006 BMW M Award, Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards.

With around 15 minutes remaining Edwards’ team-mate James Toseland suffered a nasty highside crash and was stretchered away, as his problematic preseason continued. The session was briefly red flagged as the English rider was given medical attention at the side of the track, with early reports from Clinica Mobile later indicating that he was heavily bruised but not seriously injured.

James Toseland Jerez crash

The 2009 MotoGP preseason concludes on Sunday afternoon after a final 3.15pm – 6.00pm free practice session, with the riders reconvening at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar for the first race of the year on the 10th-12th April weekend.

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Final prectice seasion

Rainy final session brings MotoGP preseason to a close

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - from motogp.com

Only half the MotoGP field returned to the track in Jerez on Sunday afternoon, following heavy rainfall.

Rainfall at the Circuito de Jerez meant that the MotoGP Official Test came to a progressive end rather than a sudden stop, and left Casey Stoner’s BMW M Award-winning lap as the fastest time recorded over the final weekend of preseason.

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Carter: Stoner looks awesome

Eurosport - Mon, 30 Mar 15:48:00 2009

British Eurosport presenter Tony Carter believes Casey Stoner could be ready to reclaim his MotoGP championship crown.

There's no getting away from it - those few laps by Casey Stoner were stunningly good.

In fact, the level of skill and acceptance of Stoner whilst the bike bucks, weaves and looks on the verge of a crash at almost every turn is bordering on the unnatural.

How does he do it? The new Ducati is stiffer than the white cliffs of Dover, but the smiley Aussie - who weighs about the same as a wet Nike trainer with the laces taken out - manages to grab it by the scruff of the neck and make the 800cc missile look like it's got a hinge in the middle.

Watching him on the British Eurosport coverage, I was left in awe at Stoner's prep for this year. Clearly Ducati has built a bike that works. Even if it only appears to once again work for Stoner.

Ducati test rider Vitto Guareschi was conspicuously in shot whenever Casey got off the bike, and so he should be. His huge workload and amount of time spent fine-tuning the Ducati has paid dividends.

But what on earth was going on with poor Nicky Hayden? The former world champ would have been so very keen to give a good account of himself in the first competitive group outing, so to see him shoot off the track at 130mph, then skip his prototype across the top of the gravel trap before eventually settling on the 11th fastest time was really disappointing.

I bet Nicky is seething at his best time. He's better than that and thankfully for him he, and the rest of us who love MotoGP, know that fact. But Nicky is not the number one in the team, so until he takes over the top spot in the all-red set-up, he will have to ride a bike designed to Mr Stoner's tastes.

Which would ultimately mean a change in riding style to the Honda-esque, smooth style that we normally associate with Hayden. Oh my, I hope we see him up there on the Ducati soon.

Elsewhere we also saw James Toseland adding to his air miles tally this year with a monstrous high-side off the Tech 3 Yamaha.

Turn three at Jerez is a fast left-hander, slightly downhill and quick so if the bike lets go there then you are going to travel a long way. Thankfully, despite the huge tumble and being knocked out for a short while in the tumble through the gravel trap, James was discharged from hospital last night and should be ready for the first round of the series in Qatar.

In this instance it certainly didn't look like the punishment fitted the crime, but thankfully our lad isn't too badly beaten up.

Tough game, this racing lark.

The Ducati Marlboro man was one of the vast majority of riders concluding work after the 45-minute timed session, with little chance of improving lap times or gathering useful data on a wet track. His 1’38.646 lap made him the only rider to go round in under the 1’39 mark, with even reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi some three-tenths of a second from breaking the barrier.

The fastest laps of the weekend came during the showpiece session, with the riders pulling out all the stops in search of the quickest time. Only nine regular riders returned for the third outing on track, namely Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro), Niccolo Canepa & Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing), Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), Marco Melandri (Hayate Racing) and Yuki Takahashi (Scot Racing).

MotoGP Official Test for premier class riders- Day 1

Rain in Spain hits MotoGP morning again

Saturday, 28 March 2009 (from: motogp.com)

Wet track greets opening day of MotoGP Official Test for premier class riders.

The first day of MotoGP testing at Jerez opened with less-than-ideal conditions for the premier class riders, with heavy early rainfall leaving the track wet. The skies had held out for the previous three days of 125cc/250cc action at the Spanish circuit.

Two days of 800cc riding conclude the visit to Jerez, commencing at 10am on Saturday and ending on Sunday afternoon, and present a final opportunity for teams and riders to fine-tune their bikes before the season-opening race in Qatar on April 12th. Sunday also sees the first head-to-head clash of the year, the annual BMW M Award, from 2.05pm.

Teams will also be unveiling their new liveries and garages throughout Saturday, with pictures available soon on motogp.com

Lorenzo fastest ahead of Sunday’s live BMW M Award session

Saturday, 28 March 2009 (from: motogp.com)

Preparing well for Sunday’s BMW M Award session – which will be broadcast live on motogp.com – Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest rider on the first day of the Official MotoGP Test at Jerez.z.

Saturday’s action concluded in southern Spain with a Spaniard at the top of the timesheet, Jorge Lorenzo leading the way with a 1’39.791s hot lap to put him 0.070s ahead of his team-mate Valentino Rossi, who was the second fastest participant in the session.

At a circuit where he started in pole position in just his second MotoGP race last year, Lorenzo registered his best time on the 97th turn of a marathon 99 lap workout, setting himself up nicely for Sunday’s BMW M Award session, in which he is sure to face stiff competition from Rossi and Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner.

Behind the factory Yamaha pair at the top of the timesheets, Stoner was third fastest on Saturday, the Australian lapping within 0.115s of Lorenzo. Stoner’s compatriot Chris Vermeulen was fourth, the Rizla Suzuki man continuing his good preseason form with a best effort 0.781s down on Lorenzo’s pace.

The experienced pair of Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) ended up fifth and sixth respectively, both within a second of topping the timesheet.

Completing the top ten were Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), Alex de Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini). De Angelis suffered a crash in the afternoon, despite conditions improving as the day proceeded after a wet start, but he was unhurt.

James Toseland was eleventh fastest, the Englishman looking much more comfortable on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 M1 machine after a nightmare preseason so far.

Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri will be pleased to have lapped twelfth fastest, even though he was 1.369s down on Lorenzo’s best time. The Italian was not lapping in podium pace but will still be satisfied to have discovered a relatively competitive rhythm.

Meanwhile, although returning veteran Sete Gibernau was 16th overall and nearly two seconds off the pace, he was positive at the end of the day having managed to complete 39 laps despite his ongoing shoulder problem.