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Catalunya IRTA Test - Day 2 March 16th, 2003 |
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Catalunya IRTA Test - Day 2 March 16th, 2003 |
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 Loris Capirossi
announced the arrival of Ducati to the MotoGP World Championship in
stunning style today, sweeping the first BMW Best Qualifier Award of the
season with a sensational lap in front of 20,000 fans at the Circuit de
Catalunya. The Italian clocked a 1'43.634 to beat Alex Barros to the
coveted BMW 330Cd which was offered to the fastest man in a one hour timed
session this afternoon. Barros also dipped under 1'44 as the prize became
a two-man affair in an exciting finale to the session, with World Champion
Valentino Rossi left almost half a second off the pace.It is an outstanding achievement for Italian manufacturers Ducati, who only unveiled the L-shaped four-cylinder Desmosedici at Mugello in June last year, and for Capirossi who only rode the machine for the first time at Valencia in November. With Yamaha's M1 also making giant strides at the hands of Barros, concrete evidence is now in place that Honda have at least two serious contenders for the MotoGP title they lifted in dominant fashion with Rossi and the RC211V last season. Expectations that 2003 will provide one of the most open and exciting seasons in Grand Prix history have been confirmed at Barcelona, and the countdown has begun for the series opener at Suzuka in three weeks' time. Rossi's HRC colleagues Max Biaggi, Tohru Ukawa and Daijiro Kato all lapped under pole record time, whilst 250cc World Champion Marco Melandri showed his MotoGP credentials with the eighth fastest time of the hour session, behind Sete Gibernau but ahead of his team-mate Carlos Checa, despite suffering from a sore shoulder. Troy Bayliss paid his first ever visit to this circuit earlier this week but he showed that he can adapt quickly to the MotoGP track layouts and completed a memorable day for Ducati by making the top ten. World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards did not take part in the session, which started with a minute silence in honour of Barry Sheene, after injuring his hand in a crash this morning. After 60 minutes of adrenaline and excitement the teams were able to regroup and regain their breath in their pit boxes and return to the track for a further three hours of crucial tests. There was more drama to follow, as Ukawa mounted a new engine and went faster than Barros to clock the second best overall time of the day, whilst Gibernau and Kato also improved to move up to fourth and sixth respectively. Shinya Nakano and Troy Bayliss also bettered their previous efforts to move ahead of Melandri and Checa on the final time sheet. MotoGP preseason activity concludes in two weeks' time with a final IRTA test at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan, where the teams will get the chance to sample the drastic renovation of the final chicane before the first Grand Prix of the year at the same venue on April 6. Yamaha Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha Team) kicked off the final day of the Barcelona IRTA test, held March 16, in exactly the same fashion as he began (and concluded) day one - by topping the time sheets with a circuit best lap, only for Loris Capirossi (Ducati) to mount a surprise attack in the latter stages of the session. The Italian's 1'43.634 went down as the new Catalunya circuit benchmark and relegated Barros (1'43.878) to second place. Then Tohru Ukawa (Honda, 1'43.832) also slipped through with only minutes remaining; placing Barros, who'd already called it a day, third. Sete Giburnaue (Honda, 1'44.071) completed the top four with Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1'44.111) finishing the weekend fifth. Shinya Nakano (d'Antin Yamaha Team, 1'44.803) improved on his opening day lap time to clinch eighth overall, with Fortuna Yamaha Teammates Marco Melandri (1'44.922) and Carlos Checa (1'44.992) - both of which crashed during the final day - finishing tenth and 11th respectively. In addition to the standard free practice programme the 2003 MotoGP grid was given the opportunity to simulated official qualifier in which Capirossi set his quickest time and Barros proved to be his only challenger, after initially setting the pace. Although it didn't result in a pole position start for the Ducati rider, Capirossi did win a BMW 330CD automobile for setting the fastest lap of the session. Gauloises Yamaha Team Alex Barros 3rd, 1'43.878: "I am very happy, overall, with our performance this weekend. Sure it would have been great to set the fastest lap of the day, but there are no prizes for that - except the car of course - and we were here to test as many things as possible. We achieved that, completed all that was planned in our schedule while consistently being one of the quickest, and that made it a good test for me. We still need to improve, you always do, and the one thing we need to work on now is top speed, especially when you consider how quick those Ducatis are in a straight line." Olivier Jacque 12th, 1'45.263: "It was a difficult day today, although it was a bonus to have improved my time in the closing stages. We've had so many things to try that I feel I might have lost track a little, but we still managed to achieve a lot. It is necessary to improve the grip on the rear in these cooler conditions, but I don't think this will be a problem in Japan. I'm looking forward to seeing the new circuit layout, especially as I never really liked that old chicane they've removed." d'Antin Yamaha Team Shinya Nakano 8th, 1'44.803: "I think that we had a very successful test. We now have a set-up that should be very competitive in Suzuka and I'm very confident about the outlook for the year. The team is working well and I'm sure we'll put on a good show for my fans at home." Fortuna Yamaha Team Marco Melandri 10th, 1'44.922: "I'm feeling better physically, for sure better than yesterday. This morning I crashed on the straight, simply because I braked a bit too far beyond the turn. The bike highsided, and then the steering locked when I had almost stopped. It was my mistake, maybe because I was a little bit nervous. I felt that this was the first official test, and therefore the first competition of sorts. So I didn't ride really well - strangely I rode better when I wasn't trying to go as fast, or checking the lap times. Going as fast as you can for two laps only is not so important for me. Capirossi has always been the best at this kind of thing - he deserves the BMW!" Carlos Checa 11th, 1'44.992: "I'm really quite disappointed with the way things have gone this weekend. Firstly, the tumble I had on Thursday during our private test didn't help. We have made quite a lot of changes during that test and during this IRTA test, which haven't necessarily benefited us overall. The team are working really well, and so is the bike, as Barros has proven. Last month when we tested at this circuit we got some good lap times, so we need to go back to that set-up again. I am looking forward to the Suzuka GP and am trying to think positively. It will be good to have the testing time there, planned the week before we race." Honda The two-day IRTA test at the Montmelo circuit ended with the Honda RC211V riders in good spirits having tried and tested all they hoped to at Montmelo over the weekend. The teams and riders now take a short break before their final pre-season shakedown test at Suzuka, the venue for the first race of the season, one week before the championships gets underway. Day one of the IRTA test had been interrupted by a mid-afternoon rain shower that ended the serious work planned for the day. Bright sunshine, however, greeted the riders as they arrived at the track for today's session, and all made use of warmer temperatures to lower the times they set on the opening day. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda) was the fastest Honda rider in the afternoon timed session, the 'MotoGP best Qualifier' run live on television. Rossi topped the times as the session entered its final minute but his fellow countryman Loris Capirossi (Marlboro Ducati) and Brazilian Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha) upstaged the Italian in the dying seconds of the televised session. Capirossi and Barros were still out on track as Rossi entered the pits and both men promptly dipped under his fastest lap time of 1m 44.324s, Capirossi by a massive 0.690s, Barros by 0.446s. The top three men looked comfortably the fastest riders present when the session ended but in the free practice session that followed several riders put them under serious pressure. Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Honda) had changed engine in his RC211V, made changes to front and rear suspension settings, then went out and put in a series of fast laps that culminated in him circulating the 4.727km circuit at 1m 43.832s, faster than all but Capirossi! Local man Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda) had been in sparkling form over the two days and, despite a crash that left him with an injured right hand, quickly emulated Ukawa's performance. The Spaniard setting fourth fastest time of the day, 0.193s behind Barros, who held on to third. Gibernau's performance pushed Rossi back to fifth place, while Daijiro Kato, Gibernau's teammate, dropped to sixth. Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Honda) was fourth fastest in the televised session, having overcome chassis setting problems that slowed him on Saturday, but dropped too seventh after the final free practice. The fastest seven riders at Montmelo this weekend were all under the pole position time of 1m 44523s, set by Biaggi for the 2002 grand prix. American Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) was the RC211V rider who made the most progress. Hayden, just 21, makes his MotoGP debut this season and is paying his first visit to the Montmelo circuit. He is beginning to find his feet at the top level, clearly illustrated by his time of 1m 45.626s, almost 1.3s faster than on the first day! The Pramac Honda team had a day of mixed fortune while continuing their Bridgestone tyre-testing programme. Makoto Tamada was in fine form as he evaluated the performance of various sized tyres in ever warming track conditions and easily bettered his time of yesterday. Unfortunately his teammate, Shinichi Itoh crashed heavily in the third session today and broke a bone in his left foot. Itoh's injury is not severe and he will be ready to resume testing with Bridgestone in two weeks. Tohru Ukawa, JPN Camel Pramac Honda, 2nd - 1m 43.832s: "I have a good feeling on the bike and was able to set a really fast tie. In fact I have improved a lot on my lap time of last year at this circuit. Yesterday I crashed when I lost the front-end and that slowed me a little, but today I was full of confidence again. We spent the whole day working on various suspension settings and tyres. I think I am ready for the first race and I am looking forward to putting in a good performance in front of my home crowd." Max Biaggi, ITA Camel Pramac Honda, 4th - 1m 44.326s: "Today e took a big step forward, we were able to set up the bike quite the way we want it, it had a good balance today. I also had a very good set of tyres. We had them yesterday but I did not try them at theme! Going into the corners I still have some problems and I understand we can only cure the clutch problem with new parts. We have to be patient and wait, doing our best with what we have. I know solving the clutch problem I have we can make a very big step forward." Biaggi went on to say. "The new safety car regulation is quite complicated and in racing we need as few complications as possible. I'm not sure how it will work in a race situation, rain, cold tyres, riders all together in a group? But it's a regulation now, so we will see how it works out!" Valentino Rossi, ITA Repsol Honda, 5th - 1m 44.111s: "This is not a test; it was really the 17th GP. We really didn't test anything - the temperature was too cold but also we start like a MotoGP and we have one hour of practice - it's not like a real test. However the bike felt good and all the testing we have done over the winter has shown good benefit. I'm looking forward to going to Suzuka and racing!" Nicky Hayden, USA Repsol Honda, 13th - 1m 45.533s: "The weekend was good but like any other racer you always want a little more and I'd like to be in front of a few more guys. The 'qualifying' session was fun - something a little different for me. I got on with the track real well. Tady (Okada) was helpful, as were the split times - I've never had that before in MotoGP. I could see where I was fast and slow. The atmosphere was great. Never heard air horns at a test!" Sete Gibernau, SPA Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 4th -1m 44.071s: "We can leave here very satisfied with the work we did. This weekend I was the fastest Honda, until the last minutes of testing. I had a good pace and was consistent all through the test. I want to thank the team for the work they did this weekend. Now we have to keep our heads down and keep working. It's a pity I crashed today, I have a little injury to my right wrist which troubled me and I could only do a few laps at a time." Daijiro Kato, JPN Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 6th - 1m 44.290s: "It's a pity the way the test went for me. I tried hard to find a good setting and feeling with the bike all weekend - but didn't find it. Now we go to the first GP of the season in Japan and I want to make sure I'm ready and put in a good performance on home ground." Makoto Tamada, JPN Pramac Honda, 17th - 1m 45.817s: "We're working full-time on developing the Bridgestone tyres. Today I tested a new series that the Japanese company brought here to Catalunya and I was also able to try out different sized tyres so that we can gather further data to help the company continue its work on this project. We'll be back on track at Suzuka the weekend before the first race on 6 April: then we'll be making the final preparations for the beginning of the championship." Shinichi Itoh, JPN Bridgestone test rider, 24th - 1m 46.401s: "My fall came as a result of a loss of grip on the rear wheel: it made the bike highside and I just went flying. No serious harm just a minute fracture that's nothing to worry about. I'll soon be back in the saddle." Suzuki Team Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins finished the two-day Catalunya tests early today, after completing all scheduled tests on the latest update to the all-new 2003 MotoGP motor, with arrived earlier in the week. Lap times were close to lap record pace at last year's race, showing Suzuki's improvement with the Mk2 GSV-R racer. But the whole class has also taken a step forward, and when the pair stopped testing with two hours still remaining, Hopkins was placed 13th overall and Roberts 17th. The new GSV-R motor - a 990cc four-camshaft V4 - differs from last year's machine in every detail, and in one major respect - the vee angle has been opened up to 65 degrees from 60 degrees, to make more space for improved induction tracts. The latest version refines the design still further, reducing internal friction and offering further scope for development. The new motor proves once again the commitment from the Suzuki factory, and the team faces the season ahead with the same motivation, and the belief that the potential of the new bike remains high. There is one more group test, at Suzuka in Japan, before the season proper begins with the Japanese GP at the same circuit on April 6. PROJECT LEADER, KUNIO ARASE - "Basically there is not a lot of difference between this motor and that used earlier this year - but all parts are new for an overall improvement. The firing interval is also slightly changed. We will continue to test with different firing intervals. "We have a lot more power than last year's engine, but we still need more to become fully competitive. I am confident we can find more power by improving all areas of the motor, such as internal friction, and by more refinement to the engine management ECU. The engine is now at about 80 percent of its potential. "The first target is to improve the power characteristic - to make the throttle response more linear, and to make the bike more rider-friendly and more tyre-friendly. In terms of the new injection system, we are always developing new techniques. "We expect the next step forward for this engine in time for the first race weekend at Suzuka. "In handling terms, the stability under braking is much improved from last year. The slipper clutch system is similar to that used last year, with much more refined electronic controls, so that reduction of engine braking is also improved." TEAM MANAGER, GARRY TAYLOR - "Obviously we still have a lot of work to do with the new bike, and of course it's frustrating for the riders to watch the competitors going faster. We're starting at the bottom again, with a new bike in January, and this week a second version of the new engine. But the potential is all there, our motivation is still high, and our intention remains the same . to get Suzuki back to the winner's circle again. "We have the full support of the factory, and there were some top people here this weekend, so they have a very clear idea of what we need. This wasn't where we had hoped to be at this stage, but we're ready to work non-stop until we get there." Proton Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki concentrated on getting themselves back up to racing speed at this weekend’s group tests at the Catalunya GP circuit at Montmelo, riding last year’s three-cylinder 500cc lightweight – the only two-stroke left in the MotoGP field. It was a holding operation for the pair, who are eagerly awaiting the team’s own brand new 990cc four-stroke, a V5 design that is undergoing intensive development at base at Banbury in England. Even so, they were faster than a number of four-strokes, with McWilliams placed mid-pack. Even without the new bike, team and riders had reason to be pleased with this weekend’s tests. Both McWilliams and Aoki improved on the lap times they had set at the GP here last year in spite of cool track conditions. This reflected not only refinement to the machine during last season, but also significant improvements to the Bridgestone tyres, which Proton Team KR will use for a second season in 2003. The first GP of the season is the Japanese round at Suzuka on April 6. JEREMY McWILLIAMS: 15th Position – 1:45.709 - "It’s frustrating with all the four-strokes. Both of us have gone quicker than ever before round here – but the gap to the leaders is even bigger. It’s been hard to stay upbeat. It was easier when we couldn’t see the other bikes. The main thing is that the new bike is on the way, and it’s very exciting. I have tried it for size, and it’s really compact – about the same size as the two-stroke. This weekend was hard, but we have a lot to look forward to." NOBUATSU AOKI: 21st Position – 1:46.034 - "It’s a difficult start to the year, but I think we did a good job. We improved half a second on the GP times, and that’s good enough. It’s good to be out on a race track again, and it will be even better when we can start developing the new bike." CHUCK AKSLAND – Team Manager - "Of course being the only two-stroke is frustrating, but I was pleasantly surprised to see our guys so far up. It must be even more frustrating for the four-stroke riders who were slower than us. We came because we needed to get our riders some track time, and we were also able to find some more information for Bridgestone. "The V5 four-stroke is undergoing dyno tests, and it’s very promising. All the major components are performing well, and we’re working on details. Unless there is a major hiccup, we expect to have the bike out somewhere for first rolling shakedown tests, with Jeremy riding, and probably Kenny Roberts as well, and then begin serious track tests." Ducati Ducati Marlboro Team rider
Loris Capirossi topped this afternoon’s official preseason test session at
Catalunya in sensational style, outpacing his nearest rival by almost a
quarter of a second aboard the Italian factory’s all-new Desmosedici.
Team-mate Troy Bayliss was also in brilliant form, bettering yesterday’s
times by 1.81 seconds in his first visit to this complex Spanish track. Kawasaki Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team’s first encounter with the competition in this year’s MotoGP championship ended on a high note, with Australian 'King of Slide' Garry McCoy lapping well within the pace aboard the new Ninja ZX-RR prototype. In the one-hour qualifying session for the BMW award, McCoy set the 17th time, and only dropped back to 20th later in the day, when he resumed the normal development work rather than chasing fast lap times. German test rider Alex Hofmann was not much slower in 19th and 21st position, even though both his runs on soft qualifying tyres were spoilt. Andrew Pitt improved on yesterday’s lap times only fractionally, due to a crash in the morning and a bike problem in the afternoon, whereas Japanese test rider Akira Yanagawa didn’t care about lap times altogether and concentrated entirely on the set-up for a new injection system. Garry McCoy: 20th position – best time 1:45.961 - "It was good to have four days of testing on one track. Usually we have just two, which doesn’t seem to be enough time for the amount of work we have to do. To have all the track time here was a big help, and even though I’m not really happy with my lap times, it is good that we keep improving. Everybody at Kawasaki knows that we have a big job ahead, and everybody is working overtime to accomplish as much as possible before the first race. We treated the one-hour qualifying session today as nothing more than additional track time for our development program, only at the very end we stuck a soft tyre in just to see what time I would be able to do. It was good to get into the 1.45’s!" Alex Hofmann: 22nd position - best time 1:46.125 - "Yesterday, I did my best lap time on race tyres. Today, we tried qualifiers, but on both occasions I went out with a fresh set, something happened. First, there was some confusion because Itoh had crashed. And the second time, we had a small electrical problem on the bike. Therefore, I didn’t improve my lap time the way I wanted to. I think a time of 1.45,5 would have been possible!" Andrew Pitt: 25th position - best time 1:46.586 - "I had a small crash this morning. I leant over too far in a corner, the fairing touched the ground, and I went down. I went out on my second bike after that and felt quite good and comfortable. In the one-hour qualifying session, I did a few laps on a race tyre and did a lap time in 1.46. But before I could go out with a qualifying tyre, we had a problem, and I wasn’t able to continue!" Akira Yanagawa: 26th position - best time 1:46.893 - "We tried a new injection system with a big throttle body today, and the results were very encouraging. It is easier to open the throttle early, but we need more time to fine-tune the system, as the bike’s performance was a bit unstable in the lower gears. All in all, we had a good few days of testing, and I will continue our work with two sessions in Joho and in Suzuka before the first Grand Prix. I will be very busy, but I like it – I want to help build the best possible bike for Garry and Andrew!"
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