Pramac Honda continue at Sepang

The technicians spent the second day of tests in the sultry heat of Sepang mainly analysing - together with the rider - all the possible high-precision settings the RC211V 2004 is capable of. The Honda 2004 that Makoto will be using for the season that is just about to start actually allows a number of crucial settings that are different from those of the 2003 version. So Makoto and the team investigated in depth the possibilities and methods that are required to perfect the set-up of the bike, in order to understand how and where to intervene.

Tamada put in a total of 46 laps, stopping the clock at 2’03.490 - seventh quickest time in the second day of tests. The Malaysian tests come to an end tomorrow and will continue in Australia on 17/18/19 February

Makoto Tamada (# 6 – Camel Honda – Bridgestone Tyres)
“The amount of work to be done is really enormous. But every lap gives a perfect opportunity to get to know the new RC211V that much better. I’m pleased with the fast lap time but I’m still not fully satisfied with the pace - in other words maintaining the same level of performance for a number of laps. We’re trying to fine-tune the settings as much as we can so we can make the very best of the potential of this bike. Today I concentrated on handling the clutch and engine brake, but also on details concerning the chassis. I still haven’t completed work on selecting the tyres, but I know that the official Bridgestone test rider Schinichi Itoh has been working precisely on the tyre front, and has been getting some good results.”

Luca Montiron (Team Manager Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda)
“We completed a very positive day of tests and really got to grips with the details of setting up the bike. So we made up some of the time we lost yesterday after Makoto’s slide, and the technicians and rider now have a better view of this important phase of getting to know the RC211V 2004. For the moment we haven’t started going for the fastest lap time, but we’ll be doing this when the important work of getting all the settings right is complete.”