MotoGP 2005

Under a blazing desert sun, and with track temperatures touching 50 degrees, Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano rode through a heat-soaked day of free practice at the Losail Circuit today.

As track conditions improved with a clean line and more grip, Nakano sliced three seconds from his morning free practice time to finish the day in thirteenth place.

The Japanese ace is satisfied with the progress of his preparations for Saturday's Qatar Grand Prix, using a further refinement to the Ninja ZX-RR motor introduced for last week's Malaysian race.

Nakano qualified in fifth place, just 0.24s off pole, for this race last year and is building towards tomorrow afternoon's one hour qualifying session.

While Nakano battled the heat wave conditions his Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, was being treated in the Doha hospital and did not ride this afternoon.

Jacque was transferred to hospital after suffering a bruised left shoulder and neck strain when he fell in the morning free practice session.

Making his debut appearance at the Losail Circuit, Jacque ran straight on at the second-gear turn eight. Jacque's Ninja ZX-RR became unbalanced as he rode across the gravel trap and he fell at relatively low speed.

He returned to the track on his spare bike and finished 16th in the morning session, while still learning the convoluted 5.3 km Losail circuit. For the day Jacque finished 19th overall.

Before the second free practice session Jacque went to the Clinica Mobile for massage treatment, but did not have a full range of movement so was admitted to hospital. A member of the Clinica Mobile staff accompanied Jacque to hospital.

The Kawasaki team is awaiting a further medical report before assessing Jacque's condition.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - Thirteenth - 2'00.425
"My rhythm is good but at the moment the maximum lap time is not coming, I'm still looking for a little more confidence from the front-end - I need a more precise turn-in setting. But, overall, it was a productive day. The latest engine upgrade feels responsive because you need good acceleration and bottom-end throttle feel at this track. There are still some race tyre options to work through and, if we can improve the front end, I'm confident of a strong race. The only problem is a burning feeling on my right foot caused by heat radiation from the exhaust and engine in these conditions - it is hotter on the track compared to Malaysia."

Olivier Jacque: #19 - Nineteenth - 2'04.582
"It was a strange crash. I was still learning the track and just ran straight on across the gravel, but the stones were much bigger than normal and it was difficult to control the bike. I have strained my shoulder and neck. What I have found on my first day at Losail is that many of the corners look the same, they appear to repeat themselves, and there are not a lot of reference points for braking and track position."

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Manager
"We have a small, second stage upgrade to the latest engine spec for Qatar, some internal parts plus revised electronic settings. So far Shinya likes the response of this motor and his pace is consistent, as is the endurance and performance of the Bridgestone tyres. We will continue the engine set-up work tomorrow and make some small modifications to assist the air flow around Shinya's feet."

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