MotoGP 2005

Nobuatsu Aoki was the fastest Suzuki rider after today’s free practice sessions for this weekend’s Gran Premio betandwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana in Spain, with team-mate John Hopkins just a tenth of a second behind.

Aoki (P12, 1’34.512) is riding in only his second MotoGP race of the season and is deputing for the injured Kenny Roberts Jr this weekend. The experienced Japanese rider used the morning session to re-acquaint himself with the GSV-R and quickly settled into a smooth rhythm. In the second free practice period Aoki was testing some of the latest engine management software and was very pleased with the improvement in performance. His lap times showed that his enthusiasm was justified as he took nearly two and a half seconds off the best time he had done in the morning.

Hopkins (P13, 1’34.651) was equally pleased with the day’s practice as he was able to put together some consistent runs at a near-competitive pace. The Anglo-American star believes that he can still get more from his GSV-R and is certain that the latest generation of Bridgestone tyres will give him the edge-grip he requires to do just that.

Today’s practice was held in dry but cloudy conditions, with track and surface temperatures both in the low 20’s. The fastest time of the day was set by Marco Melandri. Tomorrow will see both Suzuki racers take to the track for another free practice session before the excitement of the qualifying takes place in the afternoon. Sunday’s event is the final round of the MotoGP World Championship and the 30-lap race will get underway at 14.00hrs CET.

Nobuatsu Aoki: “In the morning I struggled a bit because I was riding what was still Kenny’s bike. But this afternoon the guys adjusted the suspension and settings for me, which made it feel more like mine. This gave me more feeling and more confidence. I have tested tyres today to find out what I will need for Sunday and we have also tried many other things. The biggest step this afternoon though was the new software – which I can’t say much about as it is pretty secret – but it certainly made the torque of the bike easier and more comfortable to use. We still need to make adjustments and if we can make the right ones I am sure well can improve more.”

John Hopkins: “Today we have been trying to sort everything out with bike. We have put in a lot of race laps at a consistent pace. We are struggling a bit with edge grip at the moment and need to get that right, but Bridgestone have brought some newer tyres and hopefully we can choose the right one for Sunday. We are doing consistent times but we need to be doing them a second below what they are at the moment if we are to challenge in the race.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager: “After all the trials and tribulations of the last two races it is good to have a full day’s practice with two riders under our belts. Nobu has performed great considering this is only his second race of the year! He showed the biggest improvement by any rider this afternoon by shaving over two seconds from his best morning lap time. He used his crew to its full extent to get the GSV-R how he wanted it and his afternoon performance showed that. He has been testing some new engine management software and has given very good feedback on the difference it has made the bike’s characteristics.

“John is still looking for some extra grip to give him the chance to show what he can do around this circuit. It is certainly a real racers track and should be suited to his all out style and I’m sure that between himself, his crew chief and Bridgestone they will find the best solution for tomorrow’s practice and Sunday’s race.”

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