The 2005 Honda RC211V claimed the top three fastest times on the final day of the three-day MotoGP test at the 5.548km Sepang circuit, Malaysia today.
The new grand prix machine has steadily improved performance over the three-days with extensive work on chassis, suspension and the electronics while working closely with tyre supplier Michelin. HRC Engineers and the team technicians emerge from the test in optimistic fame of mind as they prepare for the next three-day test, at Phillip Island, Australia on February 17-19.

Fastest man of the day, and for the three-days, was Konica Minolta Honda rider Makoto Tamada. Japanese star Tamada arrived at Sepang suffering from a bout of flu but the Japanese star had recovered well enough to put in a fast lap at 2m 00.955s at the end of the final day while testing Michelin qualifying tyres.

Repsol Honda factory rider Max Biaggi has settled in well with his all new team and his best lap time was just 2/100ths of a second slower than Tamada’s best. The Italian achieved all the objectives crew chief Erv Kanemoto had set for the new team and now moves on to further testing at Phillip Island in confident mood.

Biaggi’s teammate, American Nicky Hayden, expected more of his day following his good day yesterday but he could not find a good rhythm early on but rallied as the day went on to find the speed and consistency he will need when the championship opens in April.

Camel Honda rider Alex Barros had difficulty suppressing a huge smile of contentment. The near veteran Brazilian, despite hitting a bird during one fast stint. Barros was the first RCV rider to find a solid base set on day one and has improved with each session. He was the first rider to complete his test programme and feels that 80% of the work undertaken has been a positive improvement on 2004 specifications.

Barros’ teammate, Troy Bayliss, is in his first season with Honda and has yet to find the elusive optimal base settings for his RCV that suits his riding style. He made some crucial progress today and cant wait to get to his home GP track at Phillip Island where he hopes his knowledge of the circuit will help improve his understanding of the V5 990cc Honda.

Telefonica MoviStar Honda pairing of Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri completed the three-day test close to where they feel they should be. Spaniard Gibernau concentrated on tyre testing including a successful 21-lap race simulation followed by eight consistently fast laps before calling it a day.

Italian Melandri continued his step by step approach to learning all he can about the RC211V before the series opener at Jerez, Spain on April 10. Working closely with chief mechanic and new mentor Fabrizio Cecchini, Melandri tested various front suspension settings on his RCV in combination with a range of Michelin tyres. Once he felt comfortable Melandri ran a 21-lap race simulation, which revealed he will need to slightly alter his riding style as the race progresses.


Makoto Tamada – Konica Minolta Honda: 2m 00.955s – "Today my 'flu is much better, almost back to a perfect condition. I tried Michelin's qualifying tyre for the first time, there were five kinds of qualifying tyre and the third one tried - a standard qualifying tyre – had the best feeling and gave me the best lap. With Bridgestone there is not much difference between the race and qualifying tyres but with Michelin the difference between the race and qualifying tyre is a lot bigger. I'm glad to have tried a qualifying tyre at this early stage of the season, with the qualifier the straight here at Sepang was very short! The engine feels very good and I want to work on a little bit more on the chassis. When I recorded the fastest lap I was watching my lap timer and was so happy to see the time flash up. I'm really looking forward to trying Michelin tyres at other circuits now and I can only guess what they will be like but I'm excited to see how they really work. I'm happy to finish the test in good shape, next time her is for the Grand Prix in September and I want to be the first rider to record a 1m 59s lap."

Max Biaggi – Repsol Honda: 2m 01.01s – 78 laps - "It's been a great three days, hard work at times, but overall the balance is extremely positive. We collected a lot of really important data working from several areas of the new Honda; chassis, suspension and tyres. We are going to the Philip Island test with a much more clear idea about the work we have to do. The data we now have will give the base to develop new parts that will be available after the Australia test. Fast laps were not our priority but they came anyway. Yesterday I was the fastest rider on the track, today I went even faster. We definitely destroyed last year's pole position time. I repeat once again that laps are not important at this particular moment in time but it felt wonderful to come back in the garage and see the satisfaction in my team's faces. The good, solid feeling with my new team grows day by day. We all share the same desire to do a great job."

Nicky Hayden – Repsol Honda: 2m 01.38s – 85 laps - "After a really good day yesterday I was hoping for better things today but the overnight rain left the track a little bit slick and that didn't help things. It led to me trying too hard and I just couldn't get the right feeling to get into the rhythm I needed. We've had three good days here and it's taught me that I need to find a little bit more speed from myself then get the consistency to put in regular laps at a good pace. Overall we've had a good test, Michelin brought some good new tyres to test and HRC have worked really hard. It's OK saying a rider has to work hard in 100-degree heat but so do the team. After six days at Sepang I'm really ready now to move on to Phillip Island."

Makoto Tanaka - Repsol Honda Team Manager "Overall we've had a very good test and we are all surprised by Tamada achieving the fastest lap. Max has had a good three days and today's tyre testing proved he can produce a very fast pace and consistently. Nicky also had a really good run on potential race tyres so the new team has been successful. Now we move to Phillip Island, for Nicky and Max, all at HRC and the satellite teams it's a really good opportunity to try the 2005 machine after two three-day tests at Sepang."

Sete Gibernau – Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 2m 01.383s - "We leave Sepang satisfied because we have done a very good job. Today it was necessary to do a long run even if we are not 100% ready because more work was needed. The rhythm I had in the long run was better than I expected but I know that we can improve a lot. At the end of the long run we have analysed the data, studied the problems and made some changes on the bike. I went on track again and made 8 very fast consecutive laps. With today's long run we have done a good step forward. We have understood a long of things and I'm happy because together with Honda and Michelin we are working in the same direction. "

Marco Melandri: 2m 01.506s. - "After yesterday test session, we have analysed the data and made some changes at the front fork. After these modifications, I was more confident with the bike and I could make a very good 2'01"506 lap time. This afternoon I have made my first long run on the RC211V, it was important for me to know the bike and see how it changes along 21 laps. I had a good pace in the first part whereas, in the second one I was slower because my front tyre was losing grip. I have understood that I need to modify my riding style during a race being more careful with the front tyres. I look forward to test with the RC211V at Phillip Island, one of my favourite tracks. "

Alex Barros – Camel Honda: 2m 01.159s - 61 laps. - “I’m leaving Malaysia with a big smile, because everything has gone well, apart from having caught a bird with my right arm today, which was a little painful, but nothing. The summary of these three days is therefore a positive one, from every point of view. The atmosphere in the squad is perfect, I feel comfortable and we are all working calmly and we are focused. The 2005 bike is different to last year, mainly because of the electronic management, on which we worked hard on its set-up: I would say that at least eighty percent of the new things we have tested have proven to be useful. In the engine and the chassis the differences are less apparent, but in any case we have found a general base set-up. We also did some fantastic work with Michelin. The French technicians have responded perfectly to the requests made in the January test and you can see the results. Today it was a little cooler than yesterday and I rode even more laps in the 2’01 bracket! The next test in Australia should give us some important data, because the conditions are bound to be very different there and we will be able to see if the set-up we have found here is valid for all situations.”

Troy Bayliss – Camel Honda: 2m 03.72s - 62 laps. - “I’m not as satisfied as I was at the last test we did here in Sepang, even if the bike hasn’t changed that much since then. Anyway, we have picked up lots of data and today we think we have picked out a better line for the set-up, which I hope to test in Phillip Island, a track which I obviously know very well and where I will be able to recognise easier what improvements can be made. I didn’t test many tyres here, because it was better to focus on the bike, but in Australia I hope to be able to work on them too.”

Sito Pons – Camel Honda - “I’m really happy with the work Alex, Troy, and the team are doing. There’s a very optimistic and focused atmosphere, and the work is getting done.
Troy is working so hard to adapt to a bike which is so different to the one he’s used to, and from our side the team is doing everything in its power to help adapt the RC211V to his riding style. Towards the end of the session we picked out some settings in the electronic management system which gave him a lot of confidence and which he wants to keep trying in Australia. I’m certain that soon he will have the confidence he needs to get the most out of the bike. Alex is moving along swiftly with his work. The level he has already reached, his confidence and his performance here make me look towards the championship with great hope, where we were surely be amongst the front runners.”