Japanese Honda rider Makoto Tamada ended the three-day MotoGP test at Qatar with a scintillating lap time of 1m 57.63s round the 5.400kms Losail circuit. Tamada’s time was an incredible 2.3s faster than pole position time set at the GP last October.

The Konica Minolta Honda rider and his technical crew have established a solid base line setting for the Honda RC211V with the Michelin tyres Tamada will use this season. Over the winter testing period Tamada has found the rhythm and consistency he will need if he is to challenge for major honours when the season begins in earnest, at Jerez, Spain on April 10.

Nicky Hayden has grown in stature with each test aboard the new 2005 Honda RC211V 990cc V-5 grand prix machine and departs for his Kentucky home for a well earned rest. The Repsol Honda rider has developed a good feeling with his RCV that has instilled a high level of confidence as the 17-round championship series approaches. He rounded off the test with by setting his fastest time of the three-days, two seconds faster than his qualifying time at the Qatar GP last October.

Teammate Max Biaggi’s final day was one of mixed fortunes. Biaggi and the team achieved most of their objectives set for the day but their efforts were hampered when Biaggi lost the front end at turn 12 and slid off his RCV. The Italian was unscathed and the machine suffered only superficial damage allowing the team to complete their test programme.

Telefonica MoviStar Honda rider Sete Gibernau shook off the after effects of the fever which has plagued him at Qatar to set second fastest time on the final day of the test. The Spaniard’s condition restricted the number of laps he put in and the team elected to spend the time they had available to tyre testing.

Gibernau’s impressive young teammate Marco Melandri has shown his step by step approach to testing has paid off and he has mastered the power and handling characteristics of his RC211V. Melandri ran for 78-laps today mainly testing tyres running a race simulation distance to gauge tyre wear and behaviour as the race develops.

The Camel Honda team of Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss made progress today Barros despite a crash finished his front fork – front tyre test to announce himself ‘Satisfied’ with his days work. Bayliss improved on his best lap times of yesterday while working to find optimum machine balance using race tyres. The Camel team will remain at Losail for an extra day of testing tomorrow.

Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 56.63s - 77 laps - “I’m very happy for what we have globally done in these three days since I have been the fastest rider during the second and the third day. My major satisfaction, apart from the lap times we have obtained, is the feeling I found with the bike. We confirmed also on this circuit after the performances during the Sepang and Phillip Island tests, that the package we have at our disposal for the season 2005 is at a highest level compare to the one we had the past season. Therefore I’m very trustful and I hope to be able to always perform at the maximum level during the season which is about to begin.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Konica Minolta Honda Technical Director - “Today Makoto made it to demolish the best time obtained on this circuit last season by Checa, by been over two seconds and thirty cents faster. The results achieved during this test are simple to analyze as we only need to check the lap times. It doesn’t happen often to be able to work during tests, where everything goes well like it happened in the three days we have just spent. Our impression is that we have found a great basic setting as it concerns the bike’s frame and suspensions. In the last two tests we’ll have before the beginning of the season, we’ll mostly concentrate on the honing of the setting of the engine’s electronics.”

Repsol Honda, Nicky Hayden: 1m 57.33s – 79 laps - "After three days here we're really starting to put it all together. I really enjoyed it here in Doha. There have been fewer riders around and we have really made some good progress. The conditions here have been good; less windy today. I'm back to Kentucky for a few days before coming back to Europe for the final tests before the season starts proper. I feel we're in good shape; the team is working real good, and the bike is working well."

Max Biaggi, Repsol Honda: 1m 57.94s – 37 laps - "Today was not the best day. We had wanted to make a race simulation but we make a small mistake and I lose the front end of the machine in Turn 12. There was not so much damage but it was hard to get re-started again. We struggled with the set-up of the bike here both on the first day and today. However, we have much data and we tested several interesting parts from HRC and in some cases we have some good results. The team is so strong and motivated. I really look forward to the next test at Barcelona and then move onto racing."

Marco Melandri, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 1m 57.31s – 77 laps - “This 3-day test session in Qatar was very positive for me, I’m happy of the method of work we have used here. I believe that, mentally, I have done an important step forward. I have learned from the Australian test session and I came here more relaxed and with clear ideas. Today we made some small modifications to the bike and worked a lot on tyre testing. This afternoon I made a race –distance endurance with very positive results: I lapped consistently on low 1’58”even at the end of the race. For me it’s very important to understand the bike and see how it changes on a race distance.

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 1m 57.32s – 57 laps - “Considering my physical conditions, I can be quite satisfied of the work done. We focused on tyre testing and even if I was not 100% fit, I did the minimum work required for this test session. We are confirming the work done in Malaysia and Australia, there is still some things to improve and I hope that there will be some new things for Barcelona.”

Alex Barros, Camel Honda: 1m 57.38s - 62 laps - “I’m quite satisfied, although to be honest I hoped to go even better. When I was testing a new front tyre I slid out, nothing really, but here in the run-offs it’s not sand or gravel, it’s like little rocks. I can tell you, they’re pretty hard! So the bumps aside, we worked on the set-up, testing various electronic things without picking out anything for certain. Perhaps regarding the tyres I could say that there has been another step up in quality. I finished work on the front, whilst on the rear tyre there are still some things to try. Of the six new ones, I tried three. Even though I felt I could have ridden quicker, in general the tests have gone well, the relationship with the team is as strong as ever and we con look forward to the IRTA test with confidence.”

Troy Bayliss, Camel Honda: 1m 58.18s - 65 laps - “I´m still not able to ride as I would like, but bit by bit I’m getting close. Here we worked on continuity, without changing too much on the bike but trying to find a good overall balance. I rode with race tyres throughout, and I even did my best time with soft tyres.”

Sito Pons – Camel Honda Team Principle - “It was yet another good day today, as we brought to an end the work we had scheduled, and finished up there amongst the quickest riders. Apart from Tamada, who used qualifying tyres for his lap time, the gap between the top riders is small and Alex is amongst them. Troy is also getting ever closer and has got a good rhythm going now. Today the team worked both on the set-up and on tyres, with tomorrow lined up for photos, as we originally planned.”