MotoGP 2006 - Sepang Test - Day 3

The three-day MotoGP test at Sepang drew to a close with the Honda RC211V riders making the best possible use of another rain interrupted day.

Despite the stop-go nature of the last two-day's of testing most RCV riders were able to achieve many of the targets set for them by the team engineers over the three days.

Heavy overnight rain had left the track top wet and it was 10.00. am before any serious work was undertaken . The riders had to contend with two more heavy showers before the close of testing. As the track temperature increased the riders began tyre-testing session for Michelin testing new tyres but the ever-changing grip factor only permitted short runs.

Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden endured a frustrating day. The former AMA Superbike Champion was never able to get in back to back test with the 2005 and 2006 versions of the factory RC211V. Every time he completed a short run with one machine the rain came down leaving the track with a totally different grip factor.

Hayden's team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, a newcomer to the MotoGP class, felt he made little progress today but he still managed to give the team some useful feed back on chassis development. The reigning double 250cc World Champion was happy with what the team has achieved here at Sepang and is looking forward to the Barcelona test.

Despite the conditions Fortuna Honda riders Marco Melandri and Toni Elias ended the three-day test in upbeat mood. Melandri was pleased with the progress made today with front-end settings, and the new rear tyre he tested for Michelin.

Elias, despite his stop-and-go day, feels he and the team technicians are now working in the right direction and will go into the next MotoGP test, at Barcelona on March 3-5, certain that they will make further improvement.

Konica Minolta Honda rider Makoto Tamada was another held back by the rain preventing him from and running race simulations and a planned time attack. Regardless of the weather the Japanese star, a late starter in 2006 MotoGP testing, was pleased with the progress the team has made over the three days.

Team Roberts are brimming with confidence following successful tests with the latest development of the chassis of the KR211V. The team will now concentrate on the third stage of chassis evolution for the Honda powered machine. Team Roberts have already began to work on the new chassis at their UK race shop. Their development work will be based on the data gathered here at Sepang and the test at Phillip Island of last week.

Honda rider lap times and quotes:

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.86s - 60 laps. "It's been a tough three days going from bike to bike, and with so many things to test it got a little bit confusing. And the weather… I know it wasn't helping anybody else out but I swear it seemed like every time we wanted to do some back to back testing it started raining. That's frustrating because it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. The new bike has a lot of potential, but as soon as I jump on the other bike you look at the stopwatch and the lap times come a little bit easier. We're not in the best position, but we've got a lot of good people around here working hard and we'll get there. The next two tests in Barcelona and Jerez are always fun, it's an exciting time of year and we're going to keep working from what we've learnt here."

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2m 02.68s - 35 laps. "Today was a difficult day with a lot of waiting around because of the rain. The wet track took some time dry and some more time to get back to a good grip level, and then it rained again. So today we didn't really make much progress. But the test has been good. I've tried some new things on the bike and gained some good experience."

Makoto Tanaka - Repsol Honda Team Manager "We made progress, it was a positive test, though again we were frustrated by the weather today. Dani tried some modifications to the chassis and he gave some good feedback. It was difficult for Nicky because we couldn't test as much as we'd have liked and the rain stopped us doing a longer run, yet he found a good direction for the bike. Now we move on to Barcelona where we will continue to develop the RC211V."

Tady Okada: HRC RC211V test rider. "We still have some work to do on the new bike. But overall the handling of the new bike is much better than the '05 machine, about the same lap time. For sure this bike has a very high potential. We have gathered a lot of valuable data here and we will go back to Japan to make more tests before I hand over the bike to Nicky at Catalunya."

Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 2m 03.00. - 55 laps. "Much better today, I think we understand more about the machine after today's test. It was a pity about the rain showers. But because of the weather we tried some different setting solutions and we eliminated several negative things. We also found some interesting front-end settings when we used a new front tyre and we will confirm the results when we get to Barcelona. The new rear is still not perfect but we only ran it for a few laps. Still, I put in my fastest lap today using the new rear so I am quite positive about this test."

Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 2m 03.62s - 38 laps. "When we arrived this morning it was impossible to test because of the rain. This made things difficult because we couldn't try the new tyres, which have a different profile. It was important to do this because they give the bike a different feeling. However, in respect to the first day of the test we have improved a lot. The next test is at Barcelona and we must have good weather because at Phillip Island and here this week we have found a good direction to work in. But we just did not get in enough dry laps here at Sepang. I am not quite as comfortable as I had hoped to be but I go to the Barcelona test feeling very positive. Barcelona is my home track so I will be comfortable there for sure."

Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 2m 02.87s - 28 laps. "Today all I could do was test tyres. The rain spoiled our programme and we did not do our planned long run, or a time attack. Still, I am feeling more comfortable on this year's RCV. During the next tests at Catalunya and Jerez I will have to try my best to improve both the machine set up and my choice of tyres. I am confident we are heading in the right direction."

Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda: 2m 04.30s - 32 laps. "The plan was to test new rear tyres today but the weather prevented us from trying them. We are working well with Michelin and we needed to try the new product. What we have done here has been very positive, I'm happy that what we brought here worked. We will have the new chassis for Barcelona based on what we have learned here and at Phillip Island."

Kenny Roberts Senior, team owner KR Honda. "Awesome, we are very pleased. This was the first test with the modified chassis and it did what we expected it to do immediately. Unfortunately the rain stopped us early but everything we did was positive. It was a pity when the rain came because we had another swinging arm to try. We now have a good understanding of the bike and will have a new chassis at the Barcelona test based on what we have learned here. The new chassis is now being prepared as we speak."

The MotoGP teams now move on to Catalunya for a three-day test on March 3-5.