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2006 MotoGP Championship - Round 14 - Phillip Island, Australia - September 14/15/16/17 - Coverage by MCNEWS.COM.AU |
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2006 MotoGP Championship - Round 14 - Phillip Island, Australia - September 14/15/16/17 - Coverage by MCNEWS.COM.AU |
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Yamaha Day 1 Report |
| Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino
Rossi and Colin Edwards were welcomed to the Phillip Island circuit
by bright blue skies and cool ambient temperatures of 18ºC today, as
the paddock breathed a sigh of relief that dismal recent forecasts
were denied on the first day of practice for the Australian Grand
Prix. The relatively good weather gave the riders ample opportunity
to begin set-up work on their YZR-M1 machines as they worked to find
an ideal configuration to suit the demands of the fast and flowing
circuit over 27 laps on Sunday. However relatively fresh track temperatures of 28ºC, compared to 45ºC on the first day in Malaysia one week ago, made life difficult for the Italian and the American as they tried to adapt their bikes to cope with the lower grip levels. Both riders struggled for rear traction and after ending the day in eighth and thirteenth place respectively they will aim to work specifically on this area in tomorrow morning's final free practice session before qualifying takes place in the afternoon. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) set the pace today with a best lap of 1'29.745.
Valentino Rossi (8th - 1'31.045; 58
laps) "Friday is always a difficult day for us because we have to
make a lot of changes to the bike from one circuit to the next and
today was no different. Especially here, since the track
temperatures and the conditions are a big change from Malaysia,
which makes life especially difficult and we have some work to do.
The grip levels are lower than in past years and I think both Colin
and I are struggling with the rear. For me it is taking me four or
five laps to get the tyre up to a temperature where I can ride at
the maximum so obviously this is not the ideal situation for me. We
have to find a setting and a tyre that can deal with these cooler
conditions better tomorrow because this is a very important race for
us and I want to do well in front of the Australian fans. However we
have gathered a lot of data today and we have some good ideas for
tomorrow, so we're quite confident that we can improve the
situation." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Today was quite cold and we have found ourselves in a completely different situation to Malaysia, which we expected. Valentino spent a lot of time working to find a good race tyre, whilst Colin worked hard on adapting the setting of his bike after struggling at Sepang. We didn't test here in February like the other teams so we have a lot of work to do compared to them. Already we can see that our rivals are setting a strong pace and they will be hard to beat on Sunday, but we are confident we can make the right steps forward tomorrow." Tech 3 Yamaha Team shines in
Australian sunshine at Phillip Island Carlos Checa (10th, 1'31.137, 43 laps) "Today was one of the best sessions we have had all year. I am very happy with the progress of the Dunlop tyres and today confirms the steps that we have achieved. To be so close to Valentino and in front of Colin Edwards is very encouraging for me although also being on a Yamaha I wish them all the best in their setup troubles. Phillip Island is one of my favourite tracks and to come here and records these times, shows that we are improving all the time. It is not only the time I am happy with as we are now getting very good consistency with the tyres and the durability is improving all the time. Also, we have much better side grip of the rear tyre compared to the troubles we had last week in Malaysia and this is allowing us better drive. Side grip is very important at a place like Phillip Island as we are on the edge of the tyre for very long periods, especially coming onto the straight and this is vital for a good lap time. I am looking forward to the sessions tomorrow as the weather seems to be getting better all the time so if we have a fine weekend we are expecting a very good result." James Ellison (19th 1'32.778, 44 laps) "I wish I could be as happy as Carlos but today has been a continuation of the rest of the year so I am pretty disappointed. It is very frustrating to me and the rest of the team because no matter what direction we decide to go nothing works. All I can hope for is that we can decide something overnight that will help us in the morning as I am determined to finish this season on a high note. I love this Philip Island track and I don't think people realise how well I want to do here so I have to have the attitude that tomorrow is another day and that things will improve." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It is so good to be back in Australia and everyone really looks forward to coming to Phillip Island. Surprisingly the weather has been exceptional and it looks like it will get better as the weekend goes on. We are very happy after today and it is more satisfying because we did no testing here during the winter. The Dunlop tyres are working really well and this new batch have performed exceptionally from the first time out and the times and performance has been as good as we could have hoped. We are also putting in consistent lap times on race tyres and that makes us all smile at a place like Phillip Island as this track is so very hard on tyres. We are hoping for even more improved performance and wear with the tyres as the weather is expected to get warmer and this is very good for the Dunlops."
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