A dry line and a determined effort from Dani Pedrosa at the Donington Park circuit on Friday gave the Repsol Honda rider the fastest time of Friday afternoon, in practice for the British Grand Prix.
Pedrosa clocked a 1’38.627 time on his final lap of the day to continue his strong run of form from recent weeks, and take the early advantage ahead of this Sunday’s race.
Second quickest in the session, Casey Stoner recorded the fewest laps of any rider with 16 turns of the British track –some eleven fewer than Pedrosa. He was examining his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 in the garage whilst his rival was reducing his time by 0.245.
World Championship leader Valentino Rossi was third, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and title challenger Jorge Lorenzo in a top five separated by half a second.
There were difficulties in the session for home rider James Toseland, who had a run off track during the session and was also unable to bring his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike back to the pits after an incident at the end of the session.
1 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1’38.627
2 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1’38.872 0.245
3 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1’38.917 0.290
4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1’39.069 0.442
5 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1’39.105 0.478
6 Marco MELANDRI ITA Hayate Racing Team Kawasaki 1’39.130 0.503
7 Mika KALLIO FIN Pramac Racing Ducati 1’39.209 0.582
8 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1’39.379 0.752
9 Toni ELIAS SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1’39.755 1.128
10 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1’40.116 1.489
11 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1’40.419 1.792
12 James TOSELAND GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1’40.522 1.895
13 Gabor TALMACSI HUN Scot Racing Team MotoGP Honda 1’40.850 2.223
14 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1’41.467 2.840
15 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1’41.861 3.234
16 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1’42.210 1 3.583
17 Niccolo CANEPA ITA Pramac Racing Ducati 1’42.696 4.069
— Ducati Report
The MotoGP World Championship arrived at Donington Park for the final time today as the first practice session for the British Grand Prix took place in conditions that have been synonymous with the Leicestershire circuit since it first hosted the event back in 1987. A mixture of sunshine and rain made it difficult for the riders on track and whilst the lap times were a long way off record pace in a session that started wet and ended virtually dry, the Ducati Marlboro Team riders were both competitive and satisfied with their performance.
CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) (2nd; 1’38.872)
“It was good to be able to test the wet setting today because we’ve struggled with it a little this year and we need time to work out the best solution. We’re still far from it at the moment but it felt quite good and we have a good base to work from now. Once we got some laps under our belt in the wet I decided to sit the rest of the session out because even though the track was drying it was very slippery and it would be foolish for us to risk an unnecessary crash on the first day of an important weekend. Hopefully we’ll get a couple of sessions in the dry tomorrow and ideally, from our point of view, we’d like it to be cool.”
NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) (10th; 1’40.116)
“Typical British weather! It’s been like this since I got here at the start of the week. We started out in the wet and I didn’t have much feel to begin with but we made a couple of changes and got better and better as the session went on. On the last lap I went straight in the last corner and ran wide so I made a little error there. Basically the bike didn’t feel too good in the heavy rain but much better in the damp. The weather looks better for tomorrow so we hope that’s the case because it was difficult to draw any conclusions today.”
— HRC
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa fired the opening shot for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, finishing on top of the timesheets at Donington Park in a session that started very wet and ended almost dry. His factory Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was also on the pace, recording the fourth fastest time with a lap just 0.442s behind Pedrosa.
Rain fell for the first half of the practice this afternoon before sunshine allowed a dry line to slowly develop around the 4.023km (2.500-mile) circuit. Pedrosa used the initial part of the session to work on the wet settings on his RC212V and then began to up the pace, extracting the absolute maximum from Bridgestone’s treaded wet tyres on his final flying lap. The surface never fully dried however, and Pedrosa’s fastest lap was 10s off his own lap record at Donington – a time of 1m 28.714s set in 2006.
Dovizioso also took advantage of the ever-changing conditions to analyse the performance of the Honda RC212V in a wide range of grip levels. Once again displaying his prowess in tricky marginal conditions by picking his was around the damp patches that remained on the circuit, Dovizioso climbed steadily to fourth place by the chequered flag and felt he could have gone quicker still at the close of the session. Like Pedrosa, he is confident of a strong showing tomorrow.
Both Repsol Honda riders have previously won two Grands Prix apiece at Donington Park and will be gunning for the hat-trick of wins on Sunday. Qualifying for the 30-lap race takes place tomorrow at 13.55, local time.
DANI PEDROSA – 1st – 1m 38.627s
“It feels great to be on top today and I’m pleased with how we handled a tricky practice session. The conditions were continually changing and so we needed to make the best use of the track time to learn as much as we can. There are a few areas we can improve upon – such as the feeling from the bike when it’s really wet – and we’ll look at working on the settings for those conditions because the weather doesn’t look so stable for the weekend and we could see more rain on Sunday. It nearly dried out fully towards the end of the session but we stayed on wet tyres for the whole time and I think this was useful because you can have this sort of situation in the race. We’re in reasonable shape for the rest of the weekend and I hope I can be in this position at the end of Sunday afternoon.”
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 4th – 1m 39.069s
“I’m satisfied with the job we did today. Of course we need to tune the set-up and improve the traction in wet conditions, but this was a good way to begin the last British Grand Prix at Donington. The practice started in very wet conditions and I had a good feeling on the bike from the beginning of the session so I’m pleased about that. The track had quite a reasonable level of grip and the pace I could set was good straight away. Conditions were changing all the time and in the last part of the session when the track was 90 per cent dry, I couldn’t set the fastest lap that I was capable of because I waited for a couple of laps and didn’t use the wet tyres to the maximum when they were new. So I’m confident for tomorrow and I think we have a decent chance of getting a good grid position here.”
KAZUHIKO YAMANO – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER
“Well, I have to say that the session reflected the weather we’ve been experiencing since we arrived in Britain – wet and then dry. Dani and Andrea made a positive start to the weekend and this is important for the Team. We can build on this strong start and prepare for a good race on Sunday. It was important to make the most of this session because, although the conditions were never stable, it’s quite possible that we could see this kind of weather on Sunday so we need to learn all we can.”
— Yamaha Report
The final MotoGP at Donington Park before next year’s move to Silverstone got underway in heavy rain today, which eventually gave way to blue skies and sunshine at the Leicestershire circuit. Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo both spent time at the top of the standings in the wet before eventually finishing third and fifth in a last minute scurry for lap times as the track dried out.
A torrential downpour before the session turned to lighter rain as the practice began, but the track was still soaking and with temperatures fairly low it looked unlikely to dry fully during the hour. As at Sachsenring last week, both riders felt comfortable and confident from the off in the wet conditions and Lorenzo was on top for most of the early stages. Rossi tipped him off the number one spot with about 20 minutes to go but the sun then made a surprise appearance and a dry line gradually began to appear, meaning lap times quickly began to tumble. With some wet patches remaining until the end the riders stayed on their wet Bridgestone tyres and lap times remained some ten seconds off the current lap record. Both the Italian and the Spaniard set some fast times at the end, Rossi’s final lap putting him 0.290 seconds off leader Dani Pedrosa with Lorenzo just a couple of tenths slower.
Rossi – Position: 3rd Time: 1’38.917 Laps: 26
“These strange conditions are always hard to ride in but it was important that we had some time in the wet today because we were able to understand our level. We’re quite happy because I felt confident and I was able to be fast today. The conditions changed a lot during the hour and by the end it was mostly dry, which meant it was quite hard to ride with the wet tyres but we were still quite fast and in the end we’re third, which is a good start. We’ve got a few modifications to make as usual after a Friday but we have a good base. Tomorrow it seems it will be completely dry so hopefully by the end of the day we will be ready for Sunday, whatever the weather.”
Lorenzo – Position: 5th Time: 1’39.105 Laps: 31
“I’m really happy about this practice today because I felt comfortable on the bike and was able to brake quite late in the wet. I was pleased that we had a chance in the drier conditions later, because it showed what we need to work on for tomorrow. I had made a lot of laps in the rain so my tyre was quite worn by that time, when it was more dry, but anyway the times weren’t important for me today and I’m just happy about my performance in the wet. We learnt a lot and now we will use this to improve tomorrow.”
Rossi’s Team Manager
“To take the positives from the bad weather conditions, today gave us another good chance to test our wet setting, which could come in useful on Sunday when there’s a chance of rain. It was a positive session, with the conditions changing constantly until it was almost dry at the end. It looks like tomorrow will be properly dry so we will hopefully have a chance to complete all the set-up work we need to do in order to be ready for whatever Sunday brings.”
Lorenzo’s Team Manager
“We made a good start today and we were able to be very fast on the wet in the first half. At the end, with the track changing rapidly to dry, we encountered a few problems on acceleration, due to too much wear on the tyres after so many laps early on. It’s important that we work on this as on Sunday there’s a chance that the conditions could be similar today. Hopefully tomorrow we can concentrate on our dry setting.”
— Suzuki Report
Rizla Suzuki’s first day race preparations were forced to take a back seat this afternoon as the British summertime weather intervened at Donington Park.
Loris Capirossi (P11, 1’40.419, 25 laps) was left frustrated at the lack of dry track time today, something that he knows is vital in getting the GSV-R ready for Sunday’s race. He is still confident though that if tomorrow stays fine he will be able to get the bike prepared and competitive for Sunday’s 30-lap race.
A huge rain storm shortly before the start of the hour-long session left the 4,023m circuit very wet with many areas of standing water, but as the wind dried the track out it made using the correct tyre and making any in-roads into getting good data very difficult. Chris Vermeulen (P14, 1’41.467, 22 laps) was able to use the very wettest part of the session to the full and was pleased with the progress he made in finding a good set-up for his Suzuki GSV-R if the conditions are similar on race-day.
Rizla Suzuki has already had a successful time at the British GP due to a team representing the squad taking first place in the ‘Question of Bikes’ competition that was part of the ‘Riders for Health Day of Champions’ yesterday. Three members of the Rizla Suzuki team competed against other teams in the quiz held on the main stage, before returning triumphant for the second year in succession. Rizla Suzuki also presented a cheque to ‘Riders for Health’ for €7500, donated by Suzuki Germany from the sale of a replica Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. The team also contributed to the money raised by offering a VIP experience for this weekend’s British MotoGP during the auction at Donington last night. This was sold for €8,800 to Graham Rees and helped boost the overall figures for the charity that stood at €205,135 at the end of the event.
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP will be back in action on-track tomorrow morning for the final free practice session, followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The race will start at the later time this Sunday, as the Rizla Suzuki riders and the whole field will wait for the lights to change to signal the off at 15.30 local time (14.30 GMT).
Loris Capirossi:
“As I have said before, we need to have time on the bike to get it set-up the best for us. It seems that we keep getting really difficult weather that isn’t helping us at all. Today we used a wet tyre for the whole session and at the end 85% of the track was dry and the rest was wet so it was difficult to be able to get anything done. We can hope that the weather is better tomorrow so we can work on the bike and if we can I am sure we will be in a good position for Sunday.”
Chris Vermeulen:
“It was really strange conditions out there today, but I guess you could say that is just normal British weather! We had a huge downpour at the start of the session and the track was very wet and quite slippery. We worked hard – and quickly – on getting a good wet setting while the track was still wet and the bike worked well in those conditions. At the end the track dried a lot so we just tested some small things that didn’t really rely on fast lap-times, which was useful because with how the track was there wasn’t a lot else to be learnt out there. At the end I came in a bit early because the track had dried out in most places, but there was still a couple of wet patches and it seemed a bit too dangerous for slicks.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“I don’t think that there will be much that any rider or team will have learned from that session with the weather changing so much over the hour For most of the session neither the wet nor the slick tyre was the appropriate choice. Having said that, when the track was at its wettest Chris was able to take a big step with the bike setting and Loris also managed to get a feel and some essential data from his machine.”
— Bridgestone Report
Bridgestone compounds available: Front: Wets – Soft Slicks – Soft, Medium Rear: Wets – Soft Slicks – Soft, Medium
For the second weekend in a row Bridgestone’s wet tyres were put to the test by changeable weather conditions at Donington Park. The hour-long first free practice session started with heavy rain and a very wet track following a midday downpour, but by the end a dry line had emerged around most of the lap.
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa finished at the top of the timesheets, recording his fastest lap on his last of the session. Second was Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner, who also set his fastest time on his last fast lap.
As the track became continually drier, every rider recorded their best effort right at the end of the session. All riders used the soft Bridgestone wet tyre for the duration of the session. The only rider to run on slick tyres was Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri, who did so in the closing moments. The Italian opted for the soft compound slicks right at the end of the session, but he did not have sufficient time to record a fast lap before being shown the chequered flag.
All riders completed the session using just one set of tyres, and Briton James Toseland demonstrated the durability of the Bridgestone wets by completing a 30-lap stint on a single set, equalling Sunday’s race distance.
Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
“In just one session we saw all conditions from heavy rain and standing water to a dry line round almost all the circuit and I am very pleased that our wet tyre was able to perform well throughout. In such varied conditions, our wet tyres were really able to demonstrate their wide operating range, working well in all conditions as the track’s grip characteristics continually changed. Our focus has been to make our tyres this year work over as wide a range of conditions as possible, and I am satisfied this afternoon that we have achieved this. “The warm up performance our wet tyres showed in the very wet conditions was good, and they also proved their durability in almost dry conditions so I am very happy. By the end of the session just the two hairpins in sector four were still wet and this is why our wet tyre was favoured by all riders.”
— Minor Categories
Spaniard Alex Debón was the quickest rider in the opening practice session for the 250cc class, a run-out that took place on a dry track following mixed conditions for the 125cc and MotoGP classes.
The Aeropuerto Castello Blusens rider put down a 1’33.432 lap to continue his fine form from one week ago, when he took second place at the German round of the World Championship at Sachsenring. He was just 0.041 ahead of the second quickest man in the session, series leader Hiroshi Aoyama.
Álvaro Bautista placed third on Friday afternoon using his second Mapfre Aspar Aprilia bike, following a fall under braking at the midway point. He landed on his right elbow in the crash, but was otherwise okay to continue with fine-tuning.
Sachsenring racewinner Marco Simoncelli was the final rider within two-tenths of a second of Debón’s marker, ahead of Lukas Pesek and Mike di Meglio.
The session marked the return to action of Viessmann Kiefer’s Ralf Waldmann at the age of 43. The German substitute was 18th in his first day of World Championship riding since 2002.
Last weekend at Sachsenring the 125cc riders had an abundance of rain with which to contend, and the opening day of practice in England was no different for the lower cylinder category.
Once again the times were largely inconsequential, as it took just five minutes for a trademark Donington downpour to dampen the mood. Speediest was Spaniard Esteve Rabat, with a 1’45.105 lap on his Blusens Aprilia before the track got soaked.
Despite the conditions, there were relatively few falls on the slippery asphalt. Lukas Sembera came off his bike after wobbling the back tyre in the only notable incident of the hour.
Regular British riders Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb barely had a chance to test their home form in the afternoon run, and will have to wait in hope for consistent or sunny conditions to get into the groove on Saturday morning.
