posted January 31, 2006 03:33 AM
Edited By: shortcircuit on 31 Jan 2006 05:16
Kawasaki Test at Phillip Island 1st day of pre-season testing at Phillip Island
Honda riders Marco Melandri, Nicky Hayden and Casey Stoner formed the top 3 of the first day of testing at the Phillip Island circuit. The riders enjoyed a sunny day after early fog and wind, to resume their preparation for the upcoming season.
Fortuna Honda rider Marco Melandri topped the time sheet with a best time clocked in 1'30.72. The young Italian, a two-time GP winner last season, was only four tenths off the best time he had posted in last year's Australian Grand Prix. Nicky Hayden, who had clinched pole in the previous GP held at the Australian track, was second fastest ahead of Casey Stoner. The LCR Honda man was riding the RC211V for the first time on his 'hometrack' and finished the day ahead of Spaniards Sete Gibernau and Dani Pedrosa.
Kenny Roberts Jr confirmed the promising debuts of the Honda-powered KR prototype by posting the seventh fastest time. The former World Champion continues to work on the same chassis used last week in Malaysia, but revealed that he would get an upgraded machine for the following test, when the team goes back to Sepang in a fortnight.
This test marks the beginning of the Konica Minolta Honda team pre-season, as Makoto Tamada joined his colleagues for his first test session of the year. The Kawasaki Racing team is also present at the Australian circuit and unveiled today the 2006 livery of the Ninja ZX-RR. D'Antin Pramac rider Alex Hofmann suffered a crash in the morning and was out of action for the rest of the day as he injured his elbow. Hopefully, he should be able to resume testing tomorrow.
Day 1/3 - Unofficial lap times
1. Marco Melandri - (Fortuna Honda) 1.30.72
2. Nicky Hayden - (Repsol Honda) 1.30.94
3. Casey Stoner - (LCR Honda) 1.31.00
4. Sete Gibernau - (Ducati Marlboro) 1.31.25
5. Dani Pedrosa - (Repsol Honda) 1.31.49
6. Loris Capirossi - (Ducati Marlboro) 1.31.61
7. Kenny Roberts - (KR Honda) 1.31.65
8. Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda) 1.31.88
9. Shinya Nakano - (Kawasaki Racing) 1.31.8
posted January 31, 2006 03:42 AM
Edited By: shortcircuit on 31 Jan 2006 04:30
KAWASAKI UNVEIL NEW LIVERY IN PHILLIP ISLAND Once again a conflict of times between Kawasaki Racing & MotoGP site, they show 1'32.04 on MotoGP day 1 listing
Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet were back in green at Phillip Island today, as the Kawasaki Racing Team unveiled the new 2006 Ninja ZX-RR livery during the opening day of a three-day test at the Australian circuit.
Having suffered tyre problems during the race at Phillip Island three months ago, Shinya Nakano opted to run a new rear tyre from Bridgestone - with positive results - while he worked on refining the set-up of his all-new Ninja ZX-RR to suit the characteristics of the fast and flowing Australian circuit.
The 27-year-old Japanese rider experienced chatter from the rear end of his Ninja ZX-RR during today's test, but is confident that this is a problem that can be eliminated by his crew overnight.
Nakano's fastest lap during the opening day of testing was an improvement on his best race lap at the Phillip Island circuit, and the Kawasaki rider is confident that there are more improvements to come over the next two days.
For Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, today was his first experience of the Phillip Island circuit aboard the Ninja ZX-RR.
The 24-year-old Frenchman adapted quickly to the demands of wrestling a MotoGP bike around the twists and turns of the 4.448km Phillip Island track, but his attempts at a fast lap were hampered by the same chatter problems affecting his teammate.
A switch to his second bike for the afternoon session eliminated the chatter problem, and allowed de Puniet to close to within 0.6s of his more experienced Kawasaki teammate during his final ten laps.
Both Kawasaki riders will focus on important tyre testing with Bridgestone over the course of the next two days.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - 1'31.8 (75 Laps)
"We tried different suspension and engine management settings on the bike, and we finished today with a good base setting on the bike. There is still a small problem with chattering from the rear, but we think this is caused by a combination of suspension settings and the rear tyre, and we have some ideas on how to fix this for tomorrow. We had some problems with the right hand side of the tyre during the race here last year, so today I tested a new rear tyre from Bridgestone that was much improved. We had to push hard today to do as many laps as possible, because there is some concern about the weather; it changes so quickly here. Hopefully it will stay dry for the tyre tests with Bridgestone over the next two days."
Randy de Puniet: #17 - 1'32.4 (101 Laps)
"This is a new circuit for me on the MotoGP bike, so today has been a steep learning curve again. I had some chatter problems for most of the day, which we're still working to sort out, but I switched to my second bike in the afternoon, and this felt a lot better. It was on this bike that I set my fastest lap of the day. I think we will continue with this bike tomorrow for the tyre tests with Bridgestone. This is a very different circuit to Sepang, and I'm still adapting my style to suit aboard the Ninja ZX-RR, but I'm confident that my lap times will continue to improve over the remaining two days of testing."
Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Today has been mainly about finding a set-up on the 2006 Ninja ZX-RR machines to suit the characteristics of the Phillip Island circuit. Both riders suffered from a small amount of chatter, but this we can resolve with some changes to the suspension settings. Both riders have also tested revised engine management settings, again to try and find the best balance for the bike around Phillip Island, which is a circuit very different in character to Sepang. At the race here last year we had some tyre issues, so the main focus of the test over the next two days will be to evaluate the many new tyres that Bridgestone have brought to this test."
____________
Current '03 GPZ500S, '95 GPZ1100S
Previous: '84 Z1100R (Lime Green), '88 GPZ1000RX
posted January 31, 2006 06:22 AM
Agreed for the most part on body having better look -- I certainly don't care for the graphics though they're not quite awful.
I guess I have to eat my words on the Proton KR: that was pretty fast.
posted January 31, 2006 06:44 AM
The words Kawasaki & Ninja are bigger than 05, I guess more funding from the factory.
Also Fuchs replaced by Elf. I think Elf are French & Fuchs of course German, maybe the reason for change of 2nd rider.
There is a marked change in the way the airflow routes along the bottom of the bodywork.
____________
Current '03 GPZ500S, '95 GPZ1100S
Previous: '84 Z1100R (Lime Green), '88 GPZ1000RX
posted January 31, 2006 06:54 AM
Edited By: trenace on 31 Jan 2006 06:55
Actually I guess the only thing I don't like with the graphics is the weird little white arrows, and the gray above the white stripe.
On the conflict, your first post gives the same figure that Kawasaki Racing does.
posted January 31, 2006 07:48 AM
I suppose by end of the season we won't notice the weird arrows & odd graphics, especially if the team do well
On the MotoGP website the top ten timings list on the main page are different for Shinya.
KR always did have a good chassis, adapting to the extra power takes time I suppose but they are on the pace now. See how they progress through the test, perhaps it suits that track better. Be ironic if the package turned out better than the bikes with the works chassis.
____________
Current '03 GPZ500S, '95 GPZ1100S
Previous: '84 Z1100R (Lime Green), '88 GPZ1000RX
posted January 31, 2006 07:57 AM
Edited By: trenace on 31 Jan 2006 07:58
Of course not that much can be read from one TEST day let alone one so early in the season, but KR Jr on the Proton being only 0.16 s behind Pedrosa on the HRC, and only 0.04 s behind Capirossi on the Ducati, is interesting.
Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet were limited to finding a good wet set-up on the new Ninja ZX-RR today, as rain disrupted the Kawasaki Racing Team's second day of testing at the Phillip Island circuit.
Nakano started the day with full wet tyres front and rear on his Ninja ZX-RR, using this morning's session to get a feeling for the new bike in the difficult conditions.
The Japanese rider worked with his crew to refine the wet set-up on the bike, making changes to the engine management system to improve traction and control around the slippery Phillip Island circuit.
Conditions improved slightly during the afternoon, with dry patches appearing in places on the track, prompting Nakano to switch to a rear tyre with a lighter tread cut than the full wet rear tyre he used throughout the morning.
For de Puniet, today provided him with his first opportunity to test the new Ninja ZX-RR in full wet conditions. The 24-year-old Frenchman concentrated this morning on finding a useable wet set-up, but he was forced to switch to his spare bike in the afternoon, after crashing without injury at the ultra-fast turn one.
Having identified a set-up he was satisfied with, de Puniet continued testing after the crash, setting consistently fast lap times during the still wet afternoon session.
The Kawasaki Racing Team will return to Phillip Island tomorrow for the third, and final, day of testing at the Australian circuit.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - 1'42.6 (27 Laps)
"It has rained all day today, so we've been restricted in what we could do in terms of testing. This morning, with the track completely wet, I did some laps to get a feeling for the new bike on wet weather tyres. We then made some small changes to the engine management system, with positive results. In the afternoon the track conditions were less consistent, and we were able to test a new rear tyre from Bridgestone. This tyre had a lighter tread cut than the full wet tyres, and it worked very well in the mixed conditions we had in the afternoon. I didn't complete so many laps today, but we did end the day with a wet set-up on the new bike that I'm happy with, so it was a worthwhile test for me."
Randy de Puniet: #17 - 1'43.3 (49 Laps)
"The conditions were good for me today, as the rain allowed me to complete my first real wet test aboard the new Ninja ZX-RR. Through the morning we worked to find a good wet set-up on the bike, making some changes to the power delivery and throttle response to suit my riding style. Unfortunately the morning ended with a crash; I got on the gas too hard on a new tyre and went down in turn one. In the afternoon we found a good solution with the set-up and I was able to put in some consistent lap times in the difficult conditions. We're hoping for dry weather tomorrow, as we need to do some work on the set-up of the bike to eliminate the chatter we suffered on Monday, and we also have a lot of new tyres to test for Bridgestone."
Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"We were hoping for dry conditions today, as Bridgestone have a lot of new tyres for us to test here at Phillip Island. Unfortunately it rained all day, but at least it gave the riders a chance to work on finding a good wet set-up on the new bike. The track conditions were fairly consistent earlier in the day and that allowed us to look more closely at traction control settings in the wet, which is sometimes difficult to do during a race weekend because of the time constraints. Hopefully the weather will improve tomorrow, so that we can get on with the job of tyre testing with Bridgestone."
____________
Current '03 GPZ500S, '95 GPZ1100S
Previous: '84 Z1100R (Lime Green), '88 GPZ1000RX
The second day of MotoGP tests in Australia has been disrupted by the rain that has been falling on the Phillip Island circuit since this morning. The washout obliged the teams to carry out a session geared towards wet weather tyre tests and evaluations of their new bikes´ responses to the difficult track conditions.
After the second half of the day´s testing the state of the asphalt had improved, a situation utilised by riders and teams to try out mixed rubber compounds, but a downpour in the final part of the day practically forced the conclusion of testing.
Being as it was, the adverse climate cut short the session and reduced drastically the number of laps and kilometres covered. Some riders, such as Sete Gibernau, didn´t ride at all. The Spaniard watched the track and stayed in the paddock all day in preference to taking unnecessary risks on the GP06. His teammate Loris Capirossi only racked up ten laps in order to evaluate the Bridgestone compounds.
Randy de Puniet, one of the riders to complete the most laps on the second day of testing, suffered a fall which forced him to take to his second bike. He escaped without injury.
Some teams didn´t even note down their times due to the little value they placed on the rain-soaked test. The forecasts indicate a swift improvement for the third and final day of the Phillip Island Test, but the risk of heavy showers continues.
Dry track puts Ducati Marlboro back on top in Phillip Island
News, 02/02/06
After yesterdays washout, in which several teams decided against taking part in the Australian Test, the dry track allowed for a far more productive session today.
As in Sepang, the Ducati Marlboros put a full stop on the final leaderboard with a quick one-two. Sete Gibernau- who decided against riding the previous day- clocked a time of 1´29.99. Teammate Loris Capirossi added to his ten laps from yesterday with a full session, going round in 1´30.20.
Marco Melandri put the track to the most use, and this was reflected in his 1´30.55 fastest time. He completed 117 laps of the Australian circuit.
Nicky Hayden crashed out in the afternoon, after completing 95 laps. After the incident, in which he suffered a blow to the head without serious implications, he drew his session to a close due to the state of the Repsol Honda bike.
Kenny Roberts JR, riding the KR Honda of his father´s team, was testing a new chassis for the test, and came in eighth overall. Newcomer Dani Pedrosa cut four tenths of a second off his first day time, after experiencing his first fall from a MotoGP bike yesterday.
The Kawasaki Racing Team managed to complete their planned test schedule at Phillip Island, as the wet and windy weather of yesterday was replaced with almost perfect conditions for today's third, and final, day of testing.
After setting the fastest time in the wet yesterday, Shinya Nakano took advantage of today's dry conditions to continue work on the base set-up of his all-new Ninja ZX-RR. The Japanese rider and his crew worked through a programme of rear suspension changes, which eliminated the chatter problems experienced during the first day of testing on Tuesday.
Nakano also worked his way through an intense tyre-testing schedule for Bridgestone, with positive results. The Japanese tyre manufacturer supplied evaluation tyres with revised profiles and compounds for this test, designed to combat problems Nakano experienced during the race at Phillip Island three months ago.
The Kawasaki rider spent the afternoon session trying different braking points and lines through the turns aboard his Ninja ZX-RR, ending the day by improving on his qualification time from the Australian Grand Prix in October.
Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, also concentrated today on alleviating chatter from the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR, eventually finding an improvement after working through different rear suspension specifications and settings with his crew.
After evaluating four new rear tyres for Bridgestone, the 24-year-old Frenchman then went on to complete a 20-lap race simulation, setting his fastest time of the test on lap 17.
The Kawasaki Racing Team's final overseas pre-season test will take place at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, starting on Tuesday 14th February.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - 1'30.59 (78 Laps)
"The focus today has been on tyre testing with Bridgestone, and also continuing the work from Tuesday to find a good base setting on the new bike. I also spent a lot of time working on my riding today, trying different braking points and lines through the turns to see if I could improve on my lap time. Overall, I'm happy with what we've achieved here. Despite the rain yesterday we've managed to complete our test programme and we leave here with a good base set-up on the bike. We still have some work to do with a revised version of the new engine at the next test but, based on the two tests so far, I'm confident that we'll arrive at Jerez for the first race with a very competitive bike in the new Ninja ZX-RR."
Randy de Puniet: #17 - 1'31.77 (100 Laps)
"Overall this has been a good test for me, but I was hoping to make a bigger improvement to my lap time today. We were still struggling with chatter, although we did make some improvements towards the end of the day after working through different suspension settings on the rear of the bike. I learnt a lot during the wet testing yesterday, and my times during the race simulation today were consistent, but without the chatter problem I know I could have gone faster. We have a few days off now, but I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike in Sepang, where I'll obviously be looking to improve on my lap time from the previous test there."
Ichiro Yoda: KHI Technical Manager
"We had some chatter problems in the dry during the first day of the test, but today we found a suspension set-up for both riders that improved this situation. There is still some chatter, but it is now at an acceptable level. We also tested a number of new tyres from Bridgestone, featuring different profiles and compounds, and we discovered that some reduced the chatter, but also had reduced grip, while with others the grip was good, but they made the chatter problem worse. We also continued testing the new engine, with some changes to make the bike easier to ride, and we will continue with this direction for the next test at Sepang, where the riders have also asked for a little more top end power. Finally, we also evaluated a revised cowling on the bike, designed to increase airflow and improve cooling."
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"I'm quite satisfied with what we've achieved here and in Sepang, we have made a good step forward with the new bike. In the past we've had some tyre problems at Phillip Island, specifically with grip on the right hand side, but the new tyres that Bridgestone brought to this test work well here, and I think we can be confident in the performance when we return to Phillip Island to race. Shinya was the fastest rider in the wet yesterday, which also proves the performance of Bridgestone's wet weather tyres. We leave here happy with the progress made with chassis and tyres. At the next Sepang test we will focus on the engine, to improve driveability and top end power, and the KHI engineers are already very busy preparing new engine components for us to test. Overall, the two tests at Sepang and Phillip Island have been very productive for us."
____________
Current '03 GPZ500S, '95 GPZ1100S
Previous: '84 Z1100R (Lime Green), '88 GPZ1000RX
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posted January 31, 2006 03:33 AM
Edited By: 
posted January 31, 2006 03:42 AM
posted January 31, 2006 03:45 AM
