Les essais reprennent a Sepang

[theophil]

MOTOGP News Thursday, 16th February 2006

New Kawasaki 'very competitive' - Nakano second.

Rain may have disrupted the final overseas test at Malaysia's Sepang circuit, but that didn't stop Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano topping the day two timesheets on his way to an excellent second overall.

Nakano spent day one working on the set-up of the all-new Ninja ZX-RR, before starting the evaluation process on a number of different engine settings and components, developed by Kawasaki engineers in Japan to improve both top end power and driveability of the 990cc, inline four-cylinder motor.

The set-up work paid off on day two, when Nakano set the fastest time of the day - a 2mins 1.8secs - using settings that allowed more over rev from his engine. That lap time would also place the Japanese second on the overall test timesheets - just 0.14secs from Fortuna Honda's Marco Melandri - after the third and final day.

That final day was severely disrupted by rain, limiting Nakano to only 31 dry laps, but he was still able to complete his planned Bridgestone tyre tests, with more positive results: Shinya was third fastest, 0.28secs from day three pace setter Loris Capirossi and just 0.14secs from world champion Valentino Rossi, with a 2mins 2.2secs lap.

"The first day was all about setting the bike up with the new engine components, so we didn't really get a chance to put in any fast laps," confirmed Nakano. "On the second day we switched to an engine setting that allowed more over rev and this made the bike a lot easier to ride, allowing me to set the fastest time of the day.

"The rain during the last two days of the test limited the number of laps we've been able to complete, but despite this we still managed to complete our engine and tyre test programme. The three overseas tests have been very positive for Kawasaki, and now I'm looking forward to travelling to Europe for the IRTA tests at Catalunya and Jerez," he added.

Team manager Harald Eckl was also impressed - hailing the new ZX-RR as "very competitive" and a major boost to the morale of team green.

"I'm happy with what Shinya and Randy (de Puniet) have achieved during this test, especially Shinya posting the fastest time of the day yesterday," said the German. "What this year's overseas tests have proved is that the new Ninja ZX-RR is a very competitive package. We have closed the gap on the front-runners compared to previous years, and this is a big motivation factor for the Kawasaki development engineers, the riders and our team."


Nakano's rookie team-mate de Puniet had also spent the first day refining the set-up of his machine, as well as testing a number of new rear tyres. The French rider, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Tuesday, also managed to improve significantly on his lap time from the previous Sepang test - ending the outing with the ninth fastest time - and now heads for the IRTA tests at Catalunya and Jerez confident of further improvements.

"Again, this was a very good test for both me and the team," declared de Puniet, whose best lap was a 2mins 2.37secs. "We have worked through a number of different set-ups, as well as testing a lot of new tyres from Bridgestone, and I feel a lot more comfortable on the bike now. But the real measure is lap times, and I'm happy to say that I managed to improve my lap time compared to the last test here in January. So, this test has been very positive for us, and we head to Europe and the IRTA tests with a good feeling about the bike and the tyres."

The annual IRTA tests will take place at Catalunya from 3 to 5 March, and at Jerez from 10 to 12 March, with the first race of the 2006 season scheduled for 26 March, again at Jerez.