Essai motogp A jerez 28/29/30 novembre

[theophil]

impressions des pilotes :

Loris Capirossi completed 49 laps, setting a quickest time of 1m41.492s.

"It was quite a positive day today. We still need more time to develop the GP7 and adapt it better to my riding style. I still can't get it to do what I like but the base is good and I am sure that in the month and a half before the next test in Sepang they will get to work back in the factory on the basis of the indications from this test. Today we didn't use any qualifying tyres but instead concentrated on the new rubber that Bridgestone brought along, which proved to be suitable to the characteristics of the 800 and which I liked quite a lot. Now it's time for some hard-earned rest after a fantastic but extremely tough season!"

Casey Stoner did 52 laps of the Jerez track with a best time of 1m41.595s.

"Every day we are gaining more and more experience. There are still a few things to improve but considering the number of tests before the first race in 2007 I think that we will be competitive next year. Today we focussed on the engine to help smooth out the harsh power delivery under acceleration at the rear. We saw a lot of progress throughout the day and I am satisfied with the work that we got through".

Chris Vermeulen:
“Today was the best day weather-wise for us and we got through a lot of stuff. I did over 80 laps and we learnt a lot of things. I did some long tyre runs for Bridgestone and tried many different engine and chassis settings and got some positive outcomes. Personally it is the fastest I have ever been round Jerez and it was great to spend more time on this circuit. We gathered a lot of information here and the guys have a lot to work on during the test ban. They will hopefully be able to prepare an even better bike for us and we’ll come back even stronger in Sepang.”

John Hopkins:
“Once again I’d say it’s been a really good test for Suzuki. I’m pleased with the way things have gone this week. On the last day we’ve made some big improvements to the bike and got through a lot of stuff. We worked hard with Bridgestone and I think we got the maximum out of the tyres and the bike here. We‘ve tested strong at all three tests so far and I can happily say we are – like I’ve said before – in a better position than we ever have been since I’ve been at Suzuki. It looks like it could be a really competitive season for us next year! Now it’s time to go home and put in the hours on the bicycle and the treadmill and get myself ready to race next year!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“It’s been another great test for Rizla Suzuki MotoGP and a positive end to a good season’s work. The GSV-R800 has performed as well as it did in Valencia and Sepang, and the durability was perfect. Today especially, both guys got through masses of work. Neither rider used qualifying tyres, but if they had I’m sure they would have been at the top of the timesheets. As it is, we were pleased to maintain consistent lap-times and speed and make sure that we have the best basis we could possibly have for when we arrive at Sepang in January to continue the development of the new bike.”


VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd - 1’41.254, 69 laps)

“We had a very good test today; it’s been very productive for us because we were able to check many different things for our new bike. We continued to test tyres with Michelin in order to find the correct direction for their development and we also kept working with the chassis and were able to try some different suspension settings. We’ve got some very good information for the Yamaha engineers and now they will work hard over the winter in order to have everything ready for the next test in January. The weather was good today, warm and sunny and in these conditions it was fun to ride on this track, which is one of my favourites. This has been an important test and I am really pleased with the level that we have got to in a short space of time. Of course we still have a lot of work to do, but now it’s finally the end for this year and it’s time to have a rest so we can come back ready to fight in January!”

COLIN EDWARDS (7th – 1’41.254, 41 Laps)

“I had a small technical problem near the end of the day so I had to stop a little bit early, but other than that it’s been another good day all round. We tested quite a lot more front tyres but honestly the best tyre package we found was what we tried first thing in the morning straight out of the box; that felt pretty good! Other than that we just kept on playing around with the general set-up, trying to learn as much as possible about the new bike. We tried a different chassis today, it’s one Valentino's been testing and it’s definitely the best one so far. We weren’t really looking for times but we ran pretty consistently in the low 41’s all day and I definitely felt like I could have found a bit more if I’d needed to push hard. Overall it’s been a really good test and I am pretty excited about the new bike; we’ve come on in leaps and bounds in just the six days I’ve ridden it. Now I am heading home and looking forward to a nice relaxing Christmas with the family before we get going again in January!”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR

“We’ve been able to do a great job throughout these November tests and everyone has worked very hard. All three tests have been very important for us in order to get as much information as possible for Yamaha to work with over the winter, the engineers have done a good job with the bike and now they will put everything together over the break. In January we will have our final 2007 bikes and then we can start our real preparation for the long season ahead.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 1m 39.910s – 94 laps "Today we worked on just about everything again – chassis, engine, suspension and tyres. We began with chassis and engine testing in the morning and then concentrated on testing tyres for Michelin. I used a qualifying tyre to set my fastest lap time and this is good because it’s important to see how a new bike like the RC212V behaves on qualifiers too. Of course there’s still plenty of work to do before the season starts but this was a positive test for us. Now I will relax a little over the winter break, before getting ready for the January tests."

Marco Melandri, Gresini Honda: 1m 40.530s – 76 laps. “The team did a great job today I think they made five changes to the geometry during the day - they hardly stopped to take a snack! For me it was very important to find the base geometry we will use this season once we found a setting I was comfortable with we moved on to suspension testing and then tyres. In the morning OI as not so happy but after lunch we really saw an improvement and we made a big step forward. This is not the bike I will use so I’m looking forward to riding my own RC212V at the Sepang test in January. The HRC engineer and the Bridgestone staff are very close to my team they make me feel important – they want to help me any way they can and this gives me great confidence for the season.”

Shinya Nakano, Konica Minolta Honda: 1m 41.142s – 75 laps. “I am much more confident on the bike today than I was yesterday. Today I spent time working with various gearbox ratio changes to find the best base to work from. When we found that we moved on to suspension work and tyre testing. We had a little front-end chatter early on but fixed that with suspension settings. Overall I must say this test has been very positive. I know we can improve and I have to improve myself. But I go back to Japan for a holiday with my family very pleased that we had a test within this year. The team now have time to work on the machine before we test at Sepang in January.”

Julian Simon, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 44.153s – 68 laps. “My overall impression of the 250 Honda at this test has been very good. I am working with a very experienced team and this gives me motivation. The bike has great potential I rode the 2006 machine to gain experience and it was OK, I like the way the chassis behaves. After I was happy with the 2006 bike I tried the new chassis for a few laps and liked that also. The engine power is so much stronger than the 125 but the only difficulty I had with the increased power was trying to get the bike to hold the fast line in the corners, you have to be more physical with the bike. In general my feeling about the 250 is positive, I like the tyres and my lap time was not so bad. No crashes so everything was good. Now I am looking forward to the next test when I will get more time on the new chassis and test the 2007 engine parts.”

Shuhei Aoyama, Repsol Honda 250: 1m 44.502s – 45 laps. “The new chassis is better than the 2006 model the big difference is the mid-corner performance it feels so much better. Corner entry is slightly better but we are working in the right direction. Now we can move on to testing engine parts at the next test.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Humangest Honda 250: 1m 44.723s - 75 laps. "We worked a lot on the chassis and engine today and I am quite pleased. The new chassis is better in some ways, corner entry and exit but the front feels very light on the exit from the corner. We have to improve my mid-corner speed but I'm sure we can. The other Honda (Aoyama) was better in the middle of the corner. I am not so comfortable on this chassis as I was with the old one so I have to find a better feeling with the bike. I like some of he engine parts we tested here. No big difference in the power but the engine has a lot more revs, it doesn't run into a wall now I can over rev and this helps with the new quick gear shifter we had the whole process is so much smoother. But for me the most important thing was the engine carburetion, this engine is so much better. Last year we had to be very precise on carburetion or we had problems I'm very pleased with the new set up."

[theophil]

ALEX BARROS #4 (1’41.276, 65 laps): “Overall, the Jerez test was very positive. I am satisfied with the feeling we achieved in concert with the new technical package. We defined a good balance of the front suspension settings, while we can still improve the rear. The BRIDGESTONE tires were amazing, especially the qualifying one with which I clocked my today’s best time. I am very happy to have this quality of material at my disposal. We can truly say we reached our objectives of discovering and understanding the new GP7, and defining the general settings of the bike. We will go to Malaysia for the next test with a good base set-up, and with clear ideas on how to improve the total package. I would like to thank PRAMAC and DUCATI, for giving me all their support to carry out these important tests”.

FABIANO STERLACCHINI - Alex Barros Track Engineer: “We are satisfied with the comprehensive result of our last day of testing. We worked steadily on the geometry of the machine to try and understand all the possibilities we have for chassis settings. We improved the general balance of the bike, first concentrating on the front, and later, the rear. BARROS altered his riding style a little bit, and in this way, gained a better time lap. The data gathered during the Jerez test will be analyzed, and we will use it as our base to begin the Malaysian tests with.

Shinya Nakano – KONICA MINOLTA Honda Rider (1’41.142” – 69 laps)
“This morning we started focusing our job on the gear box and trying to find the ideal suspensions setting without pushing to be fast. In the afternoon, our efforts were oriented to the research of the best set up and then we tested different types of tires. I feel satisfied of the fastest lap time I got.
The first contact I had with the new working group was good; during next winter, we will have all the time to refine our collaboration. On the whole, I am happy about how things have gone during this first experience in the KONICA MINOLTA Honda Team.
Shortly I’ll fly to Japan and spend time with my family and friends; on half December I’ll attend a “Training Camp” with my personal trainer, afterwards I’ll spend the time left recovering energies for the demanding 2007 pre-season activity.”

Giulio Bernardelle – KONICA MINOLTA Honda Technical Director
“We are happy we found the conditions to carry out all we planned for this Spanish test session and for the working method and the professional competence Shinya demonstrated to have. Today, in particular, we programmed a large amount of tires and suspensions tests and at the beginning of the day we had to finish the gear box and engine set up we started yesterday. For this reason, we obtained the right conditions to permit Shinya to push only late in the afternoon, when the temperature on track was already lowered.”

[theophil]

ducati :

A Jerez, c’est d’abord Capirossi qui a tergiversé sur les réglages électroniques pour finalement reconnaître qu’il a du mal à adapter son style à la 800 cc. Stoner, quant à lui, découvrait son nouvel environnement et le caractère d’une Ducati Moto GP, moins facile qu’une Honda. Pour l’Australien, c’est la gestion moteur qui a fait l’objet de recherches.

Finalement, il n’y a vraiment que Barros pour être satisfait de ses essais. Revenu du Superbike, il a sans doute encore le jus nécessaire pour donner sur la piste, dopé par la satisfaction de découvrir une GP7 qui ne devait arriver pour lui qu’en 2007. Il a progressé à pas de géant avec ses Bridgestone pendant ces trois jours. Pour finir meilleur représentant de la marque.

Mais Ducati n’a jamais approché les Suzuki, restant l’usine la moins bien classée de ces essais. De quoi réfléchir à l’usine pour le réveillon, sur une GP7 qui, pourtant, a été la première des 800 cc à se faire connaître.

Suzuki

Qu’elle ait été enfin délogée du haut de la feuille des temps des essais qu’elle truste depuis Valence et Sepang, le manager du team Paul Denning n’en prend pas ombrage. Car il prévient : à Jerez, jamais ses pilotes n’ont chaussé la moindre gomme de qualification. Tous les temps ont été réalisés en condition de course.

D’un autre côté, on bosse d’arrache pied dans les stands : deux châssis testés, différentes configurations de moteur appliquées, la gamme Bridgestone passée en revue, le tableau de marche paraît impitoyable tandis que Vermeulen et Hopkins ont systématiquement aligné plus de 80 tours par jour. Avec, à chaque descente de la moto, des sourires épanouis dessinant leurs traits.

Suzuki n’a pas encore de quoi être serein mais peu commencer à penser à une année 2007 sympathique. Le travail va continuer pendant la trêve, avec l’étude d’une somme de données qui n’ont sans doute jamais été aussi efficacement emmagasinées.



Honda


Honda, à la différence de ses concurrents, a tout de suite opté pour une nouvelle machine. Non seulement du point de vue du moteur, imposé par la réglementation 800 cc, mais aussi pour ce qui est du châssis. Un cadre à l’aspect ramassé à l’avant et long dans sa partie antérieure. Honda, avec sa RC212V n’a pas fait dans la demi-mesure.
De fait, on aurait pu penser que sa mise au point allait prendre un peu de temps. A Sepang, Hayden a été appliqué et besogneux, signant des temps corrects. A Jerez, tout est allé crescendo jusqu’à la recherche, déjà, d’une performance pure par ailleurs couronnée de succès. Pedrosa quitte son circuit national avec le meilleur chrono absolu.

Certes, les pneus qualifs Michelin ont aidé, mais il est clair que la nouvelle moto du blason ailé s’élève déjà vers les sommets. Quant à Pedrosa, il est ravi. De son propre aveu, tout y est passé, du châssis au moteur sans oublier les gommes, le programme a été respecté dans ses moindres détails. Pas moins de 94 tours ont été parcourus avant de plier bagage pour l’hibernation du Moto GP. Les adversaires ont tout à redouter du réveil, le 22 Janvier 2007 à Sepang.



Yamaha

La Yamaha 800 qui se fait toujours appeler M1 n’est pas encore totalement connue. Les essais de Sepang et de Jerez ont certes été encourageants au niveau des chronos, mais les différents réglages de châssis, voire même l’étude de deux types de cadre différents, sont encore au stade de la réflexion. Il faut dire que chez les trois diapasons, on n’a pas vraiment envie de revivre le terrible début de saison 2006.
Points positifs relevés néanmoins par Rossi, l’absence de manifestation de toute forme de « chattering » et la grande réactivité de l’équipe technique qui, en une semaine, a fait de la moto une prédatrice du meilleur chrono. La bonne tenue d’Edwards est à ce titre révélateur.

Janvier 2007, à Sepang, devrait apparaître la véritable Yamaha qui fera la prochaine campagne, que le bretteur de Tavullia veut conjuguer sur le thème de la reconquête du titre.
Peut être sera-ce l’occasion de connaître la nouvelle identité de la fille d’Iwata, de même que son annonceur titre capable d’assurer sa dote. Puis il y aura l’étape de Losail, du 13 au 15 février, où il faudra conjurer le signe indien. C’est en effet sur ce circuit que, l’an dernier, le démon du « chattering » était apparu pour la première fois.

[theophil]

des news de Mc Williams :
Malgré diverses fractures, consécutives à une lourde chute en essais jeudi, Jeremy McWilliams n'a pas perdu sa bonne humeur.

Parlant depuis son lit d'hôpital, vendredi matin, le vétéran irlandais se voulait optimiste et très positif.

« C'a été très vite et j'ai pris une grosse chute. Les médecins ont été extra et m'ont dit que ma fracture de la jambe était vraiment propre. Je devrais en avoir pour quatre à cinq semaines avant de pouvoir re-marcher et faire de l'exercice. On doit m'opérer pour me mettre des broches et les médecins le feront dès que possible », confiait McWilliams. « Je me suis aussi, apparemment, cassé la clavicule mais je ne le sens pas. Oh, je vais aussi perdre un bout de doigt mais, comme je ne cesse de le dire, je me l'étais déjà cassé avant et il ne me servait pas à grand chose ! »

Du côté de l'équipe Ilmor, on étudie les données extraites de la moto pour tâcher de comprendre ce qui s'est passé. Et on souhaite à Jeremy de rapidement récupérer.

« Tout d'abord, je suis ravi d'apprendre que Jeremy n'ait rien de grave. Nous voulons, bien sûr, découvrir l'origine de l'incident le plus rapidement possible, et je sais que l'équipe analyse les données et les images de la chute », expliquait Mario Illien. « Jusqu'à hier après-midi, nos deux pilotes d'essais, McWilliams et Pitt, avaient fait de l'excellent boulot en nous apportant de très bonnes informations sur la moto. A l'exception de l'accident, ce furent de bons essais pour nous. Nous progressons. »

« J'aimerais en profiter pour souhaiter à Jeremy un prompt rétablissement et je suis enchanté, un peu choqué aussi, de l'entendre dire qu'il est impatient de remonter sur la X3 ! »

[nono_le_robot]

"pilote d'essai"! pour la illmor c'est que ce n'est pas encore décidé...

[Alex 636]

Intéressant tout ça ....
Ducat' dans la tourmente, Kawa qui ne participe même pas, Tech 3 non plus ( mais il paraît que c'est parce que Yam' n'a pas assez de 800 pour tous les pilotes) et à contrario des Suz' nickel, des Honda au poil et un Melandri qui, visiblement s'est bien fait aux bridge : cool !!
Et Yamaha factory ?? A priori ça a l'air d'aller : merci pour eux !!

De bon augure pour 2007 tout ça .... sauf pour le clan tricolore .......

[Woualy]

Bad News pour Mc Williams, mais bon il a le moral c'est deja ça...

[flo de h]

Envoyé par Alex 636

Intéressant tout ça ....
Ducat' dans la tourmente,...

A mon avis leurs resultats moyen sont a prendre avec des pincettes pasqu'en ce moment ils sont surment entrain de faire une multitudes de tests de pièces afin de se preparer au mieux pour 2008...ils pensent (a juste titre pour moi) que le titre est pour eux l'année prochaine donc autant s'y preparer au mieux...

[Big Horn]

Je suis de tout coeur avec eux,mais......y'aura du monde (!!!) sur leur chemin .

[Alex 636]

Envoyé par flo de h

A mon avis leurs resultats moyen sont a prendre avec des pincettes pasqu'en ce moment ils sont surment entrain de faire une multitudes de tests de pièces afin de se preparer au mieux pour 2008...ils pensent (a juste titre pour moi) que le titre est pour eux l'année prochaine donc autant s'y preparer au mieux...

Bien entendu Flo ... d'aillleurs toout ce qui est "essais" en général est à prendre avec des pincettes !!
Les exemples et les désillusions sont nombreux ....