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03-09-2007, 10:56 AM
Qatar MotoGP Quote Machine Qualifying
by staff
Friday, March 09, 2007
Various and sundry press accounts from Qatar, scene of qualifying for the first MotoGP race of the season:
Fiat Yamaha Riders Seal Front Row Starts For Desert Challenge
Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards carried on from where they left off yesterday on day two of the season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar, topping the time sheets again in this morning's free practice before taking first and third in a gripping Qualifying session this afternoon. Rossi will start from pole for the 46th time in his Grand Prix career with his team mate two places away from him, the pair separated only by the Ducati of Casey Stoner who was just five-thousandths of a second slower than the Italian.
With the new tyre restrictions meaning the Yamaha duo had only two qualifying tyres to work with in the session, the first forty minutes were focused on perfecting the set-ups of their 800cc M1s and both continued to show a consistently strong pace on race tyres. Already holding the top spot after a string of fast laps inside the last twenty minutes, Edwards' first qualifying tyre saw him consolidate first place with ten minutes to go, his team-mate moving into second place behind him a few minutes later. The last five minutes saw a flurry of activity with Rossi, Edwards, Stoner, Toni Elias and Dani Pedrosa (both Honda) all putting in quick flying laps in a tense finale. All five riders lapped under last year's pole time but it was Rossi who took the honours with a lap of 1'55.002, over half a second faster than the existing record.
Rossi
"It's great to have my first pole of the season at the very first race and it's extra special for me because it's pole number 46 of my career! I hope this is a good omen for tomorrow. I'm really happy for this pole position because everyone has worked so hard; all my mechanics, engineers, Michelin...everyone involved. Yamaha has built us a great bike. Anyway tomorrow is another day and the real race, but we're starting from first and also Colin is on the front row too so I hope we can put in a good Yamaha show! We have a couple of things to check in morning practice but we're more or less ready. I really like this track, the grip is great, it's fast and technical and it's possible to have a lot of fun with the new Yamaha. It's also quite quiet here, with not too many people and this is a nice atmosphere in which to start the season as I can focus completely on racing without too many other distractions! I think tomorrow there are three or four riders who can fight at the top with Colin and me, but we're feeling confident in our garage."
Edwards
"Yamaha, Michelin, Valentino and I have all worked so hard and it's really exciting to be up there together on the front row...although of course I would like to try to reverse the order tomorrow! Our bike is going so well so far this year, everywhere we go we've got a plan and it seems to work and the lap times are just amazing. It's a great feeling. I love this track and the set-up we have seems to be spot-on, really we don't have anything left to do tomorrow morning except double-check everything and make our final tyre choice. I've got a choice of two but honestly I'm not too worried, they both work well and I don't think either will be the difference between winning and losing - Michelin seem to have it all under control for us! It's going to be a matter of getting a good start and seeing how it goes. I think there's a few that can run with us but our race pace is pretty good so I am confident I can be up there fighting!"
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STONER JUST FIVE THOUSANTHS OF A SECOND OFF POLE POSITION!
Casey Stoner will start his first race for Ducati Marlboro Team from the front row of the grid after taking a thrillingly close second place in this afternoon's qualifying session with a superbly ridden lap of the twisting Losail circuit. Team-mate Loris Capirossi will start the first race of MotoGP's new 800cc era from the third row of the grid but feels he will be able to challenge for a podium finish.
Stoner, who was Bridgestone's fastest rider today, ended the session just five thousandths of a second off pole position. His speed on Ducati's new 800cc Desmosedici GP7 confirmed both his impressive pace in winter testing and the amazing performance of the new 800s, with today's fastest five riders all inside last year's Qatar GP pole time.
Capirossi was fast in race trim but his qualifying tyre spec proved too soft for the conditions, so he wasn't able to complete a full lap at maximum speed. Nevertheless the Italian was quick enough to finish the session less than two hundredths of a second off the second row.
CASEY STONER, 2nd fastest, 1m 55.007s
"Pretty much the whole day's been quite good, we had a real good qualifying session, I managed to do a good lap time, and this morning we did a really good race run, doing some consistent fast times. We seem to have been pretty competitive the whole weekend, in the top three, so I'm really happy. We did have a couple more dramas today, like this morning when I was pulling out of pit lane going into the first corner and the bike just went away before I'd even entered the corner. It was quite strange, we're not sure what happened. I'm going to go into tomorrow's race and do my best, I'm not expecting anything, I just hope things turn out the way I plan them to because sometimes they don't. I'm really confident with the tyres and the team and the whole bike, so I think we can have a good result here."
LORIS CAPIROSSI, 7th fastest, 1m 55.851s
"I'm very happy. I'll start the race from the right side of the track and I think we'll be able to fight for the podium. I'm feeling confident for several reasons. We have a very good rhythm in race trim - I did a 1m 56s on my 15th lap with the same tyres - and today we recovered from a situation that could have been very negative for the tomorrow's starting grid. I chose a soft qualifying tyre which wouldn't finish a lap at maximum pace and in fact during my first run with qualifiers I almost lost control at the last corner and had to get back to the pit. Of course, with the new tyre regulations my second qualifying tyre was identical, so I asked Casey, who had a harder qualifier, if I could follow him to give me a reference through the first two splits. It worked out because I was very, very fast in the first part of the lap and when the tyre began to go off I slowed down, thinking only to complete the lap with the best possible time. Seventh isn't too bad and I feel really confident for the race."
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Bridgestone Pleased With Qatar Progress
Round 01 - Qatar - Qualifying
Losail International Circuit, Friday 9 March 2007
Six Bridgestone-shod riders ended this afternoon's Qatar qualifying session in the top ten. All four manufacturers on Bridgestone tyres will be represented by at least one of its bikes in the top eight on tomorrow afternoon's grid.
Ducati's Casey Stoner nearly pulled off a remarkable repeat performance of his Qatar pole position from 2006, finishing in the runner up spot for the 2007 GP, a mere 0.005s from pole sitter Valentino Rossi. Stoner's ultimate time of 1m55.007s marked a 0.6s improvement over his previous pole record.
Toni Elias was the highest placed Honda rider in a sensational fourth place. His team-mate Marco Melandri ended his qualifying session in tenth place, but both can draw confidence from encouraging pace on race tyres in free practice. Melandri posted a best time of 1m56.529s in his earlier run on race tyres.
Other performances of note from Suzuki's John Hopkins in sixth, Ducati's Loris Capirossi in seventh and Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet in eighth underline the improved competitiveness of the Bridgestone qualifying tyres at the Losail International Circuit, a direct result of data acquired from February's test. Consistently quick times in long run simulations during this morning's free practice session leave Bridgestone riders in good shape ahead of tomorrow's 22-lap GP, where the Japanese tyre manufacturer will be looking to capitalise on its hard work over the winter.
Tyre Talk with Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
Were you pleased with the performance of the Bridgestone qualifying tyres in today's session? "Yes, we were very happy with the performance of our tyres today, both race specification and qualifiers. Over the winter we developed a specific plan to improve the competitiveness of our qualifying tyres and today's results would indicate that our general direction was correct. We used the results of the Qatar and Jerez test to make the most recent steps ahead in this area and the fact that we have four manufacturers on Bridgestone tyres in the top eight of the Qatar grid is very satisfying. Our work is ongoing though and we plan race-by-race developments."
What conclusions have been drawn by the long run simulations today? "This morning, each of our teams conducted important work on the preferred tyre specification from yesterday's sessions. The lap times were much quicker than those seen in the Qatar test, which demonstrates how far we have come in just a few weeks. We have seen competitive and consistent lap times today. Casey's long run was particularly impressive, posting times in the high 1m56s over a 19 lap run, proving that he can challenge at the front tomorrow afternoon."
Riding Perspective - Casey Stoner - Ducati - 2nd Place "The whole day has been quite good, we had a real good qualifying session and I managed to do a good lap time. This morning we did a really good race run, doing some consistent fast times. We seem to have been pretty competitive the whole weekend, in the top three, so I'm really happy. I'm really confident with the tyres and the team and the whole bike, so I think we can have a good result here."
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MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2007
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
09 MARCH 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THIRD ROW START FOR KAWASAKI'S YOUNG GUN
Kawasaki young gun, Randy de Puniet, will start tomorrow's opening race of the season from the third row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in eighth place for the Grand Prix of Qatar.
The first qualifying session of the season, during which de Puniet held provisional pole for almost 20 minutes, was a success for Kawasaki's tyre partner, Bridgestone, with six of their riders filling the top ten positions.
This morning de Puniet again focussed on race tyre evaluation, confirming his selection with a half-distance race run during the hour-long practice period. With conditions changing ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session, de Puniet reconfirmed his race tyre choice, after declaring himself satisfied with the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR.
The 26-year-old Frenchman was one of the few riders to run three qualifying tyres this afternoon, improving his lap time with each one, on his way to qualifying eighth fastest with a time of 1'55.933s, less than one second behind today's pole sitter, Valentino Rossi.
For Olivier Jacque, today was a difficult one. The 33-year-old Frenchman struggled with a lack of both feeling and feedback from the front end of his Ninja ZX-RR during the morning practice, before eventually overcoming the problem early in this afternoon's qualifying session.
Jacque concentrated on evaluating race tyres, before fitting the first of two qualifiers in the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR with just ten minutes of the timed session remaining. The Kawasaki pilot faces a tough opening race tomorrow, as he will start from the fifth row of the grid after qualifying in 14th position this afternoon.
Although the characteristics of the Losail circuit are not well suited to Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR, both riders are confident of starting the season tomorrow with a points scoring finish.
Randy de Puniet: 8th - 43 Laps - Best Lap 1'55.933
"This morning we tried different tyre options and I managed a fast and consistent simulation. We confirmed it in the afternoon and we will use Bridgestone's medium option. I'm satisfied with the qualifying, as I improved my lap time with each of the three qualifying tyres used. I pushed as hard as I could; it would have been difficult to be faster. The race will depend on the start and if I do well I think I can defend my position."
Olivier Jacque: 14th - 40 Laps - Best Lap 1'56.754
"Today I began with the same set up I finished with yesterday to corroborate the improvement that I felt. But, unfortunately, it didn't work. We then worked hard on chassis balance and front suspension and finally, in the afternoon, we found a better set up. I'm not yet 100% used to the qualifiers and I lost a lot of time at the first split as I don't warm up properly the tyre. However, I went fast through the other three sectors and that made me feel good. I'm so excited and I will do my best to finish in the points tomorrow."
Ichiro Yoda: Kawasaki Racing Director
"Randy's lap times improved session after session and his race simulation, even though it wasn't a whole race one, was consistent. Compared with the previous tests, he has made an important step forward and we really appreciate his effort. We expected a better position on the grid, maybe second, but this is not a bad result. Olivier improved, but didn't find the optimal setup. On Sunday, after the race, we will probably try Randy's set up with Olivier and compare. Our expectations for the race are Randy to finish among the first eight and Olivier in the top ten."
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HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Final Qualifying Qatar Grand Prix at Losail
Friday March 9, 2007
ELIAS HEADS SECOND ROW WITH DANI ALONGSIDE
Under new tyre regulations and with an 800c capacity limit MotoGP 2007 got underway at a sunny Losail circuit with a pole for Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), second place on the grid for Casey Stoner (Ducati) with the final front row slot going to Colin Edwards (Yamaha).
With an ambient temperature of a modest 23 degrees, and with the track at 27 degrees, conditions were ripe for riders to make the most of this benign weather. They ripped around this 5.4km track without suffering the customary privations of heat exhaustion when this race was held in October here in the Qatar desert.
The circuit was also relatively dust free owing to the Superbike race held here two weeks ago and a series of local events that have laid down rubber on the tarmac and made the track a much grippier proposition than it has been in recent years.
As the hour long MotoGP qualifying session got underway it was Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC212V) who headed the timesheet before Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) snatched pole away from him, only for John Hopkins (Suzuki) to then temporarily wrest number slot from them both.
But this was mere early skirmishing as riders put in laps on prospective race rubber while conserving a limited number of qualifying tyres for the final minutes. With only 14 front tyres and 17 rears available for each rider, longer stints on track without constant returns to the pits for changes were the norm.
Twenty minutes into the session the order was Edwards, Rossi, Hopkins, Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Melandri and Checa. Then as per last season Kawasaki was the first team to fit a qualifier as Randy de Puniet sped to a 1m 56.331s lap to hit pole with 30 minutes remaining.
Within the last twenty minutes Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V), who had been running in ninth spot, slid off at high speed without injury. Meanwhile Stoner had hoisted himself to second with Melandri third fastest and Edwards on pole with a time of 1m 56.156s.
Stoner then upped the pace to go pole with a 1m 55.794s lap ahead of de Puniet, Hopkins and Edwards who had now been bumped down to fourth on row two. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) who had been struggling here so far elevated himself to fifth with a prodigious effort, before ending up ninth overall.
But Edwards was comfortable enough to squeeze yet more speed from his bike and with seven minutes left he managed a 1m 55.654s time to go pole again. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) had not been finding things easy here and his ride to sixth with just five minutes to go was as much as he could manage before ending up fifth overall with a 1m 55.361s time on his very last lap.
It was Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC212V) who found the most speed from his RC212V in the closing moments when he flew to a 1m 55.358s time, just 0.356s off the pole time, to head the second row of the grid as fourth fastest qualifier.
Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V) could do no better than 18th fastest, nearly two and a half seconds shy of Rossi's 1m 55.002s pole time. Many Honda runners will be aiming to find more speed in the warm-up session tomorrow before the race.
Elias, fourth fastest, said, "I'm really happy with this result after such a difficult winter. We've worked hard on the set-up of the bike to try and create a solid base with the Bridgestone tyres. This afternoon we just worked right to the end of qualifying and found a compromise that allowed me to make the most of the qualifying tyre. To be in fourth place, at the front of the second row, is important for the race - especially at a circuit where it is difficult to overtake."
"Starting from fifth position is OK," said Dani. "Though obviously I would have preferred to be on the front row. We continued to work on the set-up of the bike in both sessions and I was able to improve my speed from yesterday. The set-up for the race is just about there, though we still have to make the final decision on the race tyre, so we'll use the warm-up tomorrow morning for that. My qualifying runs went quite well - the first one was calm and not so quick and on the second one I was pushing more and improved the time quite a lot."
Nicky, ninth quickest, said, "My last Michelin qualifier felt really good and my first three splits were not bad, but in the last split I didn't quite put it together and I actually went a little bit slower in that split. Up until that point I had a pretty decent lap going. The third row isn't really where I hoped to be starting the first race of the year and we're just trying to get the front end right so that I'm able to roll around these corners and not have to do so much stop-and-go riding. We've got a few little issues with some chatter but the bottom line is that I've got to come in here tomorrow, do my part and get the most out of the bike."
Marco Melandri, tenth fastest man, said, "I am satisfied with the bike and the tyre choice for the race. Unfortunately I made a mistake with my choice of qualifying tyre, which is why I haven't qualified a little closer to the front. We didn't find the right feeling with the first qualifier and I didn't feel comfortable, which meant I couldn't get the best out of the
second tyre."
Shinya Nakano ended the session 11th fastest, and said, "Despite the crash I feel OK and I'm not hurt. It was a fast crash on one of the right-hand corners, so I was lucky. Compared to my crash down the Mugello straight a few years ago, it was a slow one! I'm obviously a little disappointed, as I wanted something better from today for the team and myself. After the crash I could improve my lap time with a qualifying tyre, but now we have to look forward to tomorrow and use morning warm-up to choose a tyre for the race."
"I knew qualifying would be difficult," said Carlos Checa, 12th fastest, "The team had expected front-end chatter using the softer tyres, front and rear, but I did not expect the problem to be quite so bad. By the final two corners of my fast lap I had a big problem on the brakes turning into the corners. But I'm happy with my pace in race trim and I am quite confident, the rear is stable with our race tyre. We need to understand the qualifying chatter for the future but my main focus now is a good start and a strong race."
Roberts struggled in 18th spot. He said, "I tried a hard-compound race tyre in the middle of the session, and had a
real close call from the left side going into a corner. Confidence-wise, it's one of those things where you get a real bad feeling and it takes away your momentum. Then when I put the qualifying tyre on, there was basically
no advantage. I couldn't keep my corner speed up. I got more grip, but I couldn't do a thing with it."
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SIXTH-ROW START AFTER CLOSE CALL FOR ROBERTS
Losail Circuit, Qatar - March 9, 2007: Kenny Roberts Junior opened his account for the first race of the new 800cc MotoGP era with a disappointing qualifying position, after a big scare earlier in the crucial one-hour session left his confidence battered, spoiled his momentum, and meant he was unable to match testing times here in February.
The 2000 World Champion, riding the hybrid England-built Honda-powered machine for his father Kenny Roberts's team, qualified 18th, and will start the race from the sixth row of the grid.
Pole position went to Yamaha-mounted Valentino Rossi, after an exciting climax to the first session for the new 800cc machines. It was also the first under new tyre rules, limiting each rider to a pre-selected 31 tyres for the weekend.
KENNY ROBERTS Junior - 18th Position, 1:57.495
I tried a hard-compound race tyre in the middle of the session, and had a real close call from the left side going into a corner. Confidence-wise, it's one of them things where you get a real bad feeling and it takes away your momentum. Then when I put the qualifying tyre on, there was basically no advantage. I couldn't keep my corner speed up. I got more grip, but I couldn't do a thing with it.
Overall, I haven't been matching the times I did here in the test. I keep thinking we're making the bike better, and my feeling keeps getting better, but the times are tough to do. I put 90 percent of it down to me, not being able to give the guys feedback good enough to find the
right direction. The bike's still no good in the areas I've been struggling. There's a better bike in the garage. We've just got to figure out what needs doing and what I'm doing. Sometimes you ride 100 percent and the bike's doing the right things and it's fine. Sometimes if it's doing the right things at the wrong time, then you're off, and then you look bad, as we look now.
KENNY ROBERTS SENIOR - Team Owner
We haven't kept up with it. Just before we get there, we go backwards. So it's been a very frustrating weekend so far. Of course we are ready to make big changes to the bike. It's up to Junior. We can change everything on the bike if he wants to.
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Second-row start for Hopkins and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at season opener
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins will start the first Grand Prix of the season at Doha in Qatar tomorrow from sixth place on the grid.
Hopkins (P6, 1'55.833, 45 laps) continued to battle against the pain he is suffering from his recent crash and was never outside the top-six on the timesheets during this afternoon's qualifying session. He actually topped the leader board early on in the session and was on target for a front row start right up until the final minutes of the hour.
Suzuki's Anglo-American performed very positively all day on Bridgestone's race tyres and was fourth quickest overall - before qualifying tyres were used - a position that that gives the Team great confidence for tomorrow's race.
Chris Vermeulen also performed well on race tyres and moved up to eighth place overall, as his crew worked hard to get his Suzuki GSV-R set-up for the demanding conditions of the 5.380km desert circuit. Unfortunately for Vermeulen his qualifying tyre choice that was made on Wednesday - in line with the new tyre rule - proved costly. He was unable to capitalise on his improving form during the qualifying session, mainly due to the hard compound tyre not suiting his style or bike settings as track temperatures reached 47°C. Vermeulen (P13, 1'56.639, 47 laps) will start from the front of the fifth row.
Today's pole position was set by former World Champion Valentino Rossi on his Factory Yamaha, with a new circuit record of 1'55.002.
Tomorrow's 22 -lap race will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) as both Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers will be aiming to score valuable points from the inaugural race of the season.
John Hopkins:
"From where we started the weekend I've got to say that I am pretty happy to be starting from the second row. We've got a lot of work done over the last two days and the set-up of the bike is really good right now. We have a good race tyre that should go the distance and has lots of grip, so cheers to Bridgestone for that and for making the improvements that were needed. As far as qualifying goes I think we chose a bit too hard a compound on Wednesday - but I guess that is all part of the new rule. We had a bit of movement and it wasn't stuck to the track like the Bridgestone qualifiers usually are. Considering the pain I've been in this weekend I'm pleased with where we are and I'm sure that the adrenaline will kick in come race time. I can't wait to be racing and trying to run at the front - I'm sure I'll have a good time out there!"
Chris Vermeulen:
"This afternoon the wind changed direction and it made it a bit more difficult out there. For the tests and up until this afternoon it had been a strong headwind down the straight, but then it turned around and was not as strong so it was all a bit different than what we were used to. I got up to speed on the race tyre and felt quite comfortable. I moved into the top 10 and think I will be able to find a bit more speed tomorrow. The qualifiers just didn't give me the right grip and I wasn't able to go much faster than I had been already. It'll make it a bit harder tomorrow having to start from 13th, but that's racing and we'll try our best to get closer to the front."
Paul Denning:
"Considering John started the weekend not knowing if he would be able to race at all, a second row start is a fantastic result and a good reward for his bravery and commitment. He hasn't put a race distance together so far this week, but I'm sure come race day the adrenaline will see him through to the end. John has a good race pace and I think he has the capacity to go a bit quicker when the time comes and situations dictate it.
"It's been a difficult weekend for Chris up to yet, and whilst his race pace has improved step-by-step it just didn't work for him on the qualifiers today. Fifth row is not an ideal place to start but he can do some good times on the race tires and I know he will be giving it everything he can come tomorrow afternoon. He's always been a great racer even if qualifying doesn't go so well!
"The tires seem to have decent durability and we are hoping for a good solid Grand Prix from both riders tomorrow, and to get some respectable points under our belts.
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ENDS
by staff
Friday, March 09, 2007
Various and sundry press accounts from Qatar, scene of qualifying for the first MotoGP race of the season:
Fiat Yamaha Riders Seal Front Row Starts For Desert Challenge
Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards carried on from where they left off yesterday on day two of the season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar, topping the time sheets again in this morning's free practice before taking first and third in a gripping Qualifying session this afternoon. Rossi will start from pole for the 46th time in his Grand Prix career with his team mate two places away from him, the pair separated only by the Ducati of Casey Stoner who was just five-thousandths of a second slower than the Italian.
With the new tyre restrictions meaning the Yamaha duo had only two qualifying tyres to work with in the session, the first forty minutes were focused on perfecting the set-ups of their 800cc M1s and both continued to show a consistently strong pace on race tyres. Already holding the top spot after a string of fast laps inside the last twenty minutes, Edwards' first qualifying tyre saw him consolidate first place with ten minutes to go, his team-mate moving into second place behind him a few minutes later. The last five minutes saw a flurry of activity with Rossi, Edwards, Stoner, Toni Elias and Dani Pedrosa (both Honda) all putting in quick flying laps in a tense finale. All five riders lapped under last year's pole time but it was Rossi who took the honours with a lap of 1'55.002, over half a second faster than the existing record.
Rossi
"It's great to have my first pole of the season at the very first race and it's extra special for me because it's pole number 46 of my career! I hope this is a good omen for tomorrow. I'm really happy for this pole position because everyone has worked so hard; all my mechanics, engineers, Michelin...everyone involved. Yamaha has built us a great bike. Anyway tomorrow is another day and the real race, but we're starting from first and also Colin is on the front row too so I hope we can put in a good Yamaha show! We have a couple of things to check in morning practice but we're more or less ready. I really like this track, the grip is great, it's fast and technical and it's possible to have a lot of fun with the new Yamaha. It's also quite quiet here, with not too many people and this is a nice atmosphere in which to start the season as I can focus completely on racing without too many other distractions! I think tomorrow there are three or four riders who can fight at the top with Colin and me, but we're feeling confident in our garage."
Edwards
"Yamaha, Michelin, Valentino and I have all worked so hard and it's really exciting to be up there together on the front row...although of course I would like to try to reverse the order tomorrow! Our bike is going so well so far this year, everywhere we go we've got a plan and it seems to work and the lap times are just amazing. It's a great feeling. I love this track and the set-up we have seems to be spot-on, really we don't have anything left to do tomorrow morning except double-check everything and make our final tyre choice. I've got a choice of two but honestly I'm not too worried, they both work well and I don't think either will be the difference between winning and losing - Michelin seem to have it all under control for us! It's going to be a matter of getting a good start and seeing how it goes. I think there's a few that can run with us but our race pace is pretty good so I am confident I can be up there fighting!"
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STONER JUST FIVE THOUSANTHS OF A SECOND OFF POLE POSITION!
Casey Stoner will start his first race for Ducati Marlboro Team from the front row of the grid after taking a thrillingly close second place in this afternoon's qualifying session with a superbly ridden lap of the twisting Losail circuit. Team-mate Loris Capirossi will start the first race of MotoGP's new 800cc era from the third row of the grid but feels he will be able to challenge for a podium finish.
Stoner, who was Bridgestone's fastest rider today, ended the session just five thousandths of a second off pole position. His speed on Ducati's new 800cc Desmosedici GP7 confirmed both his impressive pace in winter testing and the amazing performance of the new 800s, with today's fastest five riders all inside last year's Qatar GP pole time.
Capirossi was fast in race trim but his qualifying tyre spec proved too soft for the conditions, so he wasn't able to complete a full lap at maximum speed. Nevertheless the Italian was quick enough to finish the session less than two hundredths of a second off the second row.
CASEY STONER, 2nd fastest, 1m 55.007s
"Pretty much the whole day's been quite good, we had a real good qualifying session, I managed to do a good lap time, and this morning we did a really good race run, doing some consistent fast times. We seem to have been pretty competitive the whole weekend, in the top three, so I'm really happy. We did have a couple more dramas today, like this morning when I was pulling out of pit lane going into the first corner and the bike just went away before I'd even entered the corner. It was quite strange, we're not sure what happened. I'm going to go into tomorrow's race and do my best, I'm not expecting anything, I just hope things turn out the way I plan them to because sometimes they don't. I'm really confident with the tyres and the team and the whole bike, so I think we can have a good result here."
LORIS CAPIROSSI, 7th fastest, 1m 55.851s
"I'm very happy. I'll start the race from the right side of the track and I think we'll be able to fight for the podium. I'm feeling confident for several reasons. We have a very good rhythm in race trim - I did a 1m 56s on my 15th lap with the same tyres - and today we recovered from a situation that could have been very negative for the tomorrow's starting grid. I chose a soft qualifying tyre which wouldn't finish a lap at maximum pace and in fact during my first run with qualifiers I almost lost control at the last corner and had to get back to the pit. Of course, with the new tyre regulations my second qualifying tyre was identical, so I asked Casey, who had a harder qualifier, if I could follow him to give me a reference through the first two splits. It worked out because I was very, very fast in the first part of the lap and when the tyre began to go off I slowed down, thinking only to complete the lap with the best possible time. Seventh isn't too bad and I feel really confident for the race."
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Bridgestone Pleased With Qatar Progress
Round 01 - Qatar - Qualifying
Losail International Circuit, Friday 9 March 2007
Six Bridgestone-shod riders ended this afternoon's Qatar qualifying session in the top ten. All four manufacturers on Bridgestone tyres will be represented by at least one of its bikes in the top eight on tomorrow afternoon's grid.
Ducati's Casey Stoner nearly pulled off a remarkable repeat performance of his Qatar pole position from 2006, finishing in the runner up spot for the 2007 GP, a mere 0.005s from pole sitter Valentino Rossi. Stoner's ultimate time of 1m55.007s marked a 0.6s improvement over his previous pole record.
Toni Elias was the highest placed Honda rider in a sensational fourth place. His team-mate Marco Melandri ended his qualifying session in tenth place, but both can draw confidence from encouraging pace on race tyres in free practice. Melandri posted a best time of 1m56.529s in his earlier run on race tyres.
Other performances of note from Suzuki's John Hopkins in sixth, Ducati's Loris Capirossi in seventh and Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet in eighth underline the improved competitiveness of the Bridgestone qualifying tyres at the Losail International Circuit, a direct result of data acquired from February's test. Consistently quick times in long run simulations during this morning's free practice session leave Bridgestone riders in good shape ahead of tomorrow's 22-lap GP, where the Japanese tyre manufacturer will be looking to capitalise on its hard work over the winter.
Tyre Talk with Tohru Ubukata - Bridgestone Motorsport - Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
Were you pleased with the performance of the Bridgestone qualifying tyres in today's session? "Yes, we were very happy with the performance of our tyres today, both race specification and qualifiers. Over the winter we developed a specific plan to improve the competitiveness of our qualifying tyres and today's results would indicate that our general direction was correct. We used the results of the Qatar and Jerez test to make the most recent steps ahead in this area and the fact that we have four manufacturers on Bridgestone tyres in the top eight of the Qatar grid is very satisfying. Our work is ongoing though and we plan race-by-race developments."
What conclusions have been drawn by the long run simulations today? "This morning, each of our teams conducted important work on the preferred tyre specification from yesterday's sessions. The lap times were much quicker than those seen in the Qatar test, which demonstrates how far we have come in just a few weeks. We have seen competitive and consistent lap times today. Casey's long run was particularly impressive, posting times in the high 1m56s over a 19 lap run, proving that he can challenge at the front tomorrow afternoon."
Riding Perspective - Casey Stoner - Ducati - 2nd Place "The whole day has been quite good, we had a real good qualifying session and I managed to do a good lap time. This morning we did a really good race run, doing some consistent fast times. We seem to have been pretty competitive the whole weekend, in the top three, so I'm really happy. I'm really confident with the tyres and the team and the whole bike, so I think we can have a good result here."
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MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2007
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
09 MARCH 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THIRD ROW START FOR KAWASAKI'S YOUNG GUN
Kawasaki young gun, Randy de Puniet, will start tomorrow's opening race of the season from the third row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in eighth place for the Grand Prix of Qatar.
The first qualifying session of the season, during which de Puniet held provisional pole for almost 20 minutes, was a success for Kawasaki's tyre partner, Bridgestone, with six of their riders filling the top ten positions.
This morning de Puniet again focussed on race tyre evaluation, confirming his selection with a half-distance race run during the hour-long practice period. With conditions changing ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session, de Puniet reconfirmed his race tyre choice, after declaring himself satisfied with the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR.
The 26-year-old Frenchman was one of the few riders to run three qualifying tyres this afternoon, improving his lap time with each one, on his way to qualifying eighth fastest with a time of 1'55.933s, less than one second behind today's pole sitter, Valentino Rossi.
For Olivier Jacque, today was a difficult one. The 33-year-old Frenchman struggled with a lack of both feeling and feedback from the front end of his Ninja ZX-RR during the morning practice, before eventually overcoming the problem early in this afternoon's qualifying session.
Jacque concentrated on evaluating race tyres, before fitting the first of two qualifiers in the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR with just ten minutes of the timed session remaining. The Kawasaki pilot faces a tough opening race tomorrow, as he will start from the fifth row of the grid after qualifying in 14th position this afternoon.
Although the characteristics of the Losail circuit are not well suited to Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR, both riders are confident of starting the season tomorrow with a points scoring finish.
Randy de Puniet: 8th - 43 Laps - Best Lap 1'55.933
"This morning we tried different tyre options and I managed a fast and consistent simulation. We confirmed it in the afternoon and we will use Bridgestone's medium option. I'm satisfied with the qualifying, as I improved my lap time with each of the three qualifying tyres used. I pushed as hard as I could; it would have been difficult to be faster. The race will depend on the start and if I do well I think I can defend my position."
Olivier Jacque: 14th - 40 Laps - Best Lap 1'56.754
"Today I began with the same set up I finished with yesterday to corroborate the improvement that I felt. But, unfortunately, it didn't work. We then worked hard on chassis balance and front suspension and finally, in the afternoon, we found a better set up. I'm not yet 100% used to the qualifiers and I lost a lot of time at the first split as I don't warm up properly the tyre. However, I went fast through the other three sectors and that made me feel good. I'm so excited and I will do my best to finish in the points tomorrow."
Ichiro Yoda: Kawasaki Racing Director
"Randy's lap times improved session after session and his race simulation, even though it wasn't a whole race one, was consistent. Compared with the previous tests, he has made an important step forward and we really appreciate his effort. We expected a better position on the grid, maybe second, but this is not a bad result. Olivier improved, but didn't find the optimal setup. On Sunday, after the race, we will probably try Randy's set up with Olivier and compare. Our expectations for the race are Randy to finish among the first eight and Olivier in the top ten."
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HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Final Qualifying Qatar Grand Prix at Losail
Friday March 9, 2007
ELIAS HEADS SECOND ROW WITH DANI ALONGSIDE
Under new tyre regulations and with an 800c capacity limit MotoGP 2007 got underway at a sunny Losail circuit with a pole for Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), second place on the grid for Casey Stoner (Ducati) with the final front row slot going to Colin Edwards (Yamaha).
With an ambient temperature of a modest 23 degrees, and with the track at 27 degrees, conditions were ripe for riders to make the most of this benign weather. They ripped around this 5.4km track without suffering the customary privations of heat exhaustion when this race was held in October here in the Qatar desert.
The circuit was also relatively dust free owing to the Superbike race held here two weeks ago and a series of local events that have laid down rubber on the tarmac and made the track a much grippier proposition than it has been in recent years.
As the hour long MotoGP qualifying session got underway it was Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC212V) who headed the timesheet before Carlos Checa (LCR Honda RC212V) snatched pole away from him, only for John Hopkins (Suzuki) to then temporarily wrest number slot from them both.
But this was mere early skirmishing as riders put in laps on prospective race rubber while conserving a limited number of qualifying tyres for the final minutes. With only 14 front tyres and 17 rears available for each rider, longer stints on track without constant returns to the pits for changes were the norm.
Twenty minutes into the session the order was Edwards, Rossi, Hopkins, Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Melandri and Checa. Then as per last season Kawasaki was the first team to fit a qualifier as Randy de Puniet sped to a 1m 56.331s lap to hit pole with 30 minutes remaining.
Within the last twenty minutes Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V), who had been running in ninth spot, slid off at high speed without injury. Meanwhile Stoner had hoisted himself to second with Melandri third fastest and Edwards on pole with a time of 1m 56.156s.
Stoner then upped the pace to go pole with a 1m 55.794s lap ahead of de Puniet, Hopkins and Edwards who had now been bumped down to fourth on row two. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) who had been struggling here so far elevated himself to fifth with a prodigious effort, before ending up ninth overall.
But Edwards was comfortable enough to squeeze yet more speed from his bike and with seven minutes left he managed a 1m 55.654s time to go pole again. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) had not been finding things easy here and his ride to sixth with just five minutes to go was as much as he could manage before ending up fifth overall with a 1m 55.361s time on his very last lap.
It was Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC212V) who found the most speed from his RC212V in the closing moments when he flew to a 1m 55.358s time, just 0.356s off the pole time, to head the second row of the grid as fourth fastest qualifier.
Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR212V) could do no better than 18th fastest, nearly two and a half seconds shy of Rossi's 1m 55.002s pole time. Many Honda runners will be aiming to find more speed in the warm-up session tomorrow before the race.
Elias, fourth fastest, said, "I'm really happy with this result after such a difficult winter. We've worked hard on the set-up of the bike to try and create a solid base with the Bridgestone tyres. This afternoon we just worked right to the end of qualifying and found a compromise that allowed me to make the most of the qualifying tyre. To be in fourth place, at the front of the second row, is important for the race - especially at a circuit where it is difficult to overtake."
"Starting from fifth position is OK," said Dani. "Though obviously I would have preferred to be on the front row. We continued to work on the set-up of the bike in both sessions and I was able to improve my speed from yesterday. The set-up for the race is just about there, though we still have to make the final decision on the race tyre, so we'll use the warm-up tomorrow morning for that. My qualifying runs went quite well - the first one was calm and not so quick and on the second one I was pushing more and improved the time quite a lot."
Nicky, ninth quickest, said, "My last Michelin qualifier felt really good and my first three splits were not bad, but in the last split I didn't quite put it together and I actually went a little bit slower in that split. Up until that point I had a pretty decent lap going. The third row isn't really where I hoped to be starting the first race of the year and we're just trying to get the front end right so that I'm able to roll around these corners and not have to do so much stop-and-go riding. We've got a few little issues with some chatter but the bottom line is that I've got to come in here tomorrow, do my part and get the most out of the bike."
Marco Melandri, tenth fastest man, said, "I am satisfied with the bike and the tyre choice for the race. Unfortunately I made a mistake with my choice of qualifying tyre, which is why I haven't qualified a little closer to the front. We didn't find the right feeling with the first qualifier and I didn't feel comfortable, which meant I couldn't get the best out of the
second tyre."
Shinya Nakano ended the session 11th fastest, and said, "Despite the crash I feel OK and I'm not hurt. It was a fast crash on one of the right-hand corners, so I was lucky. Compared to my crash down the Mugello straight a few years ago, it was a slow one! I'm obviously a little disappointed, as I wanted something better from today for the team and myself. After the crash I could improve my lap time with a qualifying tyre, but now we have to look forward to tomorrow and use morning warm-up to choose a tyre for the race."
"I knew qualifying would be difficult," said Carlos Checa, 12th fastest, "The team had expected front-end chatter using the softer tyres, front and rear, but I did not expect the problem to be quite so bad. By the final two corners of my fast lap I had a big problem on the brakes turning into the corners. But I'm happy with my pace in race trim and I am quite confident, the rear is stable with our race tyre. We need to understand the qualifying chatter for the future but my main focus now is a good start and a strong race."
Roberts struggled in 18th spot. He said, "I tried a hard-compound race tyre in the middle of the session, and had a
real close call from the left side going into a corner. Confidence-wise, it's one of those things where you get a real bad feeling and it takes away your momentum. Then when I put the qualifying tyre on, there was basically
no advantage. I couldn't keep my corner speed up. I got more grip, but I couldn't do a thing with it."
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SIXTH-ROW START AFTER CLOSE CALL FOR ROBERTS
Losail Circuit, Qatar - March 9, 2007: Kenny Roberts Junior opened his account for the first race of the new 800cc MotoGP era with a disappointing qualifying position, after a big scare earlier in the crucial one-hour session left his confidence battered, spoiled his momentum, and meant he was unable to match testing times here in February.
The 2000 World Champion, riding the hybrid England-built Honda-powered machine for his father Kenny Roberts's team, qualified 18th, and will start the race from the sixth row of the grid.
Pole position went to Yamaha-mounted Valentino Rossi, after an exciting climax to the first session for the new 800cc machines. It was also the first under new tyre rules, limiting each rider to a pre-selected 31 tyres for the weekend.
KENNY ROBERTS Junior - 18th Position, 1:57.495
I tried a hard-compound race tyre in the middle of the session, and had a real close call from the left side going into a corner. Confidence-wise, it's one of them things where you get a real bad feeling and it takes away your momentum. Then when I put the qualifying tyre on, there was basically no advantage. I couldn't keep my corner speed up. I got more grip, but I couldn't do a thing with it.
Overall, I haven't been matching the times I did here in the test. I keep thinking we're making the bike better, and my feeling keeps getting better, but the times are tough to do. I put 90 percent of it down to me, not being able to give the guys feedback good enough to find the
right direction. The bike's still no good in the areas I've been struggling. There's a better bike in the garage. We've just got to figure out what needs doing and what I'm doing. Sometimes you ride 100 percent and the bike's doing the right things and it's fine. Sometimes if it's doing the right things at the wrong time, then you're off, and then you look bad, as we look now.
KENNY ROBERTS SENIOR - Team Owner
We haven't kept up with it. Just before we get there, we go backwards. So it's been a very frustrating weekend so far. Of course we are ready to make big changes to the bike. It's up to Junior. We can change everything on the bike if he wants to.
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Second-row start for Hopkins and Rizla Suzuki MotoGP at season opener
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins will start the first Grand Prix of the season at Doha in Qatar tomorrow from sixth place on the grid.
Hopkins (P6, 1'55.833, 45 laps) continued to battle against the pain he is suffering from his recent crash and was never outside the top-six on the timesheets during this afternoon's qualifying session. He actually topped the leader board early on in the session and was on target for a front row start right up until the final minutes of the hour.
Suzuki's Anglo-American performed very positively all day on Bridgestone's race tyres and was fourth quickest overall - before qualifying tyres were used - a position that that gives the Team great confidence for tomorrow's race.
Chris Vermeulen also performed well on race tyres and moved up to eighth place overall, as his crew worked hard to get his Suzuki GSV-R set-up for the demanding conditions of the 5.380km desert circuit. Unfortunately for Vermeulen his qualifying tyre choice that was made on Wednesday - in line with the new tyre rule - proved costly. He was unable to capitalise on his improving form during the qualifying session, mainly due to the hard compound tyre not suiting his style or bike settings as track temperatures reached 47°C. Vermeulen (P13, 1'56.639, 47 laps) will start from the front of the fifth row.
Today's pole position was set by former World Champion Valentino Rossi on his Factory Yamaha, with a new circuit record of 1'55.002.
Tomorrow's 22 -lap race will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) as both Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers will be aiming to score valuable points from the inaugural race of the season.
John Hopkins:
"From where we started the weekend I've got to say that I am pretty happy to be starting from the second row. We've got a lot of work done over the last two days and the set-up of the bike is really good right now. We have a good race tyre that should go the distance and has lots of grip, so cheers to Bridgestone for that and for making the improvements that were needed. As far as qualifying goes I think we chose a bit too hard a compound on Wednesday - but I guess that is all part of the new rule. We had a bit of movement and it wasn't stuck to the track like the Bridgestone qualifiers usually are. Considering the pain I've been in this weekend I'm pleased with where we are and I'm sure that the adrenaline will kick in come race time. I can't wait to be racing and trying to run at the front - I'm sure I'll have a good time out there!"
Chris Vermeulen:
"This afternoon the wind changed direction and it made it a bit more difficult out there. For the tests and up until this afternoon it had been a strong headwind down the straight, but then it turned around and was not as strong so it was all a bit different than what we were used to. I got up to speed on the race tyre and felt quite comfortable. I moved into the top 10 and think I will be able to find a bit more speed tomorrow. The qualifiers just didn't give me the right grip and I wasn't able to go much faster than I had been already. It'll make it a bit harder tomorrow having to start from 13th, but that's racing and we'll try our best to get closer to the front."
Paul Denning:
"Considering John started the weekend not knowing if he would be able to race at all, a second row start is a fantastic result and a good reward for his bravery and commitment. He hasn't put a race distance together so far this week, but I'm sure come race day the adrenaline will see him through to the end. John has a good race pace and I think he has the capacity to go a bit quicker when the time comes and situations dictate it.
"It's been a difficult weekend for Chris up to yet, and whilst his race pace has improved step-by-step it just didn't work for him on the qualifiers today. Fifth row is not an ideal place to start but he can do some good times on the race tires and I know he will be giving it everything he can come tomorrow afternoon. He's always been a great racer even if qualifying doesn't go so well!
"The tires seem to have decent durability and we are hoping for a good solid Grand Prix from both riders tomorrow, and to get some respectable points under our belts.
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ENDS