November 07
Jerez, Spain - Test Day 3November 29, 2007
Jerez, Spain - Test Day 3
REPSOL HONDA RIDERS FINISH JEREZ TEST ON TOP
The Repsol Honda pairing of Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden finished the final MotoGP test of the year in first and second positions as the Spanish sun finally faded on the 2007 season. Both riders improved their lap times again today and, with the latest Michelin qualifying tyres fitted, were well inside the pole position time set by Dani Pedrosa at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in March.
Pedrosa rode exclusively on the 2007 RC212V as he conducted a full day's tyre testing for Michelin. The 22-year-old Spaniard completed 72 laps gathering comparison data which the French manufacturer will use for development purposes during the winter break. The culmination of Pedrosa's tyre test was two hot laps on qualifiers with which he set the two fastest times of the day, the fastest one a scorcher that stopped the clock at 1m 38.582s.
Nicky Hayden also had a profitable final day and he too impressed on qualifiers, setting a time of 1m 38.848s on the 2008 RC212V, which was the quickest lap achieved on the new machine over the three-day test. The 2006 World Champion also completed a long run of 24 laps in order to test the durability of Michelin's latest batch of race rubber. Hayden then clocked some quick laps with a final run on the 2007 machine and finished the test in positive mood as he heads home to America for the winter break.
After a long 2007 season the Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy some well-earned time off over Christmas before the MotoGP winter test schedule begins again on January 22 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap: 1m 39.562s Ð 72 laps
Today we focused on tyre testing for Michelin and after three days I think we've learned some useful lessons for the winter. The HRC engineers have a lot of data to work with and can now prepare the machine for the next test sessions at the end of January. I think that we have quite a lot more work to do because we're still some way from where we'd like to be, but the signs are quite encouraging. We have some time before the beginning of the 2008 season and there is plenty of scope for more improvements, so I hope we will use the time well. I have asked HRC for some similar things that I asked for in Valencia - plus many of the things from Valencia have been improved for this test. Now that there is some time we must focus on the areas that have not yet been improved. Today we only worked on tyre testing with the 2007 machine because we have the most reference data for this. We've got through a lot of work and this has been a profitable final test of the year.
Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 1m 38.848s 82 laps
"Again it's been positive today. We spent a big part of the day on the new RC212V and tried the mahcine with qualifying tyres for the first time. The lap time I did was pretty good and I really didn't expect to go that much faster than race tyres, so I'm pretty happy. I also did a long run and, although that wasn't on my favourite tyre, Michelin got some useful information from the run. We also found some good tyres over the three days of the test so it was positive on that front. The one slightly frustrating thing was that I rode the new machine for entire test except for the last hour today and I immediately went faster by about four tenths faster on race tyres which means we've got a bit of talking to do. There are still a few issues to iron out with the new engine but Honda knows how to make engines so I'm confident about it. Plus the chassis on this new machine is really good and a big improvement. I guess you could say it's been a bad year, but it's certainly not a bad life and so we'll come back give it everything next season. A big thanks to all the team, sponsors and everyone who's given me support this year. I'm really excited about coming back in good shape for when things fire up again in Qatar for the night race.
JEREZ, SPAIN - Test Day 2November 28, 2007
Testing in Jerez
PEDROSA FASTEST ON DAY TWO AT JEREZ
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa finished the second day of testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain by setting the fastest time of the test so far with a lap on Michelin qualifying tyres. The 22-year-old confirmed the continuing progress of the new prototype Honda RC212V by setting a mark of 1m 39.993s with his final lap of the day. Considering it was the Spaniard's first run on qualifying rubber at the Jerez circuit on the new 2008 machine, this compares well with Pedrosa's pole position time of 1m 39.402s, set here at the Spanish Grand Prix in March. Before the top five riders had used qualifiers late this afternoon, Pedrosa was also topping the timesheets on race rubber today.
Nicky Hayden had a productive day as he continued to develop the RC212V at the final test of the year before the MotoGP winter testing ban comes into effect on December 1. The 2006 World Champion chose not to run on qualifying rubber today as he and his crew analysed the effects of various changes to chassis set-up. Hayden's quickest lap of 1m 40.692s on race tyres was an improvement of 0.3s over yesterday and the 26-year-old American was only 0.04s behind Pedrosa's best on race rubber. The test continues for one final day tomorrow before the 2007 MotoGP programme finally grinds to a close.
Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap: 1m 39.993s Ð 53 laps
We ended up with the fastest time of the day which is nice, and the day's testing was pretty productive. We started quite late again this morning after waiting for the track conditions to warm up and we also spent quite a lot of time stopped in the garage making machine setting changes, but this is normal for testing. In the afternoon we did more laps, making further set-up adjustments and continuing the work from yesterday. We've been doing short runs of not many laps because it's a new bike and there are many small things to adjust. When we have done this base work we will begin to do longer runs. My fastest lap today was on qualifying tyres because it's important to see how the bike reacts with the extra grip. It was not a bad lap time, especially since it's the first time with this bike on qualifiers at Jerez, though we're not at the level that we were at the end of the season when I took the four pole positions in a row. We didn't have time to test the other Michelin tyre options here today so there's plenty of work still to do tomorrow.
Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 1m 40.692s 78 laps
"I think we picked up where we left off yesterday and the test went quite well again. We didn't work any miracles out there but we chipped away at the times and made some improvements. I wasn't a lot faster today but I was able to take a little bit off the lap time and was certainly more consistent in my pace than before. I think everyone in front of me today used qualifying tyres and as far as the team knew nobody went faster than 1m 40.6s on race tyres, which is pretty encouraging because yesterday I was definitely off by a couple of tenths on race tyres. Today we were right in there, the team's done a good job and we had quite a good day. We were trying some quite big changes with the chassis set-up today which is what you have to do to learn how the bike reacts and behaves in different conditions. Overall we collected a lot of useful information and hopefully we can keep the progress going tomorrow.
JEREZ, SPAIN - Test Day 1November 26, 2007
Testing in Jerez
REPSOL HONDA BEGINS FINAL TEST OF 2007
The Repsol Honda Team embarked on its final three days of testing in 2007 at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain today. Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden continued to develop the new carbon-fibre clad RC212V - the 800cc machine the pair will contest in the 2008 MotoGP World Championship. Taking advantage of cool, sunny conditions at the famous Andalucian circuit, the factory Honda pairing began analysing the latest engine and chassis updates to the HRC prototype racer. They were joined on the 4.423km (2.747-mile) Jerez circuit by many of the other MotoGP teams today.
Dani Pedrosa, who missed the last test in Sepang, Malaysia, was riding the 2008 RC212V for the first time since the day and a half of testing that followed the final round of the MotoGP season at Valencia at the beginning of November. The 22-year-old Spaniard was quickly up to speed at his home circuit and ended the day with the second fastest time - a lap of 1m 40.355s, which was well inside his fastest lap of 1m 41.014s, set during the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in March.
Nicky Hayden was back on board the RC212V just ten days after the Sepang test and he too was encouraged by the latest developments to this all-new machine. The 2006 World Champion completed 63 laps today and finished the day with the fifth fastest time. His lap of 1m 40.923s was also inside his fastest lap from the March race when he recorded a best time of 1m 41.441s. The test continues at Jerez for two more days.
Dani Pedrosa Fastest lap: 1m 40.355s Ð 60 laps
We've been testing with the new bike exclusively today and we were looking to see if the issues we had at the first test in Valencia have been solved. The electronic engine settings which control the power delivery and the engine braking have been improved which makes the machine more rideable and quicker too. The feeling from the chassis is quite good but I have to continue working on the settings to suit me. In Valencia the bike wasn't ready to complete a lot of laps but today we have been able to do many more. There has been progress in some areas and in other areas we still have some work to do. We've tried some changes with the chassis today and we'll look for further improvements tomorrow. So far we haven't tested any new tyres and this is an important area to improve lap times, so I'm confident we can make further progress throughout this test.
Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 1m 40.923s Ð 63 laps
"Overall it was a pretty positive day. We tried some modifications to the engine to get it running better than it did at the previous two tests and now it seems to be more responsive and to be running a little better - though it's still not quite there. We also changed a few things on the chassis, for instance the offset, which took a while and reduced our track time somewhat, but this was important to try to understand more about the machine. This is the first time I've been able to come into the garage, focus on the 2008 machine and spend the whole day on it so that was beneficial. It wasn't a perfect start to the test - that's pretty rare - but we definitely learned some useful things and I'm encouraged by the start we've made here today. Let's see what happens over the next few days and aim to make some more improvements.
SEPANG, MALAYSIA - Testing Day 2November 16, 2007
Testing in Sepang
MORE LAPS FOR THE REPSOL HONDA RC212V AT SEPANG
The Repsol Honda Team again dodged the rain at Sepang in Malaysia today as they continued machine development work in preparation for the 2008 season. A wet track in the morning delayed the start of testing and it was 12.30pm before Nicky Hayden ventured out to resume the engine comparison work he began yesterday aboard the 2007 RC212V. Once complete, the 26-year-old American spent the rest of the afternoon lapping on the 2008 machine, working on engine settings and testing front tyre options in conjunction with Michelin.
The 2006 World Champion declared himself satisfied with progress today having recorded a fastest lap time of 2m 02.800s on race tyres, a promising pace which put him within half a second of his fastest race lap in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang in October. Hayden also experienced the Malaysian wildlife at close quarters today when his knee collided with an unfortunate snake at Turn 11 of the 5.548km (3.447-mile) circuit. The Repsol Honda rider emerged unscathed from the encounter but the snake was not so lucky. A final day of testing takes place here tomorrow.
Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 2m 02.800s 65 laps
"Overall I'm really pleased with today, it's been very positive. We could have ended up with no track time today after getting to the circuit and having to wait three hours for the track to dry. In the end it was a good day. I went out on the 2007 machine first to confirm a few things and within a handful of laps I'd gone one second faster that yesterday so that was pretty encouraging. Then I devoted most of the afternoon to the 2008 machine. We played around with the engine mapping and tried some front tyre options from Michelin. We're still looking for a bit more power but it's not easy, the machine is brand new so all the team is learning. After the Valencia test last week we thought it might be a tough ask to come to Sepang and do as well as we have today Ð we thought we'd be further away, so to do the lap time this afternoon and match the 2007 machine lap time is very positive. And I smoked my first snake, the poor thing. I was just heading through turn 11 when the snake sat up and I saw it but I was committed on the apex of the corner.I picked the machine up and tried to avoid him but caught him with my knee. I'm pretty sure it was a cobra and I'm sorry for it."
