Eventful day of testing sees Britain’s Crutchlow fastest in Brno/ Motogp

Monday, 27 August 2012 It was Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow who topped the timesheets in an eventful day of testing at the Brno circuit ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, as potential MotoGP™ newcomers made their mark. Crutchlow, who recorded his first-ever MotoGP podium yesterday, was tasked with testing some small parts on his Yamaha, yet also focussed heavily on race consistency. Apart from running out of fuel in the afternoon session, the Brit was happy with his day’s work. His teammate Andrea Dovizioso, fastest in the morning, did not contest the afternoon session, as he was content with his work on front suspension and engine settings to enhance his mid-corner speed. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo was first out on track in the morning with his current 2012 YZR-M1, before switching to a black-liveried 2013 prototype rolling-chassis, fitted with the current engine, shortly before the lunch break. He did not go under his times from the previous weekend, and stated that he did not feel it had any improvements over his current package. Team Manager Wilco Zeelenberg did however state there will be more upgrades to test next week when the team heads to Aragón. Lorenzo’s fastest lap was set on his current machine, while teammate Ben Spies, who was working on set-up issues with his bike, finished the day in seventh. Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa, testing new parts in his RC213V, was fourth quickest, yet will also have further upgrades to test at a test in Aragón next week. Jonathan Rea, the Ten Kate Honda WSBK rider, who is set to substitute for the injured Casey Stoner at the forthcoming races, was on a steep learning curve all day as he adjusted to the Australian’s bike and the Bridgestone tyres, stating that the latter were the hardest part to adapt to. Having ended the morning session over five seconds off the front, he did extremely well to end the day in eighth, just over three seconds off the front. His time improved by over two seconds across the day, and he set his fastest time on the penultimate lap of the day. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, who finished the day in fifth, was seeking better rear grip and was testing a new front suspension and rear shocks. Behind him, San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista was working on his Showa suspension, the only prototype Honda to be fitted with them, along with three Showa technicians, to analyse data, and resolve some of the handling issues he has been having. Moto2™ rider Julián Simón had his first outing on a MotoGP™ bike on the second Avintia Blusens BQR-FTR of Yonny Hernandez, and did well to walk away unscathed from a heavy crash before the lunch break. Fellow intermediate-class rider Mike Di Meglio, riding Iván Silva’s machine, also got his first taste of the premier-class, sighting that the carbon brakes were the most difficult thing to get used to. Hernandez himself put in some work testing a new Öhlins front fork, finishing the day in ninth, while Silva went out briefly in the morning to reduce his bike’s chatter issues, ending the test in 10th. San Carlo’s Michele Pirro put in numerous laps to improve the team’s FTR-Honda effort, while NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards was getting familiar with the ART machine of the Speed Master team. Edwards confirmed that he will be talking to his team boss Giovanni Cuzari about potentially switching to the ART for the next race in Misano. MotoGP™ Safety Officer and ex-MotoGP rider Loris Capirossi, who had announced he would be testing numerous bikes, was initially out on track with Bautista’s RC213V, after which he tried Pirro’s machine, Edwards’ current Suter-BMW machine and the BQR-FTR. He stated that he was extremely happy with his first-ever ride of a Honda four-stroke, and commented that he was impressed with the high level of the CRTs and the developments Bridgestone have made since last year.(By Motogp)

Bridgestone: Laguna Seca MotoGP™ debrief

Friday, 3 August 2012 Following the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, where tyre choice proved to be key, Masao Azuma, Chief Engineer of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development, shares his views on the race. Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner, who won the race, selected the softer option rear tyre, whilst Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who came in second, ahead opted for the harder option rear. Six of the twenty-one riders on the grid selected the harder compound rear slick, while eighteen riders selected the harder front slick for the race. Q&A with Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department Rear tyre choice for the race was a hotly debated topic over the weekend. In the end, both compound options were selected for the race, so what were the determining factors in rear tyre choice? "During long runs in free practice and qualifying it was clear that both the softer and harder rear slicks were viable options for the race, but it would come down to which rear tyre better suited the bike setup and riding style of individual riders. Generally, harder rubber compounds give better durability, but with the right bike setup and race strategy, the softer option also provided consistent grip levels throughout the race at Laguna Seca. The race was won on the softer rear slick and the fastest race lap was set on the harder rear slick so the determining factors were riders selecting a tyre that provided the best feel, and what grip characteristics the rider preferred over the duration of the race. Also, many teams waited to see what the track temperatures would be for the race before making a final decision on the rear tyre, though conditions were almost the same as they were in the Friday and Saturday afternoon sessions. We can determine from the results that under the race conditions both compounds worked very well, though it is difficult to say which was the better choice." Weather conditions last weekend were typical for Laguna Seca; cool and cloudy in the morning and clear and warm in the afternoon. How did this affect tyre performance? "The variable weather conditions at Laguna Seca can make things complicated for teams and riders, though this year our feedback from riders was that they had a very good feeling from the tyres even in the morning sessions. I believe the improved warm-up performance of the 2012 specification tyres enabled riders to quickly find their comfort zone at Laguna Seca, especially during the cool mornings, and this was particularly important given the increased power output of the new 1000cc machines around this technical circuit." The harder front slick tyre was the preferred option throughout the race weekend, with only three riders selecting the softer front slick. What benefits did the harder front slick offer at Laguna Seca? "Laguna Seca is a circuit with quick changes of direction and elevation that loads and then unloads the front suspension is a very short period of time. As a result of this character, front-end stability is always sought by riders at this circuit, and the hard compound front slick is better in this regard. As the harder option also still gave riders enough edge grip to cope with the demands of this circuit, it was the preferred front tyre for all the sessions and the race. A few riders however did prefer the feel of the softer front slick, so they chose to use this for the race." Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative) Press release courtesy of Bridgestone.

Pedrosa takes top honours in MotoGP FP2 Pedrosa takes top honours in MotoGP FP2 Repsol Honda Team´s Dani Pedrosa topped the timesheets in the second practice session of the MotoGP™ Championship at the Gran Premio bwin de España at Jerez, as the riders once again had to cope with very mixed conditions. » Pedrosa fastest under difficult weather conditions in Jerez Free Practice Pedrosa fastest under difficult weather conditions in Jerez Free Practice The Grand Prix of Spain, second round of the 2012 MotoGP™ World Championship, got under way at Jerez circuit today with Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, who makes his 100th premier class start on Sunday, leading the time sheets with a fastest lap of 1'50.780, and team mate Casey Stoner in fourth position. » Damp Start to Jerez Grand Prix for Yamaha Damp Start to Jerez Grand Prix for Yamaha The Grand Prix of Spain got underway today at Jerez with mixed weather conditions providing a frustrating experience. » Valentino Rossi third in Spanish free practice, Nicky Hayden sixth Valentino Rossi third in Spanish free practice, Nicky Hayden sixth The Ducati Team enjoyed a good start to the Spanish MotoGP™ weekend in Jerez de la Frontera, with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden very fast from the beginning. Bad weather affected the day from the beginning, with morning conditions being neither completely wet nor completely dry. This made the first session useless for both Rossi and Hayden, who elected to stay in the garage. » Kallio fastest in Jerez Moto2™ FP2 Kallio fastest in Jerez Moto2™ FP2 The second free practice session of the Moto2™ class at the Gran Premio bwin de España in Jerez saw Marc VDS Racing Team´s Mika Kallio set the quickest lap of the afternoon session. However it was Frenchman Johann Zarco, riding for the JIR Moto2 squad that set the fastest time of the day. » Fenati confirms potential with fastest Moto3™ time of the day Fenati confirms potential with fastest Moto3™ time of the day Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider Miguel Oliveira has finished top ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo´s Sandro Cortese in the second practice session of the Gran Premio bwin de España, as the Moto3™ class had their first wet session of the day to contend with. » Bautista seventh at wet Jerez Bautista seventh at wet Jerez Mixed weather on the opening day of the Spanish Grand Prix made for difficult conditions at Jerez. Alvaro Bautista completed only a handful of laps in the damp this morning but spent most of the afternoon session lapping on the fully wet track. The conditions were certainly not beneficial to the team's CRT project, which is in desperate need of dry track time to develop the bike. » Solid start for Dovizioso and Crutchlow at rain-hit Jerez Solid start for Dovizioso and Crutchlow at rain-hit Jerez Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow began their preparations for the start of the European phase of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship in challenging and unpredictable conditions at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain today. » Moto2™ riders shine despite rain in Jerez FP1 Moto2™ riders shine despite rain in Jerez FP1 JIR Moto2´s French rookie Johann Zarco was in impressive form this morning as he set the fastest lap in the first Moto2™ free practice of the Gran Premio bwin de España in Jerez, as the whole field had to contend with heavy rain and low track temperatures of 16°C. » MotoGP™ FP1 a washout at Jerez MotoGP™ FP1 a washout at Jerez Ambient temperatures of just 17°C and sporadic rain meant that the vast majority of the MotoGP™ grid did not head out on track for the first practice session of the Gran Premio bwin de España in Jerez. CRT rider Iván Silva was one of the only riders to lap consistently as he undertook the first shakedown of his new BQR