Despite an inconsequential spilll, Dani Pedrosa continues to gain wet-track experience. Nicky Hayden uses the rain for specific training on his 2006 bike
After the rain a week ago on their second day of training in Malaysia, the Repsol Honda Team riders had another chance today to test their Honda RC211V in wet conditions. It did not stop raining until midday at the Phillip Island circuit, but the ground remained wet all day.US Repsol rider Nicky Hayden was the first to take to the track, and basically worked on finding the right settings for his RC211V in these conditions, building on the adjustments that were used last year on this circuit. Hayden finished the day with a total of 47 laps for 209 km, and his best time was 1’42’62 seconds.
Rookie Dani Pedrosa chalked up more laps and wet-track experience, despite falling early on in the session after the first eleven laps. He lost control of his bike coming out of the first bend, but got back in the saddle and continued to work all afternoon, completing 32 laps for 142 km. His best time today was 1’44’87 seconds.
Nicky Hayden said
‘We didn’t make too many changes to the bike today; basically sticking to the suspensions and wet-track settings to make us go better on the fast curves. It’s useful to practice in the rain, but I hope the weather’s good tomorrow so we can get back to the bike’s development. We started off with the same settings as last year and it went quite well. We didn’t have that many rain tyres to try out, but it’s always good to take advantage of these opportunities during the pre-season.’
Dani Pedrosa said
‘This circuit is more slippery than in Malaysia and the rain makes it even more difficult. I didn’t feel too bad this morning riding in the rain, but had an unexpected fall coming out of the first bend. Luckily nothing happened and the good thing is I’d been doing well up until then. We got back on track after the spill, but couldn’t get in too many laps today. We’ve gained some more wet-track experience, which is always good. Tomorrow’s forecast is about the same, so we’ll just get in some more laps in the rain and keep making adjustments to boost our confidence.’
