A renewed Repsol Honda Team faces the new 2005 season.
First test day at the Malayan Sepang circuit, where the whole team has planned to test two further days.
The countdown for the start of the battle for the 2005 title has begun today in Sepang with the first of the three MotoGP test days the team has planned to carry out on the Malayan circuit. The Repsol Honda Team has shown-up with plenty of changes, with new technical staff and a new team-mate for the North American rider Nicky Hayden, who will be facing his third season with the official works team.
Four-times 250cc World Champion, Italian rider Max Biaggi has covered a total of 45 laps on the 5.54 km circuit. Today has been the first time the Roman rider has been on a motorbike since fracturing his ankle during an accident while doing supermotard in early November. The 33-year-old Italian rider, wearing a specially designed Dainese boot to contribute to his recovery, enjoyed a satisfactory working day on the Honda RC211V impressing the medical team, surprised by his quick recovery progress. A new team has been built around Biaggi, lead by Hideki Iwano, who headed last year the Honda team than won all national championships in Japan.
Hayden, guided by his new chief of mechanics, Pete Benson from New Zealand, has been working steadily under suffocating heat, with the thermometers showing 33ºC. The 23-year-old North American rider has tested several new parts on his RCV, which is basically the 2004 version, just as Biaggis. The team will be back next month in Sepang with the 2005 version, which will have the new 22-litre fuel tank, i.e. two litres less than in 2004, to comply with the new regulations.
Both riders, Hayden and Biaggi, will be responsible for developing the works bike with the main motivation of winning the riders world championship and ratifying the constructors championship for Honda in 2005.
The new General Manager of the Repsol Honda Team, Mr. Tsutomu Ishii (replacing Mr Koji Nakajima) and the new Team Manager, Mr. Makoto Tanaka (replacing Mr. Shoji Tachikawa), had an exhausting day in their new posts. The team has also signed up Erv Kanemoto who, as Technical Director, will contribute with a lot of experience to the team.
Nicky Hayden,
90 laps. Fastest time: 2’03.17:
‘Its fantastic to be back on the bike! I wish it was the first race of the season instead of the first test, but I also know that tests are very important. This stage is hard; when you get back into action and set your aims for the following months, which are very important. When you have been away from the bike for a lot of time you often have to de-rust yourself, but the truth is that I havent felt bad at all today.’
Max Biaggi,
45 laps. Fastest lap: 2’03.35:
This has been a great day. Ive been back on the bike and have been able to ride almost normally; thats the most important of all. The ankle is still hurting but I want to stop complaining. The first test was the ankle test. Ill soon get rid of the crutches. Were still working on the bike, because the new parts need hard work. We have to build the Winning Bike. Being part of HRC, together with Erv Kanemoto, means great joy and a great honour, but also a lot of responsibility.’
Erv Kanemoto:
‘Its a great challenge Im looking forward to facing. Ill work hard supervising every aspect of the machine and searching for the way to let the riders get the best performance, both of the bike and themselves. We are in an early stage yet and were gathering information. Well be back in Sepang next month with the 2005 bike to keep on moving forward. Ive worked very satisfactorily with Max in the past and we have a very good relationship. Im looking forward to starting to work with Nicky on the same line of success.’
