Final tests of the year start in Sepang.
Repsol Honda Team riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa started today with their three-day test at the Malayan circuit of Sepang.
The first of the three test days planned by the Repsol Honda Team began at the 5.548 Sepang circuit close to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today (Monday). These will be the final tests of the MotoGP class this year before the deserved rest after the intense season. The three Honda teams will have the last chance to test their five-cylinder 990cc RC211V, before the winter holidays, with the aim of giving the Honda Racing Corporation engineers the necessary data to build the new RCV 2006.
The teams lost most of the morning session due to the overnight rain that fell over the Malayan track. The track surface was considerably wet and the riders were not able to start working until after 11.00 a.m. Once the serious work had started, the teams focussed on trying to find the right settings for their RCV, before starting to tests the latest chassis developments and a range of tyres supplied by Michelin. The aim was to prepare the work for the first 2006 tests, planned for late January in the same venue.
Repsol Honda Team riders Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa arrived in Sepang with vastly different objectives: former US Superbike Champion Hayden, a three-year MotoGP veteran, will bear the brunt of RCV testing in Sepang, while his new-team-mate, reigning double 250cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa, will continue his education and adaptation at the top level in the senior category of motorcycle racing. Todays test was carried out under temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius and humidity levels above 70%, making the atmosphere really stuffy. However, both Repsol riders worked hard and managed to cover more than 100 laps on the Malayan track.
The North American rider focussed his work in testing a combination of the latest chassis developments from HRC and a range of front and rear tyres. His your Spanish team-mate Dani Pedrosa, spent his day covering as many kilometres as possible on his new 990cc 240 PS plus GP machine, growing more and more confident as the day wore on.
Nicky Hayden,
203.027. – 52 laps:
A decent days work looking back on it. Good weather this afternoon and we just kept chippin away at the job all across the board and we made good progress in some places. There were a few things I really liked about the bike today. We tried some chassis changes and they help a lot, like going into the corners the bike is better and that was good for my confidence. We also tested front and rear tyres for Michelin, which seem pretty good. We have to work hard at this test and get more consistent. A lot of guys are working hard for me here and we have to take a lot out of this test.
Dani Pedrosa,
203.70 – 52 laps:
I was looking to get a good feeling on the bike try to find the best riding position for me get comfortable. Then just ride and get more information for the team and gain experience with the bike, engine chassis and tyres. The mechanics need experience with the new group everybody has to grow up together. Today I think we made big improvement in confidence compared to the test at Valencia, I am now much more confident on the bike. Braking hard on this high bike was much better than the last time I tested it. We only tried two different types of Michelin tyres today. I don’t have any experience of the Michelin tyres so we let Michelin do our thinking for me today because they know the tyres me and my chief mechanic, Michael Leitner, don’t have the experience yet. But I could feel the front end pushing but I think this is coming from the big rear tyre. The step up to MotoGP is very big, much bigger than from 125 to 250. I like the Sepang circuit and this will help during this test.
Times:
- Marco Melandri, 22.97
- Nicky Hayden, 203.027
- Carlos Checa, 203.605
- Dani Pedrosa, 203.70
- Toni Elias, 204.059Casey Stoner, 204.259
