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Alex Asigno

WSBK - WSS Qatar test

By Alex Asigno in Archives

Corser and Haga prove new R1's abilities at Losail test The second significant test session in the run-up to the 2007 season proved to be another giant step for the all-new YZF-R1 and despite poor track conditions in the early sessions and having a mountain of development parts to work through, both Yamaha Motor Italia riders, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, were able to set fast times.
Corser, highly impressive on the new machine at such an early stage in its development, proved to be second quickest rider overall, with a 1’58.9 best lap, while Haga had to wait until he got close to an optimum set-up to record a 1’59.7, less than a second from Corser. Fastest rider on show was 2006 champion, Troy Bayliss, with a 1’58.1.
The Yamaha Motor Italia team had three different chassis specs in Losail, increasing in stiffness from standard to increasingly heavily braced, and the same number of rear swingarms, one near standard and two full race versions. The riders had to work their way through various combinations to choose the best one as a base, as well as try out the new generation of Pirelli tyres. Corser also tried out the full 2007 spec rear suspension unit.
Troy Corser - Yamaha Motor Italia "Even given the conditions in the first couple of days this test has been good for us. We tried out three different rear swingarms, and three chassis, and worked our way through the various combinations of each. Trying out various new tyres at the same time makes it a bit harder but we are pretty happy overall. The longest run I did was about ten laps on the final afternoon and I think Troy Bayliss and I were about the only ones who could get the tyres to do a longish run. I only stopped my long run because the tyre had spun on the rim. We still have some things to work though, because we lost time by having to go in and out of the pits so much to change tyres. We still have a few things to go over again at Phillip Island but the main thing is that I feel comfortable on the bike after only a short time riding it. We were not that worried about lap times this test, as it was more about getting a feeling with the bike - but the lap times were coming in any case."
 
 
Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Motor Italia "We have new swingarms and chassis to test but it is very hard to evaluate them when the track is the way it was in the first couple of days. But in the end we found a good combination of chassis and swingarm, but we did not get such a good feeling from the tyres as we hoped. We still need to work on the set-up of the back end of the bike because with so little grip from the track it is difficult to know the exact direction to take. On fresh tyres we can do the times. We did a long run but we could have made a longer one if we had more duration from the tyre life."
Massimo Meregalli - Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia "We are really happy about the test and the riders have delivered us a good reward for all the hard work we have put in during the last three months on the new R1. We worked really hard and the bike is already good. We go home to do some more work before we got to Australia, where we can make our final preparations for the start of the season."
Laurens Klein Koerkamp - Yamaha Racing Manager “The riders had a lot of material to work though, various chassis specs and swing arms to test, and there were a lot of options. Noriyuki found this difficult at first, but near the end he did a large quantity of laps and found a way. He set a constant range of fast laps in his longest run. Troy was fast from the beginning so you can easily see his experience of testing and in set-up. That is what we expected when we signed him, and it is clearly coming out now. His feedback is concise, clear, accurate and easy to understand for the engineers. And he is fast! Now, we need to go to Phillip Island to reconfirm what we found here. The biggest positives are how well the new bike is going, even at this stage, and how well Troy has worked with the team.”
OFFICIAL SBK TESTS: QATAR Circuit: Losail, Doha Circuit Length: 5.380km Race Lap Record: 2'00.061 (Noriyuki Haga, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 58.1 (Troy Bayliss, 2006, at this test) Temp: 21ºC
Unofficial times 1. Bayliss Ducati Xerox 1’58.1 2. Corser Yamaha Motor Italia 1’58.9 3. Biaggi Suzuki Alstare 1’58.9 4. Toseland Honda Ten Kate 1’59.1 5. Laconi Kawasaki PSG-1 1’59.2 6. Lanzi Ducati Xerox 1’59.3 7. Nieto Kawasaki PSG-1 1’59.5 8. Haga Yamaha Motor Italia 1’59.7 9. Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 2’00.1 10. Rolfo Honda Ten Kate 2’01.7
Pirelli Test Session: Qatar Circuit: Losail, Doha Date: 19 - 21 December 2006 Temp: 21ºC Weather: Sunny, windy on first two days
Curtain and Parkes go 1-2 in Supersport Yamaha Motor Germany team-mates Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes had a busy three days in Qatar but found the optimum settings to handle the difficult track conditions, which were present almost throughout the test. The warmer final day provided a window of opportunity for the entire team and all the parts and machine settings scheduled to be tested were finally evaluated, resulting in impressive lap times.
Curtain was fastest of all, by a single tenth of a second, setting a 2’02.5 with Parkes on 2’02.6, as they rolled out a new standard in the class at Losail.
Despite the fast lap times the track conditions, even on day three, were not ideal for good rear tyre duration, although the team was particularly pleased to have found a front tyre from the new batch of choices, which withstood the demands of a gritty and relatively cold track surface.
Kevin Curtain - Yamaha Motor Germany "Today was heaps better than the previous two, in terms of set-up and grip. We made big improvements to the suspension and we had lots of things to test. Unfortunately the first day was like riding around on a sandy tennis court! You couldn’t test anything and the sand chewed out the tyres in two laps. Today the wind went away as well and a bit of rubber on the track helped traction. We got a good gauge on what tyres will work or won’t work but we still have to work on the rears. Pirelli will sort that out, I’m sure."
Broc Parkes - Yamaha Motor Germany "It ended up pretty good. You could say perfect except for a crash I had in the morning of day two, but it went pretty well otherwise. We got through everything that we wanted to. The tyres worked well but the distance for the rear is the problem. It was too cold and too sandy on the surface and it needs to be warmer as well. Our times ended up really good but it would have been nice to have some even more competitive bikes around to benchmark us. I feel right on the bike, which is important."
Terrell Thien - Yamaha Motor Germany Team Manager “Not such an easy test as it was hard to find tyres, set-up and everything. But on the last day we found a good set-up, good tyres, but we still have some issues with the duration of the rears. For fronts we should be sorted, even if it is warmer or colder in the race. The times are particularly good in the early laps but the track was quite cold at this test, and it should be hotter for the race."
Pirelli Test WSS: Qatar Circuit: Doha, Losail Circuit Length: 5.380km Lap Record: 2'03.921 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 2'02.5 (Kevin Curtain, 2006, at this test) Temp: 21ºC
Unofficial times 1. Parkes Yamaha Motor Germany 2’02.5 2. Curtain Yamaha Motor Germany 2’02.6 3. Nannelli Ducati SC Caracchi 2’03.3 4. Foret Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 2’04.5 5. Riba Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 2’05.2.  
Alex Asigno
Following Camel’s recent announcement, Yamaha Factory Racing would like to express its thanks to Camel and Japan Tobacco International for their partnership and support over the 2006 MotoGP season.
Our thanks go out to all those involved in the project; they have formed an important part of our team over the past year.
It has been a great honour for Yamaha to work with such an experienced sponsor and Camel’s enthusiasm throughout the season has been greatly appreciated by the entire Yamaha Factory Racing Team and the Yamaha Motor Group.
Alex Asigno
The long 2006 MotoGP season finally drew to a close for Yamaha today as the team rounded off the year with a final day’s work in Jerez, before the start of the winter testing ban tomorrow. Rossi and Edwards spent their last day on track continuing with general development work of Yamaha’s new prototype 800cc motorcycle, testing different chassis, new suspension settings and a variety of new tyres for Michelin under sunny Spanish skies.
The fastest lap of the day was set by Honda rider Dani Pedrosa with a time of 1’39.910, followed closely by Valentino Rossi who set a time of 1.40.123 on his 69th and final lap of the day, nearly half a second under his own lap record pace. Edwards was seventh fastest in the unofficial time sheets after a best lap of 1’41.254 from 41 laps.
After 17 races and more than 30 additional days of testing this year, Rossi, Edwards and the entire Yamaha MotoGP set-up will now head home for the winter holidays. They will reconvene for the first test of 2007 in Sepang, Malaysia on 22nd January.
Valentino Rossi (2nd - 1’41.254, 69 laps) “We had a very good test today; it’s been very productive for us because we were able to check many different things for our new bike. We continued to test tyres with Michelin in order to find the correct direction for their development and we also kept working with the chassis and were able to try some different suspension settings. We’ve got some very good information for the Yamaha engineers and now they will work hard over the winter in order to have everything ready for the next test in January. The weather was good today, warm and sunny and in these conditions it was fun to ride on this track, which is one of my favourites. This has been an important test and I am really pleased with the level that we have got to in a short space of time. Of course we still have a lot of work to do, but now it’s finally the end for this year and it’s time to have a rest so we can come back ready to fight in January!”
 
Colin Edwards (7th – 1’41.254, 41 Laps) “I had a small technical problem near the end of the day so I had to stop a little bit early, but other than that it’s been another good day all round. We tested quite a lot more front tyres but honestly the best tyre package we found was what we tried first thing in the morning straight out of the box; that felt pretty good! Other than that we just kept on playing around with the general set-up, trying to learn as much as possible about the new bike. We tried a different chassis today, it’s one Valentino's been testing and it’s definitely the best one so far. We weren’t really looking for times but we ran pretty consistently in the low 41’s all day and I definitely felt like I could have found a bit more if I’d needed to push hard. Overall it’s been a really good test and I am pretty excited about the new bike; we’ve come on in leaps and bounds in just the six days I’ve ridden it. Now I am heading home and looking forward to a nice relaxing Christmas with the family before we get going again in January!”
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director “We’ve been able to do a great job throughout these November tests and everyone has worked very hard. All three tests have been very important for us in order to get as much information as possible for Yamaha to work with over the winter, the engineers have done a good job with the bike and now they will put everything together over the break. In January we will have our final 2007 bikes and then we can start our real preparation for the long season ahead.”
Unofficial Lap Times
1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 1’39.910 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1’40.123 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 1’40.524 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1’40.766 5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1’41.049 6. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda, 1’41.142 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 1’41.254 8. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati, 1’41.276 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 1’41.492 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati, 1’41.595 11. Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 1’43.392 12. Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati Test Rider, 1’44.071 13. Jeremy McWilliams (GBR) Ilmor, 1’44.661 14. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor, 1’44.983
Jerez Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005, 1’40.596 Jerez Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1’39.064
Alex Asigno
The last MotoGP test of the season got underway at the Andalucian circuit of Jerez today, with unexpectedly cold temperatures delaying the start of activity until late morning for the Yamaha duo of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards. Unfortunately, it then began to rain soon after track temperatures had risen to suitable level and Rossi and Edwards, testing Yamaha’s new prototype 800cc motorcycle side-by-side for the first time, were only able to complete a few laps in the dry.
Rossi nonetheless topped the unofficial time sheets at the end of the day, posting a top time of 1’41.745 after 17 laps. Edwards was third fastest in the dry with a lap of 1’42.293 and the Texan also took the chance to try out his new bike in the wet, completing 36 laps in total before calling it a day. Sandwiched between the Yamaha pair was Suzuki rider John Hopkins, who set the second fastest time of 1’42.161 out of a total of 12 riders testing.
Valentino Rossi (1st – 1’41.745, 16 laps) “I’m very happy to see that we have no chatter here, because we had quite a lot of problems in the first race last season. This is one of my favourite tracks and it’s a great pleasure for me to be able to ride comfortably again at it; it feels like another track compared to last March! Our new bike seems to work well and so far I am very happy with it. Unfortunately we only had time for a few laps before the bad weather stopped us just when we were about to begin to test some different things, but anyway we have made a good start. Even though the bike is clearly going well for both Colin and I at the moment, we know that we have a lot of work to do and so these next two days are going to be very important to us. I have some new stickers on my bike and a new helmet; they’re a reference to the legend of King Arthur and ‘Excalibur’! I want to show everyone that we are ready to fight back and that we’re ready to do our very best throughout these winter tests. Let’s hope the weather is good tomorrow so we can begin our task properly!”
Colin Edwards (3rd – 1’42.293, 35 Laps) “It was pretty cold this morning, not really what we were hoping for! We had to hang around until about 11.30 before it was warm enough to go out; it’s not really such a great idea for us to ride when it’s only 18 degrees on track! Once we finally got out there things actually felt pretty good straight away and I was happy with how the bike was adapting to a different track. We’d played around a bit with the geometry in Malaysia but I think that for here we probably need to go back a bit to what Valentino had originally, just to calm the bike down a little in some of the fast corners. Once it started raining we decided to get out there and do some laps in the wet, just to get an idea of how the new bike goes in the rain. I think that was the most productive thing we did all day because, once we were running without much traction in the wet, we could see that we do have a few issues to sort out with relation to the engine braking. We did about 15 laps in the rain, played around with a few settings and started to understand what was going on. It definitely hasn’t been a wasted day, despite the weather, and we’ll carry on tomorrow and see what we can do.”
 
Unofficial Lap Times
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1’41.745 2. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1’42.161 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 1’42.293 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda, 1’44.030 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, 1’44.307 6. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1’44.394 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 1’44.876 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati, 1’45.574 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda, 1’46.200 10. Jeremy McWilliams (IRE) Ilmor, 1’47.216 11. Vittorio Guareschi (ITA) Ducati Test Rider, 1’50.386 12. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati, 1’59.078 
Alex Asigno
Antonio Cairoli claimed his second big international prize in his young career by sealing the 2006 SX UEM championship. The 2005 MX2 world champion scored enough points at the 24th Fiat Supercross of Genova event held last weekend to claim the SX title. Earlier in the year Cairoli already won the Italian MX2 championship and finished as vice world champion in the MX2-GP class, making 2006 an almost prefect season. After Cairoli won the SX race in Milan earlier this year he succeeded in beating rival Renet in Geneva for the final race of the three round SX UEM championship. The victory even came a little unexpected as it was never a main goal of the Sicilian to challenge for SX glory; "Honestly I never considered this championship to be one of my main goals, I don’t even do special training for indoor SX races. But after competing at Bercy (Paris) and Milan I discovered that I was able to compete with the top European riders. I won the first round at Milan and prior to this last race I was only five points behind leader Renet, so I thought I’d better go to Genova!” said Cairoli. “It was a good race for me, I was fastest in most of the sessions and won the qualification and semifinal. At SX events the public is always fantastic and they really supported me, they were a real motivator! In the final I was away quickest, but same as in Bercy, Grant passed me soon after the start. I couldn’t really catch him. With Alessi I believe I could have fought until the end for the second place, but I made a small mistake and crashed when I hit a bale with my handlebar. I was able to defend third position and fortunately Degli Espositi passed Renet which handed me the title. To win this title is a real pleasure because I’m a big Supercross fan. I believe I can still improve my style and riding, but to carry the title of European SX Champion is not bad for now. I really want to thank the public for supporting me and of course my team who made a perfect supercross setting to my YZ250F. My team boss Claudio de Carli is now deciding what will be the next race to compete in, but first we take a very welcome break in December.”
 
Results Genova: 1 Grant , 2 Alessi, 3 Cairoli, 4 Mills, 5 Degli Espositi, 6 Renet, 7 Pellegrini, 8 Izoird, 9 Meo, 10 Dami
Classification EC: 1 Cairoli 41, 2 Renet 41, 3 Mills 33, 4 Grant 25, 5 Aubin 25 
Alex Asigno
2006 FIM International Six Days Enduro – Taupo New Zealand (November 14-19 November)
Germain finishes fourth in E1 class Yamaha France rider Marc Germain has finished in fourth place in the overall Enduro 1 class at the 81st running of the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) staged in Taupo, New Zealand. Competing aboard his WR250F Marc performed brilliantly to win the E1 class on the opening day of the competition and continued to perform well on days two, three and four despite being disadvantaged by being the first rider in the event. On day five, the wettest day of the competition, Marc placed just 17th in the E1 class but he showed great speed again at the sixth and final day’s motocross race, which placed him just outside the top three in the E1 final standings.
Topping the Enduro 1 class in New Zealand was former World Enduro Champion Juha Salminen, who returned to international enduro competition after two years of racing in the US GNCC series. In winning the Enduro 1 class Salminen helped Finland win the Trophy Team competition.
Finishing as runner-up in E1 was Italian Simone Albergoni, who also placed second in this year’s E1 world championship. Third was reigning E1 world champion Ivan Cervantes.
Backing up Marc Germain’s strong performance UFO Corse Yamaha rider Maurizio Micheluz ended the event in eighth in the Enduro 1 class, producing one of Italy’s best individual performances. Finishing in sixth, 10th, fifth, eighth and sixth respectively on the first five days Maurizio added a solid ISDE performance to his season of strong WEC results. Early in the week former world championship motocross rider Darryl King was well placed in the Enduro 1 class aboard his WR250F but was forced to retire from the event on day three due to an injured elbow. Finishing close behind Micheluz in the final E1 class standing Australian Yamaha rider Christopher Hollis placed an eventual 10th while countryman Anthony Roberts finished his week in 14th on his WR and French veteran David Fretigne piloted his Yamaha to 15th having placed third on day one.
 
Mark Germain (Yamaha France) Enduro 1 class – Fourth: “On day one I knew I could win because I like flat, grassy special tests. Once the special tests started to get rougher I wasn’t quite fast enough. It was an advantage being the first rider on day one but after that it’s difficult being the first rider on the special tests. I found that the course on day four was not so hard for me, despite the weather not being so good. We spent a long time riding on big stone roads in the forest. Being the first rider in the event the tracks were pretty nice to ride, but with the soft ground I think that it would have been difficult for the riders at the back of the entry. It’s been a great race but there were not so many spectators during the week. The organisation was really good, the track was well marked, and I liked the special tests – for me it has been a good six days.”   Maurizio Micheluz (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 1 class – Eighth: “It has been a difficult event, especially on day four and five. The conditions are very soft in many places, which made it hard to not make any mistakes on some of the special tests because of the ruts. But I have enjoyed the race, especially the third day, which was my best. I am also pleased with my riding during the week. I didn’t make too many mistakes and generally everything went well.”
Merriman on the podium in E2 class UFO Corse Yamaha rider Stefan Merriman claimed a well deserved podium at the end of the 81st ISDE finishing third in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class. Although competing for Australia the New Zealand born rider had a promising start aboard his WR450F with a victory on day one taking an early E2 class lead. Placing in third on day two Merriman then finished as runner-up on days three, four and five to claim his eventual third place in the finalrankings.
Winning the Enduro 2 class was Finn Samuli Aro. Competing for the Finnish Trophy team along with E1 class winner Juha Salminen Samuli won just two of the event’s six days in the E2 class but his consistency ensured that come the end of the competition he was the rider to beat in E2. Following Samuli home was countryman Mika Ahola in the runner-up position.
Taking part in his first ever ISDE competition as part of the French Trophy team UFO Corse Yamaha rider Johnny Aubert performed like an experienced six days rider and claimed an impressive fifth overall in the Enduro 2 class. Finishing third on the opening day Johnny then finished in fifth on days two, three, four and five to place close behind US rider Kurt Caselli.
Stefan Merriman (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class – Third: “The event certainly hasn’t been easy, it’s been really challenging on days four and five. Just staying upright on some of the special tests has been tough and trying to push 100 per cent has been really difficult. As far as Six Days go I reckon it’s one of the best we’ve had for several years. I reckon that some of the Club team riders must have found it tough from day three onwards because there were some really difficult sections on the course and tests. The Australian team has ridden really well. The weather and terrain conditions suit the Scandinavians and the British riders more than the Aussies, so the team result is great. I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to win the E2 class but there are so many things that have to go right in the six days to win. I caught quite a lot of riders on the special tests, which cost me time, but dealing with slower riders is a part of the ISDE.”
Johnny Aubert (UFO Corse Yamaha) Enduro 2 class – Fifth: “I was not exactly sure what to expect from my first ISDE but I am happy that it has gone well for me. I think that the French team have also ridden well, and I am proud to have been a part of it. I have learned a lot from this experience and although the conditions changed a lot during the week I enjoyed the event. The final motocross race was amazing, it was an incredible feeling racing against Joel Smets.”
Stefan Merriman   
81st ISDE – Results
Enduro 1 class 1. Juha Salminen (KTM) 2.31:19.08; 2. Simone Albergoni (Honda) 2.34:16.59; 3. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 2.34:56.99; 4. Marc Germain (Yamaha) 2.35:37.88; 5. Eero Remes (Honda) 2.36:49.19; 6. Ricky Dietrick (Kawasaki) 2.37:53.51; 7. Petri Pohjamo ™ 2.38:23.31; 8. Maurizio Micheluz (Yamaha) 2.38:33.65; 9. Marc Bourgeois (Husqvarna) 2.38:55.28; 10. Christopher Hollis (Yamaha) 2.39.06.12; 11. Fredrik Georgsson (KTM) 2.40:03.04; 12. Niklas Gustafsson (KTM) 2.40:08.38; 13. Thomas Oldrati (Husqvarna) 2.40:17.64; 14. Anthony Roberts (Yamaha) 2.40:49.60; 15. David Fretigne (Yamaha) 2.40:59.56
Enduro 2 class 1. Samuli Aro (KTM) 2.34:15.10; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 2.34:41.34; 3. Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) 2.34:51.99; 4. Kurt Caselli (KTM) 2.35:01.54; 5. Johnny Aubert (Yamaha) 2.35:19.92; 6. Shayne King (Honda) 2.37:09.75; 7. Jari Mattila (Honda) 2.38:46.87; 8. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 2.39:15.42; 9. Glenn Kearney (Suzuki) 2.39:16.27; 10. Emmanuel Albepart (Honda) 2.39:50.09; 11. Paul Whibley (Honda) 2.40:04.54; 12. Joel Smets (Suzuki) 2.40:19.11; 13. Jake Stapleton ™ 2.40:19.11; 14. Joshua Strang (Kawasaki) 2.40:42.12; 15. Jimmy Jarrett (Suzuki) 2.40:48.89
Trophy Team competition 1. Finland 9:50.59 - Mika Ahola E2; Samuli Aro E2; Jari Mattila E2; Petri Pohjamo E1; Juha Salminen E1; Marko Tarkkala E3
2. France 24:59.89 - Emmanuel Albepart E2; Johnny Aubert E2; David Fretigne E1; Marc Germain (Yamaha) E1; Seb Guillaume E3; Fabien Planet E3
3. Spain 29:56.83 – Ivan Cervantes E1; Xacob Agra E2; Joan Jou E2; Oriol Mena E3; Cristobal Guerrero E3; Xavier Galindo E3
4. Italy 33:15.53 - Simone Albergoni E1; Maurizio Micheluz E1; Roberto Bazzurri E2; Fabrizio Dini E2; Alessio Paoli E3; Alessandro Zanni E3
5. Sweden 34:01.32 - Bjorne Carlsson E3; Joakim Ljunggren E2; Andreas Toresson E2; Daniel Persson E3; Fredrik Georgsson E1; Niklas Gustafsson E1
6. Australia 34:42.04 - Damian Smith E1; 2. Glenn Kearney E2; Stefan Merriman E2; Anthony Roberts E1; Bradley Williscroft E3; Jake Stapleton E2
Alex Asigno
Colin Edwards completed his first test of the 800cc era with another good morning’s work at Sepang today, making more progress on the development of Yamaha’s new prototype machine and finishing the day with the 3rd fastest time in the process. Edwards once again spent the time working on general set-up with his team, especially chassis and suspension, as well as testing some new tyres for Michelin.
Suzuki rider John Hopkins was fastest again with a best lap of 2’01.64, followed by his team-mate Chris Vermeulen, who recorded a time of 2’02.04. Edwards was third with a time of 2’02.43 after 32 laps. The Camel Yamaha Team will reconvene for the final test of 2006 in Jerez, Spain, on 28th-30th November, when Colin Edwards will be re-joined by team-mate Valentino Rossi.
Colin Edwards (3rd – 2’02.43, 32 Laps): “Today was another really good day. I was quicker again and it felt really good to be able to consistently run fast times comfortably. We got a lot of great work done on a variety of things, even though we only tested in the morning. We did a fair bit for Michelin, they’ve got some good stuff and it seems pretty clear what the right direction is for us to go in with regards to tyres. We’ve played about with the chassis and the suspension, as well as a few other things, and when we came to add everything together you could see we were making some good progress. As far as getting input for the final bike they’re going to roll out for us next year, I think we’ve done a pretty good job during these three days. I’m really happy with my first test on the 800, we seem to get on okay and now I am looking forward to the next test in Jerez, where I am sure Valentino and I together can make even more progress.”
Daniele Romagnoli – Colin Edwards’ Crew Chief: “This has been an encouraging first test for our team and for Colin with Yamaha’s new 800cc bike. We’ve changed quite a bit with the overall set-up and we’ve definitely made some big improvements from the bike we first tried on Wednesday. We’ve also worked quite a lot on tyres with Michelin and found some options that seem to be working well for us. The most important thing is that Colin already seems to be getting on very well with the bike, he can ride it well and he’s been fast all week. We’re very satisfied with this first test and it seems like we’re in good shape for this stage of development.”
Unofficial Lap Times (800cc Bikes)
1.John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’01.64 2.Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’02.04 3.Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 2’02.43 4.Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’03.28 5.Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha, 2’03.36 6.Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’03.55 7.Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda, 2’04.27 8.Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 2’04.44
Sepang Lap Record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127
Sepang Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605
Alex Asigno
New 2007 factory Yamaha Motocross team rider Marc de Reuver completed his first laps with his works YZ450FM in Italy last week and then guided a production 450cc YZ to victory in the high-profile RedBull Knockout beach race in Holland at the weekend.
The 23 year old De Reuver, who finished fifth in the 2006 MX2 World Championship and makes his debut in the MX1 class for the 2007 Grand Prix campaign, completed his first Yamaha test in Italy, where he spent 3 very positive days with his new team. “We started testing with the stock bike, moved onto the kitted version and then the factory YZ450FM. More or less right from the beginning I was happy with what I was riding,” commented Marc. “The Yamaha is very different from what I had before and it was up to the quality of what I was expecting. Everyone knows the level and reputation of the Rinaldi team so it was great to start working with them.”
“I found the group very professional,” he continued. “There were six people working for me and I have never had something like that before. There was an engine specialist, someone for the suspension and basically whatever I needed. Every day we would have a meeting altogether and for me the whole environment was very productive and efficient.” “We rode on a hard pack course then went to a slightly sandier circuit before going to Rinaldi’s track, which is long and narrow and very technical. The strongest part of the bike for me was the handling. The Yamaha feels very stable and I felt like I always knew what the bike was doing.”
As the Netherlands’ top rider, De Reuver will retain a high profile alongside fellow new Yamaha recruit Josh Coppins next season and will push to be the first Dutchman to claim victory in the MX1 class since the inception of the category in 2004. “I feel very confident and for sure I know that I can be inside the top five, I have the right tools to do the job,” he commented.
 
Racing Manager Carlo Rinaldi was enthused by De Reuver’s early efforts. “We started the test with the production bike and Marc was satisfied already from the beginning, he commented that it felt comfortable and safe. We then went forward with a step by step process to build the bike for him using the materials we had. We had a good few days and found a decent base from which to get the bike ready for next season. Watching Marc ride was very positive and I was impressed with how he took to the Yamaha.”
After his promising first test-session, De Reuver travelled back to his homeland for his first race outing on a Yamaha in the RedBull Knockout race, that took place on November 12 on the beach of Scheveningen. In a field numbering near 500 competitors, including recognised names such as Steve Ramon (3rd in the 2006 MX1-GP) and ex-GP star Erik Eggens, De Reuver showed his superiority in the sand and guided a stock YZ450F to first position to earn his Yamaha spurs. “There was quite a bit of pressure because we had made some commercials that had been going out on Dutch TV from October and then Steve Ramon entered the race at the last minute,” he recalled. “It was good fun though; I love beach races. The long straight was a bit dangerous and I knew the beach specialists would be quick, but the YZ450F I rode from Yamaha Motor Netherlands was well prepared and overall it was an exciting experience.”
Alex Asigno
After yesterday’s torrential downpour, the rain stayed away today and the sun came out at Sepang for the second day of MotoGP testing at the Malaysian track. Yamaha pilot Colin Edwards, who is riding Yamaha’s new 800cc motorcycle for the first time this week, was able to complete 48 laps and make significant improvements to the setting of his bike, despite suffering a small slide into the gravel in turn one at one stage. Edwards was luckily unhurt and was able to continue working on the same bike after a short time. The two Suzukis of John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen where fastest today, putting in times of 2’02.77 and 2’02.78 respectively. Having set the fastest time yesterday, Edwards was able to improve on that and finished the day third fastest with a best lap of 2’02.91. Following yesterday’s washout, Yamaha have elected to stay for one more half day of testing tomorrow before heading home for a short break ahead of the final test of the year in Jerez. Colin Edwards (3rd – 2’02.91, 48 Laps): “The sun came out today, luckily, but the track was still wet this morning so we had to wait until about eleven before we could get going. Anyway things felt pretty good straight away and we were able to start doing some real work, playing around with some new stuff and just generally improving the setting all over. We then tested some new front tyres for Michelin and the second one especially felt really good. As a result I was pushing quite hard and just held onto the brake a little too long into turn one, which is when I came off. It wasn’t a big crash; I was trying to find the limit and it just bottomed out. Anyway it wasn’t a great drama and within half an hour I was back out on the same bike. After that we just kept on tweaking away at the setting; we ruled a few things out and some things in and made a lot of progress. I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot in a short time and now we’ve just got a few more things to try out tomorrow before we head home.”
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director: “Today was a good day and, although we had to wait for the track to dry, we had time to get through a lot of work. Colin went well today and he was able to give some very important information to our engineers, as well as put in some good lap times. We managed to complete everything we had scheduled for the day and we’re pleased with his progress. Finally we have decided to stay for one more half day of testing tomorrow to make up for the time we lost yesterday, and then we will have a short break before the next test in Jerez, which is also going to be very important for the ongoing development of our bike.”
 
Unofficial Lap Times (800cc Bikes)
1.John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’02.77 2.Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’02.78 3.Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 2’02.91 4.Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’03.74 5.Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’03.87 6.Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda, 2’04.08 7.Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha, 2’04.65 8.Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 2’05.70
Sepang Lap Record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127
Sepang Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605
Alex Asigno
Positive first outing for Haga and Corser on the All-New R1 After working hard to make the first race version of the 2007 YZF-R1 ready for a two day Pirelli Development Teams’ test at Valencia, the Yamaha Motor Italia team enjoyed two positive days of work under clear Spanish skies. Troy Corser set a best of 1’34.9 with a race set-up, with Noriyuki Haga on a 1’35.1, on qualifying tyres. Both existing team rider Haga and new signing Corser made back-to-back evaluations of the 2006 and 2007 models, and despite the ’07 model being in its very first stage of development and testing, each rider found real improvements in the performance of the new machine.
Haga spent his time on the new machine, while Corser moved on to the ’07 machine after riding most of day one on the previous model. The fastest rider in the test was Max Biaggi (Suzuki) who set a fastest lap of 1’33.9 on race tyres.
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia): "We started yesterday just making a shakedown test on the new ’07 bike. Compared to the ’06 bike it was a good start. It’s already quite a good bike and of course we are only at the first step. We have understood what we need from this test and I am sure it will be even better in Qatar. The feeling from the bike is different, front and rear, and it turns a little bit better than the ’06 bike. The ’07 engine is easier to control because the feeling from the engine is good, although right now we only have one specification of race engine. We need to make some adjustments to the mapping and the take it from there”.
 
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia): "We tried some new swingarms and experimented with the length of the bike, but even considering that, out lap times weren’t so bad. This was our first day with the new bike because on day one I hardly touched the new bike. For a first full day on the new bike I think we have got some good info to take away and prepare for the Qatar test. I think the new bike overall is maybe already a little bit better than the fully developed ’06 bike. And we have only just started. The ’06 bike feels a bit more nervous, and the new one feels easier to ride overall. It feels more stable under braking, even thought he ’06 bike was good in that respect too. The ’07 just feels even more stable again. We are still working on the throttle but already the ’07 engine pulls right through the midrange to the higher revs. It just feels more linear. We tried some new versions of the development tyres and found an improvement with both front and rear. I’m pretty happy."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "We can only think of this test as a positive one. To do so many laps and have so few problems was great. In the end we used the new bike all day on the second day and Troy was faster on the new bike when compared to the old one. We are quite optimistic because we didn’t expect this. Because the bike is new we can expect to experience a few problems. The bike was finished only on Saturday night and after we had run in the engines and checked that everything was working we put them in the trailer and drove straight to Valencia. So we were expecting a few small problems, as usual when all is new. When we go home will have a lot of data to check and we go to the next test with good experience from this first one "
OFFICIAL SBK TESTS Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005km Lap Record: 1' 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 33.758 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Temp: 23ºC
WSB - fastest time over two days Biaggi, Suzuki 1’33.9 Lanzi, Ducati 1’33.9 Kagayama, Suzuki 1’34.2 Bayliss, Ducati 1’34.2 Toselan, Honda 1’34.2 Nieto, Kawasaki 1’34.8 Corser, Yamaha 1’34.9 Laconi, Kawasaki 1’34.8 Haga, Yamaha 1’35.1 Rolfo, Honda 1’36.7
Pirelli Test Session: Spain Circuit: Valencia Date: 14-15 November 2006 Temp: 23ºC Weather: Sunny
Parkes flies solo at Valencia Yamaha Motor Germany rider Broc Parkes was on form once more in testing, posting competitive times despite having a heavy workload of machine and tyre evaluation duties to perform, in the absence of his team-mate Kevin Curtain. His absolute best lap on day two was a 1’37.0, putting him fourth fastest overall.
Parkes rode most of the test alone, aided at some points by Yamaha Motor Europe test rider, Jeffry de Vries.
Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) was the fastest rider on display, setting a 1’36.4.
Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) "It would have been good to have another day and I had a lot of work to do as it was. We wanted to get through a lot of new things on the bike and we had to get those worked out properly, so we didn’t devote so much time to testing tyres to start with. We went through a lot of stuff anyway and the bike is working well. I think I did a 1’37 flat, and that was only half a second off the fastest guy, so that was pretty good. We have new quick shifters now and the bike is lighter, so we can move the weight around the bike if we want."
Pirelli Valencia Test WSS Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4.005km Lap Record: 1' 38.664 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 36.4 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006 - this test) Temp: 20ºC WSS - fastest time over two days S. Charpentier, Honda 1’36.4 K. Sofuoglu, Honda 1’36.8 G. Nannelli, Ducati 1’36.9 B. Parkes, Yamaha 1’37.0 F. Foret, Kawasaki 1’37.7 B. Veneman, Suzuki 1’38.6 P. Riba, Kawasaki 1’39.3
Alex Asigno
Colin Edwards got his first chance to try out Yamaha’s brand-new 800cc MotoGP bike today, but his debut on the bike was cut short due to bad weather at Sepang. Torrential rain fell on the Malaysian circuit from 1pm, flooding parts of the track and bringing about scenes reminiscent of September’s Grand Prix, when a similar storm led to the cancellation of Qualifying. The rain did begin to ease up as the afternoon wore on but parts of the track remained underwater and Edwards, along with all other MotoGP riders present, chose to stay in his garage. Nonetheless Edwards and his crew made the most of a dry morning and the American was able to complete 32 laps before it began to rain, forming a positive initial opinion of the new bike in the process and setting the fastest time of the day with a lap of 2’03.56. Second fastest was Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen with a time of 2’03.90. Colin Edwards(1st – 2’03.56, 32 Laps): “The weather has been a pain but actually we’d already accomplished more or less everything we wanted for the first day. The aim of today was to get on the new bike, do a few laps and just generally get a feel for it. I went out on one tyre for about 15 laps and then on another for 12 and my initial impression was pretty good; in fact the bike feels great for this stage of its development. Obviously power-wise it feels different, but other than that it just feels like it’s rounded-off a bit; not such a knife-edge and a little bit more forgiving. We didn’t change anything drastic from the set-up that Valentino's been running, but just made a few tweaks here and there through the morning to get things working better for me. Hopefully we’ll be a bit luckier with the weather tomorrow and then we can start to really work on it and see where we get to.” Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director: “Today the weather didn’t allow us to use the day to our full advantage, but anyway we completed quite a few laps and this was very important to get Colin’s initial comment on our new bike. This is the first taste for him and his information is going to be very important for our engineers. Unfortunately the weather this afternoon was just too bad and it was impossible to carry on, but now we hope for better conditions tomorrow so we can continue what we began today.”
Unofficial Lap Times (800cc Bikes)
1.Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, 2’03.56 2.Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 2’03.90 3.John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 2’04.06 4.Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, 2’04.69 5.Toni Elias (SPA) Honda, 2’04.98 6.Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha, 2’05.11 7.Tadayuki Okada (JPN) Honda Test Rider, 2’05.90 8.Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda, 2’11.05
Sepang Lap Record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 2’02.127
Sepang Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 2’00.605 
Alex Asigno
Just a couple of days after the dramatic finale to his rollercoaster season, Valentino Rossi was back out on track in Valencia yesterday and today, already thinking about next season’s revenge as he got to grips with Yamaha’s new 800cc motorcycle. After the final race of the 990cc era on Sunday, most of his MotoGP rivals were also out on their new bikes as the teams began the long winter of testing in the build-up to the first race next March.
Having only ridden the Yamaha 800cc bike briefly on two previous occasions, this test was the first chance for Rossi and his team to assess it in detail and really begin to work on its development. They concentrated on a variety of different set-ups throughout the test with the aim of gathering as much data as possible to aid the Yamaha engineers in their task. Discounting some times from riders who chose to start off on their 990 bikes, which included Rossi for some laps yesterday, the Italian set the seventh fastest lap time of the 800s overall with a time of 1’33.10 yesterday.
Rossi’s team-mate Colin Edwards will get his first taste of the new bike at Sepang in two weeks time before both riders head to Jerez together for the final test of the year at the end of the month.
Valentino Rossi “It was really good to have two days to rest after such a sad day on Sunday and I’m already feeling much better, in fact I wish the season started in two weeks time! We actually started off the test by doing some laps on the old 990cc bike as we wanted to have one more go at understanding why we lost! Then it was time to finally put it all behind us and get on with the new campaign. It’s been great to be able to try the new bike straight away, when the 990 is still fresh in my mind, as it’s easy to compare and understand the differences. Our bike is already quite good; it’s at a good level for this early stage of development. This is the third time I’ve ridden it and it’s got better each time because they’ve been working hard in Japan. They haven’t made so many big changes yet, just small things like the engine setting, but already it’s a bit faster. Yesterday we were fastest, which was exciting, but today we’ve been trying some different things and we were quite a lot slower. Anyway I’m not worried about that, the most important thing at the moment is to get as much information as possible and really start to understand and get to know the bike. This has been a useful test, I’m already feeling very motivated about the new bike and I am sure that next time I ride it in Jerez it will be even better!”.
 
Davide Brivio – Camel Yamaha Team Director “It was nice to start the 2007 season straight away and not to dwell on the past and this has been a very important test for us with our new 800cc bike. Yesterday Valentino was quite fast which was encouraging. Today we worked on some different things and so he was a bit slower, but at this stage all this information is extremely useful in order to help develop the bike for the next test. Next Colin will have his chance to try the bike and give his opinion and this will also be very important for our engineers. It’s been interesting for us to have a look at our competitors here this week; everyone is already fast so it’s clearly going to be another hard and competitive season and we know we’re all going to have to work very hard through the winter!”
Unofficial lap times
Wednesday 1st November 2006 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 990, 1’32.70 2. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 990, 1’32.73 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 990, 1’32.90 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 800, 1’33.10 5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 800, 1’33.14 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 800, 1’33.17 7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 800, 1’3318 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 800, 1’33.21 9. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 800, 1’33.43 10. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 990, 1’33.64 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 800, 1’33.66 12. Jeremy McWilliams (IRL) Ilmor 800, 1’35.80 13. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 800, 1’36.60s
Thursday 2nd November 2006 1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 800, 1’32.66 2. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 800, 1’32.69 3. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 800, 1’32’95 4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 800, 1’33.96 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 800, 1’33.02 6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 800, 1’33.03 7. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 990, 1’33.40 8. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 800, 1’33.78 9. Jeremy McWilliams (IRL) Ilmor 800, 1’35.90 10. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 800, 1’36.40 
Alex Asigno
The Tech 3 Team is pleased to announce that the Yamaha-Dunlop project will continue in 2007 with a two-rider line-up. After signing Makoto Tamada last week, Tech 3 Yamaha has completed its 2007 squad with the addition of French 250cc rider and current Tech 3 test rider Sylvain Guintoli.
Herve Poncharal, Team Principal of Tech 3 Yamaha, said “I am very grateful to Yamaha for supporting us for one more season and enabling us to have two riders on the new 800cc motorcycle. Furthermore, I am very happy to announce that Sylvain Guintoli will be our second rider alongside Makoto Tamada. The Tech 3 Yamaha Team will be the only team to run Dunlop tyres in MotoGP and we are delighted that we will have such a talented line-up to continue with the great work that we’ve done in 2006.”
“It’s a dream come true for me to finally step up to the MotoGP class,” added French star Guintoli. “Herve and I have known each other for years and to be given the chance to ride with a Yamaha factory team is a fantastic opportunity for me. I want to thank Herve Poncharal and Yamaha for this chance and I can’t wait to begin working with them.” 
Alex Asigno
Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi slid out of the Grand Prix of Valencia today and lost his grip on the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in six years on the final day of an implausibly dramatic season. Nicky Hayden (Honda) lifted the title after claiming third place behind surprise winner Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi (both Ducati), with Rossi recovering to cross the line in 13th place but missing out on the title by just five points.
The fifth lap mishap came after a bad start from Rossi, who looked to be in perfect shape to defend his eight-point advantage going into the race after qualifying on pole position. However, the bad luck that followed the Italian throughout the first half of the season returned to strike its final, decisive blow when the front end of Rossi's YZR-M1 tucked under braking and sent him spinning into the gravel. Another heroic charge from the defending champion saw him recover seven places and brought him back into the points but it wasn't enough to hold off Hayden.
The last ever MotoGP race of the 990cc era, before maximum engine capacity is reduced to 800cc in 2007, also proved to be a let-down for Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards. The Texan had shown good pace throughout the weekend but higher track temperatures reaching 43ºC this afternoon did not suit the set-up of his machine and he was unable to reproduce that practice form. After starting tenth on the grid he made up one place to finish ninth, a result that lifted him to seventh in the final championship standings.
Colin Edwards (9th; +26.072) "Well, obviously that was a disaster from all angles! After two or three laps I lost the front a couple of times but I'm not really sure why. We chose a soft front here but it was the same one as in Motegi and Estoril and it had worked great all weekend here. Today it was quite a lot hotter so maybe that's what did for us. Basically from then on I couldn't turn it properly, I had to put it all on the knee and slow right down to turn, otherwise I was going straight on. I was really feeling that I might crash any minute and I had to follow Hopkins for the whole race; without any corner speed I just couldn't get the jump to pass him. It's a disappointing end to a difficult season for me. I want to say a huge thank you to my team and everyone at Yamaha for all their work throughout the year; they've never given up and I'm sorry that we couldn't finish on a better note. Bad luck to Valentino, he's shown once again how good he is this season and I'm sorry for him and for the whole team. It's all over for another year but we'll both be back in March with the new bike, ready to get some serious revenge!"
 
Valentino Rossi (13th; +38.546) "Of course this is a big disappointment for me because to arrive at the final race with an eight-point advantage and then not win the title is a disaster. Basically I made two mistakes today - one was at the start and then the second one was the crash. It has been a very emotional season, with some great moments, some bad luck and now some mistakes. But this is racing. All I can say now is a big 'congratulations' to Nicky because he is a great guy, a great rider and he is the World Champion because he has been the best this year. I have known him a long time, I know his family well and even though I am disappointed I am also very happy for them. It has been a great fight with him this year - not like in the past with other riders when there have always been some polemics - and we have great respect for each other. I want to say a huge thank you to Yamaha, to all my team and engineers and to everyone else involved, they've done an amazing job this year and now I am looking forward to working towards next season with the 800; I am sure it will be another exciting season and another big battle!"
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It is normal that the feeling now within the team is one of disappointment but we are also proud that we brought this fight to the final round after all the bad luck we had in the first half of the season. Valentino has worked incredibly hard and shown on several occasions why he has been such a great World Champion - even today he kept on fighting to the very end. It is a sad day for us but we are already looking to the future with great excitement about the new 800cc era and the chance to win the title back in 2007. I want to thank all our riders, team staff, sponsors and technical partners for their excellent work this season and, from our behalf, congratulations to Nicky Hayden."
Checa ends his tenure with Tech 3 Yamaha Team scoring another top 10 result
It was a fitting result for the current Tech 3 Yamaha Team as Carlos Checa, in his swansong for the team brought his Yamaha home in 10th place after a hard fought tussle at the Grand Prix of Valencia at the Ricardo Tormo circuit won by Australian, Troy Bayliss on a Ducati. After starting from 16th position on the grid Carlos battled his way through a number of other factory machines showing the determination that has attracted the appreciation of many in the Grand Prix world and again demonstrating the impressive improved performance of the Dunlop tyres the team has used this year. Carlos came close to being the first Yamaha home as he followed Colin Edwards home by less than two seconds after defending world champion, Valentino Rossi made a very rare mistake when he crashed although he remounted to finish in 13th position Team mate James Ellison finished his time with the Tech 3 team in the points finishing in 14th position after battling handling problems with his machine.
Carlos Checa   
Carlos Checa (10th, Fastest lap 1'33.944) It was a very good race. I got a start that was not so bad and I was with a group fighting for 10th to 15th position then Valentino crashed. I feel sorry for them because they lost the championship. Finally, I finished in the top 10 but it wasn't easy at the beginning. I was extremely happy with the performance of the tyre as it stayed very stable and this gave me the opportunity to pass some riders and I ended up quite close to Colin. This will give the team a good reference for us considering Colin's team is using another tyre brand and it shows how much Dunlop has improved. I feel very close to Yamaha but very sad as it is the day I leave this team, Dunlop and Yamaha and after this year I feel so very satisfied as we always fought to improve as it was never easy to get better to bring the bikes and tyres as good as possible. I feel that this is one of my best seasons considering how the season started as it was quite difficult an intense. This team gave me the chance to continue competing to learn more about tyre, and in the human aspects we had a very close relationship with many positive things. We must be very satisfied now. It is something hard to explain at this moment why I am leaving because I want to challenge for a better position in races and I know if they continue here I need more time to develop to get into a more competitive position. At least I left something very important, some progress, some results and some improvements so they can keep working and growing. This is the kind of year I will not forget for sureas like I said it has probably been my most satisfying in al the years I have spent in the Grand Prix. I'd like to thank Herve, Yamaha, Dunlop and the entire team for allowing me to learn more about riding, development and about myself and know that we will part as good friends."
James Ellison (14th,Fastest lap 1'35.311) "For me the race was pretty disappointing as the chatter problem was still with us. All year it has been much the same. We ran the same tyre as Carlos but I've been running a different spec Yamaha all year to what Carlos runs. Getting the setup has been very, very difficult. No matter what we run the chatter problems has been persisting. After four laps the chattering is there. It's either a case of ride with it or if I try to ride through it. If I try and ride though it I will crash like happened in Assen and yesterday during qualifying. When things go well and the bike is working I know I can run the times but when I'm riding something that is chattering every corner and it is so close to the limit all the time it makes this impossible. After today I'm wrecked trying to hang onto it. But saying that, I'd like to say I really appreciate the work and the effort Herve and the team have put in. Truthfully the team has been unbelievable all year. I only wish that there were a few things that were different that may have given me the chance of scoring some results I know I'm capable of. I would love to be staying with the team as well to continue the hard work we have all put in but that isn't possible, so I'd just like to say thanks to them all and hope that one day I can return to the MotoGP paddock."
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It was an incredible day today. Firstly, I feel sorry for Yamaha and Valentino who lost the championship today but that is racing. I am very sorry about that. I am very happy for our last race with Carlos as he showed much fighting spirit because he started 16th and he passed a lot of guys. His pace was very close to that of the leaders for a lot of the race and he caught many riders on other tyres. He eventually passed Hopkins and was closing on Colin to be just two seconds away at the end so we went close to being the first Yamaha - and on Dunlop. That says a lot. We have definitely improved so much during the year but we still have to concentrate on qualifying tyres but if you look at the last few races - apart from Motegi - the second part of the season really showed consistency and a big improvement. Thank you to Carlos and well done Dunlop. We go again with Dunlop next year and together with the new tyre rule and the 800cc capacity everything is much more open and we are very positive so it's good to end up with a race like this. The only sad thing for us is that we say goodbye to Carlos as he has done so much for us. I want to wish him all the best and good luck for what he is doing and thanks again for what he has done. I would also like to say thanks to James as well. I know that he tried very hard all year to come to grips with the bike and the tyres but unfortunately it didn't work out. Like Carlos I would like to wish him the best for anything he does in the future."
Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 32 Crowd: 129.446 Weather: Hot     2006 MotoGP Valencia 29/10/2006 Race 1 - 30 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 46'55.415 2 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'1.319 3 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 0'9.230 4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 0'12.065 5 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'16.306 6 Toni Elias Honda ESP 0'17.390 7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 0'19.329 8 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'23.174 9 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'26.072 10 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'28.194 11 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'29.364 12 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'29.707 13 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'38.546 14 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'20.013 15 Garry McCoy Imor X3 AUS -7 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'32.924
 Rider Standings 29/10/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 252 2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 247 3. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 229 4. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 228 5. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 215 6. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 134 7. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 124 8. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 119 9. Toni Elias Honda ESP 116 10. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 116 11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 98 12. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 96 13. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 95 14. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 92 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 75 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 26
Team Standings 29/10/2006
Pos. Team Points 1. Repsol Honda Team 467 2. Camel Yamaha Team 371 3. Ducati Marlboro Team 356 4. Fortuna Honda Team 344 5. Rizla Suzuki 214 6. Team Roberts KR 134 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 129 8. Honda LCR 119 9. Tech3 Yamaha 101 10. Konica Minolta Honda 96 11. Pramac D'Antin 33 12. Ilmor SRT 2
Manufacturer Standings 29/10/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 360 2. Yamaha 289 3. Ducati 248 4. Suzuki 151 5. Team Robert KR 134 6. Kawasaki 109 7. Imor X3 2
Alex Asigno
Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will launch his bid for the MotoGP World Championship title in the best possible circumstances tomorrow after sealing pole position for the final race of the season in today's qualifying session at Valencia. The Italian repeatedly smashed the pole record here to make sure of the top spot, eventually clocking a best lap of 1'31.002 to hold off the twin challenge of Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), who join him on the front row. Tomorrow, in front of an expected crowd of over 120,000 fans, the five-time MotoGP World Champion will defend an eight-point advantage over Nicky Hayden (Honda) as he aims to secure his sixth consecutive title.
Hayden, the only man with a mathematical chance of denying Rossi, starts from the second row after qualifying fifth fastest, meaning there are three riders between the championship contenders on the grid. Unfortunately Rossi's Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards is not one of those, having struggled to significantly improve his lap times on a qualifying tyre this afternoon. Nevertheless, the in-form Texan has set an impressive pace throughout the day on race rubber. In the morning free practice, when Rossi also topped the time sheets, Edwards was fourth fastest and in the afternoon he lapped consistently inside the circuit record before being forced to settle for tenth place on the grid.
Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'31.002; 30 laps) "We knew we had great potential with the qualifying tyre because we tried it this morning in the free practice and then this afternoon I did three very good laps, each one better and better and then the final lap was very fast. To do a 1'31.0 was really incredible. This pole position is crucial for me because it is an important part of my race tactics to start from the front. The session couldn't have gone much better for us because we have a couple of other riders between myself and Nicky. It is a shame Colin is not one of them but he has a good race pace so hopefully he can help me out like he did at Estoril. The team has done a great job this weekend, especially with the balance of the bike. Now we need to make one or two small changes for tomorrow and then we'll just wait and see. I hope the weather will be like this - for the riders and for the fans because it looks like there will be a great crowd! Now we have the most important thirty laps of the season left to complete our target."
Colin Edwards (10th - 1'31.711; 28 laps) "I'm really pleased with the race setting although we could still make a little more time up in the second sector so that is something we will look at in the warm-up tomorrow. I'm also having a slight problem under braking into turn one but it's good to know that even with those small setbacks we are still right up there in terms of the pace we can expect to see at the front tomorrow. The bike is a lot better than yesterday - we were confident that the changes we had in mind would work and they did, so I have to give my thanks to the team for that. They've done a great job on the bike and we're all set to give a good showing in the last race. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get it done on the qualifying tyre today so the starting position is a little further back than we would like but I know this circuit really well and hopefully I can use that knowledge to make as many passes as possible at the start of the race, get up there and help Valentino win this championship."
 
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "We couldn't have asked for a better starting position for the most important race of the season but the main thing is that Valentino's general feeling with the bike is good and he is comfortable going into such a big day tomorrow. Of course, anything can still happen but we feel ready for this last battle and happy in the knowledge that our bike will be competitive enough to go out and race. Unfortunately Colin wasn't able to take advantage of the qualifying tyre today but we're pleased with his pace on race rubber and we expect a big effort from him tomorrow. If he can get a good start then I'm sure he can stay with the lead group and help out Valentino, just like he did at Estoril. We are ready for D-Day!"
Tech3 Yamaha confident of strong race at Valencia
Two hours of practice and qualifying for tomorrow's final MotoGP of the year at the Grand Prix of Valencia have placed the Tech 3 Yamaha Team in an encouraging frame of mind for a good performance in what is the final race with the team for both Carlos Checa and James Ellison.
Carlos and James finished the critical one hour qualifying session in 16th and 19th positions respectively but these places are deceptive as on race tyres the Tech 3 Yamaha Team is right in the hunt. Carlos's lap times especially are similar to those of pole sitter and fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi and, encouragingly, just over a second off the fastest pole time of the defending world champion.
Also during qualifying, Carlos did almost an entire Grand Prix distance on race tyres to boost his confidence for his final race with the Tech 3 Yamaha Team while teammate James had his session interrupted with a crash as he was pushing hard following Carlos in an effort to move up the grid. Although he had a small hiccup with the low-side crash, the Englishman still lowered his lap times from yesterday to set him in the mood for a good performance.
Carlos Checa   
Carlos Checa (16th, 1'32.747, 31 laps) "I am not too disappointed with the session, although of course we would like to be closer to the front, but I did a race pace on a new tyre selection so we hope we can do the same times and be able to do the entire distance. We are quite satisfied with the job we did as on the last lap we did a flat 34. Our main problem is the consistency and to be able to race all laps in the 33s will be quite difficult. Unfortunately, with qualifying tyres we had a lot of chattering and couldn't improve too much. I thought I may be able to do one more lap but this was not possible. We are not in the best place on the grid as we are a bit further back than we would've liked but I am confident after doing the lap times today on race tyres that if we can get a good start we may be able to push our way through a few positions to get closer to the front but we have to remember that this is a very hard place to pass so we must aim for the best of starts. Also, as it is my last race with the team I want to have a good result to say thanks for all the hard work they have put in this year. At the beginning of the year we knew this would be a very difficult season but for everything that has happened I must say that it is one of the most personally satisfying years I have had in my career."
James Ellison (19th, 1'33.953, 25 laps) "The session was ok at first and I really thought we may pull out a half decent qualifying position but we are still hitting a barrier that we can't push through, as once we start pushing through it we are having heaps of chattering problems on the right side. It starts to chatter then you try and ride through it and sometimes you get away with it and it stops chattering and sometimes it doesn't and that's what happened when I lost the front through the second right-hander. I can follow Carlos on exactly the same line and speed but when we look at the telemetry we see how different each bike is performing but it seems to have been the case all year. We have a pretty good idea for a race setup as I can run around in the 34 second bracket quite comfortably so I am fairly confident that we can run a good pace tomorrow and finish off a difficult year in the points.
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "First up congratulations to Valentino as this could be the most important pole position of his career. Saying that, it was a not so bad day for us today although the time sheets may show different. We look quite good on race tyres as we did 20 laps with Carlos earlier in the session and the lap times was very consistent with the entire block in the 1 minute 33 second bracket which after two days appears to be what the race pace will be and this is quite promising. Unfortunately we didn't qualify as well as we could've done and the starting position is not what we would've have liked but we saw Carlos at Estoril start from quite far behind after an incident at the first corner and he came back to a very decent position after the first few laps. We hope tomorrow that he will be able to make his way through the field for a similar result. As it is Carlos' last race for the team in Spain front of his home crowd we would like him to do well so we will all be trying our best. James was riding quite well also until he fell when pushing. We are happy to see him pushing hard and although he didn't improve after he crashed, he was very aggressive and this is what we like him to do and tomorrow we hope that he can do the same thing and finish his time with the team with a satisfactory result."
Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 31 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Valencia 28/10/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'31.002 2 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'31.210 3 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'31.307 4 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'31.341 5 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'31.378 6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'31.385 7 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'31.470 8 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'31.606 9 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'31.663 10 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'31.711 11 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'31.892 12 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'32.062 13 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'32.144 14 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'32.358 15 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'32.467 16 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'32.747 19 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'33.953
Alex Asigno
Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi today began preparations for the race that will decide the destiny of the MotoGP World Championship title as the first free practice sessions took place at Valencia. Fans have already begun to stream into the Ricardo Tormo circuit to witness the first exchanges of what promises to be another historic chapter in this sport's great history, with bright sunshine and warm autumn temperatures of 25ºC welcoming them to the eastern coast of Spain for the final round of the season.
In the morning session Rossi and his Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards helped raise the heat with a series of quick laps that left the Italian on top of the time sheets, with the American sixth fastest, over lunch. However, the pace picked up considerably in the afternoon as a number of riders tested out their qualifying rubber ahead of tomorrow afternoon's grid decider and the pair slipped down the order, with Rossi ending the day seventh fastest overall and Edwards, who was unable to improve on his best lap from the morning, down in eleventh.
Loris Capirossi (Ducati) clocked the fastest time of the day with a lap of 1'32.220, ahead of Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki) and Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki). Rossi and Edwards will look to close the gap as they work on further setting refinements to their YZR-M1 machines in the final free practice session tomorrow morning, before official qualifying gets underway at 2pm local time.
Valentino Rossi (7th - 1'33.274; 51 laps) "We found a good setting this morning and we were quite fast from the start, but this afternoon some of the others made big improvements and caught up with us! This afternoon we tried a lot of different things and quite a few tyres, trying to find the best possible package for tomorrow and Sunday. Tyres are fundamental here and its very hard on the left side of the tyre especially. This track isn't so easy and it takes time to find the right setting, but the feeling from the bike is good and in general our race pace is quite fast so we're not really worried. We've got one or two things to improve, especially in a couple of the hard braking areas, but I think if we can make just a couple of improvements then we will be able to fight at the top. For now we will stay calm and focused and tomorrow things will be clearer."
 
Colin Edwards (11th - 1'33.545; 39 laps) "It's okay, everything is under control! Our new breakthrough, 'miracle' setting that we found in Motegi needed a few tweaks before it was perfect for Estoril and here it's the same story. In fact we need to make a few small changes back towards the Motegi setting in order to have it perfect for this track. Everything we're learning and understanding here, especially with the setting, is going to be really valuable next year, even with the new bike, so that's quite exciting. We understand why it was perfect in Portugal and why we've got some problems here, so there's no need to panic. We'll make some changes tonight and I'm confident that we'll be back up there tomorrow."
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "With Valentino we worked a lot today on many different things. We're still trying to fine tune the setting and select the right tyres but anyway the situation is not so bad. Colin this morning was quite fast but now we need to look at what happened this afternoon because he couldn't improve on that time. We've got some work to get through tonight to see how we can improve with him but it seems his team understands what they need to do and I am sure they will be able to bring everything together for tomorrow. It's not a perfect start but we're relaxed, it's only Friday and we have all of Saturday to improve."
Hard work ahead for Tech3 Yamaha at Valencia
The opening day of practice proved to be a difficult one for the Tech 3 Yamaha Team as riders Carlos Checa and James Ellison struggled to find a suitable setup in preparation for tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions in preparations for Sunday's Grand Prix de Valencia where over 125,000 spectators are expected to witness one of the great races of the modern MotoGP era as both riders prepare for their last race in the yellow and black Tech 3 Yamaha colours. Carlos along with fellow Yamaha rider Colin Edwards were the only two riders not to improve their morning time later in the day as higher temperatures made tyre selection challenging. While Carlos struggled to be in the somewhat unfamiliar position of 15th fastest, James took nearly two seconds off his time from the opening session to be one position behind his team mate with both riders confident that some hard work overnight can improve their chances for Sunday's race.
Carlos Checa (15th, 1'33.860; 53 laps) "It hasn't been a frustrating day but it has been very hard work. This afternoon we couldn't find the right combination with grip and we also had a lot of chattering. We have been using one bike then the other, testing different rear tyres but we haven't found good performance especially with the side grip. Sometimes it hasn't been so bad but then we get some big chatter in one bike very badly but in my other bike we have a setting to try and stop the chatter. Today is one of those days where you hit the same wall and can't jump over it. We need to change something else to try and stop this chatter and improve the side grip but honestly at the moment I can't find that next step that we need to move forward. But like this team has been doing all year we have some ideas to try tomorrow and Dunlop have some other combinations with rear tyre that we will try tomorrow to see if this can give us something better. We also tried a different front rim size to try and eliminate our problems but the tyre worked quite different this afternoon. I don't know if it was the rim or the fact that the track had a lot higher temperature but I'm sure we will find something tomorrow as we have already been working on some ideas. Although many others tried qualifying tyres it didn't make sense for us to use one. We have to improve the pace to be more consistent and faster with the race tyre. It is my last race with this team and I am determined to give a good result for the team as they have been working very hard all year to improve the situation we are in. I thi k we all have done a very good job to get the Dunlop tyres to where we are now but of course not every day is going to be perfect so we will work on making these improvements for tomorrow.
Ellison and Checa   
James Ellison (16th1'34.323; 51 laps) "We had a slow start this morning as we had a lot of changes with setup to find a balance with the bike and tried a few new tyres to find a direction for this afternoon which obviously we did as straight out of the box we were a lot better than we were this morning but, to be honest it seems all the Dunlop runners are struggling to find the right combination of tyres. The ingredients are there in each tyre. A certain area of one is good and then there are the same things in other tyres that are goods so it's a case of all getting together and finding the one that is going to work this weekend because the times are so close. I am very happy to be right with Carlos. It's probably the closest since Brno so in that respect I'm happy but we still have along way to go. I'm sure Carlos isn't too happy so the only way is moving forward. The times are so close so its not like taking big chunks out of a lap time we're looking for its just fine-tuning with the tyres and the balance of the bike.
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director This is an important weekend for us of course as it is the end of the season but also the last Grand Prix with Carlos which is something very special because we have had a really good year together and I think we have done a great job thanks to him. The improvement of the Dunlop tyres owes him a lot and most of it is because of his dedication and hard work. This morning was good as we started really strong and looked like we could be doing another Phillip Island or Estoril but I'm not in a position at the moment to explain this afternoon. Maybe it was because of the unexpected heat combined with the track. The only two guys that didn't improve were Carlos and (Colin Edwards) but still Carlos didn't want to use the qualifying tyre. We know that the result of the second practice session doesn't reflect 100% of the situation because we are only 0.8 to the best time on race tyres. It is still a long way behind but not as bad as we've seen on the screen. I am quite confident that we can give Carlos the best package possible to end this adventure with us and I think he is very motivated to give a good gift to the team. We are not too far away and we are going to push very hard tomorrow so we are quite confident. James has been riding well to improve his time so I think we are in a pretty good shape to move up the sheets tomorrow.
Circuit Length: 4005 Temp: 25 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Valencia 27/10/2006 Free Practice Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'32.220 2 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 1'32.408 3 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'32.786 4 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'33.019 5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'33.080 6 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'33.254 7 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'33.274 8 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'33.369 9 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'33.394 10 Troy Bayliss Ducati AUS 1'33.433 11 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'33.556 12 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'33.622 13 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'33.689 14 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'33.795 15 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'33.954 16 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'33.967 17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'34.323
Alex Asigno
The Tech 3 Yamaha Team have chosen Makoto Tamada to join their team for the 2007 MotoGP World Championship season. The 29-year-old Japanese will ride the new 800cc Yamaha and continue the development of Dunlop tyres of which the performance has significantly improved during the 2006 season.
"We are very happy to welcome Makoto Tamada" says Herve Poncharal, Tech 3 Yamaha Dunlop team manager. " He is an excellent rider who has already proved his potential by winning two Grands Prix and being on the podium five times in the MotoGP era. We are sure that he will be able to help Dunlop becoming more competitive - a challenge that has become even more interesting as we will all jointly work with the new Yamaha 800 with the full support of the Yamaha factory."
Makoto Tamada, who made his MotoGP debut in 2003 also looks forward to joining this project: "I am happy to be back on Dunlop tyres again, and have good memories of riding on Dunlop in the Japanese Superbike Championship. I am excited by the challenge that the Tech 3 Yamaha Dunlop project offers. I was able to judge at close quarters the current level of the Yamaha Dunlup package during the Portuguese GP, where Carlos Checa and I raced very close together."
Makoto Tamada's statistics: Grands Prix contested in total: 62 Debut in Grand Prix: 1998 in 250 cc First MotoGP: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, 2003 MotoGP Podiums: 5 MotoGP victories: 2 (Japan and Brazil 2004)
Alex Asigno
Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd is pleased to announce that Colin Edwards will continue with the Japanese factory for a third year in 2007, racing in the official Yamaha Factory Team. The 32-year-old American, who has previously won two World Superbike titles and has a best finish of fourth in the MotoGP World Championship with Yamaha, joined the Team in 2005 and has scored points in all but one of his 33 starts for them. Edwards has signed a one-year agreement, which will see him race on Yamaha’s new 800cc bike alongside Valentino Rossi again next season.
Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Srl, Lin Jarvis, commented, “We are very happy to have retained Colin for another year. Although he hasn’t had the easiest of seasons in 2006, he has given a strong showing in the last few races and has proven he can fight at the top of the MotoGP World Championship. He fits very well into the Yamaha ‘family’ and we’re sure that he will play a key role in the development of the new 800cc Yamaha MotoGP bike alongside Valentino.”
Edwards, who began his international career with Yamaha in the World Superbike series in 1995 before returning to the Factory last year, said “I couldn’t be happier to be staying with Yamaha for another year. It’s no secret that this season we haven’t achieved the results we should have had, but in the last few races I feel that things have started to turn around and we hope to finish on a high in Valencia. I couldn’t ask for a better team-mate or team, I’m really happy at Yamaha and I can’t wait to start working on the new bike!”
“The good partnership between Colin and Valentino is one of the strongest assets of our team,” added Davide Brivio, Team Director of Yamaha’s Factory Team. “We think that, for various different reasons, Colin wasn’t able to show his full potential this year and that’s why we’re very glad to have the chance to work again together next year. We are confident that we can offer him the right package to enable him to stay at the top throughout next season. Working with Colin is a real pleasure and we’re very happy to continue with him for another year.”
 
Colin Edwards Statistics: Grands Prix contested in total: 65 First Grand Prix: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, 2003 MotoGP Podiums: 6 World Championships: 2 (World Superbike)
2006: Camel Yamaha Team – MotoGP World Championship 2005: 4th – MotoGP World Championship (Yamaha) 2004: 5th – MotoGP World Championship 2003: 13th – MotoGP World Championship 2002: World Superbike Champion – race wins 11, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 2001: 2nd – World Superbike Championship – race wins 4, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 2000: World Superbike Champion – race wins 8 1999: 2nd – World Superbike Championship – race wins 4 1998: 5th – World Superbike Championship – race wins 3 1997: 12th – World Superbike Championship 1996: 5th – World Superbike Championship, Winner Suzuka Eight Hours 1995: 11th – World Superbike Championship 1994: 5th – AMA Superbike Championship – race wins 3 1993: 6th – AMA Superbike Championship 1992: AMA 250cc Champion
Alex Asigno
Today two-time former world superbike champion Troy Corser had his first outing with the Yamaha Motor Italia team with whom he will compete in the 2007 Superbike World Championship.
The Australian completed 74 laps on the Mugello circuit in Italy riding a 2006-spec YZF-R1. The main objectives of the test were to help the team understand the rider’s preferences with regards to machine settings and to give Corser a first impression of his new team and of the R1 he has competed against for the past two seasons.
Corser and team-mate Noriyuki Haga will get their first taste of the 2007-spec YZF-R1 at the official FG Sport test on 14th and 15th of November at Valencia.
Troy Corser “I am very happy with today’s results. After altering the settings of foot pegs, handlebars and the thumb operated rear brake in the morning session, I already felt quite comfortable on the bike. The Yamaha R1 has impressed me on several points, especially the mid range power is strong and the chassis is very stable under braking. We worked on different bike settings during the day and the cooperation with the team worked out very well. At the end of the day I was already doing lap times equal to Noriyuki’s times here at Mugello so that gives good expectations for the next test at Valencia. There we will be able to make a realistic comparison. All in all I am very pleased with my first day working with the team and looking forward to next season.”
Massimo Meregalli “Today we have completed a quite significant amount of laps in order to have Troy getting used to the bike and the team. The result of the test was initially not to set competitive lap times but in the end Troy has shown us some impressive results. It was an important shakedown for the team and now that Troy has already proven he is able to work with the 2006 bike, we can now fully focus on 2007 season preparations. Today’s test was very positive so now we can work towards the Valencia test with full confidence.” 
Alex Asigno
One of the most exciting seasons in the history of the MotoGP World Championship reaches an intense climax next weekend as Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden (Honda) go head-to-head for the title in a final-round shootout at Valencia. The amphitheatre-style surroundings of the Ricardo Tormo circuit on the outskirts of the Spanish city provide the perfect stage for the ultimate instalment of a 17-round epic that began on the Iberian peninsular in less than perfect fashion for Camel Yamaha rider Rossi nine months ago.
Since being knocked from his bike in the first corner of the first race at Jerez, the Italian has been through virtually every emotion known to a motorcycle racer. A dramatically unpredictable season of twists and turns has seen Rossi visit the gravel traps, the hospital and the top step of the podium in almost equal measures, with technical problems also robbing him of vital points in the first half of the season. However, since finding himself a massive 51 points behind Hayden after round eleven at Laguna Seca, the five-time World Champion has shown his true colours with a string of five consecutive podium finishes.
His latest, second place in the Grand Prix of Portugal at Estoril, coupled with a crash for Hayden, finally lifted him above the American to the top of the standings for the first time this season and opened up an eight-point gap between the pair with one round to go. It means that for the first time in fourteen seasons the destiny of the MotoGP World Championship will be decided in the final round, with the drama set to unfold in front of a sell-out crowd in excess of 120,000 people in the firecracker atmosphere of Cheste.
Colin Edwards will once again be looking to play the role of good team-mate after his star performance at Estoril just over a week ago. The Texan was back to his best form in Portugal, qualifying second on the grid and providing a crucial helping hand to Rossi in the early stages of the race - only to narrowly miss out on his second rostrum of the season as he took fourth place at the line. This weekend Edwards' clear objective is to go at least one position better and make sure he is celebrating alongside Rossi on Sunday evening.
 
Valentino Rossi: My one chance Valentino Rossi travels to Spain this week knowing that he cannot afford to let this incredible opportunity slip after admitting that a fifth title defence was effectively out of his hands just five rounds ago. Hayden's well-publicised misfortune in Portugal has perhaps overshadowed the fact that it is Rossi's own form - a run of nine top-three finishes from the last eleven races - that has propelled him to the top of the standings and fulfilled his target of arriving at the final round with a sixth consecutive premier-class title in sight.
"Things went very well for us in Estoril - we've achieved our goal of coming here still fighting for the championship and for this I have to thank everyone in the team so much," says Rossi. "Each person has worked at 100% to bring us back to this position and now we're all very excited about this final race. Of course it's not going to be like other times, when I have won the championship with some races to spare and less pressure. Now I only have one chance. It's a big pressure for everyone but it's great for the show.
"Valencia isn't one of my best tracks and we also know that Hayden is really strong there, so it's definitely not going to be easy. On the other hand we know that the M1 works quite well there and in the race last year it was very good in the second half of the race especially. If we can start from the front then I think we can try for the win, but whatever happens it's going to be a really exciting race. Hopefully Colin and I can be at the front together like in Estoril and we'll just see what we can do!"
Colin Edwards: A team player Colin Edwards says his number one aim this weekend is to help out his great friend and team-mate Valentino Rossi in his quest to win the title. The best way to do that, of course, is for the Texan to keep his excellent form going and continue with the recent progress the pair have made with the set-up of their YZR-M1 machines. Edwards' attitude is a reflection of a tight team ethic at Camel Yamaha and it is something he hopes will pay dividends when the chequered flag greets the 2006 MotoGP World Champion on Sunday.
"I'm pretty excited about the last race of the season, it's going to be pretty close I reckon," says Edwards. "Estoril worked out well for the team and I was able to help Valentino out, which was the number one aim. Obviously I was disappointed not to be on the podium but my bike worked great and I think that we're in good shape to do it all again at Valencia."
"I've raced at Valencia for years so I know it really well and I know I am quite fast there. Like in Estoril, the aim is going to be to get on the front row alongside Valentino and then just to help him out in the race as much as possible. Of course this time out I want to be on the podium too, a Yamaha one-two would be the perfect end to the season!"
Davide Brivio: The final push For Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio the Grand Prix of Portugal epitomised the togetherness and spirit shown by his riders and staff since bouncing back from the brink of failure midway through the season. With just one round remaining the Italian is asking for one final, definitive push before a well-earned break and the start of the new 800cc era in 2007.
"Since the summer break we have just taken the races one-by-one, working our hardest and keeping our focus, and the results have been excellent," reflects Brivio. "Our objective from Brno onwards was to keep fighting until the end of the season and try to get to the last round with a mathematical chance of winning the title. After Portugal that mathematical chance is a lot stronger than we expected but it is not over yet and, as we all know from our experience this season, anything can still happen.
"It looks like being another dramatic weekend but from our point of view the objective is just the same as it has been for the last five or six races - to keep our heads down, work hard and stay focused on the job of giving our riders the best possible package for Sunday. If we can do that then I'm sure Valentino and Colin will do their part too, and hopefully we can celebrate together on Sunday."
Technically speaking: Valencia according to Jeremy Burgess With its unique stadium-style surroundings the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia is a spectacular, if somewhat cramped facility characterised by a never-ending burst of tight corners, connected by short straights. The long penultimate looping left-hander and the fast entry to turn one contrast violently with the otherwise geometric flip-flop chicanes and slow-speed corners of the infield.
"Valencia isn't one of Valentino's favourite tracks because it is so tight and twisty, but we won there in 2004 and finished third last year after starting well down the grid, so we know the M1 works well," says Jeremy Burgess, Chief Engineer to Valentino Rossi. "One of the big lessons we have learnt this season is that if you want to win in this class nowadays then you really have to start from the front so we will again be using the free practice sessions to make sure we have the right bike settings for both qualifying and the race.
"Technically there is not much to say about Valencia other than the obvious fact that it has a lot of low gear usage and very little throttle - with the back straight and the start-finish straight being the only two high speed sections. The last long left is different to any other corner in the world and it can be crucial to the outcome of the race so for that reason it requires special attention when setting the bike up to make sure you have the speed coming towards the line. The rest is slow and anti-clockwise - there's not much else to say about it really!"
Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 172 (113 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 44 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 65 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike
Valencia Lap Record: Marco Melandri (Honda) 2004, 1'33.043 Valencia Best Lap: Sete Gibernau (Honda) 2005, 1'31.874
2005 Valencia Grand Prix Results: 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda, 46'58.152 2. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, +0.097 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha +2.959 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +25.678
Alex Asigno
A fantastic team effort from Yamaha today saw Valentino Rossi take the lead in the MotoGP World Championship by eight points ahead of the final round of the season at Valencia, after taking second place in a race that saw Nicky Hayden (Honda) dramatically crash out at Estoril. Rossi missed out on victory by just 0.002 seconds after a photo finish with Toni Elias (Honda), the Spanish youngster slipstreaming the Italian to the line to take his maiden success in the class. Nevertheless the 20-point haul means that second place for Rossi at the final race in two weeks' time will be enough for the title, regardless of who wins.
Colin Edwards also played a crucial role for the team today, turning in one of his best performances this season to battle with the lead group throughout the race before being forced to settle for fourth in that breathtaking finale. The Texan got a great start from the front row of the grid and fulfilled his promise to help out Rossi for the opening laps, protecting his team-mate from the attentions of Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Hayden. Whilst Rossi tried to escape at the front, a pass by Edwards on Pedrosa for second place on lap three proved critical, as the Spaniard then became involved in a tussle with his own team-mate Hayden before sensationally colliding into the American to send them both tumbling into the gravel. Rossi and Edwards looked set for a one-two finish, mirroring their qualifying result, but a late charge from Elias, who was followed by Kenny Roberts JR (Team KR) put paid to those hopes as the top four crossed the line separated by just 0.864 seconds.
Valentino Rossi (2nd ; +0.002) "I'm really happy to be finally leading the championship; this is the most important thing for today, even if I am disappointed not to have won! I made a good start and was in front after turn one, but I knew that my pace wasn't as fast as yesterday, because it was about ten degrees colder and this gave us some problems. When I saw that Colin was behind me this made me quite relaxed because I knew he would help me as much as he could. He rode a great race and I have to say a big thank you to him, I am so sad that he's not on the podium with me today. It was a very hard race for me and I had to push all the way because Kenny, Toni and Colin were very fast too. Going into the last chicane I knew I had to come out in front, but then Toni was just a little bit faster than me to the line. Well done to him for his first win, he really rode a hard race today! Now we have two weeks until the final showdown, so we need to relax and stay focused and try to do another weekend like this in Valencia! Once again of course I need to thank my team and everyone involved, I think we've really shown today that we have real 'team spirit' at Yamaha and Colin and I are really lucky to be able to race in a team like this."
Colin Edwards (4th; + 0.864) "I got a decent start and just tried to help Valentino out, holding the other guys up where I could because in practice our pace was around the 1'37.9 mark so I thought if I could hold it at 1'38.5 he might be able get away. My plan was to put the hammer down once he'd gone and hopefully shake off the rest of the guys to seal up second place but Valentino couldn't quite match his practice pace and we were just hanging behind him. It was a real scrap out there at the end and to be honest I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't make it onto the podium because we had the pace all weekend, the guys have done a brilliant job with the bike and I wanted to give them something to celebrate. Anyway, as a team things couldn't have worked out much better so it's been a very satisfactory weekend for us and now we'll aim to go out on an even bigger high in Valencia."
 
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Our main target throughout the second half of the season was to arrive in Valencia with the championship still possible and we have done that so we are very pleased. We are delighted that Colin was able to get back to the kind of pace he is capable of this weekend and it couldn't have come at a better time because he played a brilliant role and showed what a great team player he is. The two riders have a great relationship with each other and that team ethic runs throughout the staff. Today was a perfect example of why that is so important. Now we have to keep doing what we have done since Brno for one more race. Personally I wish it was tomorrow but we've got two weeks to wait so we will have to just use this time as best we can and make sure we are ready to try and win the title at Valencia."
Superb seventh to celebrate Checa's birthday for Tech 3 Yamaha
The Tech 3 Yamaha Team equalled its best result of the 2006 season as Carlos Checa finished in a superb seventh position after an action packed Grande Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit. It was a fitting result to help celebrate Carlos' 34th birthday. Besides his excellent seventh place, Carlos also recorded the seventh fastest lap of the race just 0.050 second slower than new championship leader and fellow Yamaha rider, Valentino Rossi and prove the continued advancement that the Dunlop tyres have achieved in recent weeks. For his team mate, James Ellison it was a hard fought battle to finish in 13th position after a bad start saw him involved in an intense tussle with Alex Hoffman. In his endeavours to pass the German, he lost some grip and was forced to play it safe to ensure he brought his Yamaha home to secure more championship points.
Carlos Checa   
Carlos Checa (7th, Fastest lap 1'38.306) "I am very satisfied with this result but it could've been much worse as I had some difficulty in the first corner. I touched with (Chris) Vermeulen as he braked very deep inside me and I know that first turn can have some big troubles and I wanted to have some space. After that I passed some riders and I was really having fun because it was the first time for awhile I have been able pass some riders and race. Then I caught the group with Elias and Roberts but then I started to lose the stability of the rear and it started moving around. Also I lost the side grip particularly on the final turn so I lose three or four tenths each lap and combined with the lose of stability this didn't give me a chance to stay with them. I swapped places with Tamada a few times but then I couldn't keep with him. I was riding so hard I nearly ran off the track and then Hopkins passed me I was lucky to stay on the track so I decided I had to finish the race and conserve the tyre as much as I could so this seventh place finish was very acceptable considering these difficulties.
James Ellison (13thFastest lap 1'39.887) "To be honest the race was a bit of a disaster that commenced at the start as I was out-dragged by Alex (Hoffman) because I really wanted to stay in front of him and try and tag on the end of Carlos and keep the guys I out-qualified behind me because I knew if they were in front they would hold me up. It's pretty difficult to pass around this track without making some desperate moves. It was a fight to get past him for six or seven laps as he was really holding me up. I tried slip-streaming himdown the straight but he was doing some good blocks on me then by seven laps I had lost all grip trying to ride too hard to get past him. It was a real handful to ride as it was sliding all over the place so I gradually I dropped back. That's it basically so it's extremely disappointing."
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It was a very good day for Yamaha today overall. We are very happy because we equalled our best race result from the US Grand Prix. Even though Carlos had some problems at the first corner and was about 13th or 14th at the end of the first lap, it is a credit to the tenacity of him that he kept his cool and kept his head down to recover a lot of positions. During the first 10 laps he was as quick or even quicker than some of the leaders and was riding a really great race at that moment but he had a coming together with Tamada and Hopkins and he lost some ground, around five seconds."
"We are very happy because we have proved we have reached another step. After Japan it was very important to have a good race and result here."
"I'm really hoping he will stay with us for next year and hopefully we will find out tonight. We gave him a cake this morning and hopefully we can celebrate his birthday and the result with some champagne later."
"I would also like to offer my congratulations to Valentino as he moves in to the championship lead so overall it has been a very successful day for Yamaha"
Circuit Length: 4182 Temp: 20 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Estoril 15/10/2006 Race 1 - 28 Laps Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Toni Elias Honda ESP 46'8.739 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 0'0.002 3 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 0'0.176 4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 0'0.864 5 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 0'18.419 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 0'25.181 7 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 0'29.348 8 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 0'31.831 9 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 0'40.117 10 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki FRA 0'41.496 11 Alex Hofmann Ducati GER 0'41.533 12 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 0'44.776 13 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'19.113 14 Jose Luis Cardoso Ducati ESP 1'40.716 15 Garry McCoy Imor SRT AUS -4 Laps
Best Lap Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'37.914
 Rider Standings 15/10/2006
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Points 1. Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 244 2. Nicky Hayden Honda USA 236 3. Marco Melandri Honda ITA 217 4. Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 209 5. Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 202 6. Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 126 7. Casey Stoner Honda AUS 119 8. Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 117 9. John Hopkins Suzuki USA 111 10. Toni Elias Honda ESP 106 11. Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 98 12. Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 95 13. Makato Tamada Honda JPN 92 14. Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 83 15. Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 69 18. James Ellison Yamaha GBR 24
Team Standings 15/10/2006
Pos. Team Points 1. Repsol Honda Team 438 2. Camel Yamaha Team 361 3. Fortuna Honda Team 323 4. Ducati Marlboro Team 311 5. Rizla Suzuki 209 6. Team Roberts KR 126 7. Kawasaki Racing Team 120 8. Honda LCR 119 9. Tech3 Yamaha 93 10. Konica Minolta Honda 92 11. Pramac D'Antin 33 12. none 1
Manufacturer Standings 15/10/2006
Pos. Manufacturer Points 1. Honda 344 2. Yamaha 282 3. Ducati 223 4. Suzuki 146 5. Team Robert KR 126 6. Kawasaki 100 7. Imor SRT 1
Alex Asigno
Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will start the Grand Prix of Portugal from the front two places on the grid tomorrow, after a sensational qualifying practice that saw the Italian seal his fourth pole of the season with a record time of 1'36.200. Edwards was just 0.278 seconds off the pace of his team-mate to equal his best qualifying position of the campaign ahead of what promises to be a mouth-watering penultimate round.
Both riders worked hard on the race setting of their YZR-M1 machines throughout the day, building on positive recent tests at Motegi and an exhaustive first day of practice yesterday. In the morning they were second and fifth fastest but the momentum grew in the afternoon when they both dipped under the 1'38 mark on race rubber before launching their grid attack in an exciting climax to the session, Rossi setting his definitive pole time on the last of three impressive efforts.
Tomorrow's race, which gets underway at 1pm local time (CET -1), will see the reigning World Champion aim to reduce a 12-point deficit to series leader Nicky Hayden, who clinched the final front row spot in third place, before the final round of the season at Valencia in two weeks' time.
Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'36.200; 27 laps) "With the championship as it is now I think it was fundamental to be on pole position today and for Colin to qualify second is perfect - I am really pleased for him and all his guys. We've worked hard this weekend because the right setting was quite difficult to find and all the team had to give 100% so I'm really thankful to them and to Michelin for a great tyre. Of course the important thing is tomorrow and with Hayden on the front row with us it looks like it will be a great battle for the victory. There are a lot of other riders with good pace too but for now I'm really happy with the pole position. My first two qualifying laps were quite good but the last one was unbelievable - it is so much fun to ride the M1 when it's working so well like this. Hopefully the weather will stay like this tomorrow and we can have a good show for everybody."
 
Colin Edwards (2nd - 1'36.478; 27 laps) "It's a fantastic feeling to be back on the front row and running with consistent times that we know can make us competitive in the race. Hats off to my team and to Michelin as well, because we had a lot of help from them today. After Motegi we stayed and tested and finally figured out the little piece of the puzzle that has been missing all year. Now the bike feels easy to ride - I can push it to the limit, even go over the limit, and I don't know how to thank the guys enough. Personally I feel good and feel that I'm riding great. Tomorrow looks like it's going to be really interesting so hopefully I can play my part for the team and we'll see what happens."
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It was a perfect end to the session for us and a perfect way to start the race tomorrow! To have Valentino and Colin start first and second at such a crucial moment in the season is very important. It's great for us to see Colin back on the front row and so happy on the bike. It's also encouraging to see that we're making progress with the bike, even at this stage of the championship. It's fantastic that Valentino is on pole and in such good shape for these last two battles. But it is only Saturday and now we have to focus on tomorrow and hope for an equally good day."
 
Tech 3 Yamaha Team storm into top 10 after sensational qualifying
With a positive opening day as a springboard for today's one-hour qualifying session, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team, led by Carlos Checa, continued the encouraging performance of the weekend as he grabbed a top 10 spot on the grid claiming ninth fastest time to start tomorrow's Gran Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit from the third row of the grid. His lap time was less than a second off pole-sitter and fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi who is attempting to defend his world champion status in the 28-lap race. With just 10 minutes remaining of the session Carlos astounded the MotoGP paddock as he was second fastest taking over a second off his time from yesterday to confirm the on-going improvements of the Dunlop tyres and the factory Yamaha combination at a track where side-grip is so very important. With these two days now behind them, the team is confident that Carlos can score his best result of the year and help celebrate the Cataluyan's 34th birthday tomorrow. The second Tech 3 Yamaha pilot, James Ellison also improved taking nearly two seconds of his fastest lap from yesterday and will start from 17th position on the grid but unfortunately was pushed off the track after another rider came underneath him in the closing stages of the session causing him to crash and thus negate any further chance of moving up the grid.
Carlos Checa (9th, 1'37.107, 28 laps) "It was a very positive day because we improved a lot with our race tyre and of course the track has improved in grip as well but we have made some good steps. We have found a good tyre for tomorrow after I had some concerns about warming the left hand side of the tyre and grip on that side but we have found a combination of tyre that we don't lose anything on the right side so this automatically gives me more confidence. With qualifying I had some chatter but we tried a different wheel size with the same tyre and we improved more than one second which for us is good. It was not enough to be in the top spot but I am quite satisfied with our procedure, our work and the structure of the tyre area for this race and gives us much more confidence for tomorrow. We have been moving step by step so we are improving time and again. Finally I couldn't improve anymore but at the end of the day we have had some very good information so I think for the next race we will be more effective in qualifying but for tomorrow I hope we can get the best result of the year."
James Ellison (17th 1'38.810, 26 laps) "We improved again as I took two seconds off my time but I was hoping for a little bit more with another half a second. With the bike at the moment I feel I'm on the limit all the time but I don't think I pushed hard enough. I'm not entirely happy but not too disappointed either. Then to finish off the session I had a bit of an incident. There were a lot of guys going slow and I moved to keep out of the way but John (Hopkins) came around and he had to hit the brakes really hard getting out of shape to miss everyone and his handlebar hit me pushing me into the gravel and that was it. If it was anyone's fault it was all the guys going slow spread out over the track but at least it was right at the end of the session so I didn't lose too much. I'm ok and John came to apologise but really it wasn't his fault. Just one of those things and it was only cosmetic damage to the bike and I'm ok so no problem. I'm feeling pretty good for tomorrow as we can run a low 1'39 on race tyres so I'm fairly happy with that. Ive looked at the times and the guys that we should be up against, Chris (Vermeulen) and Randy (De Puniet), they're doing the same sort of times on race tyres so we just need a good start to get away with everybody - if it's dry. Chances are it's going to be wet tomorrow so we'll have to wait and see. If that's the case it's going to turn into a gamble for everybody."
Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "We have had a fantastic day today but what is really worrying me is the weather forecast for tomorrow as it is supposed to be showers so it could be the same scenario like we had at Philip Island. That was also after such a good qualifying where we were sixth fastest, but we can't do anything about the weather. We have had a very positive weekend so far and it was so good to happen here because we were very sceptical after Japan and as I said yesterday we are back to where we were in Phillip Island. Carlos is very happy and I think the Yamaha/Dunlop package is working very well here as qualifying was very satisfactory and the third row is good enough for us. Also I think we have a good pace with the race tyre and providing we can get a good start I know we can stay with the lead group. Dunlop is looking good here and Carlos is very strong here and very motivated. James has also been improving a lot. Yesterday morning was a disaster but since then he has improved and his lap time is very decent. I'm sorry that he was taken out and he had a fall. Everybody knows that we are trying to finalise our collaboration for next year at the end of this race so I hope a good result will push the reason to allow Carlos to stay with us."
Circuit Length: 4182 Temp: 25 Weather: Dry     2006 MotoGP Estoril 14/10/2006 Qualifying 1 Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time 1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'36.200 2 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'36.478 3 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'36.549 4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'36.569 5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'36.702 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'36.790 7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'36.790 8 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 1'36.940 9 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'37.107 10 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'37.182 11 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'37.245 12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'37.371 13 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'37.433 14 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'37.517 15 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'37.582 17 James Ellison Yamaha GBR 1'38.810
Alex Asigno
Yamaha Motor Italia has signed Australian Troy Corser to ride alongside Noriyuki Haga in the 2007 Superbike World Championship.
The spectacular line-up demonstrates Yamaha’s commitment to a series they returned to in 2005. Haga has won races on the R1 in each season – ending the 2005 and 2006 campaigns third in the standings.
Corser is a two-time world champion with 33 race wins to his credit. He won the series with Ducati in 1996 and became the first rider to win the world superbike championship on a 1000cc four-cylinder machine last year. The Australian has competed in 250 world superbike races, more than any other active rider, and alongside Haga will provide Yamaha with an experienced and formidable squad as they look to win their first title in the class.
The first appearance of Troy Corser with the Yamaha Motor Italia squad is planned to take place in Mugello on 25th October.
 
Troy Corser “I am extremely happy to have the chance to work with Yamaha. The team has lots of experience and is very professional. Nori and I get along well and I think together we will be strong in development and bike set up. I’m looking forward to riding the bike and I will be aiming to score my third world title on the R1.”
Noriyuki Haga   
Noriyuki Haga “I’m very happy to be staying with Yamaha Motor Italia. After two seasons together we have a very good working relationship and it was always my first choice to stay with Yamaha and continue our good work. My aim, as always, is to win the championship and I think Yamaha gives me the best chance to do it. I am looking forward to working with Troy as he has a lot of experience. We can learn a great deal from him, which will help make the bike even more competitive. We have had many great battles over the years and he is a rider for whom I have a massive amount of respect. I am sure that he will be a good team-mate - as well as one of my biggest rivals.”
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) ”I believe this rider pairing is a dream come true for any team manager. With Noriyuki we feel that we are ready to reap the rewards of the past two years. We have learned his specific bike preparation preferences, his way of communication and his approach to races. We both share the same strong feelings and it is now time to cash in on our investments.” “Troy is a proven championship winner and known as a highly qualified developer who is obviously very experienced. We expect him to be up front from the start. It's important for me to thank Andrew (Pitt) for all his efforts over the past two years. He did a great job, nevertheless we have chosen to go for the extra experience of Troy as a two times world champion. Particularly for his ability to set up a bike and tyre selection during the race weekend, we expect this to be a mutual benefit for both riders. We expect that Troy and Noriyuki will work together closely in the development of the 2007 bike. It’s essential to be ready from race one to go for the title with both riders”.
Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Racing Manager - Yamaha Motor Europe) ”To have Noriyuki and Troy as team-mates gives Yamaha a very strong base for our 2007 world title challenge. Both riders are big characters in the world of superbike, who combine experience, consistency and success with flamboyance and aggression. Noriyuki is a true Yamaha man and part of the family, having already ridden three different Yamaha models in world superbike. In the third year with R1 the only objective is to be champion. Troy brings a wealth of development and bike setting up experience, that we believe will be beneficial to the whole team. He is extremely motivated to win a third title with as many different manufacturers. All in all, I believe we will have two serious title candidates who will provide an interesting rider cocktail on track and off track.” 
Alex Asigno
Five years to the week since he won the MotoGP World Championship for the first time, Valentino Rossi heads into the penultimate round of the 2006 season at Estoril in Portugal next Sunday aiming to finally overthrow Nicky Hayden from the top of the standings and set-up his sixth premier-class title in a row. After an amazing run of form for the Italian, who has made up 39 points over the last four races, he is now just 12 behind and on course to catch the American by the final round at Valencia.
A slip-up for Rossi, of course, could see Hayden take the number 1 plate this Sunday, but the formbook suggests that this should not be the case, with Rossi having finished on the podium in each of his previous six visits to Estoril. The 27 year old has won the race four times, including his first appearance there for Yamaha in 2004, whilst conversely for Hayden it is one of his least successful circuits - his best result coming last year when he finished seventh.
Estoril's location on the western tip of Europe, just seven kilometres from the Atlantic coast, makes it vulnerable to dramatic changes in weather and high gusts of wind, meaning the riders can take nothing for granted. An autumn visit promises to deliver similarly wild conditions to those encountered when the event was held last year in the spring, culminating in the first ever flag-to-flag race in MotoGP - although unlike at Phillip Island three weeks ago none of the riders opted to come in and change bikes.
Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards was a victim of the conditions on that occasion, the Texan sliding off his bike on lap twenty-four and then remounting to finish in sixth place. This year the 31-year-old is hoping for much better fortune as he looks to build on excellent recent progress with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine, including sensational lap times in the recent one-day test at Motegi, and end his season on a high.
 
Valentino Rossi: Two difficult tracks Valentino Rossi remains confident that he has the speed to beat Nicky Hayden in any situation although he admits that the upcoming circuits are not amongst his favourites. An intense summer of hard work by Yamaha's engineers on the YZR-M1 has given Rossi a competitive and adaptable package that he believes can adjust to the demands of both Estoril and Valencia and give him every chance of retaining the title, which he has made his own in recent seasons.
"Now we have two difficult tracks but I think our M1 can be fast at both of them," says Rossi. "Since Brno, when we finally understood everything about what we needed to do to make our bike work at 100% again, we've been very strong everywhere and on the podium each time. I think that we're as strong as our rivals now and when we're at the maximum we're always going to be fighting at the front. Of course we know we could have won more if we'd been like this earlier in the season but we can't do anything about that. Anyway we know our potential and when we've started from the front lately we've been on the podium each time, so we have to carry on like this.
"Everyone involved has helped bring us back to this level. I think the team's level of motivation and concentration is the best in the paddock, it's incredible, more than anyone else, so I have to say thank you again. I actually like Portugal - the '04 bike especially was very good there. It's twisty but we can go well there. In '05 we had some problems with the tyre, plus it was only the second race and early in the year so the weather was bad. I hope that it will be a bit warmer and won't rain, and that we can find a good tyre with Michelin."
Colin Edwards: Our turn for sunshine Colin Edwards is also hoping that recent hard work on the YZR-M1 can bear fruit in a final two-race swansong for the 990cc machine. With development of the 800cc bikes now well underway ahead of the rule changes in 2007, the American is hoping he can end the era on a high and finally fulfil the promise he has shown on the current bike in brilliant flashes over the past two seasons.
"We made a big step forward at the test after the last race in Motegi and I was pretty much flying round the track that day," says Edwards. "We've only got two more races with this bike but it is always important to improve in testing so that you can translate that to race conditions, which is what we hope will happen in Portugal. Even though we haven't had the exact results we've hoped for at the last two races, the overall feeling with the bike has been much better and so with any luck the recent adjustments we made in Motegi will give us a competitive package in Estoril.
"I was unlucky to be one of the ones that went down in the rain last year but I did get back on and finish sixth, although I had better improve on that this time around! I don't have any particularly strong feelings one way or another for the track, it's got a bit of everything but I think it suits our bike quite well. As a place it's not bad either - the coastline is beautiful and the food is great. The only problem is the weather, but we've been fairly unlucky with that this season so hopefully it's our turn for some sunshine!"
Davide Brivio: Keeping the focus After such a good run of recent form, Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says that the most important requisite from his staff over the final two rounds is that they maintain their focus. From being 51 points behind just four races ago Valentino Rossi is now within striking distance of the championship summit and Brivio is determined not to let this opportunity slip.
"The championship is now in its final, vital stage and it's important that we don't lose focus," says Brivio. "Our target for Estoril is to continue in the same way as at the last few races and arrive at the last round in a position to fight for the championship there. Estoril is going to be very important because we need to try to close the gap as much as possible to put us in the best position to win in Valencia.
"Colin did a great test on Monday in Motegi and made some really important steps forward. If we're able to confirm this improvement in Estoril and Valencia then I think we can definitely see him back fighting at the front at these two races. Unfortunately he's struggled quite a bit this season with finding the perfect setting on the bike, but we're not giving up! We have confidence in him and we know that we can see him in a better position for the final two races."
Technically speaking: Estoril according to Mike Norton The Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is a circuit of extreme contrasts. One of the lengthiest main straights in MotoGP allows speeds of over 340km/h to be reached and yet the chicane is one of the slowest corners on the calendar. The track itself has the slowest average speed and the throttle is seldom overworked on the extensively twisty and tortuous infield sections, riddled as they are by a host of second and third gear bends. However, the 200km/h kink at turn five and the final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of any rider and machine's cornering prowess. With such contrasting challenges to overcome, the team mechanics and Michelin tyre technicians have no choice but to opt for compromise settings.
"Suspension front and rear has to be generally set to work best towards the end of the race, to aid the tyres after such an extensive workout on the circuit's nine right and four left hand corners," explains Mike Norton, Öhlins' Suspension Technician to Valentino Rossi. "It's not particularly technical but it is quite hard on the tyres so the setting needs to help them out as much as possible.
"Estoril needs a good compromise in order to be able to deal with the difference between the very twisty and quite slow infield sections and some much faster corners, such as turn five and the final Parabolica corner. The biggest problem last year was the temperature of the tyres because it was so early in the year and it rained, but hopefully this time the weather will be a little better and it will stay dry!"
Valentino Rossi: Information Age: 27 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 84 (57 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 171 (112 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 43 World Championships - 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Colin Edwards: Information Age: 32 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 64 x MotoGP World Championships - 2 World Superbike
Estoril Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2004, 1'38.423 Estoril Best Lap: Alex Barros (Honda) 2005, 1'37.202
2005 Portuguese Grand Prix Results* : 1. Alex Barros (BRA) Honda, 47'14.053 2. Valentino Rossi(ITA) Yamaha, +2.771 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda, +6.071 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha, +44.216
* Wet Race