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Yamaha head back to Europe after successful Qatar test

The final day of MotoGP testing in Qatar today saw the times tumble yet again, as several riders opted to try qualifying tyres and three of them, Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi included, dipped under the 1’55 mark. As usual on the final day of a test, both Rossi and team-mate Colin Edwards tried their 800cc Yamaha’s on a long-run, enabling them to gather crucial information about tyre performance and fuel consumption ahead of the first race here in three week’s time. Edwards’ was in fact forced to do two extended sessions after his initial long-run, started towards the end of the morning, was red-flagged when Suzuki rider John Hopkins crashed, breaking a bone in his foot.
After topping the time sheets for the last two days, the Yamaha pair slipped down the order a little today, Rossi coming in third behind Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 1’55.471) and Hopkins (1’55.825) with a time of 1’55.954, set in the morning session using a Michelin qualifying tyre. After running into a few small problems with the qualifying tyre, Edwards was unable to better his time from yesterday and finished the day fifth with a best lap of 1’56.371.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will now head to European shores for the first time since December for the Official MotoGP Test on 23rd, 24th and 25th February, at Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain. This will be the final pre-season test before the Grand Prix paddock reconvenes in Qatar for the first race of the season on 10th March.
Valentino Rossi (3rd, 1’55.954, 62 Laps) “It’s been a good test overall, despite running into a few problems. Like I said yesterday, it’s better to find the problems now so we have the chance to fix them! As I expected, the other riders have improved a lot over these three days and Colin and I weren’t able to stay at the top today. Still, we’re quite fast and our bike is quite good, so we’re happy. The long run was okay, the situation with the rear tyre wasn’t perfect but we knew it wasn’t going to be and nothing happened that we didn’t expect. Anyway, we’re not worried about it and we know how to go from here. I was still able to do 1’56.5s okay, so I think if the race was tomorrow then we would be in a position to fight for the victory, as would Colin. We still have one more test in Jerez so we’ve got the chance to do some more good work and try to make our bike perfect for the first race. We’re still working on the suspension and stability, we’ve talked a lot with our engineers and we’ve got some good ideas to try next week. We’ve been sharing a lot of information in our garage between Colin and I; he’s tried my settings and I’ve tried his which has been very helpful. Now I’m looking forward to seeing how the bike will go in Jerez next week.”
 
Colin Edwards (5th, 1’56.371, 61 Laps) “We were a little bit unlucky today; we wanted to finish up early so we started our long-run in the morning and it was all going well when the red flags came out after about 14 laps. I was doing pretty good times in that and was happy with how things were going, so it was pity I had to stop. Anyway, our engineers needed me to have another go this afternoon as we really needed to get some information about the fuel consumption. Unfortunately we couldn’t have the same tyre again and we had to use something a bit older, so the second long run wasn’t so great, but we got all the information we needed. We tried a qualifier this morning and actually we had a tiny bit of movement with that which was a surprise after how fantastic it was in Sepang. I couldn’t quite better my time from yesterday, when I was on race tyres. Valentino had a go later and I think he fixed the issue, so we’re not panicking about that. It’s been a really good test and I think we’ve got a lot of options with this bike. Now it’s on to something different again in Jerez so we’ll see how things go there, hopefully we can continue the good work.”
Davide Brivio - Team Director “It’s been a very interesting and important test for us and both riders have shown that they’re in a position to fight at the top. We’ve got a few areas which we need to work on, but overall we’re happy. It’s nice to see both riders being consistently fast and having fun riding the bike and it’s great to see such good teamwork, with both crews working closely together and sharing all their information. This really helps us in the task of developing the bike. Now we go to Jerez for the final test and it’s going to be another very important three days for us all; our rivals are strong and we need to be in the best possible shape when we come back here for the first race.
Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1’55.471 2. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1’55.825 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1’55.954 4. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati 1’56.315 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1’56.371 6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1’56.753 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1’56.807 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1’56.834 9. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1’56.950 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1’56.980 11. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1’56.980 12. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1’57.232 13. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1’57.246 14. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1’57.269 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1’57.365 16. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1’57.408 17. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1’57.497 18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1’58.379 19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1’58.974 20. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2’00.455 21. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2’02.081 22. Jeremy McWilliams (IRE) Ilmor 2’02.612
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Edwards and Rossi continue to shine In Qatar

Colin Edwards maintained his exemplary pre-season form by topping the unofficial time-sheets once again at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar today, with team-mate Valentino Rossi hot on his heels. The Yamaha pairing continue to forge ahead with the development of their 800cc Yamahas and their hard work is reaping rewards, with both riders feeling confident about the impending season.
Edwards best lap of the day, an outstanding time of 1’56.296 set in the morning session, was over a second under the current 990cc lap record. Meanwhile Rossi bettered his time from yesterday with a lap of 1.56.537, despite running into a few set-up problems which he will look to iron-out tomorrow. Both riders will now aim to complete a long-run on the last day before they fly back to Europe for the final ‘dress-rehearsal’ in Jerez ahead of the first race.
Colin Edwards Position: 1st Time: 1'56.296 Laps: 56
“Today was impressive! We got our second-choice front tyre from Michelin and it was instantly better than the third-choice one we had yesterday, it gave me a lot more confidence in the front-end. We made some big changes to the setting last night and we’re now in a different realm, close to what Valentino was running yesterday. It’s basically just something that works well on a flat track with no bumps and it felt really good. We made a small change to the rear shock and then we were just testing tyres for the rest of the day. We tested a series of right-side rubbers and then a series of left-side rubbers, searching for the best combination for the race. The times are great but they’re coming quite easily, I really haven’t pushed out of my comfort zone at all yet. This afternoon was slower because of the wind but at the end of the day, with the last rear tyre, I got my head down for a couple of laps and we still did a 56.4! We’ll do a long run tomorrow and see how it all works out then; hopefully we can stay on top and make it a clean sheet for the test!”
Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1'56.537 Laps: 62
“So, another fast day for Yamaha and I am happy that we’re one and two again. Actually, today we ran into a few problems which we need to work on, but anyway this is expected when you’re getting faster and faster and it’s much better that we find the problems now than in the race! Again we need to work to improve the stability of the bike under braking and this is a very delicate thing because we don’t want to sacrifice the agility of our bike. We need to find the right balance. We tried some more tyres for Michelin and today we didn’t find anything so great in this area, but we made some decisions about what to try for our long run tomorrow. We’re fast and we know we’re at a good level, but we can’t afford to relax because our rivals are getting closer and I think it’s going to be a very great battle this season. Tomorrow we’ll try to fix the problems we found today, we have some ideas and I am sure we can have a good last day.”
Unofficial Lap Times
1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1'56.296 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1'56.537 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1'56.712 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1'56.874 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1'57.040 6. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1'57.065 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1'57.274 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1'57.288 9. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1'57.504 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1'57.591 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1'57.629 12. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1'57.698 13. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'57.770 14. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 1'57.999 15. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1'58.513 16. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1'58.610 17. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1'58.990 18. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1'59.138 19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1'59.617 20. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'02.453
Qatar Lap Record (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 1’57.305
Qatar Best Lap (990cc) Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006 - 1’55.683
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Factory Racing out in front in Qatar

Yamaha Factory Racing commenced the latest stage of their pre-season testing schedule today, joining the rest of their MotoGP counterparts on track at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. This third test of the season is arguably the most important so far, as Losail will play host to the first race of the season in just over three week’s time. After two successive tests in Malaysia, the change of venue offers Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards the chance to gauge the performance of their 800cc Yamahas in different conditions, as well as to measure themselves alongside a full line-up of their rivals. Once again the new 800cc bikes were proven to be just as fast as their 990 predecessors, with five riders lapping under the current lap record, set by Rossi on route to victory here last year. Edwards and Rossi were out in front of the field, with the American posting the fastest lap of the day in a time of 1’56 774. Rossi was just over a tenth of a second behind him with a best time of 1’56.891, followed by Casey Stoner (Ducati) with a time of 1’56.960.
Colin Edwards Position: 1st Time: 1’56.774 Laps: 67
“We’re coming here off the back of a fantastic test in Sepang and we’ve started on pretty good form again today. Things aren’t totally perfect; the first-choice front tyre that we found in Malaysia and which I was super-happy with isn’t available here at the moment and I felt I was lacking a bit of feeling in the morning, but we changed a few things on the setting and at the end of the day everything made sense. Despite the good time we’ve definitely got room for improvement, which we hope will come with a couple of different tyres tomorrow and some new things we want to try on the setting. Anyway, the really encouraging thing is that we’ve come to a new track and the bike has worked well straight out of the box; let’s hope that’s the case everywhere this year! We did a lot of work on the braking in Sepang and we don’t have any problems with that here, so it looks like we fixed those problems. It’s been a very productive first day in every aspect.”
Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 1’56.891 Laps: 59
“This is a very important test because the first race is here in just a few weeks, so we’re working really hard in order to have the bike ready for that! Today was quite good and I am happy with the work we’ve done as a team; we were fast straight away and it’s good to see that our bike works well at a different track. We continued to develop some things with the setting and we also worked on tyres with Michelin. This is a hard track for them so it’s important we are ready with the tyres for the first race. The bike felt very good from the start and you can ride it well; we don’t have any chatter, or any particular problems at all, so we’re in a better position than last year. I am also happy because Colin is fast; in fact, he’s a little bit faster than me! This is a good sign though, because it shows how good our bike is. Of course we still have areas to improve and so we will continue to work hard for the next two days.”
Davide Brivio - Team Director “It was a good start to the test for us, because both riders are fast and the bike seems to work well here. For sure everybody else will also improve in the coming days, so we can’t afford to be complacent, but we will continue to work as hard as we can and hopefully we can keep going like this.”
Unofficial Lap Times
1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 1'56.774 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 1'56.891 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 1'56.960 4. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 1'57.064 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 1'57.070 6. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1'57.350 7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1'57.360 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 1'57.370 9. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 1'57.690 10. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 1'57.700 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 1'57.730 12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 1'57.760 13. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 1'57.800 14. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 1'57.850 15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'57.900 16. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 1'58.408 17. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 1'58.740 18. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 1'59.400 19. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 1'59.700 20. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 1'59.966 21. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'01.667 22. Jeremy McWilliams (IRE) 2'10.341
Qatar Lap Record (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 1’57.305
Qatar Best Lap (990cc) Casey Stoner (Honda) 2006 - 1’55.683
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Promising debuts for Coppins and De Reuver in Mantova

The new-look Rinaldi Yamaha Team completed their first competitive outing at the Mantova Starcross International yesterday as Josh Coppins scored second position overall and Marc de Reuver placed seventh in the final MX1 classification.
The Mantova sand was divided by a stellar entry list as the cream of the Grand Prix motocross paddock cranked into life after the winter slumber.The race was the first proper introduction into a ‘new era’ with Coppins and De Reuver for the defending MX1 World Champion Team. Coppins was reasonably pleased with his maiden appearance in blue colours with third, seventh and fifth positions in the three motos. The New Zealander pushed his way back into the top ten in the second race despite running into a fallen Steve Ramon deep into the first corner. ‘Second position overall and I’m pretty happy with that,’ the 29 year old commented. ‘The team and I worked a lot and we made a lot of changes. We talked with our suspension supplier Kayaba and each time we made an adjustment there was an improvement so it was encouraging. My starts were good in all three motos, but Steve Ramon crashed in front of me in the second heat and I had to re-start from last but came through to seventh. For my first race with the Yamaha it was not too bad; there is still a long way to go until Valkenswaard.’
The circuit, north of Bologna, will also host the Italian Grand Prix, the fourth round of the World Championship in May. The next five weeks will involve further testing for team as well as more racing in France and Great Britain before the opening meeting of the FIM series in Holland.
Dutchman Marc de Reuver collected finishes of 20th, fourth and seventh in his return to representing the manufacturer he last rode for in 2002. The soon-to-be 24 year old made his MX1 debut in Italy and although he suffered with arm-pump in the initial foray he felt positive about the experience. ‘I had a lot of problems with arm-pump in the first heat and I just had to feel my way around,’ he said. ‘Things were better in the next race. I started OK and then followed Pichon for a while before passing him around two laps from the end. It wasn’t a bad heat at all, but most of the top guys had crashed so the classification was pretty different. Everyone stayed up for the third heat however and I felt strong riding with Philippaerts and Strijbos. It was a close one as we finished within two seconds of each other. It was the first race so there is only so much you can read from it, but my speed was good and everything is coming along OK.’
‘I am quite happy and I never expect anything special from the opening race because it is always strange and there is pressure on the riders,’ said Racing Manager Carlo Rinaldi. ‘The track condition was difficult in Mantova as it was soft in the sand and then hard in other parts. Our riders struggled on Saturday but we talked and worked and Sunday was much better. It was about breaking the ice in terms of the racing and both riders proved to be OK. To be honest I would prefer that they are not 100% fit at this early stage in the season because there is a long year ahead. We will keep working now and I’m positive about the direction in which we are going.’
De Carli Yamaha rider and one of the factory’s main hopes for the 2007 MX2 World Championship on the YZ 250F, Antonio Cairoli, took a decent second position behind countryman David Philippaerts in the opening race and then was third in the second moto.
Just when the 2005 World Champ – who only recently recovered from an injured shoulder - was looking at a possible overall success he went down in the first corner of moto three and finished outside of the top ten. A further four points meant third spot in the MX2 class.
‘Obviously I am a bit disappointed for my bad luck in the final moto,’ he said. ‘I could have obtained a big result and the large crowd, that cheered me on so much, would have deserved it. However I am satisfied because this was the first real comparison with our World Championship rivals and although we had a delay in our preparation because of my shoulder things went well. I want to thank the team because the bike is working well’
The next major meeting for Rinaldi Yamaha will be the International at the Valance circuit in France on February 25th. The Italian squad have won twice in the last four years at the venue close to Lyon.
MX1 overall result 1 NAGL Maximilian GER, KTM 2 COPPINS Joshua NZL,Yamaha 3 BARRAGAN Jonathan SPA, KTM 4 PHILIPPAERTS David ITA, KTM 5 STRIJBOS Kevin BEL, Suzuki 6 PICHON Mickael FRA, KTM 7 DE REUVER Marc NED, Yamaha 8 BILL Julien SWI, Kawasaki 9 LEOK Tanel EST, Kawasaki 10 RAMON Steve BEL, Suzuki
MX2 overall result 1 RATTRAY Tyla RSA, KTM 2 SEARLE Tommy GBR, KTM 3 CAIROLI Antonio ITA, Yamaha 4 MONNI Manuel ITA, Yamaha 5 TARROUX Jeremy FRA, Kawasaki 6 SWANEPOEL Gareth RSA, Kawasaki 7 MARTINI Gianluca ITA, KTM 8 PELLEGRINI Angelo ITA, KTM 9 DE BORTOLI Michele ITA, KTM 10 SIMPSON Shaun IRL, Kawasaki 16 GUNDERSEN Kenneth NOR, Yamaha
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Corser and Haga complete their final preparations

The all-new YZF-R1 was put through its final pre-season testing paces on 11 and 12 February by Yamaha Motor Italia riders Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga. The test at the Losail circuit in Qatar, venue of the first World Superbike race of the 2007 season on 24 February, was a useful exercise for both riders, as they worked through various machine set-up options and the latest suspension developments.
Corser was the fastest rider on show (1'59.1) in a test where the Yamaha Motor Italia team shared track time with the official Suzuki team. Haga fell on the first day of the tests, but recovered to go third fastest, with a 1’59.9 best lap. The Japanese star set a total of 61 laps, with Corser completing 49 laps.
With a limited tyre supply on hand, long runs to test tyre duration were not a priority at this test. Corser in particular worked through a list of optional settings and components to ensure ultimate competitiveness come race weekend.
Troy Corser "We did enough laps to let us try everything we needed to try and we got all the parts we asked for after the last test. It was a definite improvement. We were not so concerned with doing long runs as the tyres Pirelli sent here are not the tyres we will use for the race anyway. So there was not a lot of point doing very long runs on tyres. I was more interested in getting a feel for what we have been changing on the bikes. We just tried different things and weren’t worried about lap times. I’d say the bike feels even better than it did in our last test in Doha. The track surface can change here day to day but the track wasn’t too bad; we just needed a few more bikes going round to put more rubber down."
Noriyuki Haga "We have already found a lot of improvements here from the last test and the new suspension is working very well. It was difficult in some ways because the tyre possibilities were limited, so we need to wait for the tyres we will get for the race weekend. But so far, so good. We are pleased to have done this test."
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "We started this test with four completely new bikes and we had to spend some time to adjust everything on them. Noriyuki had a small crash yesterday morning so he lost a small amount of time. It went well from then on and today everything went pretty good. We didn’t do so many long runs, but Noriyuki did 12 laps on one set of tyres at the end. All in all a good test."
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) Temp: 23ºC
Unofficial laptimes: 1. Corser Yamaha Motor Italia 1’59.1 2. Biaggi Suzuki Alstare 1’59.3 3. Haga Yamaha Motor Italia 1’59.9 4. Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 2’00.3
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi and Edwards set the standard at Sepang

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards continued their relentless march towards the first race of the season with another promising day’s work in Sepang today. Having concentrated on trying new parts for Yamaha yesterday, it was Michelin’s turn today and the Yamaha Factory Racing riders spent most of the day testing new tyres, with the Malaysian temperatures providing the ideal proving ground for the latest generation of Michelin rubber.
The Yamaha pair consolidated yesterday’s good work with another day of fast times, both dipping under the 990cc lap record pace on race tyres. Tomorrow both riders will complete a long-run, before the team packs up and heads west to Qatar for the next round of pre-season testing. Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 2'02.099 Laps: 53
“Today we tested some new tyres for Michelin, both front and rear. We haven’t found any special improvements to the front since the last test, but for the rear we tried something interesting to improve the edge grip. I’m very happy because I think we’re working in the right direction and we have definitely made improvements in this area. We have also continued to work on the stability in braking, changing the set-up in order to improve this even more. Finally today we worked on the engine mapping, as this year fuel consumption is going to be a very important factor. I am gaining more understanding of this new bike every day and I have a really good feeling with it. Tomorrow we will make a long run in order to compare with our data from the last test, and it will be interesting to see how all the improvements we’ve made this week make a difference to the performance of the bike over a race-distance.” 
Colin Edwards Position: 2nd Time: 2'02.118 Laps: 44
“It was pretty warm today and I had to go out in the hottest part of the day to test tyres, so that was quite hard work! Anyway we got through a whole lot more stuff today and things are getting better and better. We tested a couple more new things for Yamaha and then did a lot of tyre work with Michelin. Looking back at the last test, just a couple of weeks ago, everything has evolved so much since then it’s amazing! We’ve moved forward an incredible amount over just five days of testing so far this year, so that bodes well. Last time here I was doing low 2’03s comfortably, but this time I’m doing low 2’02s lap after lap and they’re coming so easily, without me really having to push too hard at all. We’ve got a long run to do tomorrow and a few more loose ends to tie up, but we’re in good shape!”
Davide Brivio - Team Director Today both riders focused on tyres and we had some new material from Michelin. It was a very interesting day all round. Generally speaking, in these two days we have made small but important improvements compared to the previous test here. Tomorrow both riders will make a long-run and we will see if these improvements will be crucial towards race-performance.”
Unofficial Lap Times 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'02.099 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.118 3. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.554 4. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2'02.745 5. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'03.761 6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2'05.002 7. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'07.923
Sepang Lap Record (990cc) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 - 2'02.127
Sepang Best Lap (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 2'00.605
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Edwards smashes pole record in Sepang

Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi proved they are more than ready for the challenge ahead with their new 800cc Yamahas by clocking some outstanding times today, on the third and final day of testing in Sepang. Both took the chance to try new Michelin qualifying tyres and Edwards stunned his crew by dipping well under the current pole position record, set by Rossi at last year’s race on the old 990cc Yamaha, with a lap of 2’00.248. Rossi also came close to his own pole record with a time of 2’00.793. Both riders spent the day continuing to work on set-up and tyre-testing before completing long runs, enabling them to see the benefits of their latest developments under race-like conditions.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will now pack up and head west for the next stage of testing in Qatar on February 13th-15th. It will be the first time this season that the entire MotoGP class will be on track together and Rossi and Edwards are looking forward to seeing how their 800cc bikes fare at a new track alongside a full field of their competitors.
Colin Edwards Position: 1st Time: 2'00.248 Laps: 46
“We started off this morning by testing a couple more front tyres and a different bike setting, just generally playing around with a few things. At the end of the morning we tried another new rear tyre which was pretty good too, and then we had two qualifiers to try. I came in from the first one thinking that I’d probably done a low 2'01; I’d made a couple of small mistakes and thought I could have been faster, so I couldn’t believe it when it was around the 2’00.6 mark. The next qualifier was pretty unbelievable and the bike just felt perfect, so I’m really pleased with that time. The long run was pretty interesting…I’d already done about 30 laps in the morning session and I was feeling pretty tired, I went off a bit too hard at the start and was giving it all I had, it was feeling great but then after about 14 laps I was seeing double! I slowed it down for a bit but there wasn’t much point pushing it so I came in a bit early. Anyway things were still improved from the last time here so we were happy. Overall it’s been a really great test; the bike is unbelievable, better than ever even with less power!”
Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 2'00.793 Laps: 43
“It was another really positive day for us, and I am so happy because the bike is feeling great. During these three days we have worked a lot on the suspension set-up, in order to fix the problems we had in braking, and I think we’ve done a very good job on that. We’ve been pretty fast all week, quicker than during the January test, and the long run today was faster too which is important. I am also pleased that Colin is going so well, he made a fantastic time today, he’s very fast! We also worked again today on the engine mapping, as I said yesterday; fuel consumption is going to be crucial for everyone this year and we can’t afford to make mistakes! I am sure that we can still improve in every area and now we have the chance to carry on like this in Qatar next week, where we will also have the first race in one month. Next week will be a very important test!”
Davide Brivio - Team Director
“We leave Sepang in the certainty that we’ve made a very good test and we have improved the situation with both riders. Colin has made a great improvement since January’s test and I think that no one has ever ridden so fast here in Sepang as he did today! This shows that the 800cc bikes are already faster than the 990s! We are working very well and the general development of the new bike is going very well. Now we go to Qatar for the next test and we know that will be a very important test for two reasons: first, we will be testing in a different circuit, so we will have the chance to confirm what we’ve learnt here at another track and second, we will meet all the other teams there and will be able to see our level alongside them.”
Unofficial Lap Times 1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'00.248 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'00.793 3. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.071 4. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.607 5. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2'03.380 6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2'04.636 7. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'07.373
Sepang Lap Record (990cc) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 - 2'02.127
Sepang Best Lap (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 2'00.605
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi and Edwards get back to work in Sepang

The Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s second test of 2007 got underway in Sepang, Malaysia today, with Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards back out onboard their prototype 800cc machines for another three-day test. With most teams having chosen to test in Australia last week, Yamaha decided to return to Sepang and take advantage of the relatively quieter atmosphere this week, sharing the track with just five other riders from Tech 3 Yamaha, Kawasaki and Ilmor. With temperatures slightly lower than at the previous test, Edwards and Rossi, who set the first and second fastest times of the day respectively, spent the day working on the set-up of the new bike and testing some new parts for Yamaha and Ohlins. Both riders were very happy with the day’s work and reported significant improvement to the stability of the bike under braking, laying the groundwork for what they hope will be two more encouraging and fruitful days of testing as the March 10th deadline of the first race looms ever closer. Colin Edwards Position: 1st Time: 2’02.175 Laps: 47 "Well I’m definitely feeling better than I did last time…I think everyone was a little bit rusty after the break but it’s ‘situation normal’ again now and I’m feeling much stronger on the bike. I’m pretty happy with today’s work; I’m already fast and the bike keeps on feeling better and better. Over the first 42 laps we did today we only used two different rears so it’s clear that the tyres are working well too. We concentrated on Yamaha stuff today and we made a huge step forward with the rear shock. We knew things still weren’t perfect in that area, but we’ve made a big change today and the stability of the bike under braking has improved 100% as a result. Tomorrow we’re going to focus more on tyres with Michelin and hopefully things will keep on improving."
 
Valentino Rossi Position: 2nd Time: 2’02.221 Laps: 40 "Today we worked a lot on bike set-up and we’ve tried a few different directions, focusing mainly on the new rear shock we have from Ohlins and on the braking. What we’ve seen and understood today is very positive and this makes me very confident about the next few days of testing. We decided to come back to Sepang, where there would be fewer teams testing, in order to be more relaxed and less focused on lap times. This is the way we are planning to work throughout the test. Anyway, my lap times are already fast so of course we’ll keep trying to improve in the next two days. Tomorrow we will concentrate more on working with Michelin and testing new tyres. At the moment we’re waiting for some new engine parts from Japan; we’re looking for more horsepower, but this is the bike we have and I am very happy about how things are going at the moment." Davide Brivio - Team Director "Today has been a good first day, in a nice relaxed atmosphere without too many other people around. Today we focused almost exclusively on set-up work and we had some new material to try, which has given our riders a better feeling with the bike. We’ve clearly improved the general set-up for both riders and also made some great steps on the braking, which was one of our key areas to work on during this test. We got some very useful information today, which we can continue to develop over the next two days, and I am happy with the results of our first day." Unofficial Lap Times 1. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.175 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'02.221 3. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.966 4. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2'03.219 5. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'03.959 6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2'06.558 7. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'08.640 Sepang Lap Record (990cc) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 - 2'02.127 Sepang Best Lap (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 2'00.605
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi and Yamaha together for 2007 and 2008

Yamaha Motor Company Ltd and Valentino Rossi will continue to race together until the end of the 2008 season. The next two seasons will see Rossi ride as part of Yamaha’s Official Factory Team, with which he has already won two MotoGP World Championship titles since joining the Factory in 2004. The Italian, who turns 28 this month, has won 25 Grand Prix during his three seasons with Yamaha and currently stands third in the all-time Grand Prix winners list. Rossi, who is spearheading the rider development of Yamaha’s new 800cc motorcycle in the run-up to the new MotoGP season, will be back in action next week for Yamaha’s second test of the year in Sepang, Malaysia. Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, commented "We are thrilled to confirm that our partnership with Valentino will continue for a fifth year in 2008, and it’s especially good to have completed all contract negotiations before the start of the rapidly approaching 2007 racing season. This now leaves Valentino free to concentrate solely on the job in hand – winning back the World Championship! The past three years with Valentino have been a huge success for the Yamaha brand worldwide, Valentino is a great champion and there is no doubt in our minds that he remains the best possible person to continue to lead Yamaha’s MotoGP effort for the foreseeable future." "I’m very happy I renewed the contract with Yamaha until the end of 2008 so now I can just concentrate on racing this season" said Rossi. "I think that last year, when we fought back from what seemed an impossible situation to come so close to taking the title, showed what a fantastic team we are and this is why I want to stay with Yamaha. The past three years with Yamaha have been very positive and this is why I am pleased to stay. The atmosphere in our garage is always relaxed and happy and I think that this is something very special and difficult to find. I have great faith in Yamaha and I am very excited about my future and the future of the 800cc bike with them. We are ready to challenge with the new 800cc and now this agreement gives us the chance to launch this challenge for the next two years". Davide Brivio, Team Director of Yamaha Factory Racing, commented: "During the last three seasons we have won on our debut with Valentino in 2004, dominated in 2005 and lost in 2006: to extend the contract for a further year at the end of a difficult season like the last one is the greatest demonstration of the trust Valentino has placed in this Team. This is the great motivation for everyone; Valentino, the engineers, the mechanics, all the staff and, of course, all those who, like me, have lived and continue to live through the victories and the defeats so intensely. We will continue to enjoy ourselves on track and to provide enjoyment for the huge numbers of passionate fans of two-wheeled sport; together we will look forward to the next two seasons with great energy."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Rossi fastest on final day in Sepang

The Yamaha Factory Racing Team rounded off their first test of 2007 in fine style today, with Valentino Rossi topping the unofficial time sheets after three days of testing. Both Rossi and his team-mate Colin Edwards made more positive progress with Yamaha’s new prototype 800cc machine and the team closed the test feeling confident about their level of performance at this stage of the season. Although they finished the day a little earlier than usual, both riders completed their full agenda of work, once again trying several new tyres for Michelin, with Rossi also concentrating on improving the balance of the bike when braking.
Rossi’s best time of 2’00.936 was set on a qualifying tyre and is close to his pole position time from last year’s Grand Prix, when he was riding the old 990cc machine. Close behind him was Suzuki’s John Hopkins with a time of 2’01.026, whilst Edwards, who did not use a qualifying tyre today, was eighth fastest with a lap of 2’02.266. Whilst most teams will now head directly to Phillip Island for another test, Yamaha Factory Racing have instead elected to return to Sepang in ten days time, with another three-day test on 5th, 6th and 7th February.
Valentino Rossi Position: 1st Time: 2’00.936 Laps: 30 “Today was another good day for us. We concentrated a lot on braking and definitely made some improvements, although I think we can still make it even better and this is something we will work on when we come back here. We had an important technical meeting today and came to some interesting conclusions, which will help Yamaha’s engineers to continue to improve our new bike. We’ve got through our entire programme for this test, including testing many new tyres for Michelin. Today I also had the chance to try a qualifying tyre and I was able to go below 2.01; I think that Michelin have done a very good job over the winter. We tried the 16” tyre again and I am still sure that it’s good for us, although we still need more time to work on it with Michelin. Overall it’s been a very positive test for us. Most of the other teams will go to Phillip Island now, but we will return here in ten days with more new things to test. We still need to work on the engine, although for this early stage it’s very good. So far we have concentrated on power delivery, rather than on the power itself, but this only the first test of the year so there is plenty more time!”
Colin Edwards Position: 8th Time: 2’02.266 Laps: 22 “I’m heading home feeling really happy after three excellent day’s work. We didn’t do so much today, 22 laps, but it was enough to back up what we’ve learnt this week and finish feeling sure about everything. We changed direction with tyres a bit today and went towards the package Valentino's been using and that definitely improved things even more; my fastest lap was on a race tyre similar to the one he’s been using quite a bit. We didn’t try a qualifier, but I really felt that I got into the ‘zone’ on the race tyre and that was when my best time came. We tried a new front and a new rear as well and they were both great, the tyre situation in general is really good. We played around a bit with the setting too and tested a few things Valentino's been using, but actually I preferred my setting so we came back to that. So that’s it for the first test and it’s been really encouraging. A quick rest now and then we’ll be back for more!”
Davide Brivio - Team Director “We’ve finished this first test of 2007 with both riders and the team feeling good. Valentino and Colin shared a lot of information between one another and this is very important in this development period. The times are already very satisfying and this means that we’re working in the right direction, even if there’s still a lot of work to do! The final conclusion of this test is very positive but we need to keep working hard; we have clear ideas about what we need to do. We’re coming back here again soon and we will have new items to test, especially tyres, and we will be able to continue to fine-tune the set-up of the new 800. 10th March is getting closer and closer so we have to just keep on working!”
Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2’00.936 2. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2’01.026 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2’01.274 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2’01.664 5. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2’01.691 6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2’01.878 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2’01.884 8. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2’02.266 9. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 2’02.407 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2’02.489 11. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 2’02.583 12. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 2’02.630 13. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2’02.927 14. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2’03.040 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 2’03.077 16. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2’03.308 17. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 2’03.330 18. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2’03.592 19. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 2’03.97 3 Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha Did not ride
Sepang Lap Record (990cc): Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 – 2’02.127
Sepang Best Lap (990cc): Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 – 2’00.605
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Second session gives Yamaha more confidence in Sepang

A second day of testing in Malaysia today saw the Yamaha Factory Racing Team continue to come on in leaps and bounds with the development of their new prototype 800cc motorcycle. With rain threatening for tomorrow’s third and final day of testing, both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards elected to take advantage of clear skies and complete their long-run today, the first for either rider on the new bike. Initial feedback was good and Rossi especially was very pleased with the performance of his Yamaha under race conditions. Edwards, who was trying a different set-up and tyre package to his team-mate in order to gather as much information as possible for Yamaha’s engineers and Michelin, was less comfortable during his long-run, but importantly was able to identify some of the key areas in which the team still need to focus their attention over the coming tests.
Both riders improved on their times from yesterday, with Edwards dipping under the old 990cc lap record pace with a fastest lap of 2’01.930, set during the morning on race tyres. He was just behind Suzuki’s John Hopkins, who topped the unofficial time sheets for the second day running in a time of 2’01.806. Rossi posted the fifth fastest time of the day after completing 57 laps, with a time of 2’02.619. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team will complete their final day of this first test tomorrow.
Colin Edwards Position: 2nd Time: 2'01.930 Laps: 60 "I’m not sure if it’s to do with the fact that I’m getting old, or just that I’ve been off the bike for six weeks, but this week it seems that I’m much stronger in the morning than in the afternoon! The morning felt really good today, Michelin had me working in one direction and Valentino in another and I was quite excited about how everything was feeling and about the times I was able to do. I did my best time on a race tyre and it was coming pretty easily. Michelin have worked seriously hard over the winter and the new front tyres they’re bringing us are just getting better and better, so congratulations to them. This afternoon was much harder and it was pretty hot out there too. The package I used for the long-run wasn’t so good, it definitely wasn’t the right direction for the rear tyre and it was hard work for me. Anyway Valentino's package worked well and that’s why we’re here after all – to work out what does work and what doesn’t! It’s given us some clear answers and now we can use tomorrow to double check what we’ve learned this week and finish on a good note."
 
Valentino Rossi Position: 5th Time: 2’02.619 Laps: 57 "Today I made my first long-run with the new bike, because I was worried about the weather for tomorrow. It was important to be able to see the level of the bike over a long distance, so we didn’t want to risk waiting for the last day. I am very happy about how it went; the performance of the bike and tyres was very good. We still need to improve the braking a bit, but I am sure it will get better as we continue to work on the set-up. The temperature at noon was very high and the sun felt like a sword beating down on my helmet, but it was still great fun and I really enjoyed myself! Of course with the 990cc bike the top speed was a bit faster, but overall with the new bike the pace on a long-run isn’t so different, because it puts less stress on the tyres so their performance remains higher for longer. The physical effort is similar for both bikes, and I feel very motivated after the long-run today. We tested the 16” front tyre today; we still need to work more on this, but the initial feeling is very good and the handling is a bit better with it. The bike is more stable in the corner and therefore I have more confidence. I think in the end it could be a good solution, but we need more time to be sure. Tomorrow we have other tyres to test and we will just continue to work on the general set-up of the bike."
Davide Brivio - Team Director "It has been another good day for us here in Malaysia. Every day we understand more and more about our new bike and we gain more experience about the right way to work and ride with this new 800cc Yamaha. Today both riders made a long-run, which is always an important indication of how we are progressing. Valentino's was very positive and we gathered a lot of important information from it. Colin had more difficulty and showed some of the problem areas we need to work on, but he also gained positives from today and his best time this morning was very fast. Of course we’ve got a lot of work to do, but that is the reason for testing! Tomorrow we will continue like this, working on the set-up of our bike and also testing some new tyres for Michelin."
Unofficial Lap Times
1. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'01.806 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'01.930 3. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2'02.275 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 2'02.538 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'02.619 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'02.793 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.806 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'02.948 9. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'03.098 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 2'03.190 11. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'03.253 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 2'03.633 13. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 2'03.681 14. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 2'03.700 15. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 2'03.800 16. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2'03.895 17. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'04.124 18. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'04.171 19. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2'04.350 20. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2'04.892
Sepang Lap Record (990cc) Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 - 2'02.127
Sepang Best Lap (990cc) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 2'00.605
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

New season gets underway for Yamaha in Sepang

Yamaha Factory Racing Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards got the new year off to a promising start at the first MotoGP test of the season in Sepang, Malaysia today, setting the third and fourth fastest times respectively. With all teams now running new 800cc prototype machines, in accordance with the new MotoGP engine capacity limits, the 20-strong field of riders enjoyed good weather throughout the day and Yamaha's two factory riders made the most of a full day of testing. Both riders had completed two tests on the new bike before Christmas and followed on from where they left off today, concentrating on double-checking the information they gathered during those tests and developing the set-up of the new bike, whilst also finding time to test some new Michelin tyres.
The fastest lap of the day, a time of 2'02.277, was set by Suzuki rider John Hopkins, with his team-mate Chris Vermeulen second with a best lap of 2'03.049. Rossi and Edwards were close behind, the Italian setting a best time of 2'03.184 from 67 laps and his American team-mate fourth with a lap of 2'03.337 after 61 laps. "I am feeling very confident at the start of this test and the new season. I've made the most of my holidays, had a good rest and I think I am starting in the best shape possible. Everyone is very motivated and excited now! The bike I am riding here is basically the same as the one I rode in Jerez at the last test and everything feels very good with it still. You have to ride these bikes slightly differently to the old 990cc bikes, you need to be slightly softer, but we understand more about them every day. Some things still need to be improved but the chassis is good and we don't have any of the problems we had at the start of last season. We need to be fast from the start this year and at the moment it seems that's the case. The power delivery of the bike is good, better than I hoped for at this early stage of the season, and I am feeling quite confident overall about the situation we're in. Today we mainly worked on setting and tyres and we've definitely made a good start to the new year, now we will try to continue like this for the next two days.
"It's been good to have a bit of a break and some time at home with the family, but I'm excited about the new season and it's good to be back on the bike! The rain held off so we got started on time this morning. The bike feels pretty similar to what we were riding before Christmas, of course there are some subtle tweaks here and there and some new stuff, but nothing too drastic and it still feels really good. This morning we worked on tyres with Michelin before testing a couple of new things with the bike this afternoon, but mostly we were just backing up everything we worked out at the last two tests, double and triple-checking every setting to ensure that we're working in the right direction. It's obvious that everyone's already at a high level and the times are fast, so it's going to be hard work for us all from now on!"
Davide Brivio - Team Director "It's good to get back to work after the winter break and it has been a positive first day for us here in Sepang. The bikes were assembled at Yamaha in Japan last week and they have started the year in their black 'winter-test livery', with yellow stickers for Valentino and red for Colin. Today we've worked on basic set-up and we haven't had any problems so far. All the information we gathered at the tests before Christmas has been taken into account and once we felt confident with this latest version of the 2007 bike, we were also able to spend some time testing new tyres for Michelin. We've definitely started our job well today and worked in a productive manner. Despite a poor weather forecast, the rain has held off and we've been able to use all the track time available to us. Hopefully this will continue and we can keep on working hard through the next two days and make the most of this important first test."
Unofficial Lap Times
1. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'02.277 2. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2'03.049 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'03.184 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'03.337 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'03.413 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'03.538 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'03.542 8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'03.620 9. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2'03.785 10. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati 2'03.944 11. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2'04.003 12. Alex Barros (BRA) Ducati 2'04.011 13. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team KR 2'04.088 14. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda 2'04.101 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Honda 2'04.138 16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'04.270 17. Shinichi Ito (JPN) Bridgestone Test 2'04.641 18. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'04.710 19. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'04.718 20. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2'07.403
Sepang Lap Record Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2006 - 2'02.127
Sepang Best Lap Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2006 - 2'00.605
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha's Helder Rodrigues wins 450 class in Dakar

For the third time since the conception of the new technical regulations of the Dakar the Yamaha WR450F has been victorious in the hotly contested 450cc motorcycle class. David Frétigné won the class in 2004 and 2005 and Helder Rodrigues came close in 2006 when he finished ninth overall as best Yamaha rider. This year Rodrigues managed to clinch the 450 class title. The Portuguese Enduro star finished two and half hours behind race winner Cyril Despres (KTM >450cc) to match Frétigné’s best performance in 2005 with a fifth position overall. Quad rider Josef Machanek caused more reason for celebrations in the Yamaha camp with his overall victory in the Quad category. The Czech proved the speed and endurance of his Banshee YFZ350 by leading only five fellow competitors from 13 starters over the finish line.
Helder Rodrigues’ fifth position overall places him as second best privateer rider behind Norwegian Pal Anders Ullevalseter (KTM), who finished fourth overall, but on a bigger capacity bike. Besides consistency, Helder showed some fearsome speed on the more technical stages. He finished second in the sandy opening leg, won the second and tenth stage and finished third in the 16 km beach special on the last day. On the stages where top speed was less advantageous, Rodrigues always made sure to claw back time on the bigger bikes. The accumulated experience of his previous two Dakar participations helped Rodrigues to celebrate his first African stage win this year; “The stage of day 10 was very technical, which allowed me to battle with bikes from the bigger categories. With my 450, I lost out somewhat on the straight sections, but I was able to make up for this on the technical parts. I’ve had a good day and this victory is very important for the team, and me as well, because it’s the first time that I’ve won a special stage in Africa. Previously, my best was a third place last year”. Rodrigues continued by confirming he exceeded his own expectations, and vows to be back next year even stronger; “My aim was to be in the top five and to win one stage. I am fifth in the overall rankings and I won two stages. So I am more then happy. We all worked well together. The team was better and so was the Yamaha. I was unable to give priority to preparing the Dakar because of my endurance race commitments. But next year, I’ll change priorities and dedicate more time to preparing for the Dakar”.
 
Besides the winning success of Rodrigues there have been other great achievements of WR450F riders. The Frenchman Michel Marchini finished seventh overall and second in the 450 class, while Dutchwomen Mirjam Pol again managed to finish as runner-up female. She has left 84 males in her wake and 49th overall is a significant improvement over her 80th place last year. Although it is not an official category victory, Mirjam is in fact the fastest woman on a 450, as her French opponent Ludivine Puy (KTM) finished in front of her on a bigger capacity machine. The formidable result for the 23-year-old sports teacher did not come easy and she has had some ups and downs since leaving Lisbon; “At the end of the marathon stage in Foum Zguid, I started running a fever and it got worse the next day. Then during the stage to Zouerat I landed badly after a jump and twisted my right ankle. I did not think much of it in the beginning, but the pain kept me awake all night.” With her ankle tightly strapped, the strong Dutchwoman kept on going. “I don’t care so much about my ranking or about the other women in the race. Ludivine Puy was better than me this year”, she admits looking at the rankings. During the stage to Atar, Mirjam deserved a fair-play award when she stopped to give another top female competitor Swedish Annie Seel some fuel. Most of the seasoned contestants judged the 2007 Dakar to be a little bit easier then previous editions. Over half of the 245 motorcyclist, 132 to be precise, made it to the finish, a percentage that is slightly higher then past events. Helder Rodrigues led the following 29 fellow WR450F riders over the finish line on the beach at Dakar:
Position Name Total time Difference to winner 5 RODRIGUES (POR) 54:07:34 02:30:41 7 MARCHINI (FRA) 54:37:20 03:00:27 15 MACEK (CZE) 59:16:38 07:39:45 16 PAIN (FRA) 59:18:50 07:41:57 17 ALGAY (FRA) 59:55:25 08:18:32 22 CROQUELOIS (FRA) 60:53:28 09:16:35 29 COTTET (SUI) 61:34:43 09:57:50 33 VAYSSIE (FRA) 62:17:07 10:40:14   43 GADIOUX (FRA) 66:17:39 14:40:46   48 WILLEMSEN (HOL) 67:45:05 16:08:12 49 POL (HOL) 67:48:12 16:11:19 58 IRVINE (MEX) 70:04:49 18:27:56 60 RONCONI (ITA) 70:30:53 18:54:00 70 CARON (FRA) 73:04:56 21:28:03 80 MIOTTO (ITA) 75:15:16 23:38:23 81 VULLIET (FRA) 75:45:18 24:08:25 83 VULLIET (FRA) 76:08:56 24:32:03 91 CHIRENT (FRA) 78:33:05 26:56:12 92 TRISCONI (SUI) 78:44:56 27:08:03 95 STIJKEL (HOL) 79:36:27 27:59:34 98 ZUIDINGA (HOL) 80:55:33 29:18:40 103 BIANCHI (POR) 82:13:53 30:37:00 113 VILLY (FRA) 85:29:34 33:52:41 114 JAYEZ (AFG) 86:51:40 35:14:47 115 ANO (FRA) 87:58:56 36:22:03 116 MELLONI (ESP) 88:33:32 36:56:39 117 DE GROOT (HOL) 88:46:45 37:09:52 118 BROWET (BEL) 89:22:59 37:46:06 124 OHASHI (JAP) 95:45:39 44:08:46 126 KIRISHIMA (JAP) 96:30:12 44:53:19  
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha keep firm grip on the 450cc class lead

With a stage-win, a second place and six other top 15 finishes Yamaha WR450F rider Helder Rodrigues (POR) is the current leader of the category up to 450cc. Helder is closely chased by Frenchman Michel Marchini, also riding a Yamaha WR450F. With nine of the 15 riding days and already 5000 km absolved, the riders are now less then a week away from the finish of the grueling 2007 edition of the Dakar rally. Top Yamaha man David Frétigné held the 450cc class lead up to stage seven, but then misfortune hit him hard and he was forced to retire. David crashed heavily in the dunes on the seventh leg from Zouérat to Atâr, the last stage before the rest day. David explained; "After the fuel stop around 350 km's in the stage my bike did not run well and I crashed when the engine stopped when I was descending a dune. I went over the handle bars and the bike landed on top of me and the foot peg hit me in my right side, injuring my ribs." Despite the aggravation David remounted straight away and carried on with his crash damaged bike in order not to loose too much time on the leaders. "The fuelling problems continued and David lost a further one and a half hours doing the necessary repairs. David arrived very tired and frustrated at the finish line; "To make things worse, just on the day when I have a problem the stage was made ten km longer due to poor visibility!" After the finish it became clear that David's condition was pretty bad with two fractured and one broken rib; 'I did not sleep at all and it felt like somebody was poking a knife in my right side". The next morning David decided to retire from the race; I'm not able to restart in this condition and be competitive, I would have to take unnecessary risks just for making up the numbers. I came here to finish each of the stages in the top six, close to the podium overall and win the 450cc class, that is now impossible, so it is better to quit."
 
With Frétigné out, Yamaha's hopes are now on Helder Rodrigues who had one of his toughest days on the Sunday stage. This 589 km special stage was the longest and possibly the hardest day of the rally; very difficult to navigate and with a very rocky surface. Rodrigues was one of the riders to get lost early on, costing him a detour of 15 km, yet he recovered strongly to finish 12th overall. Yesterday, Monday 15 January,Rodrigues further improved his position in the overall standings with a seventh position finish, Marchini came in eight minutes later to trail Rodrigues on 40 minutes in the overall standings and second in the 450 class. The leaders overall (bikes over 450cc capacity) are the factory supported Coma (Spa), followed by Despres (Fra) and Casteu (Fra). Yamaha rider Josef Machacek (CZE) is on top of the Quads leaderboard.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

WSBK - WSS Phillip Island test

Yamaha makes steady progress with the new YZF-R1 The all-new YZF-R1 was given its first 2007 testing shakedown by Yamaha Motor Italia riders Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, at the final official Pirelli tests of the close season. Corser took the equal fourth best time of the three days, with a lap of 1’32.2, set on day two - some 0.2 seconds under the current race lap record pace. Haga also had to rely on a day two best to set his fastest mark of the sessions, a 1’32.8, in what was another largely closely contested outing for the five Superbike teams in attendance.
For this second outing with the new R1, the team had limited preparation time. Meaning that not all of the usual adjustments in chassis/ swingarm combination were available to the riders, and thus the ultimate best times were limited. Corser, despite this temporary handicap, was still a force on his home circuit while Haga found a good race set-up on the final day. Both riders managed to gather important information for the final test in Qatar next February. Fastest rider at the test was Troy Bayliss, who scored a new Superbike track best of 1’30.7, with his team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi half a second behind.
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia) "The top speed and the engine feel is not bad, but we are struggling a bit with rear grip coming out of corners. We are a bit too sideways. So the lap times are not coming for us at the moment. I’m pretty happy with the bike and the team is working well, but we just need a bit more testing, and this is only the third day of riding a Yamaha at Phillip Island. We need to adjust the swingarm angle. We could use a hard tyre and get the same grip and push as a qualifier. But it’s not that disheartening because despite having some troubles we are not that far away on lap time. I know where I’m losing time and how much time I’m losing, and I’m confident we can fix it."
Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) "Finally I found a good setting and good acceleration, but I still had problems with a few things, same as Troy. Today I made 20 laps in a long run, which went very good, but after eight laps the rear problem started and the tyre started grooving. We need more testing with the new parts.”
 
 
Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) " We did not experience a rear grip problem in Qatar during the last test, so this was an important test. Now we can make the necessary changes to the specs to become fully competitive with our new R1. In discussion with the riders and chief mechanics, we know what the solution is for the set-up and we will test the parts here during race weekend. It is not a big thing, but we simply did not have time to bring these parts here now. Noriyuki made a good race simulation today."
OFFICIAL WSB TESTS: AUSTRALIA Circuit: Phillip Island Circuit Length: 4.445km Race Lap Record: 1'32.402 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 30.7 (Troy Bayliss, 2007, at this test) Temp: 25ºC
World Superbike 1. Bayliss Ducati Xerox 1’30.7 2. Lanzi Ducati Xerox 1’31.2 3. Toseland Honda Ten Kate 1’31.7 4. Corser Yamaha Motor Italia 1’32.2 5. Laconi Kawasaki PSG-1 1’32.2 6. Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 1’32.3 7. Nieto Kawasaki PSG-1 1’32.3 8. Biaggi Suzuki Alstare 1’32.4 9. Haga Yamaha Motor Italia 1’32.8 10. Rolfo Honda Ten Kate 1’33.2
Pirelli Test Session: Australia Circuit: Phillip Island Date: 13 - 15 January 2007 Temp: 25ºC Weather: Sunny, cooler in mornings
Curtain equal fastest and at record pace Yamaha World Supersport Team riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes completed their latest schedule of long haul testing in an ultimately successful fashion, with Curtain setting the joint fastest lap of the test and Parkes carrying out a satisfactory long run to simulate a real race.
Curtain tied for the new circuit Supersport best ever lap with Honda rider Kenan Sofuoglu, each setting a remarkable 1’33.9 - more in 2006 Superbike territory than Supersport. The new selection of rear tyres the team tested proved able in terms of permitting a few fast lap times, but the rears operated best in the lower track temperatures of the morning sessions. The main competitors had quite some difficulties countering the lap times of Curtain, resulting in many crashes.
Parkes suffered a crash on the second day and a trivial problem with his repaired bike on the morning of the final day stopped him improving his still impressive best of 1’34.8 even more. Nonetheless, the team tested all their new equipment and the new tyre solutions, in readiness for the start of the season on February 24th, at Losail, in Qatar. This test was the first outing under direct ownership of Yamaha Motor Europe. Although the team still operates from their Yamaha Motor Germany workshop, the overall management and ownership of the team is transferred to the European headquarter of Yamaha in the Netherlands. This enables the team to benefit from Yamaha Motor Europe’s experience and resources.
Kevin Curtain (Yamaha World Supersport Team) "I did a 1’33.9, and I was really impressed! Pretty good for a 600. Today was obviously good in terms of the outright lap times but we have quite a big rear endurance problem on the tyres that give the best lap time, and I think most people have the same. We always have a known quantity tyre that we can fall back on for the race and in general my test has been really good right from the start. The front has been good here, and we know what works and doesn’t work. We basically used the setting from the recent Qatar tests as a base point."
Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport Team) "A pretty good test but yesterday I crashed one of my bikes and we didn’t use it again that day, and then we put a new gearbox in the other bike. Due to my crash, I suffered a problem with chattering and that cost us a lot of time in the morning, when the conditions where best, so I couldn’t improve my time. In the afternoon we did a race simulation and that was really good. We used a tyre from last year on the back for that and of course the individual times were not as good. Track temperature has been a big question here."
Terrell Thien (Team Manager - Yamaha World Supersport Team) “We could only set our very best times when the track temperature is around 20 degrees, and above 30 everything goes slower. So for long runs in these conditions we have to use an older spec tyre, without the same outright grip, but with the endurance. For our work, everything was on schedule, if not a little ahead. That allowed us to work on some electronics, and if we use all the electronics we have, it saves the rear tyre a lot. This may be the way for the future."
OFFICIAL SBK TESTS: AUSTRALIA Circuit: Phillip Island Circuit Length: 4.445km Race Lap Record: 1'36.399 (Broc Parkes, 2006) Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 33.9 (Curtain and Kenan Sofuoglu, 2007, at this test) Temp: 25ºC
World Supersport 1. Curtain Yamaha World Supersport Team 1’33.9 2. Sofuoglu Hannspree Honda 1’33.9 3. Nannelli Ducati SC Caracchi 1’34.3 4. Charpentier Hannspree Honda 1’34.4 5. Parkes Yamaha World Supersport Team 1’34.8 6. Veneman Hoegee Suzuki 1’35.6 7. Foret Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 1’35.7 8. Riba Kawasaki Gil Motorsport 1’36.0 9. Kallio Hoegee Suzuki 1’37.0
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha riders control Dakar before hitting African soil

Yamaha WR450F mounted riders have dominated the opening two stages that took the caravan from the start in the Portuguese capital Lisbon to the ferry crossing bound for Africa at the Spanish harbor of Malaga. Portuguese enduro stars Helder Rodrigues and Ruben Faria won a stage each to lead the bike category into Morocco.
Ruben Faria was the surprise winner of the opening leg, beating his country man Helder Rodrigues by 16 seconds in the very tough deep sand of the first special stage. The circumstances took a lot of engine power and resulted in a fuel consumption that was higher than expected. Because of that, Ruben Faria had to nurture his fuel load towards the end, but saw his attempts for home glory rewarded.
Rodrigues, the top Yamaha finisher of the 2006 Dakar, countered on day two by winning the mountainous hard packed special in Spain, holding a 47 seconds advantage overall on Faria. By leading the standings Rodriques seems well on the way to improve his ninth position finish of last year, although this early in the rally he takes things steady. Yamaha's frontman David Frétigné had a less favorable start to his fourth Dakar campaign. Nevertheless he managed to finish 12th on the first day and 8th on the second, bringing him a 9th position in the overall ranking.
Day three of the rally will take the riders from Nador to El Rachidia. This first leg on the African continent is a serious one with total length of 648 km, including a specials stage of 252 km.
 
Helder Rodrigues (POR), winner 2nd stage and 1st overall "I meant to hit hard in the opening stage in my home country, but I just missed the victory by a tiny margin. I'm happy to win the stage of day two though. Now we hit Africa and we will see what we can do, I'm taking it on a day by day basis".
Ruben Faria (POR), winner 1st stage and 2nd overall "I decided to go for an all-out attack, because I knew that it was my chance to win the stage. I had to slow down a bit towards the end to reduce fuel consumption and I reckon I could have ridden even faster. It was a very different route from last year, much more sand, I really like that. But it was exhausting too, I had to overtake at least 80 other competitors!
Day two was a great stage again, although it wasn't as good as the first since I had a fall and hurt my knee. I just hope the injury isn't too bad. I'm not totally reassured, so I will be going to hospital for a few examinations.
David Frétigné (FRA), 9th overall "On day one I had problems with my brakes and that cost me valuable time. The special stage of day two was pretty hazardous and slippery, easy to get it wrong if you loose your concentration. But my bike works perfectly now and that makes all the difference, I was able to get a good feeling with the bike and into a good riding rhythm.
A stage like the one of day two is very complicated, because you can lose a lot if you take too many risks and make a mistake, but it is also important to have a good pace in order to stay in contention. It's a rather difficult balancing act."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno