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MotoGP Sepang test day 1

Camel Yamaha Team returns to Sepang for final 'winter' test   Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards began their last three-day test in Sepang today, where they rejoined the rest of the MotoGP grid at the popular Malaysian venue. Fresh from their test in Qatar last week, Rossi and Edwards completed more valuable development work with the 2006-spec YZR-M1, both finishing the day in the top five on the unofficial time sheets. Focusing almost entirely on ironing out the small vibration problems they have been suffering from lately, fast lap times were not the aim of the day for the Yamaha pair. Despite this however, Rossi and Edwards were on the pace and well inside lap record time. Edwards was third behind Marco Melandri (Honda, 2'01.66) and Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2'01.89) with a best lap of 2'02.00 from 54 laps whilst Rossi, who also completed 54 laps, was fifth with a time of 2'02.20.   Colin Edwards (2'02.00, 54 Laps) "It was seriously hot out there today and pretty exhausting! Today we concentrated on fixing the little bit of chatter we've had and played around with some front fork settings, just trying to dial it in. We made some good progress and we have a new front-end setting to try in the morning; we hope that this will be the final key. Honestly we didn't really concentrate much on lap times but it seems that they came anyway, so I'm pretty happy! The bike already feels even better than it did here in January, the new stuff we have from both Yamaha and Michelin is great and after Qatar I am feeling really confident, especially with the front-end. It's all going well so hopefully we can make the final steps we need over the next two days."    Valentino Rossi (2'02.20, 54 Laps) "Today we worked almost entirely on trying to solve the vibration problems that we have had. We changed many things, tried various different settings and collected a lot of important information throughout the day. Now we are looking forward to using all this information over the next two days and we are confident that we are close to fixing the problem. Once we've been able to fix it, we will be able to use this bike to its full potential. Yamaha has done a great job and the potential of this bike is very high, it's a big improvement to last year's M1 and I am sure that once we've solved this one remaining issue, things will be very good."  Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Of course fixing this vibration is now our main focus and today we worked a lot with the entire team to try to find the right way forward. We had great cooperation between the two riders and both crews, exchanging information and experience and this is very important for the team's progress. We've been working on data collection today and we will continue tomorrow, trying some new things and gathering more information to help us. We've already done many days testing with this new bike and mostly it's going very well, now we have two more days here to continue with our improvement."  
Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'01.66 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'01.89 3. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha 2'02.00 4. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'02.15 5. Valentino Rossi(ITA) Yamaha 2'02.20 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'02.64 7. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.75 8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'02.86 9= Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha 2'03.40 9= Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2'03'40 11. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2'03.51 12. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'03.52 13. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda 2'03.58 14. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda 2'03.66 15. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2'04.02 16. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 1'04.10 17. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2'05.40 18. Jose Luis Cardosa (SPA) Ducati 2'05.81 19. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2'05.90 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 2'02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 2'01.73 Ambient temperature: 37 degrees Track temperature: 54 degrees Humidity: 79%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Everts enjoys perfect season kickoff

With a second place and two heat wins Stefan Everts claimed victory for the third consecutive time in the Starcross di Mantova race in Italy. Riding in perfect harmony with his new aluminum framed Yamaha YZ450FM, the nine times world champion from Belgium opened the 2006 motocross season in the best possible way. In the first heat Everts had to give in to Sebastian Tortelli, the French MX250 world champion of 1998 who returned from the US to campaign the 2006 MX1 world championship. In the other two heats Tortelli experienced bike trouble and could not prevent Everts claiming the other two heat wins. Other then Tortelli in the first heat there were no other riders to really challenge Everts. Unfortunately this also the case for Stefan's teammate Cédric Melotte who was not yet able to go all the way, due to a wrist injury that needs more time to heal. Stefan Everts obviously was pleased with his season opener; "It is always nice to start the season with a victory. It was a pleasant surprise because it was impossible to tell how the race would go by looking at the qualifying results. Saturday and this morning I did not have a very good feeling with the track because the surface was still frozen, which makes the racing rather unpredictable. In the end everything went okay, the track started to soften throughout the day and thankfully my bike was in excellent condition. We will have to do more racing to find the perfect setting for the machine, but we are progressing well." On the other hand Stefan's teammate Cédric Melotte needs to further nurture his injury to arrive at full race fitness; "After my wrist operation in September I started practicing again mid December with the bike, but still I have too much pressure on my wrist. I have tried some pain killers and it did feel better, but I do not prefer to take any unnecessary risks, I simply have to think of the world championship. I will try to enter the international race in Pernes-les-Fontaines or Hawkstone Park to see how my wrist will hold."   The Italian David Philippaerts won the MX2 class, while Yamaha supported rider Aigar Leok (Van Beers Yamaha) made an impressive start of the year, classifying fifth overall, with fifth, sixth and seventh position heat finishes. Davide Guarneri of Yamaha Team Ricci ended the day dramatically by crashing at the start of the third heat in a spill with several other riders. Two retirements of teammate Kenneth Gundersen were a disappointment for the Norwegian, who qualified in first position." Kenneth Gundersen has positive outlook on the season ahead, despite the fact that he and his bike are not yet 100%:"I am satisfied with this first race, considering the fact that we had some problems with the front fork. Even though we still have to improve things further I am still very happy with the performance of the YZ250F. My riding technique has to further improve too over the next few months, but this should come when my knees get better, at the moment they are not yet 100% recovered. The world championship start is still two months away and I expect to be completely ready by then. Despite crashing in the third heat Davide Guarneri was able to make a good judgment of his bike and competitors; "I wanted to race here to have a good practice session before the start of the season and to judge the level of my competitors. We rode with the new suspension and other new parts on the bike and I'm rather pleased with my results. I expected that the others would go a bit faster, but I found it quite easy to match the pace of the leaders. It was a shame I crashed during the start of the third heat, brake problems forced me to retire from the race."    MX1 Overall result 1. Everts (Yamaha); 2. Strijbos (Suzuki); 3. Garcia Vico (Honda); 4. Ramon (Suzuki); 5. Leok(Kawasaki); 6. Salvini (Suzuki); 7. Sword (Kawasaki); 8. Jorgensen (Honda); 9. Beggi (Honda); 10. Correia (Suzuki); 11. Tortelli (KTM); 12. Verhoeven (Kawasaki); 13. Kovalainen(Honda); 14. Parshin (Suzuki); 15. Teybers (Suzuki). MX2 Overall result 1. Philippaerts (KTM); Rattray (KTM); 3. Meo (Honda); 4. Goncalves (KTM); 5. Leok A. (Yamaha); 6. Lombrici (KTM); 7. Pellegrini (Suzuki); 8. Guarneri (Yamaha); 9. Baima Besquet (Honda); 10. Boscolo (KTM); 12. Gundersen (Yamaha).
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Motor Italia announces main sponsor

The Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team today announces a three-year sponsorship agreement with Santander Consumer Bank Italy, the leading consumer credit bank in the automotive industry.
The deal will see the YZF-R1 machines ofrun in the red and white corporate colours of the financial giant, which also works with Yamaha Motor Italia as a partner in the Yamaha Credit System - a finance programme available to Yamaha's Italian customers facilitating the purchase of their machines.
Santander Consumer Bank is part of the Gruppo Santander, the leading financial institution in Spain and one of the top ten international banks in the world. Gruppo Santander operates in 46 countries with 10,000 franchises servicing 59 million clients, with more than 126,000 employees. Santander Consumer Bank (SCB) is an important contributor to the success of the group. In Italy, SCB achieved much of its business success developing financial products for the automotive industry.
Laurens Klein Koerkamp - Yamaha Motor Europe, Racing Division "We're pleased to have secured a three-year partnership with Santander Consumer Bank. It is a very positive development that such a leading financial company values the marketing potential of motorcycle racing, and following their existing relationship with Yamaha Motor Italia this partnership is a perfect fit for us and a valuable new contribution to world superbike racing as a whole. Superbike is all about racing production machines which can be bought in our dealerships and this sponsor also has a strong presence in Yamaha's Italian dealerships providing financial services to our customers. I am sure it will be a very fruitful relationship giving our team the opportunity to further improve its competiveness, while Santander will surely raise their public profile in and outside the motorcycle population."
Mauro Viotto - C.E.O. of Santander Consumer Bank Italy "For us the partnership with Yamaha Motor Italia is very important from a commercial point of view. For many years we have been developing products, services and operations tailored for automotive partners. We want to support Yamaha Motor Italia and its dealer network with all these tools and with new ones that we will be developing following their needs through the Yamaha Credit System. We've already reached the lead between independent companies in the whole automotive market. Our aim is to increase our market share in motorcycle financing, in order to expand our existing leadership based largely upon consumer credit within the car segment. We think that the sponsorship of the Yamaha Motor Italia World Superbike Team will strengthen our relationship with the Yamaha dealer network, enabling us to reach our business goals together."
 
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

MotoGP Qatar test day 3

The Camel Yamaha Team finished their third day of testing at the Losail International Circuit with the track to themselves today, all other teams having begun testing one day earlier and finished yesterday. Alone on the track, Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were quickly able to complete the remaining Michelin tyre work they needed to do, before concluding the test with long runs in the afternoon. Neither Rossi nor Edwards improved on their times from yesterday of 1'56.53 and 1'56.81 respectively, and these remain the fastest times from the three days of testing. However both riders still lapped under lap record pace today, Rossi setting a best time of 1'56.78 after 49 laps and Edwards 1'57.07 from 57 laps. The Yamaha riders and team members now have a five day break before they rejoin the rest of the MotoGP paddock for the final 'winter' test in Sepang, Malaysia on 14th, 15th and 16th February. Valentino Rossi (1'56.78, 49 Laps) "Today was not quite as good as the last two days, mainly because the condition of the track was slightly worse and we didn't have such good grip. I think that last night there was a lot of wind and with only two bikes on the track today it wasn't enough to clean the surface properly. Anyway we continued to work, did our long run and found out some more information about the new M1 in different conditions. We have some vibrations and our top priority now is to find a way to fix this; I hope we can do that in Sepang. Anyway, in general this has been a good test and we have made some more improvements. The times have been quite good and we've done some important work with Michelin. Now I go home for a few days to rest before we start again in Sepang next week." Colin Edwards (1'57.07, 57 Laps) "Overall I am really happy with this test and I am looking forward to the season ahead. I am especially pleased with the setting of the bike, which we seem to be improving all the time. Both Yamaha and Michelin have worked really hard over the winter and, together with the new tyres, we've got a really good package. My long run was not bad this afternoon and the encouraging thing was that my times were consistent, even later on as the tyres started to go off slightly in the heat. It's difficult to compare to last year's race since the conditions are so different, but this year's Qatar race is only two months away now, so we hope that the work we've done at this test will put us in a good starting position for that weekend. The general progress of the bike has been great over just two tests this year so now we will hopefully be able to keep working like this in Sepang next week." Davinde Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It was interesting to come here in very good conditions and we got some good information which we can work on for the start of the season. It's good to now go immediately to Sepang to check again the settings that we found there at the first test in January. Sepang is the last really important test for us before the start of the season." Unofficial Lap Times: Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1'56.78 Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 1'57.07 Qatar Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Qatar Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917 Ambient temperature: 28.1 degrees Track temperature: 44.0 degrees Humidity: 50.3%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

MotoGP Qatar test day 2

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards continued the good work they began yesterday with a second day at the top of the time sheets at the desert circuit of Losail, Qatar today. Spending the majority of the day testing tyres for Michelin, Rossi and Edwards completed 60 and 76 laps respectively on their 2006-spec YZR-M1s. Rossi was once again fastest, setting a best lap of 1'56.53 with Edwards close behind him with a time of 1'56.81. Yamaha Tech 3 rider Carlos Checa was third fastest, according to the unofficial lap times, setting a time of 1'56.95. The Camel Yamaha Team will continue for one final day of testing tomorrow whilst Yamaha Tech 3, Suzuki and the Kawasaki and Ducati test teams have finished their Qatar testing today. Valentino Rossi (1'56.53, 60 Laps) "We managed many laps today, everything went very well and I am quite pleased. In the morning we worked mostly on settings and we have now nearly fixed the chatter we were experiencing. We made some small modifications and the bike responded quickly and it is giving me a very good feeling now. After that we worked for the rest of the day with Michelin and tested most of the tyres that they brought with them; the new things they have brought here seem to be extremely good. Our main target with them is to keep the performance level of the tyre up after 15 or 20 laps, and it seems we're improving in this area and our times were consistent throughout the day. With these new tyres and the new M1 combined we have much better stability and grip. For sure we don't have most of the other teams testing here so it's hard to judge exactly where we are, but I think anyway we can tell that we are doing okay." Colin Edwards (1'56.81, 76 Laps) "Today has been great, I'm really happy. We got going on the new Michelin stuff after lunch and they've made some great improvements. We had some new things to try for Yamaha, but we mostly concentrated on tyres. I'm really starting to feel confident with the bike and to believe in myself again. This is my first time in MotoGP to be with the same team for two years running and it's great not to have to worry about adjusting to a new bike and team at the start of the season. It feels really good to be back with the best team and on the best bike! I can concentrate entirely on my race preparation without any distractions or worries and the new style I adapted to last season now feels totally natural. I feel like I have all the tools in place for a really good season. Tomorrow we're planning to do a long run and we have a few more tyres to test; I am sure we'll make some more progress." Jeremy Burgess - Valentino Rossi's Crew Chief "Everything is going well so far. The test has been successful and the weather has been good. We've been able to test everything that we wanted up to now and we've confirmed everything that we found out in Malaysia. We're proceeding well towards the first race!" Tech 3 Yamaha Team The three-day test at the Doha venue saw the Tech 3 team complete for the first time. It was the first possibility for newly-signed Carlos Checa to ride the 2006 YZR-M1. Even with the new Dunlop tyres Checa was straight on the pace, while his teammate James Ellison also made great progress. Carlos Checa (1'56.95) "I am satisfied with this first test although of course we have many improvements to make. It's important to be realistic, even though the times have been good, and to keep focused and working hard. Obviously one of the main areas we need to work on is the tyres. They work well in these conditions and I am happy with the front, but we need to work a lot on the rear. We need to do as much testing as we can during the next days in Sepang to find the right mix and to find a better situation for the rear. "I really want to say thank you to Yamaha, Dunlop and all the other people who helped to make this possible given me the chance to be back on the grid. In January my situation was not so good and I have had to fight hard to come back, but now I have this chance and I am happy for it. I think this new M1 is definitely the best Yamaha I have ever ridden so this is very exciting. "Now we need to go to Sepang and continue to work in the same way. Everyone will make comparisons and look at the times but at this time that should not be our focus. We have started work and we have a lot more to do. We must not hurry to be in front at the moment, but focus on development. For myself I have finished to think about my previous situation and now I just want to focus on my sporting activities for this season." James Ellison (1'58.98) "I feel like I am improving slowly. I've had to change my style a bit but I am getting there. It's been great to have Carlos here, I have really learnt some things from following him, especially about lines and the use of the rear brake. I hit a bit of a wall on Monday and Tuesday morning but once we got over that things have really got better. Now I am going about two seconds faster and, as I said, following Carlos and then Valentino a bit also today has really helped me to understand some of the changes I need to make. I'm now trying not to ride so fast round the corner but just to use the bike's own power to take me round. The tyres are much better here and we've improved in that area since the last test in Sepang. There were a couple of different tyres that I liked here last year and Dunlop have made a combination of those two and that's the main one we've been using here. I wasn't looking forward to going back to Sepang but after today I am feeling much better about it. The stability is much better and we're using a bigger wheel on the front which is working well. It will be interesting to go back to Sepang now and see if we can improve there also." Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "A very good test altogether. I think it's been a really good idea to come here to test; the facilities and track are great, it's close to the conditions we can expect in the race and everyone is very helpful here! Our biggest news of course is that we now have two riders and it's been great to come here with a full team and with Carlos. It's been a good three days. The performance of Carlos has been better than anyone expected for his first outing on the Dunlops, so this is encouraging. There were three Yamaha's at the front today and this makes me very happy. Carlos is already riding well and fast and James has improved considerably over the three days. We're looking forward to Sepang although we know it won't be so easy for us there. Anyway, we're looking to the future. Once again I want to thank Yamaha, Dunlop and everyone involved for making this a possibility." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1'56.53 2. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 1'56.81 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 1'56.95 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1'57.87 5. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1'58.33 6. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati, 1'58.85 7. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 1'58.98 8. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki, 1'59.46 Qatar Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Qatar Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917 Ambient temperature: 25.9 degrees Track temperature: 39.0 degrees Humidity: 64.6%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha makes final superbike preparations in Losail and Valencia

Yamaha's world superbike stars made their final preparations ahead of the 2006 campaign, with the Yamaha Motor Italia squad testing in Qatar and Yamaha Motor France in Valencia. Testing alongside Yamaha's MotoGP teams, the Yamaha Motor Italia squad proved the performance and reliability of their new specification engine and fine-tuned the updated Magneti Marelli electronics in their three-day outing at the Losail circuit. The team's 2006 YZF-R1s feature a host of new parts over the 2005 version, designed to give the bike improved power delivery and controllability for the riders. The squad also evaluated a number of chassis parts, including a new swingarm and 2006 specification Ohlins suspension. With Pirelli supplying only 2005-spec race rubber, the squad was able to concentrate fully on the machine performance rather than testing development tyres. Using these tyres, both riders were quicker on race tyres than at December's Pirelli test, confirming the progress made by the team over the winter months. Haga was the faster of the two riders, setting a 2:00.4, with Pitt fractionally behind on 2:00.8. The Australian was slightly detuned on the final day after picking up a stomach bug but gamely completed his test programme, while Haga's day came to a premature end when he suffered a spectacular highside just 30 minutes before the end of the session. The Japanese rider was uninjured in the crash, although his bike suffered damage. Over in Spain, Norick Abe spent two days at the Valencia circuit. Having tested extensively at Phillip Island last month, the Japanese rider was back on the Ohlins suspension which he will run in the 2006 season. Abe was the sole Yamaha Motor France rider in attendance at Valencia. Shinichi Nakatomi, who will run Japanese Soqi suspension, elected to miss the test having twice tested his R1 at the circuit, while Sebastien Gimbert was also absent. The Frenchman did not test as he will not race in Valencia due to a date clash with the Le Mans 24-hour race. Abe suffered some fueling glitches as the team tested new injection mappings and he was also one of the few riders at the test not running development tyres. His best of the day was a 1:36.4. Fastest at the test was Troy Bayliss (Ducati) with a 1:34.4 lap. Noriyuki Haga "Not so bad a test although it was a shame to end with a crash. Going through the last of the high-speed right hand corners I lost the rear and had a big crash. I am ok but maybe I hurt in the morning! The new bike is a real improvement although we are still trying to find the perfect settings. The engine for sure is much nicer: less aggressive and stronger coming out of the corners, and the team has made some improvements in all areas. At the end we made some big changes to the front and, for me, it was a good direction. I am happy with the progress made by the team, but we have not tested with our rivals, so only at the first race will we know how competitive we are." Andrew Pitt "I was happy with how it went over the three days. I feel some big improvements from last year, especially with the electronics and the engine braking. We got through a lot here and we're running the 2006 suspension front and back now and it's working well already. The lap times are good and consistent and there was none of the chatter problem that we have had here in the past, so that's also a big step forward. There's a few more things to try before the race and I've still got to find a front tyre that will work good over the race distance." Norick Abe "Today we worked mainly on the injection system. We wanted to get a good setting for this and then try for a good suspension setting. It was difficult to get a good setting on the mapping and it is still not perfect. Because of this we didn't get to try any new settings on the suspension." Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator - Yamaha Motor Italia) "We have been able to get through a lot of work over the last few days. Often at these first tests we face a lot of small problems but other than a few minor electrical things on the first morning these three days have been very good. The team has been working hard over the winter and it has been good to hear the riders' feedback confirm what we had seen on the dyno. We started trying a lot of new parts yesterday and we lost our way a little bit with the set-up, but today both riders found some good settings and were happy with the results. Of course we tested many development tyres when we came in December and we do not know yet which other tyres Pirelli will bring for the race, but we are happy with our settings on the ones we had here. Our times have been under what the tyre technicians predicted so this is a positive sign for the first race."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

MotoGP Qatar test day 1

Testing for the first time at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were pleased to get back in the saddle on their new 2006-specification YZR-M1s today. Both riders made the most of good temperatures to put in some fast laps at a track where both of them enjoy riding. Although they are only joined on the track here by the MotoGP Teams of Suzuki and Tech 3 Yamaha, as well as test riders from Ducati and Kawasaki, Rossi and Edwards were encouraged to finish the day at the top of the time sheets and are looking forward to more improvement over the next two days.   Both Rossi and Edwards were inside the lap record of 1'57.903; the World Champion with a time of 1'57.36 after just 48 laps and his American team-mate just behind after 77 laps with a best time of 1'57.52. Suzuki rider John Hopkins was third fastest with a time of 1'57.66 and Tech 3 Yamaha pilot Carlos Checa, making a return to Yamaha after a year's absence, was fourth with a lap of 1'57.94. 

Valentino Rossi (1'57.36, 48 Laps) "It's always nice to be fastest, although of course here we don't have Honda or Ducati. Everything went very well today and I am pleased with this first day of work. As we're quite close to home I have no problem with jet-lag, unlike at Sepang, so I feel like I have plenty of energy for these three days! The temperature is about 15 degrees cooler than at the race last year and so we are able to have quite good grip and to use the tyres at 100%, enabling us to go quite fast. Anyway with the new bike we have much more grip than with the old M1, but as in Sepang we have a tiny bit of chatter, so we are doing a lot of work with Michelin to fix that. Michelin have come here with many new tyres and so we are working a lot with them to test as much as possible. The new bike is already at a good level and now we are working hard on finding the right settings for it. I'm looking forward to the next two days."   Colin Edwards (1'57.52, 77 Laps) "Unlike Valentino I get pretty bad jet-lag here, coming from the US, so I felt pretty tired today! I hope to get a good night's sleep tonight and to have a bit more energy tomorrow. The track is getting cleaner by the minute as more rubber gets laid down, so the grip is improving all the time; it's already much better than in the race last year. Michelin have a lot of new tyres here so we're spending a large part of our time on testing the new stuff with them. I really like this track, I've always gone good from the first time I came here so it's an enjoyable place for me to test, plus the weather is great. The new bike really is better in every way and now I've just got to build my confidence with it. At the moment I am feeling stronger with every lap. It was a good first day and I was pleased to be able to get going so well so quickly."   Daniele Romagnoli - Colin Edwards' Crew Chief "We very quickly found a good base-setting here today, much better than what we had at the race here last year. We've improved the front-end grip a lot and therefore Colin has much more confidence already in the front. It seems the new bike works well at this track and the lap times were good today. We made a good start."     Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, 1'57.36 2. Colin Edwards(USA) Yamaha, 1'57.52 3. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, 1'57.66 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, 1'57.94 5. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki, 1'58.62 6. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati, 1'58.90 7. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha, 1'59.81 8. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki, 2'00.43   Losail Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 1'57.903 Losail Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 1'56.917   Ambient temperature: 24.7 degrees Track temperature: 38.0 degrees Humidity: 73%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

UFO Corse Yamaha and Stefan Merriman reunited

The UFO Corse Yamaha team have signed a new agreement with multiple enduro world champion Stefan Merriman. The Australian rider has decided to renew his contract with the team, with which he has won the world championship title in 2004 in the Enduro 1 class. Stefan Merriman will start in the Enduro 2 World Championship and in the Assoluti d'Italia 450 class, riding the Yamaha WR450F. Director of UFO Plast, Vito Consoloni, said after confirming the agreement; "I am very enthusiastic having reached an agreement with Stefan again. For me it feels like a victory, as I am one of Stefan's biggest fans. Also as entrepreneur I am proud to associate the name UFO Plast to a champion of such big stature. Over the years, Stefan has consistently shown he is a tenacious and determined rider, the UFO Corse team and UFO Plast company therefore have the highest respect for him. His arrival makes it possible for the team to compete for the world championship title, so that we can add further to our impressive tally in Enduro." Claudio Consonni, Technical manager Yamaha Motor Italia, stated; "We achieved another important goal by re-confirming Stefan Merriman. The partnership with the UFO Corse team goes back many years, in which we achieved many goals: four world championship titles, both rider and manufacturer, four national (Italian) titles and two Six Days events. These successes definitely prove the quality of our WR machinery and are evidence of the professional qualities of the team. Mr. Vito Consoloni truly has a great racing spirit and remarkable entrepreneurial qualities, which really meets with Yamaha's philosophy and our will to succeed." Stefan Merriman's first race appearance in the UFO Corse Yamaha colors will be during the Assoluti d'Italia, 4 - 5 March at Acireale (CT), riding the WR450F in the 450 class.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Two Riders at Tech 3 with Dunlop and Yamaha

The Tech 3 Team will compete in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship with two riders, Spaniard Carlos Checa and Briton James Ellison, both on Yamaha M1s fitted with Dunlop tyres. "Thanks to the combined efforts of Dunlop, Yamaha Motor and Tech 3, we have been able to finalize this project", explains Herve Poncharal, Team Manager of the French team. "After a difficult winter during which we developed our project with Dunlop, Yamaha and the young rider James Ellison, we are now really excited to see Carlos Checa joining the team. "Carlos is the most experienced rider on this year's MotoGP grid. During his ten-year career as one of the top riders in the sport's premier category, he has ridden different bikes on different tyre brands and, based on this experience, his input to our development will be of great value, especially for Dunlop. "With Carlos partnering James Ellison, one of the emerging talents and who raced on Dunlop tyres last year, we complete the ideal line-up of our team, a blend of youth and experience, in which we have strong hopes." Carlos Checa will get his first experience of his new Yamaha M1 on Dunlop tyres during the team's next tests in Qatar on 5th, 6th and 7th February. Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, adds: "Yamaha is very pleased to be able to finally complete its two team, four rider line-up for the 2006 season. It was always our desire to try to have four riders on the grid, both to continue Yamaha's MotoGP participation at the optimum level and also to support the MotoGP sport which is very important for our business and provides us with great exposure and promotion for motorcycling worldwide. Yamaha would like to thank all the parties that contributed to the completion of this project and we wish the Tech 3 Yamaha Team every success in 2006."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha R1 Owners Club

2006 Yamaha YZF-R1 LE Owners Club
2006 YZF-R1 LE         Key Features:   The R1 LE is a special, limited-edition version of our awe-inspiring liter-bike—packed with premium components in addition to the standard tremendous firepower of the R1. Öhlins suspension units front and rear, custom-developed for the R1 LE by the same people who work on the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike, provide the ultimate ride and handling. Custom, YZR-M1-style forged aluminum Marchesini wheels designed specifically for the LE add style while removing nearly a pound of unsprung weight. Back torque-limiting slipper clutch greatly aids downshifting from speed, helping the rider exploit all the R1 LE’s tremendous braking power. New intake port modifications increase output by three horses, to 183 at 12,500 rpm.   New for 2006: Special 50th Anniversary Yellow/Black paint with a numbered serial plate and gold Marchesini wheels; only 500 of these machines will be produced. GP tech trickles down: Revised rigidity of the main frame between the engine mounts and steering head, a new, more rigid lower triple clamp and a 20mm longer swingarm produce the best-handling R1 ever. Öhlins 43mm front fork and rear shock, fully adjustable, with hydraulic preload adjuster at the rear, provide ultimate handling on the track and the street. Slipper clutch for smooth downshifts; revised clutch boss for increased oil flow. Shorter valve guides increase intake flow and reduce friction, for more power. Adjustable rear-shock linkage allows 10mm of ride height adjustability; the longer swingarm accepts a greater range of rear tire sizes. Integrated lap timer switch on the right handlebar for track days. Gold drive chain, gold M1-style tuning fork fuel tank badge, define this special R1 as a production racer.   Engine: Short-stroke 998cc, DOHC, 20-valve, liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder engine now produces 183 horsepower (with Ram-Air) at an amazing 12,500 rpm. Dual-valve fuel injection system uses motor-driven secondary throttle valves and 32-bit ECU for super-responsive, instantaneous power delivery. Two-piece ergonomically designed fuel tank carries fuel in the rear section, for good centralization of mass, while the front half contains a Ram-Air-fed airbox for increased power. Lay-down design cylinder head – 40° forward – optimizes weight distribution, straightens intake tracts for improved cylinder filling, and allows frame to pass over instead of around the engine for great strength and a narrow chassis. Closed-deck cylinder block provides great strength while allowing a narrow engine in spite of big, 77mm bores. Narrow-angle five-valve combustion chambers produce a highly efficient 12.4:1 compression ratio. Big valves and high-lift cams flow plenty of air. Carburized connecting rods with fractured big ends produce a quick-revving engine with excellent high-rpm durability. High silicon-content ceramic-composite cylinder sleeves ensure great heat dissipation for consistent power delivery and reduced friction. Titanium underseat exhaust system (except for stainless steel midpipe with catalyst) contains a titanium EXUP valve for a broad, seamless powerband. High-efficiency curved radiator and an aluminum liquid cooled oil cooler maintain stable operating temperature. Direct ignition coils, dual-electrode spark plugs and highoutput magneto deliver extremely accurate, reliable firing. AC generator behind cylinder block produces a narrow engine with excellent cornering clearance.   Chassis/Suspension: Overall frame width of only 15.6 inches produces comfortable ergonomics as well as efficient aerodynamic penetration. Controlled Fill die cast, truss-type swingarm is very strong and long, for optimal traction and feedback. Controlled Fill die cast, detachable aluminum subframe is light, strong and allows easy rear shock access.  Dual 320mm front disc brakes; light/strong, forged one-piece radial-mount calipers and Brembo radial-pump front master cylinder with adjustable lever delivers amazing braking power and controllability. Fully adjustable Öhlins inverted telescopic front fork settings were carefully developed by MotoGP Championship-winning technicians to provide track-tuned handling. Fully adjustable Öhlins rear shock was also developed by MotoGP technicians, and includes a super-convenient hydraulic preload adjuster.   Additional Features:   Two multi-reflector and two projector beam headlights provide great illumination and distinctive style. Adjustable LCD illumination and multi-function digital gauges: adjustable shift light, odometer, dual tripmeters, water temperature, air temperature, full-time clock, lap timer and large 15,000 rpm analog tachometer. Aggressive bodywork with twin Ram-Air intakes for increased engine performance. LED taillight is light, bright and highly efficient. Sticky 120/70-ZR17 and 190/50-ZR17 Pirelli tires for incredible grip and precise handling. Forged footpegs are extra durable and light. Extensive use of hollow bolts and lightweight fasteners helps trim overall weight. 8.2 AH battery is compact and light. Durable #530 O-ring–sealed drive chain. Standard toolkit located in convenient storage compartment under passenger seat.
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Camel Yamaha Team happy with progress in Sepang

The Camel Yamaha Team completed their three-day test in Sepang, Malaysia today with more promising work on the new 2006-spec YZR-M1. Both Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards concentrated mainly on work for Michelin in the morning and made some important progress in this area with the tyre manufacturer. After lunch both riders then completed a long run in order to gather information about the new M1 in race conditions, and were both pleased with the performance of the bike and the improvement in times from the race in September. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) was fastest today with a time of 2'01.03. Rossi, who captured his seventh World Championship title at this track in September, set a fastest lap of 2'01.60, which puts him fifth fastest over the three days according to the unofficial times. Edwards' best lap of the day was 2'02.54 but his fastest time from the three days remains the 2'02.00 that he set yesterday. The Camel Yamaha Team now has a 12-day break before heading to Doha, Qatar for their next test on February 6th, 7th and 8th. Valentino Rossi (2'01.60, 60 Laps) "This morning we worked 100% on tyres with Michelin. Last year at the race here we had some problems in this area but Michelin have brought a lot of new tyres here and they seem to be very good. We've been working with them to find a better grip. This afternoon I did the race simulation which was also promising. In general I am happy with this first test and with the evolution of the new bike; I already have a good feeling with it. It's not so different from the 2005 version but it's better in many areas. Yamaha is working especially hard on improving the stability of the bike and making it easier to find the right setting. The engine is also better. Now it's important that we try the bike at a different track and I think it will be interesting in Qatar. Last year I was able to win the race there, one of the best races of the season, but we had some problems throughout the weekend. It will be good to see how the new bike performs there." 
Colin Edwards (2'02.54, 62 Laps) "In the morning we worked a lot on tyres and setting, and made some progress to get rid of the chatter we had yesterday. This afternoon I did a long run and was quite pleased with it. It was much faster than I was in the race last year, so that's proof that we've made some progress. The tyre I used is maybe not the one I would have chosen for the race, but it worked okay all the same and we've found some other good new stuff with Michelin. Overall I think it's been a good first test. It's helpful to have the chance to get used to the new bike at a track we know well and I'm pretty excited about it. Everything has improved and the package seems to work. We've had a few problems this week, and we need to understand why they happened, but we've got plenty more time before the first race. I'm looking forward to going to Qatar, a track I really like, and seeing how the bike goes there." Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It has been a good first test and we have some positive results for both riders. They both managed to complete many laps and made some excellent progress with the new bike. It's been very important to test the new bike here to check that everything is okay and it was also useful to end with the long run. Now we go to Qatar where it will be interesting to see our bike at a different circuit." Tech 3 Yamaha Team The Tech 3 Team have completed the three-day test in Sepang despite an ill James Ellison. Being the first chance for Ellison to ride the 2006-spec YZR-M1, the focus was mainly on gathering data for Dunlop and getting a feel for the new version of the M1. Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director "It's been a hard test, but in the end it's been quite important for us. We've done a lot of tyre testing, which was our main aim for the week and we are quite happy with the directions we've found for the front and rear. James has done a really good job, especially considering that he's been ill, and it hasn't been easy for him. Our main mission for this year is to develop with Dunlop and this has just been the start of a long year's work. We're very happy with the new M1, it seems that Yamaha has done an excellent job over the winter and this new bike is a big step forward from the old one. Obviously the main thing is for Dunlop to get as much data and laps done as possible.  With this in mind and as everyone knows, we are still hoping to have a second rider and we are working as hard as possible to try to find a solution and a way to attend the test in Qatar with two riders." James Ellison (2'04.17) "I got sick over a week ago and I really hoped it would be okay by now but I was at my worst on Monday for the first day of the test! It was really disappointing because we had so much to do! Yesterday and today were better and we managed to get a lot of laps done and make some progress. I am pretty knackered after the three days! The bike is really good, the main difference I can see from the one I rode last year is in the power.there's more of it! This circuit is not one of my favourites and I find it quite hard, but I am a little disappointed with my times over the days. Obviously I am much faster than I was in the race last year but I am still off the pace a bit - I thought I could be a bit closer to the main group. I am definitely not fast enough considering that I am on a factory Yamaha. With Dunlop the main problem is traction - with qualifying tyres it's great but with race tyres we have some problems and some chatter in the rear. I hope that in Qatar - a track I really like and where Dunlop performs well - we can do better and make more progress." Unofficial lap times 1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2'01.03 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'01.08 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'01.12 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'01.51 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'01.60 6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'01.69 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2'01.78 8. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.18 9. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'02.30 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2'02.43 11. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.54 12. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2'02.67 13. K. Akiyoshi (JPN) Suzuki 2'02.80 14. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'03.05 15. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati 2'03.20 16. Kenny Roberts (USA) KR Honda 2'03.37 17. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) Ducati 2'03.50 18. S. Ito (JPN) Ducati 2'03.60 19. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2'04.17 Ambient temperature: 29.2 degrees Track temperature: 49 degrees Humidity: 63.8%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Motor Germany and R6 on the pace in Phillip Island

Yamaha Motor Germany today completed their final test before next month's opening round of the Supersport World Championship. The team spent three days at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, with riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes both completing over 1000 trouble-free kilometres and lapping their home circuit at lap record pace. Having given their machines a shakedown test in Valencia last month, the team travelled to Australia with updated machines fitted with a range of new Öhlins suspension parts. Good weather greeted the riders present at the legendary circuit, with the strong winds that blighted Yamaha Motor France's test a few days earlier all but gone. Riding alongside Yamaha's Australian national superbike team, Curtain was the fastest of the Yamaha Motor Germany riders clocking a best of 1:35.6, Parkes was less than a second behind his experienced team-mate with a 1:36.4. Having found a good base setting at Valencia, the team worked on fine-tuning the R6 package, experimenting with the bike's electronics and slipper clutch in a bid to improve corner speed. Tyre supplier Pirelli brought along a range of new rubber for the test, while the new suspension parts proved an improvement over the off-the-shelf components used at the Valencia test. Both riders declared themselves happy with developments and have found a satisfactory base setting for next month's opening race.
Round one of the series takes place at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Saturday 25 February with Phillip Island playing host to the second round eight days later. Kevin Curtain "I'm really, really happy with how it's gone. The difference between this bike and the 2005 one is night and day. The energy it takes us to do the same lap times is just so much less and overall the package is far better. The weather has been good to us as well. There wasn't much wind and this morning (Wednesday) was the best I've ever seen Phillip Island. There was not a cloud in the sky and virtually no wind. The ocean looked beautiful and it was a magical experience riding around there." Broc Parkes "After hurting my ankle in Valencia it took me a day to get back into the swing of things but by the second day I felt comfortable again. Luciano Zaza (suspension technician) brought over so much stuff and although we've found a pretty good base there's still a bit more to come from the suspension. I'm not at my best riding around on my own so on the last day Kevin and I did a race simulation together. I was able to run right with him and run the same lap times. We had a bit of a battle, so that was good for my confidence. We've had three really good days and the lap times have been good. I don't want to get carried away though. We've done the times in perfect conditions but there was no one else here to compare ourselves to, so the proof will only come in Qatar. One thing is for sure though, we are much further ahead of where we were at this time last year." Terrell Thien (Team Manager) "We made a good decision to come to Phillip Island as we have found perfect testing conditions. The first day was maybe a little too hot, but better too hot than too cold, although and after that the temperatures were just right. We've tried four different (specification) of front forks internals and even more rear shocks. The team worked well together and I was happy to arrive and find both riders in really good shape. We came with a big test schedule and were able to get through everything we needed to get a good base setting."
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Yamaha Enduro Line-up 2006

The Italian based UFO Corse Yamaha enduro team are pleased to announce details of the riders that will represent them in the eight-round 2006 World Enduro Championship (WEC), which starts in Sweden on March 18-19. Bringing together riders from three of Europe's leading enduro nations, the UFO Corse Yamaha team will again compete in two of the WEC's three senior classes and is this year represented by Italian, Spanish and French riders. With the new-look squad, an exciting mix of experience and youth, the UFO Corse Yamaha team are hoping to repeat the successes of past seasons while guiding the squad's enduro newcomers through their first year of World Enduro Championship competition. In the Enduro 1 class, Italian rider Maurizio Micheluz and Spaniard Arnau Vilanova will compete aboard Yamaha WR250F machines as they bid to stamp their mark on what will be one of the most competitive WEC classes. For Micheluz 2006 will be the start of his second season with the UFO Corse Yamaha team following a strong seventh place finish in the 2005 E1 world championship. Joining Micheluz in the E1 class is Arnau Vilanova, one of Spain's most promising young riders. After bursting onto the WEC scene in 2004, where he placed third in the highly competitive Enduro 2 class as a privateer, 2006 will see Arnau compete aboard a Yamaha for the first time in his professional career. Having already proved to have the speed to compete against the world's best, Arnau is looking to improve on his previous WEC successes and will be the UFO Corse Yamaha team's number one rider in the Enduro 1 class. In the Enduro 2 class Frenchman Johnny Aubert and Italian Fabrizio Dini will compete in the WEC for the first time. Under the watchful eye of the experienced UFO Corse Yamaha team, both riders hope to compete at the head of the Enduro 2 class while learning more about the series. Both compete on Yamaha WR450F machines and will need to adapt their motocross and supercross skills to perform at their best in the WEC. Both riders, despite being newcomers to the WEC, look set to battle it out with the series' established riders as they fly the flag for Yamaha in the Enduro 2 class. Furthermore the UFO Corse Yamaha Team will support young talent in 2006. Slovakian Robert Kapacik (age 19) and Polish Michal Szuster (age 20) will compete in the Enduro Junior challenge riding the WR250F. Enduro 1 class: Arnau Vilanova (Spain) + Maurizio Micheluz (Italy) Enduro 2 class: Johnny Aubert (France) + Fabrizio Dini (Italy) Rider Profiles WEC 2006 Arnau Vilanova Regarded as one of the most exciting young riders competing in the World Enduro Championship today Spaniard Arnau Vilanova has a point to prove in 2006. Competing as a privateer in the 2004 Enduro 2 world championship he finished his first full season of the World Enduro Championship in an amazing third position. Competing in only a handful of international enduro competitions during 2005, Arnau returns to the World Enduro Championship arena this season as the UFO Corse Yamaha team's number one Enduro 1 class rider. Having already proved that he has the speed and skills to mix it with the world's best Arnau is gunning for glory in 2006. Date of birth: 3 October 1981 Place of birth: Andorra la Vella (Spain) Nationality: Spanish Residence: La Seu (Spain) Weight: 75kg Height: 175cm Marital status: single Hobbies: everything in bike racing! Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR250F Class: Enduro 1 Career highlights: 2005: 1st Spanish Championship E1 class 2004: 3rd Enduro 2 World Championship 2003: 2nd 250cc Spanish Enduro Championship Maurizo Micheluz During 2005 Maurizio Micheluz continued to show that he is one of Italy's brightest Enduro talents. In only his second full season of the World Enduro Championship, his first as a member of the UFO Corse Yamaha team, Maurizio finished in a strong 7th position in the competitive Enduro 1 class. Finishing the season as one of the classes most consistent performers, the former 125cc European Enduro Champion placed just a handful of points behind some of the WEC's most experienced and well known riders. For 2006 Maurizio is looking to continue his rise to the top and has his sights set firmly on finishing amongst the world's best. Date of birth: 16 February 1976 Place of birth: Pordenone (PN) Nationality: Italian Residence: Aviano (PN) Weight: 75kg Height: 174cm Marital status: girlfriend Sandrina Hobbies: Mountain biking Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR250F Class: Enduro 1 Career highlights: 2005: 7th Enduro 1 World Championship, 3rd Italian Championship 'assoluti d'Italia 250 4T' 2004: 7th Italian 450 Championship 2003: 125 European Enduro Junior Championship. Junior four stroke Italian Championship 2002: Italian Champioin 'Cadetti Assoluto e 4t' Johnny Aubert 13 years after becoming 80cc World Motocross Champion Frenchman Johnny Aubert faces a new big challenge as he takes to the World Enduro Championship stage for the first time ever in 2006. Having raced in both the World Motocross Championship and in the US National Motocross Championship, Aubert will compete in the Enduro 2 class in this year's WEC series aboard a Yamaha WR450F. Bringing new blood to the eight-round World Enduro Championship, Aubert will call upon his years of motocross experience in order to perform at his best and deal with enduro racing's many technical and physical challenges. Although a newcomer to international enduro racing the Frenchman is no stranger to enduro racing having placed in fourth position at the 2005 Le Touquet Beach race. In 2006 Johnny Aubert will be looking to make a big impression on the World Enduro Championship. Date of birth: 31 March 1980 Place of birth: Maubeuge (France) Nationality: French Residence: Saulnes (France), second residence Pecrot (Belgium) Weight: 77kg Height: 183cm Marital status: single Hobbies: Jet ski, karting, cinema, computers Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR450F Class: Enduro 2 Career highlights: 2005: 4th Le Touquet Beach Race 2004: 125 AMA Supercross & 250 AMA Motocross competitor 2003: Motocross GP competitor 2002: 12th world championship motocross class 250cc 2001: 2nd German MX championship 250cc, 11th World championship MX 250cc 1999: National champion France, 125cc elite class, 15th World championship MX 125cc 1998: National champion France, Supercross 125cc, 2 wins in Paris-Bercy 1996: National champion France, Junior class 80cc 1993: World champion 80cc class. National champion France, rookie class 80cc Fabrizio Dini The second Italian within the 2006 UFO Corse Yamaha squad Fabrizio Dini is also the team's second newcomer to the World Enduro Championship. After many successful years competing at the front of the Italian motocross scene, Dini has decided it is time for a change in direction of his professional motorcycling career and will channel his energies into competing in the Enduro 2 class of the 2006 World Enduro Championship aboard an UFO Corse Yamaha prepared WR450F. While needing to develop new skills in order to master the challenges of the WEC series, Dini, like Aubert, comes equipped with years of experience of high-level racing - including world championship motocross - and as the 2005 Motocross Italian Champion. Looking forward to competing in the WEC Fabrizio Dini is only interested in one thing - battling against the world's best. Date of birth: 9 April 1976 Place of birth: Montevarchi (AR) Nationality: Italian Residence: Abbadia Agnano (AR) Weight: 82kg Height: 190cm Marital status: married to Roberta Hobbies: Fishing Team: UFO Corse Yamaha Bike: Yamaha WR450F Class:Enduro 2 Career highlights: 2005: National champion Italy, senior class 2004: injured 2003: 7th Italian championship Italy 500, 1st 'assoluti d'Italia' 2002: 15th Italian championship 500, 3rd 'assoluti d'Italia' 2000: 15th Italian championship 500, 3rd 'assoluti d'Italia' 1997: European champion 125 MX
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Camel Yamaha Team - Sepang Test Day 2

Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards both made progress on the development of the 2006-spec YZR-M1 in Malaysia today, despite the day being cut short by rain. The morning saw high temperatures and building humidity at the Sepang track before it gave way to a rainstorm in the mid-afternoon. Both riders decided not to carry on testing and now hope for good weather tomorrow in order to make the most of the final day. Ducati riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi both set fast times under the 2'02 marker today, but Edwards was close behind with a best lap of 2'02.00 after 58 laps. Rossi, who set a lap of 2'02.14 yesterday, was ninth fastest today with a best time of 2'02.62 after 41 laps Colin Edwards (2'02.00, 58 Laps) "Today went really well and I'm excited about the progress we're making already. Usually with a new bike you have to compromise in some areas to improve others, but it seems that with this bike they've improved it all over. Yamaha has done a really great job on it over the winter. The traction especially is much better. The crash yesterday has actually helped us to make progress and now we've found a setting that I really like. We've still got a tiny bit of chatter, but only in about three corners so we're not so worried and I am confident we can find a way to fix it." Valentino Rossi (2'02.62, 41 Laps) "Today was not perfect because the rain interrupted everything this afternoon and we didn't do as much work as we wanted to. Up to then we had concentrated mostly on fixing the chatter that we experienced yesterday and in the end we were successful. We realised that the problem was in the rear shock and now it's okay. I ran a lot on old tyres today and then it started to rain so we weren't able to try any of the new race tyres Michelin had brought. Tomorrow we will probably do a long run and hopefully we will also get the chance to try some of these new tyres." Davinde Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "Unfortunately it rained this afternoon so we couldn't finish the day's work. Despite this both riders made some progress and Colin's times especially were quite fast. Tomorrow we hope that we have good weather and that we can complete everything that we need to do." Unofficial lap times 1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2'01.50 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'01.80 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.00 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'02.02 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'02.26 6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.40 6. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 2'02.40 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2'02.57 9. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'02.62 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'02.70 11. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'03.26 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2'03.43 13. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Suzuki 2'03.80 14. Kenny Roberts (USA) Honda 2'04.10 15. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2'04.15 16. Alex Hofmann (GER) Ducati 2'04.49 17. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) Ducati 2'06.06 Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 2'02.993 Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 2'01.731 Ambient temperature: 29.2 degrees Track temperature: 43 degrees Humidity: 64.4%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

Camel Yamaha Team - Sepang Test Day 1

Rossi and Edwards get underway at first test of 2006
The Camel Yamaha Team launched its 2006 campaign today, with the first of three-days of testing in Sepang, Malaysia. After a six-week holiday the team is back at its favourite testing venue alongside other MotoGP Teams from Yamaha, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki. A cloudy morning with a few spots of rain at one stage gave way to a sunny afternoon and Yamaha's Factory Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards were able to complete a full day of testing on their new 2006-spec YZR-M1s.
Both riders concentrated on getting a feel for the new version of the M1, which they first tested in November last year. According to the unofficial lap times, Rossi was fastest with a time of 2'02.14, after 74 laps. Edwards meanwhile had a fall in the afternoon at turn nine, but was unhurt and able to continue for the rest of the afternoon on his second bike, setting a best lap of 2'02.61 after 69 laps. Valentino Rossi (2'02.14, 74 Laps) "It's always a little difficult to start again after the holidays, and I am never sure if I will be able to ride well straight away! Today however everything has felt good right from the start and I am already quite fast. The new M1 is a good bike, I like it and I can see that Yamaha has worked very hard over the winter. We had a few problems with it today; some chattering, but in reality it is good for this stage of the year. We still have a lot of work to do on it of course. The new bike is not so different from the 2005 bike, but still we have to understand completely its character and I have to get more confidence in it, then we can begin to make the modifications needed in order to improve it. Today has just been about understanding the bike, tomorrow we will concentrate more on tyres with Michelin." Colin Edwards (2'02.61, 69 Laps) "I came out this morning and felt good immediately. Straight away I felt happy on the bike and could notice all the improvements that Yamaha has made. I'm so accustomed to the 2005 bike at this track, but it was clear today that the new one is better in many ways. I am a bit out of practice after the holiday but once I got going I felt very comfortable to be back on the bike. After a few laps we began to play around with some fork settings and spring rates and in doing so we lost a little bit of feel. Then after lunch I had the crash.it was at turn nine and I just lost the front on the brakes. It all happened pretty slowly and I was fine, luckily. After that we didn't have time to go back to our good fork setting but anyway the times were still okay. Despite the mishap today I feel like I want to go faster and faster, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "We begin this test with many new things, but the most important is that the new bike is at a good starting point and the riders have been able to do good work straight away. Of course we have many jobs ahead of us to work on the set-up and to test tyres for Michelin, but it has been a good start. Colin's crash was unfortunate and also something new, since he doesn't do it very often! Despite this we have had a more than satisfactory day and we hope to get some more important work done over the next two days." Unofficial Lap Times: 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'02.14 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda 2'02.21 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda 2'02.23 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Honda 2'02.46 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 2'02.55 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.61 7. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati 2'02.77 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) Honda 2'03'57 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki 2'03.77 10. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda 2'03.80 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'03.90 12. Alex Hoffman (GER) Ducati 2'04.63 13. James Ellison (GBR) Yamaha 2'06.40 14. Jose Luis Cardosa (SPA) Ducati 2'07.70 Sepang Lap Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2005 - 2'02.993 Sepang Best Lap: Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 2005 - 2'01.731
Ambient temperature: 30 degrees Track temperature: 49 degreesumidity: 49%
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno

2006 Dakar Update 5

Day 14 - Stage 13 Friday 13 January 2006 Labé > Tambacounda Connection 7 km, Special 348 km, Connection 212 km, Total 567 km A very technical stage was set for Friday the 13th after two days without technical assistance. The reliable technique of the WR450F demanded only the obvious maintenance: oil and filters. Passing the highest points in this year's Dakar, the riders had to cross several steep and rocky passes. The nimble character of the WR450F gave David Frétigné good expectations to attempt an attack on the race leaders. David quickly found his rhythm in the special stage, confirmed by an eighth place on Check Point 1 (CP). After CP1, David had difficulties with the mounting of his road book causing him to stop several times, which set him back six minutes. Later that stage, just 15 kilometres before CP 2, two road crossing cows forced David into a ditch. This incident cost him valuable minutes in pursuit of the race leaders. Despite this mishap, David confirmed today's expectations by setting seventh place for the day. This gained David two places in the overall standings: from 18th to 16th place. Day 15 - Stage 14 Saturday 14 January 2006 Tambacounda > Dakar Connection 107 km, Special 254 km, Connection 273 km, Total 634 km     The road to the capital of Senegal , being the last stage of importance before the finish line, was set significantly different compared to last year's. The numerous changes of direction forced the riders to be very attentive. Still, the changed route led to navigational errors for many of the top competitors as Cyril Despres (Fra), Alain Duclos (Fra) and Giovanni Sala (Ita), but not for David Frétigné. The World Enduro Champion managed to win his first stage in this year's Le Dakar, bringing his grand total to seven victories. Setting a third time on CP1, David kept on riding in a high pace and slowly caught up with leader Marc Coma (Spa). In the last part of the stage, David managed to pass Coma and he kept his leading position until Dakar finishing 33 seconds ahead of Coma. This victory was a well-deserved reward for the Yamaha WR450F rider. Gaining three places on the overall leader board, David ends the penultimate day in 13th position overall. David Frétigné - Yamaha France Ipone: "The last three or four days I was in good form. If I had not been confronted with yesterday's problems I could have won that special too. I left Tambacounda in seventh position and I did a good job in navigating today. Contrary to other riders it was a perfect day for me. Practically all day's special I drove up with Marc Coma. After CP1, he clinched to the group of Despres who seemed lost. I didn't stick to the beaten paths, knowing where I was. Relying on my road-book, Marc (Coma) noticed me taking another route and followed me. Then I made a small detour, but returned on the right path where I rejoined Marc Comas. After that I set the pace higher resulting in my seventh Dakar victory. It is very important for me, for Yamaha and for my technical team! We stopped at the finish of the special in Thiès to pay tribute to last year's deceased Fabrizio Meoni in a ceremony that the organisation had arranged for him. The remaining two kilometres I was filled with emotions, also knowing I was soon to be reunited with my wife and two children." Day 16 - Stage 15 Sunday 15 January 2006 Dakar > Dakar Connection 38 km, Special 31 km, Connection 41 km, Total 110 km In tribute to the two children who lost their lives during the passage of the Dakar caravan, the ultimate Lac Rose stage was not timed. The results timed after the 14th stage were to be the official times to end this year's Dakar. After 9.093 kilometres, of which 5.000 kilometres covered in specials, the 2006 Le Dakar has come to an end on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. From the 232 bikes attending the start in Portugal, only 93 had made it to this last stage, once again confirming its reputation of world's toughest Rally raid. David Frétigné - Yamaha France Ipone: "It was very relaxed today, rounding up the event. It was a bit disappointing that there wasn't a final confrontation due to the neutralization, but completely understandable. Although the main objective is to arrive in Dakar, it is victory that drives me. This year I had a competitive bike, good enough to win stages. With all occurred situations it wasn't really possible for me to live up to those expectations. The Dakar 2006 is finished and yet I am thinking about the next event in February: the Touquet enduro race, where I will be competing on a similar bike as current champion Arnoud Demeester. With my wife and children,I will stay in Dakar for another week to enjoy the good things in life. After that I will return home to prepare for Le Touquet. A moment of rest will follow to get ready for the new enduro season." Final overall standings 1. 002 COMA (ESP) KTM in 55h27:17 2. 001 DESPRES (FRA) KTM +1h13:29 3. 006 SALA (ITA) KTM +2h29:48 4. 009 BLAIS (USA) KTM +2h36:18 5. 004 DE GAVARDO (CHI) KTM +3h22:47 9. 055 RODRIGUES (POR) YAMAHA +6h54:41 12. 058 KNUIMAN (HOL) YAMAHA +8h29:27 13. 012 FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA +8h45:56
Alex Asigno
Alex Asigno