Fresh from his fifth victory of the season yesterday, which took him fifty points clear at the top of the standings, Valentino Rossi was back in action today on the first day of a two-day test at Brno. The Fiat Yamaha Team rider finished the day second fastest, behind Casey Stoner, with a best lap of 1'57.332 after 28 laps.
The main focus of the day was on testing new Bridgestone tyres and the Fiat Yamaha crew worked through a range of both front and rear rubber, with an eye on finding new material for the final six races of the season. Rossi also tried some new electronics and mapping, which he will continue working on tomorrow.
Rossi's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was also testing today and finished ninth fastest, with a best lap of 1'57.979.
Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"It was a good day of testing today, after a great day of racing yesterday! We have tested many different Bridgestone tyres, both front and rear, and we have collected a lot of information which will help us for the rest of the season. Then we worked on some new electronics and mapping but we need to continue with this tomorrow because we haven't finished the whole programme.
Tomorrow we also have some general set-up work to do, to try some things that we weren't able to check at the weekend, due to losing one day to rain. We hope that we will have another good day tomorrow, finish all of our planned work and then we will leave here in good shape for the final push."
Lorenzo working hard to improve grip issues in Brno
Jorge Lorenzo started an important two days of testing at Brno in the Czech Republic today, following a difficult weekend during which he struggled for grip throughout. The Fiat Yamaha youngster, who finished tenth yesterday, was keen to put the weekend's disappointment behind him and completed 65 laps today with a best time of 1'57.979, which put him ninth.
As expected, the day's focus was almost entirely on testing new rubber compounds with Michelin and today Lorenzo and his crew concentrated on front tyres. They also took some time to try out some different suspension settings, and found some improvements.
Lorenzo's Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi was second fastest today, with a best lap of 1'57.332.
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"Today we concentrated on front tyres with Michelin, who provided us with some different compounds and rubber to try. We found some improvement with regards to the wear of the tyre, which was one of the biggest problems during the weekend, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Tomorrow we will shift focus to the rear tyre and we hope we can make the most of the day so that we can go to Misano in better shape and with more confidence."
Test Times
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro 1'56.261
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'57.332
3. Toni Elias (SPA) Alice Team 1'57.457
4. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.652
5. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki 1'57.742
6. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 1'57.756
7. Alex De Angelis (RSM) San Carlo Honda Gresini 1'57.826
8. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Alice Team 1'57.859
9. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'57.979
10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'58.177
11. Niccolò Canepa (ITA) Ducati Test 1'58.204
12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro 1'58.325
13. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP 1'58.568
14. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda 1'59.067
15. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing 1'59.130
16. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP 1'59.130
17. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha 1'59.228
18. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing 2'00.414
19. Tadyuki Okada (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 2'00.735
Brno: Record Lap L. Capirossi (Ducati) 2006, 1'58.157
Brno: Best Lap V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2006, 1'56.191
- Yamaha Racing -
