Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

D e c . 1 2 , 2003 MOTOGP _ STORY AND PHOTOS BY HENNY RAy ABRAMS Fast Max: Max Biaggi ended up the fastest of the fast during the recent test in Spain , the Italian coming away happy with improvements to the RC211V. Out with the old, in with the new in MotoGP good because I understand many of the things that were going on." Telefonica MoviStar Honda's Co lin Edwards , the self-described "redheaded stepson of Honda ," didn't get the parts and didn't mind. 'y"t the moment I haven 't deserved it," he said. "These guys, they know the bike, they know everything about it... how it feels. That's great. Those guys can test all they want. I need to get wo rking on the chassis." Valencia was the first proper test for Edwards . He'd ridden the V-five for a day after the Valencia Gp, but that was mostly to set the riding position and become famil iar with the bike and the team . T e post-Valentino Rossi era began for Honda at a three-day multiteam test in Valencia, Spain, with HRC proving its seriousness about retaining the num- ber-one plate and an apparent pecking order emerging among the six "equal" riders. It was also the maiden voyage for Kurtis Roberts, on his father's Proton KR. and his ride was impressive by any measure . Not only did he lap the Ricardo Tormo Circuit faster than anyone ever had on the V-five, but he did it in his firstvisitto the track on tires that aren't the measure of the rest of the field . And he was faster than Neil Hodgson, the World Superbike Champion who's raced at Valencia many times and is now on the GP-vvinning Ducati Desmosedicion Michelin tires. Roberts was also nearly as fast as Hodgson's Spanish teammate Ruben Xaus. Honda accelerated its development program by bringing next-generation engine and engine management parts to the test, t.~ IANI IAIN l Li ?MLI • dispelling any notion that it wou ldn't be ready for the Rossi threat next season . "We planned the new spec engine a little early," HRC team manager Shoji Tachikawa said. "Normally it's January or February. We prepared for the riders now because it's necessary. It's an evolution engine, and we 'llhave a new one for the first test of the new year." Camel Pramac Po ns' Max Biaggi was one of the two riders to get the go- fast parts , and he was immediately impre ssed. "Now I understand how you can vvin a Biaggi turned the fastest lap of the test on the second day, with Gibernau fast on the first and third days and reliably consistent. In addition to the engine parts , the teams were testing 16.5-inch front Michelinsfor the first time, vvith generally mixed reviews. Edwards is a longtime devotee of the smaller front, though he wasn't entirely comfortable vvith it on the Honda . "Sete [Gibernau] and Max's [Biaggi] performance is so-so," Tachikawa said. "It's still necessary to test more. " Biaggl's fast lap was his best ever at Valencia, a one -off I:32.88, well under the I:32.575 he'd clocked at the season -end ing pension . No change. We used the 17. I tried the 16.5. No change. So a surprise. Also the Japanese are surprised because they see on the data big chatter. They don't know where it's coming from .,. He took no solace in setting the fastest lap. "This was yesterday. Normally you want to go faster:' Thursday was the first full day of testing. On Wednesday, overnight rains and unseasonab ly cool te mpe ratures kept the 15 riders, including test riders, from seven teams off the track until early in the afternoo n. Then an oil seal on Hodgson's Desmosedici blew on his first fast lap, and testing gave way to cleaning. Thursda y dawned bright and clear, but cool. The times began to drop straight away, with Biaggi end ing up with the best after getting the full measure of the new moto r. " Honestly I can say it's working better and it lets me ride this bike better," the Roman said. "It is easier to make the lap times . I went faster today compared to the race we had here , and today it's colder, and I did not use a qualifying tire ." Biagg echoed Tachikawa's comments i about the pace of Honda 's development. "To have such good compromise already end of the year makes me feel confident for next year," he said. Gibernau said all the right things about testing, as well he should. He won more races than anyone but Rossi last year and stands to "I'd say we went a little better than I expected." - Kurtis Roberts championship," said the Italian, who 's often carped about not being on equal machinery. Telefonica MoviStar Hon da's Sete Gibernau, the other recipient of the good stuff, agreed. "We 're changing a wh ole bunch of stuff with that as far as engine braking and engine compression, and the last couple rounds we we re trying to get more power smoother," he said. "That's basically what Valentino [Rossi] was running. And it's CYCLE NEWS Valencia GP six weeks ago. But he couldn't match it on the final day when he developed nagging front-end chatter. The team put in one final qualifying tire as the sun was drop ping, but his time didn't. "Basically, I lost one day because in the morning I have a chatter problem , big problem," Biaggi said, "and yesterday nothing. In the morning and afternoon we changed the tire , the front the rear; we changed the sus- 40 t h Anniver saru become the favored son if his results continue. He spent the three days working toward a baseline he could carry into the next test, when the new RC-21IV arrives. "I think we're do ing a great job exactly; that's ou r main goal, to work very hard on what we think has to be the correct bike and the correct setting and the correct tires, and that takes a lot of effort from not only me but the whole time to be very concen-

• Cover