Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Sepang MotoGP Test T he second major MotoGP preseason test of the year took place over the weekend at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia, with all of the major teams participating. After three days, it was clear that the 2005 Honda RCV21 IV, which was unveiled for the test, showed promising early results by topping the time sheets on all three days with three different riders. Makoto Tamada Makoto Tamada proved he could finally be ready to step up as one of Valentino Rossi's major threats in the 2005 MotoGP World championship by topping the timesheets at last week's Sepang test. The 28-year-old Japanese rider ended Max task of plotting Valentino Rossi's downfall, as Honda wheeled out its new 2005 RCV "We are still testing to see what we need BIan' and Nk~ Hayden'. pit-lane call.- t.ion was the hot topic at $epGng_ for the season," Biaggi said. "We are testing some parts, and this isn't the final version of our 200S bike. What we are trying to do isn't going to happen overnight. We are discussing with HRC what we need." Biaggi's initial focus concentrated on the chassis, but he admitted that the team hadn't completely ironed out the big problem that beset the 2004 bike. "I'm concentrating my work on the chassis," he added. "We have seen improvements in some areas but not for the whole lap, but it's not easy, and we have to analyze HRC said about this problem, and I agree with his crew. As Biaggi roared out, he ploughed straight into the side of Hayden's RCV as the American turned to enter his pit box. The collision left both of them in a crumpled heap on the tarmac, with Hayden's bike badly damaged at the front end. Biaggi had already crashed on the track, uninjured, second at the end of three grueling days in the intense Malaysia heat. Tamada set his best time using Michelin's with them." in the first morning session. On the final day, he amassed an impressive 2S laps in the 2:0 I bracket to underline out of the pit and he came very close. He qualifying tire for the first time since he his consistency. doesn't make the entry to the pits like everybody else, in terms of curving in. He was Sete Gibernau Sete Gibernau's solution to ending Valentino Rossi's reign as MotoGP World Champion is to use 2-year-old parts on his Honda RCV While HRC was looking to the future by wheeling out its new 2005 RCV at last week's Sepang test in Malaysia, Gibernau was turning back the clock. Both his RC21IV's in 5epang were fined with 2003 spec chassis, swingarm and rear- close to the garage - maybe too close - and I the three-day session with a best time of 2:00.9S on lap 5S of his 64 to edge out fellow Honda rider Max Biaggi by just .06 of a switched from Bridgestone at the end of last season. Compared to his qualifying time on Bridgestone tires set at last October's Malaysian Gp, he was 1.5-seconds faster on Michelins on the weekend. "When I arrived, I had a very bad flu bug," Tamada said. "Just four days before the test started, I was doing some filming for the team in Italy, and I must be another victim of the Italian flu." He was back to full fitness on Sunday, though, and he made an immediate impact on his debut using Michelin's supersoft qual- all the information before deciding the direction we need to take. We want to improve our bike to enter the corner. I know what suspension linkages as he tries desperately to - Michelin's bog standard qualifying rubber - find a way of dethroning his bitter rival Rossi. It must have worked well, as by the end of the test Biaggi had also reverted back to the old system and agreed it was the better on which he set the test's best time. direction to take. ifying tires. He was offered a range of five different tires, but it was the third he tried Gibernau, who finished the test with the fifth-fastest time, clocking a 2.01.37, said he was seriously considering using the 2003 equipment throughout the season, which effectively means he will try to beat Rossi with a chassis and suspension sys- tem that the Italian perfected before his shocking defection to Yamaha. Max Blaggi Max Biaggi started his campaign on the Honda's new 2005 RCV in calamity but ended it in a confident mood after he finished second quickest at the weekend's 5epang test in Malaysia. The 33-year-old Roman shrugged aside a disastrous first day that saw him suffer two crashes, one that involved an ugly col- lision with teammate Nicky Hayden in the pit lane (see separate story below). After a dismal start, the four-time 250cc World Champion recovered to clock a best time of 2:01.0 I just two iaps before he finished on the final day. In his new role as number-one HRC rider, Biaggi began in earnest the unenviable 10 "Right now, I'd want to run what Ihave at this test during the season," he said. "The bike is still a prototype, because we still haven't decided the bike we are going to be using for the first race. Yes, we are late. I hope it's not going to be a problem. "It was unbelievable," Biaggi said. "I went couldn't see. Nobody from the team advised me he was coming. It was a mistake of the management. There should be somebody saying it is okay for me to leave. They admitted it. This can be dangerous." "There was a little bit of contact," Hayden said. "I was just coming into the pits, minding my own business, and the old dude just pulled out right in front me and ran me over. He seems to have a lot of problems running into riders and people on pit lane. It's not the first time he's had contact on pit lane. He said normally one of his mechanics would signal him to come out. Nobody did this time, but he thought he could still motor out. People do mess up sometimes. I proba- bly should have been coming in a bit slower, but a lot of times he races in and out of the pits. People have seen him. He just T-boned me pretty much. I don't know if he'll admit that he screwed up, but that's not really his style. I'll definitely pay more attention now when I come in. It was a silly deal and tore up the bike a bit, but no hard feelings." If it wasn't embarrassing enough for Biaggi, archrival Valentino Rossi was immedi- ately behind Hayden and caught the incident unfolding right in front of him. By the time he made it back to the Yamaha pits further down the lane, the reigning World Champion was in stitches, laughing his head off as he dismounted his Yamaha YZR-M I. His Gauloises Yamaha crew then sarcastically formed a three-man cordon outside the next time he left the garage. For sure, it's not ideal that we are now using a bike that may not be the bike we use at the first race. But we have to adapt to the situation. We said. "It was unbelievable. I was behind Nicky and I saw the crash, but I didn't think are late, but I don't think we are too late. I have clear ideas of what I need to improve." it was reality. It was unlucky, but some riders go too fast in the pits. You mix this one with "It was impossible not to smile," Rossi unlucky, and it happens." The Collision Biaggi and Hayden suffered an eventful first day on the new Honda RCV in 5epang when the factory HRC teammates collided outside their pit box. Biaggi was leaving his side of the Repsol Honda garage, unaware that Hayden had come into the pit lane for another debriefing FEBRUARY 23,2005 • CYCLE NEWS Valentino Rossi After having been struck by a flu bug, Rossi climbed off his sickbed and sent a shiver down pit lane after an incredible final-day performance at last week's Sepang test. The reigning MotoGP World Champion put on a devastating display during a final-day 21-lap race simulation that smashed his overall winning time at last October's Malaysian GP by an astonishing 35 seconds. That equates to an improvement of around 1.5 seconds per lap in five months for the Italian, who celebrates his 26th birthday on Wednesday. That Rossi was able to produce such a brilliant performance when still well short of being at his best made the 200S season an even more daunting prospect for his rivals. Rossi was only fifth quickest on the first day, as he began to feel the effects of a flu virus that also impacted on the test sessions for Loris Capirossi and fastest man Makoto Tamada. Rossi's best time, which made him the fourth fastest at the test, was a 2:01.27 that he set in an eight-lap stint on his "B" machine. Circuit timing only officially credited Rossi with completing 14 laps on the final day, but the canny four-time MotoGP World Champion removed his transponder for his all-important race simulation. As soon as Rossi had demolished his previous best race performance and scored a massive psychological blow against his rivals, he packed up and returned to his hotel. "I am very, very happy," Rossi said. "I was still sick, and that is why I decided to stop early, even though I had missed the complete second day. During the race simulation, I was very fast. Rossi was also pleased to see that some of the horsepower gained over the winter by Yamaha had brought his MI close to the faster machines on the grid after he followed Capirossi on the first day. The next official preseason test will take place at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, February 17-19. Matthew Birt

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