A POSITIVE START FOR THE PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP TEAM
AT THE OFFICIAL IRTA TEST IN JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA.
 The
first day of the official IRTA tested concluded positively
at the Jerez circuit of Spain for the PRAMAC DANTIN MotoGP
team.
Under heavy overcast skies, dark clouds dumped furiously
in the morning, forcing our riders to sit out most of the
morning session while they waited for better conditions with
which to test their Ducati GP7’s in the late afternoon.
After lunch, the sun came out and greeted the riders while
they took to the racetrack in earnest.
The PRAMAC D’ANTIN MotoGP team unveiled it’s
bright new livery for the first time this season during the
IRTA test, much to the delight of the team members and the
crowds who gathered to meet with our pilots.
The Brazilian Alex Barros, aboard his DucatiGP7, completed
35 laps with a best time of 1’43.214, which was good
for fifth position, while Alex “The Hoff” Hofmann,
with a time of 1’43.673, put in 31 laps and finished
the first day in eigth place. Both PRAMAC riders utilized
Bridgestone race tires for their first day out on track.
Alex Barros (1’43.214 - 35 laps):
“It was a complicated day, with the rain and temperature
conditions affecting the track surface. The track surface
wasn’t dry enough to get the best from our slicks, and
it wasn’t wet enough to really use the rain tires, so
we used today to display the new colors of the Team and we
ended up with a pretty good result. Depending on tomorrow’s
weather, we’ll concentrate on getting the best base
set-up of the bike”.
Alex Hofmann (1’43.673 – 31 laps):
“I wasn’t feeling at my best due to an upset stomach.
I didn’t make many laps because the track conditions
weren’t good. I wanted to push harder, but I couldn’t.
I’m very happy with my team, and we’ll work harder
tomorrow. Hopefully the weather is better”.
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Track Engineer for Alex
Barros: “We couldn’t make the best set-up
because of the weather conditions. We adjusted the engine
settings because the track conditions changed throughout the
day. Tomorrow, if the weather is good, we will concentrate
on testing the tires from Bridgestone”.
Emanuele Martinelli –Track Engineer of Alex
Hofmann: “We really couldn’t test very
many things because Alex wasn’t at 100%, but we accomplished
our goal today which was to determine the best tire profile
from the range of Bridgestone tires we had at our disposal.
We tried several types of tires, and even if the times weren’t
so good, I’m satisfied with the way that Alex is getting
to know the DucatiGP7 because I know the times will come when
Hofmann is feeling better”.
Official Times:
1. Marco Melandri: 1’42.563
2. Casey Stoner: 1’42.634
3. Dani Pedrosa: 1’42.706
4. Carlos Checa: 1’43.206
5. Alex Barros: 1’43.214
6. Randy de Puniet: 1’43.315
7. Loris Capirossi: 1’43.475
8. Alex Hofmann: 1’43.673
9. Tony Elias: 1’43.687
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