WEATHER INTERRUPTS RACE PREPARATIONS AT SEPANG
High temperatures, intense humidity and an inopportune spell
of afternoon rain gave an ominous sign of things to come at
the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix as Gauloises Yamaha Team
riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards prepared themselves
for a weekend of unpredictable weather at Sepang. The day
started brightly for the pair as they reacquainted themselves
with their principal test venue and built on the settings
they had found here during extensive winter development of
the YZR-M1 machines. However, the ceiling of grey clouds hanging
over the ultra-modern circuit grew darker over lunch and eventually
broke just moments before the afternoon session, interrupting
the team’s programme and covering the track surface
with a greasy film that made life even more difficult for
the riders. Rossi ended the day in fourth place after lapping
just over two tenths of a second outside the circuit record
time of 2’03.253, which he set on the way to victory
in last season’s race. Edwards was fifth fastest in
the afternoon but conceded four places on the combined time
sheets, with both riders hoping that a day of dry weather
tomorrow will provide a more realistic reflection of their
chances in Sunday’s race. Sete Gibernau (Honda) ended
the day on top of the time sheets after clocking a best time
of 2’03.299.
VALENTINO ROSSI (4th – 2’03.485; 38 laps)
“The conditions today were quite bad. Already in the
morning the track was quite dirty, with some sand in places,
and the grip was not good. Then in the afternoon it rained
so it definitely was not a good day for the weather. Anyway
we were able to test the bike in all conditions and understand
a few problems. The dry setting is not bad but it could be
a lot better and I am definitely not riding as I would like
to. In Japan we had problems with the rear of the bike under
braking and here it is similar but not exactly the same. I’m
finding it hard to control the bike through the corner but
we have gathered enough data to make some changes for tomorrow.
Hopefully the conditions will be a lot better.”
COLIN EDWARDS (9th – 2’04.054; 38 laps)
“The morning session was an absolute disaster for the
first ten or fifteen minutes and the rear tyre really wasn’t
working well. Michelin helped us out with a better tyre, we
made a few changes to the bike and by the end of the session
it actually felt good. The afternoon was about keeping a level
head and checking how the bike worked in the damp conditions.
If it rains like that before the race starts then we’re
all in trouble because you’d have to change tyres every
five laps. As it dried out more towards the end I was able
to put a softer cut slick in, which really helped, but in
those conditions it’s always a question of who is prepared
to take the most risks. It would be fabulous to have some
dry time tomorrow so we can work on the bike and recover the
time we lost because of the weather and the tyre issue today.”
DAVIDE BRIVIO – GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR
“The conditions were very strange in the afternoon
– not completely wet for the first half and not completely
dry for the second! It was interesting to check how the bike
worked when the track was actually wet for a few laps and
gather a little information but other than that there is not
much we can say, we can only hope that the weather doesn’t
stay like this until Sunday. Whatever happens it looks like
it is going to be an interesting weekend and I’m looking
forward to seeing what tomorrow brings.”
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