KAWASAKI'S DE PUNIET ON THE PACE AT MOTEGI
The A-Style Grand Prix of Japan started well for the Kawasaki
Racing Team today as Randy de Puniet, Anthony West and Akira
Yanagawa mounted their Ninja ZX-RR machines and took to the
circuit at Motegi.
De Puniet showed he was on form by ending the first two free
practices in second place, on combined times, after putting
in blistering performances in both the morning and afternoon
sessions. With a best time of 1'48.254 at the end of the day,
he knocked nearly half a second off his previous best, assisted
by a lightning top speed of 284.8kmh.
The 26-year-old Frenchman is determined to do well this weekend
after a hugely disappointing Portuguese Grand Prix last week
saw him retire with a mechanical problem. Happy with the progress
made in setting up the bike so far, and riding at a scorching
pace throughout the day, de Puniet is very much on course
for the podium spot which, so far this season, has eluded
him.
Team mate, West, started the day in less positive fashion,
still unable to find enough grip to give him the confidence
to fulfil his and the bike's potential. However, by the end
of the afternoon session, the 26-year-old Australian was smiling
as his best time of 1'48.529 put him in eighth position, just
0.030 seconds behind last year's winner at Motegi, Loris Capirossi,
and ahead of current world champion, Nicky Hayden. Assorted
suspension tweaks and some successful choices of Bridgestone
tyres seemed to have done the job in helping West feel more
at home on the Ninja than he has at previous rounds.
Meanwhile, wild card rider for the Japanese race, Akira Yanagawa,
put in 28 laps over the two sessions on his ZX-RR and managed
19th place on the provisional grid. Stunned by the 800cc bike's
light weight and staggering power, the 36-year-old Japanese
superbike rider struggled slightly to find a set up to suit
his riding style but, with his dedicated crew and the back
up of the factory team, he is confident he can fine tune the
Ninja to his needs by the start of Sunday's 24-lap race.
It was a boiling hot day at Motegi, with temperatures reaching
34°C and the track temperature 46°C this afternoon.
With the weather set to continue in this vein for the coming
weekend, and the top 15 riders within a second of provisional
pole man, Dani Pedrosa, it looks as if Sunday's race could
be a sizzling spectacle indeed.
Randy de Puniet
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #14
"That wasn't a bad day! This morning we worked on the
settings on the bike and this afternoon we tried a harder
compound tyre, which was better for longevity because I did
20 laps on it and my time at the end of the session was still
very good. We can improve a few bits and pieces, including
adjusting the rear suspension slightly and perhaps working
with a different rear tyre, but already, it's pretty good
and I'm happy."
Anthony West
Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
"This morning I didn't feel so confident but all of a
sudden, this afternoon, everything felt good on the bike.
I struggled in the first session with rear grip, just spinning
and sliding everywhere, then this afternoon it was so different:
just from better grip I could get more of a lean angle in
the corners and choose better lines. Essentially, I simply
felt more comfortable on the bike. It was actually a heap
easier to ride and go faster. In one corner, I even got my
elbow on the ground once or twice and I've never had that
before! It was all a big improvement and the times show that."
Akira Yanagawa
Kawasaki MotoGP Wild Card #87
"I feel okay. I have a little problem with chatter on
entering the corners but I suspect some of that may be down
to me because my riding style is not suited yet to this bike.
We need to find a solution to that, if we have time. Anyway,
I have to compromise and I need to put in some more laps to
get used to the feeling of the Ninja. This bike is like nothing
I've ever ridden: like the chassis of a 125 with the engine
of a rocket ship! I think you probably need a special technique
for riding it but I'm sure we can make some further adjustments
to help me get more from it."
1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'47.865; 2. Randy
De Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.389; 3. Marco Melandri
(ITA) Honda Gresini +0.486; 4. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki
MotoGP +0.496; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team
+0.579; 6. Kousuke Akiyoshi (JPN) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.592;
7. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.634; 8. Anthony
West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.664; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA)
Repsol Honda Team +0.687; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Tech 3 Yamaha
+0.716; 19. Akira Yanagawa (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.364
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