KAWASAKI DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES AT BRNO
The Kawasaki Racing Team brought to a conclusion a successful
two-day test at the Brno circuit today, where perfect testing
conditions allowed Anthony West and Olivier Jacque to work
their way through an intensive evaluation programme aboard
their Ninja ZX-RR machines.
As Kawasaki's test and development rider, it was Jacque who
shouldered most of the testing duties over the course of the
two days. The former 250cc world champion completed a total
of 87 laps of the 5.403km Brno circuit, as he worked with
his crew to further refine the same upgrades on his Ninja
ZX-RR that helped West to a career best fifth place finish
in Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix.
The two Kawasaki pilots also evaluated chassis settings which,
when combined with a different front tyre option to that run
by both West and Hopkins in Sunday's race, gave both riders
improved feeling from, and more confidence in, the front end
of their Ninja ZX-RR machines.
John Hopkins made a brief appearance on track during the
first day of testing, but decided to sit out the remainder
of the test after struggling with a minor, but painful, injury
sustained in a practice crash on Friday. The 26-year-old Anglo-American
displaced an intercostal muscle in his rib cage, which was
affecting his breathing on the bike.
With Misano just ten days away, it was decided that Hopkins
would withdraw from the test in order to give him maximum
recovery time ahead of the next race.
Anthony West
#13 - 65 Laps - 1'59.010
"I didn't test yesterday because Olivier was evaluating
various different parts on my machine, however we have managed
to achieve quite a lot during today's track time. We focused
mainly on setting up the bike to suit a front tyre option
that we've not used so much but has been put to good use by
a few other Bridgestone riders recently. Previously we've
not been able to make this tyre work effectively, but with
the changes in chassis set-up we've made, it is now a viable
option for us to use. In the race this weekend I had to push
hard every lap to be fast, but with the advances we've made
at this test, the bike feels much more rideable. I'm now really
looking forward to furthering our improvements next time out."
Olivier Jacque
#19 - 87 Laps - 1'58.483
"The last two days have been very useful to us and we've
gathered a lot of data. We firstly worked with our base chassis
setting to see where we could make adjustments to improve
the stability and balance of the machine. We also had a new
swing-arm and some electronic components to test today, which
have both brought interesting results. This track is quite
grippy so it's difficult to see exactly where this puts us
with regards to some of the other circuits, but I am confident
that we've made many forward steps. We now need to spend time
reviewing the data to assess fully everything we've evaluated
in the last two days."
Naoya Kaneko
Kawasaki Technical Manager
"We have mainly evaluated different engine and chassis
settings at this test, along with some new specification components
for the Ninja ZX-RR. It was unfortunate that John was unable
to ride because of the injury he is carrying, but we've gathered
a lot of data from both Olivier and Anthony. We've definitely
got a new direction with the machine and both riders have
seen improvements with the set-up of their bikes throughout
the time they were on track. Anthony made adjustments to his
chassis set-up and adapted his riding style to suit a particular
front tyre, which hopefully will now be an option for us to
use in the future. We will now refer all of the information
we have gathered back to the factory, so we can continue with
our development."
1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.855; 2. Valentino
Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha +0.758; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla
Suzuki MotoGP +1.277; 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki
MotoGP +1.628; 5. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini
+1.704; 6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +1.745; 7. Niccolo
Canepa (ITA) Ducati Test Team +1.784; 8. James Toseland (GBR)
Tech 3 Yamaha +2.152; 9. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing
Team +2.628; 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team
+3.072; 11. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +3.155
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