KONICA MINOLTA Honda unable to finish German MotoGP race
Shinya Nakano’s German Grand Prix ended prematurely
today when he was forced to pit his KONICA MINOLTA RC212V
machine from the 30-lap German Grand Prix. Despite a good
start, which saw Shinya battling with Valentino Rossi and
eventual podium finisher Nicky Hayden, a technical problem
from the fifth lap of the race eventually meant that the 29-year-old
Japanese rider had to enter the pits, which ended his race
early. With track temperatures soaring around the 50-degree
mark, conditions were always going to be hard on tyres –
especially with the Sachsenring’s combination of six
left-hand corners – and so it proved with a number of
riders crashing out. The Team now packs up and immediately
heads for the USA and Laguna Seca for the eleventh round of
the 18-round MotoGP season.
Gianluca Montiron – Team Manager KONICA MINOLTA
Honda
“Today could have been the day that we secured our best
finish of the year so far. Shinya started well but lost position
to Rossi and Hayden, but he was able to keep a good rhythm
but after five laps he suffered the technical problem. It
was a shame as we had chosen the same tyres as the winner
of the race, so our choice was correct. I think Shinya would
have been able to get into the top eight today, but we have
not been so lucky this year. The important point is that we’ve
made some improvements and the next race is only in seven
days time, so we still have time to get a good result before
the summer break. It was good to see Dani Pedrosa and Honda
win the race today, so that gives us hope also for the second
half of the season.”
Shinya Nakano – Rider, KONICA MINOLTA Honda
(DNF)
“I made a good start and overtook a couple of riders
on the first lap. With the hot conditions the pace was not
so fast, so I could stay with the group but the problem came
after just five laps. It felt like the engine was suffering
from a lack of performance and it felt like it locked-up once.
The engine was still running so I tried to come back at the
riders ahead, but the problem returned. Finally power was
dropping off with every lap, so I retired with 11 laps to
go. It’s a big shame as our tyre choice was good so
we have been unlucky. I’m hoping that we will finally
get the result we deserve at Laguna next week.”
Giulio Bernardelle – Technical Director, KONICA
MINOLTA Honda
“Shinya’s start was the best we’ve had so
far this year, but we were unlucky as on the fifth lap Shinya
suffered the technical trouble. Initially he thought oil was
on the rear tyre as he almost had a high-side. He tried to
continue for a few more laps, but when he came into the pits
we decided it wasn’t safe to continue. We’re not
sure what the problem is at the moment. It’s a big shame
as we made the correct choice with our race tyre and we stayed
on yesterday’s suspension settings. Shinya was quite
consistent this morning so we were thinking we could have
a good race. Let’s hope for better luck at Laguna.”
German GP - Race results
1) Dani Pedrosa Honda 41’ 53.196”
2) Loris Capirossi Ducati 42’ 06.362”
3) Nicky Hayden Honda 42’ 09.967”
4) Colin Edwards Yamaha 42’ 11.495”
5) Casey Stoner Ducati 42’ 24.622”
Shinya Nakano Honda DNF
|
