MotoGP World Championship. Italian GP. First practice session
 THE
REPSOL RIDERS OVERCOME THE DOWNPOUR IN ITALY
The intense rain was the focus of attention during the first
day of the Italian Grand Prix
Faced with such torrential rain throughout the first day of
training sessions at the Italian Grand Prix, the strategy
today was to avoid any mistakes, to not fall nor get hurt,
and to wait for the improved weather predicted for tomorrow.
The forecast for tomorrow is sunshine and stable weather.
Today, right from the start early in the morning, the rain
did not ease the pressure on the World Championship contenders
for a single moment, who suffered the complication of a completely
flooded track.
In MotoGP, Tady Okada was back in action today at the World
Motorcycling Championship, at 41 years of age and after hanging
up his helmet at the end of the 2000 season; and did so with
HRC's pneumatic valve engine, which is being prepared for
Repsol Honda Team riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden. The
tough conditions on the Itallian track today, with a wet surface
in the morning and a completely flooded track in the afternoon
due to the intense downpour at 2:00 pm, prevented the Repsol
Honda Team rider from getting the best performance out of
the new engine, which will have to wait until tomorrow given
the weather forecast is correct, in order to try it out on
a dry surface at Mugello. Okada suffered a light fall ten
minutes from the end of the second session, when he pulled
his front brakes and the front tyre suddenly lost its grip.
Both Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden were very prudent today
given the conditions, though both gave a positive performance
on the Mugello track. Pedrosa ran the eighth best time in
the morning and tenth in the afternoon, while teammate Hayden
was twelfth in the first free session and second in the afternoon.
In the quarter-litre category, Julián Simón
finished the day in a poor eleventh position. The Repsol rider
had problems with his wet tyres on some of the track's curves,
losing quite a lot of time with respect to his rivals. When
at the end of the free session the track started drying out,
he made a pitstop to fit smooth tyres, but just when he was
getting ready to return to the track, it started pouring rain
again, putting an end to the session. The timed session was
held on a completely soaked track, and in spite of the good
sensations the Repsol rider had, he hopes to improve tomorrow,
whether it is under wet conditions, with a different set of
wet tyres, or on a dry track, as some forecasts have predicted.
In the 125cc category, Repsol riders Esteve Rabat and Marc
Márquez had a difficult first day on the complicated
Mugello Circuit. It was the first time either of them ran
on this track, and the day finished with Rabat in 14th position
and Márquez 21st during the training sessions which
were also conditioned by the rain. The first session started
with slight rain, but it gradually stopped and the Italian
tarmac started to drain the water. But the timed session was
held under a heavy downpour which complicated riding considerably
due to the many puddles covering the track.
Quotes
MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa >> 1’55.805 secs, 42 laps, 220 Km.
“This morning track conditions were 50/50, not completely
dry, not completely wet. We started working on wet set-up
and we needed to do a lot of testing. We also tested different
rain tyres as the track conditions always change a lot when
it’s raining.
In the afternoon the track was properly wet, in one area there
was a lot of standing water which made riding quite dangerous.
At the end of the session the rainfall slowed and the lap
times improved. If it’s wet again tomorrow we are in
quite good shape, though there is still room for improvement.
If it’s dry, as the weather forecast suggests, it will
be a completely new story as far as set-up is concerned. Mugello
is a very technical and demanding track where you need perfect
chassis settings. So if it’s dry tomorrow we will have
to work hard for the race.”
Nicky Hayden >> 1’59.436 secs, 42 laps
220 Km.
“Everything went pretty smooth today apart from the
weather. This morning right at the end it didn’t look
good because we were on wets and the guys on slicks took a
lot of time out of us, but earlier when it was raining, we
were on top with not long to go.
This afternoon at the beginning things weren’t great,
we were maybe a little bit too hard on set-up, then when the
heavy rain stopped the tyres and bike worked better. We tried
a few things for the rain but we ended up with the bike exactly
how it was when we got it off the truck and that seems the
best set-up for us. I know it’s only in the wet, but
the way things went at Le Mans, it’s certainly a bit
more fun when you’re near the front and competitive,
whether it’s wet or dry or snowing or whatever. If it’s
dry tomorrow it’ll be really important to make the most
of the two hours for the race on Sunday.”
Tadayuki Okada >> 2’02.810 secs, 29 laps,
152 Km.
“When I crashed, it was my second lap on new tyres and
they were not warm enough, so when I braked the front end
tucked under.
Till then, I was setting up the machine smoothly. Although
it is almost eight years since I last raced in a GP I had
a good feeling and felt confident riding with the other riders.
Of course, wet conditions hide the subtle differences between
settings changes, so we will have to see how it goes in the
dry. I hope it will be dry tomorrow and that I can find a
good set-up for the race.”
250cc
Julián Simón >> 2’09.309 secs, 33
laps, 173 Km.
“The weather didn't let us enjot the track, it rained
quite a lot. We had to fit wet tyres and ride in these conditions,
but I had a few problems with these rubbers because I didn't
feel as comfortable as I would have liked. However, it wasn't
a disaster because the feelings aren't all that bad.
The only problem is that there are some bends where I can't
keep up with my rivals' speed. We didn't have the chance to
try out a new wet tyre which I think would have given us more
speed, but tomorrow, if the conditions are the same, we'll
try it out and try to improve our position, which evidently
isn't where we want to be.
125cc
Esteve Rabat >> 2’20.972 secs, 28 laps, 147 Km.
“It's a very technical and compicated circuit, but I
liked it a lot. The truth is that my first day here, with
the rain, made it a bit more difficult. I didn't finish in
too good a position, but it's my first time here and it's
OK.
It's a long circuit, with fast and technical curves, it requires
a lot of thought, of permanent concentration on the track,
because if not, you're on the ground, and more so in wet conditions.
I don't really mind the rain that much, I had a good time
and think I ran some good training sessions. If we have a
dry track tomorrow, good, and if it's wet, it doesn't matter
either. It's the same conditions for everyone.”
Marc Márquez >> 2’21.995 secs,
27 laps, 142 Km.
“Mugello is a new circuit for me, and it took me a while
to get used to it, but I managed to get the hang of it and
gradually built up more speed. Both training sessions were
held in wet conditions, but they went well and I didn't suffer
any falls.
It looks like I do OK on wet tracks. In the afternoon it was
more complicated, because there was a lot of water, and as
I'm quite slender and don't weigh much I find it slightly
harder to control the bike. Tomorrow we'll have to adapt to
whatever the conditions are in order to try and improve.”
Official Results
MotoGP
1. Chris VERMEULEN (SUZUKI) 2:01.500
2. Nicky HAYDEN (REPSOL HONDA) at 0.510
3. Casey STONER (DUCATI) at 0.805
4. Valentino ROSSI (YAMAHA) at 0.827
5. James TOSELAND (YAMAHA) at 0.912
10. Dani PEDROSA (REPSOL HONDA) at 2.199
250cc
1. Mattia PASINI (APRILIA) 2:05.711
2. Marco SIMONCELLI (GILERA) at 0.927
3. Héctor BARBERÁ (APRILIA) at 0.996
4. Hiroshi AOYAMA (KTM) at 2.127
5. Álvaro BAUTISTA (APRILIA) at 2.165
11. Julián SIMÓN (REPSOL KTM) at 3.598
125cc
1. Pol ESPARGARÓ (DERBI) 2:18.932
2. Scott REDDING (APRILIA) at 0.105
3. Mike DI MEGLIO (DERBI) at 0.306
4. Raffaele DE ROSA (KTM) at 0.327
5. Sandro CORTESE (APRILIA) at 0.439
14. Esteve RABAT (REPSOL KTM) at 2.040
21. Marc MÁRQUEZ (REPSOL KTM) at 3.063
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