Kawasaki Racing Team - Donington

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 9 - BETANDWIN.COM BRITISH GRAND PRIX, DONINGTON PARK
19 JULY 2005 - EVENT PREVIEW


DETERMINED KAWASAKI PAIR HEAD FOR HALFWAY POINT AT DONINGTON
As the MotoGP World Championship reaches its halfway point Kawasaki factory riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, return to European race action this weekend for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park.

The race is the ninth in a marathon calendar of 17 events, and marks the turning point of a season that ends in Valencia in November.

Nakano and Hofmann come to Donington after strong, points-scoring performances in last week's American adventure, when they both made impressive debuts on the difficult Laguna Seca track.

The Donington assignment aboard Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR race bikes will be to capitalise on those performances, and to continue the upward trend of machine and tyre development.

And for the second half of the season the factory Kawasaki squad has a two-fold agenda; maintain the team's third place in the Constructors' Championship and boost the individual performances of the riders.

After eight races Kawasaki are third in the constructors' points and are the leading Bridgestone-tyre team, behind only Yamaha and Honda who use a rival brand of rubber.

Meanwhile Nakano, 27, is out to protect his top ten standing in the riders' championship. Currently he is equal eighth (with Ducati's Loris Capirossi) and eight points clear of tenth placed Troy Bayliss on a factory Honda.

Only once this season, with a mechanical DNF in China, has the super-smooth Nakano been out of the top ten.

For Hofmann, the British GP will be his 30th start for Kawasaki in the premier class since his wildcard debut in the Catalunya GP of 2002. The 25 year-old German rider is eager to overcome a disappointing first half of the season, which was interrupted by injury.

A fractured wrist forced Hofmann to sit out three races, but he showed that he is back to full fitness with a fighting 11th place at Laguna Seca, despite losing time with a minor gearshift problem.

The Donington track rewards riding talent, not necessarily outright horsepower. The main feature is a flowing sequence of fast, downhill corners (Craner Curves) that link almost instantly with the demands of the Old Hairpin, McLeans and Coppice Corner that delivers riders onto the back straight.

This is in dramatic contrast to the heavy-braking and hard acceleration of the Melbourne Loop section behind the pits, which completes the four-kilometre lap.

This will be the 19th British GP at Donington since the switch from Silverstone, with Sunday's race run over 30 laps of a circuit with a spectacular amphitheatre setting.

Shinya Nakano: #56
"I'm looking forward to returning to Donington especially with the latest improvements to the ZX-RR engine management system, acceleration and Bridgestone tyres, which took a step forward in America. Donington is a technical track and you need sharp acceleration, precise front-end feel plus good tyre grip; both for the fast corners and heavy braking. I've never had the perfect feel for Donington and last year was my first at the track on Bridgestone tyres, so I'm looking for a much better result this year."

Alex Hofmann: #66
"I'm hoping the second half of the season will be kinder than the beginning. And I'm sure it will be. I was very happy with the way I rode at Laguna, coming from 15th to 11th twice after a small downshift problem. I just want to carry that momentum to Donington and through the rest of the season, and to score some good points at every race. I'm fit and have been training hard and I like fast corners, so the first part of Donington is a great section of race track for me. The stop-go part at the end of the lap is not so much fun, so you have to find a compromise in set-up. After 11th at Laguna I want to go forward from there."

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 9 - BETANDWIN.COM BRITISH GRAND PRIX, DONINGTON PARK
22 JULY 2005 - FREE PRACTICE


NAKANO AND HOFMANN STRUGGLE FOR GRIP AT COOL DONINGTON
Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann struggled to come to grips with a day of dismal summer weather, and the Donington circuit, in today's opening free practice sessions.

Cool and heavily overcast conditions dominated proceedings, with the afternoon practice session interrupted by rain showers that restricted track time.

This has left Kawasaki technicians with a number of set-up issues to solve during tomorrow's final day of practice and qualifying in advance of Sunday's 30-lap race.

Improving rear grip and tyre endurance on the Ninja ZX-RR for the unique, two-part layout of the four-kilometre Donington circuit is the primary focus.

Other areas of interest are engine brake settings for Donington's combination of fast flowing sections and three dead-stop hairpins turns, plus the chassis and suspension balance to cope with these conditions.

Both Nakano and Hofmann spent much of the afternoon session in the garage as rain showers made conditions slippery.

However, both riders were able to improve their times from the morning session, in which an ideal set-up and tyre grip proved elusive for both Nakano and Hofmann.

Hofmann ended the day 13th fastest overall while Nakano was just 0.3s slower in 16th place.

Both riders and technicians are hoping for a day of stable weather for tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions to make up for lost time.

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Thirteen - 1'31.680
"Another enjoyable day of typical English weather! In any case it was as an important day, because we struggled at this track last year and it was important to gather information. We still have a lot of things to try to make sure we have a set-up that will allow 30 fast laps on Sunday - there are no points for being able to do just a couple of quick laps. We need a dry day tomorrow to find better rear grip and balance."

Shinya Nakano: # 56 - Sixteen - 1'31.989
"The weather was very strange today, it wasn't completely wet or dry in the afternoon and this made it difficult to find an ideal set-up. The bike was much better in the afternoon, but I am still looking for more rear grip, I have a lot of spinning, and also our engine brake settings are still not perfect here. But the Ninja ZX-RR is much better in the final slow part of the track than last year, so we are making progress. We still have a lot to do tomorrow, I hope the weather is much better."

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
"Rear grip and race tyre endurance is our main consideration. The right side of the tyre carries a heavy load here and we lost a lot of set-up time this afternoon to evaluate tyres, chassis and engine settings for the race. We have a lot of work to do to find an ideal set-up for 30 laps at this track."

FREE PRACTICE - COMBINED TIMES
1. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1'29.960; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.025; 3. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.138; 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +0.158; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.348; 6. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.438; 7. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.534; 8. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +0.601; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.620; 10. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.637; 11. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.894; 13. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.720; 16. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.029

[mfzx6r]

Live 9pm foxsports 1

I'm in for a long night


mario

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 9 - BETANDWIN.COM BRITISH GRAND PRIX, DONINGTON PARK
23 JULY 2005 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE


NAKANO AND HOFMANN SET FOR TOUGH DONINGTON ASSIGNMENT
Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, will start tomorrow's British Grand Prix from twelfth and fifteenth positions respectively.

On the compact Donington layout the 30-lap race promises to be a difficult task, after both riders could not maximise their qualifying performances today.

Both Nakano and Hofmann set their fastest times using race tyres, with their soft compound Bridgestone qualifiers not producing the expected increase in performance.

After slicing almost one second from his morning free practice time on race rubber Nakano was expecting a similar improvement on his one qualifying run. Hofmann was also frustrated by the slower times on qualifying tyres.

However, the positive outcome today was the evaluation of a race tyre compound that appears to offer stable race distance performance. The tyre specification was tested in practice at last week's USGP, but found to be unsuitable for the Laguna Seca circuit.

But the special demands of the Donington surface and layout appear more favourable, and Nakano in particular is confident of consistent race times.

Kawasaki technicians have made detailed refinements to rear suspension set-up in an attempt to optimise tyre performance.

Both riders will also benefit from today's successful test of revised traction control systems, which offer more rider friendly throttle control on the unique combination of fast and slow sections at Donington.

Hofmann had a scary moment on his final lap while pushing for a faster time with a spectacular, 180 kph highside through the Craner Curves. Fortuitously Hofmann bounced back into the seat of his Ninja ZX-RR before taking a wild ride across the grass.

Shinya Nakano: # 56 - Twelfth - 1'29.742
"Today was a special situation, our qualifying tyres didn't work as expected and were slower than the race tyres. On a positive note I tried a race tyre this afternoon that should be okay for tomorrow, although our times are a long way from the front group. But 30 laps is a long way here, hopefully the race distance will work in our favour."

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fifteenth - 1'30.151
"I had a very scary moment on the final lap with a huge high-side in the Craner Curves and I was off across the grass at 180 kph. I still don't how I didn't crash. Qualifying was frustrating because my times were faster on race tyres, there was nothing extra from the qualifiers which made it difficult to get a decent grid position. We have worked hard to get a rear end set-up that will be kind to the tyres for the race distance, but it's wait and see over 30 laps at this track."

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
"The track surface and layout at Donington requires a very special tyre configuration and, in conjunction with Bridgestone, we have found a good direction for the future over the past two days. Today we tried a rear tyre that we tested at Laguna Seca but have not raced before and it appears to be our best choice for the race distance here. The latest update to the traction control system should also make 30 laps here less stressful for the riders."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"I thought the Ninja ZX-RR would be a more competitive package at Donington, but it appears that in dry conditions here our tyre options are not ideal. It was a surprise that both Shinya and Alex could not go faster on qualifying tyres compared to race rubber. If it rains heavily tomorrow perhaps the cards will fall our way."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1'27.897; 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.285; 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.398; 4. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +0.497; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.518; 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.759; 7. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +0.823; 8. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +0.829; 9. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +1.079; 10. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +1.334; 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.834; 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.845; 15. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.254

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005
ROUND 9 - BETANDWIN.COM BRITISH GRAND PRIX, DONINGTON PARK
24 JULY 2005 - MOTOGP RACE RESULT


HOFMANN IN TOP FORM AT RAIN SOAKED DONINGTON
Kawasaki rider Alex Hofmann scored a career-best MotoGP result, with a fighting eighth place aboard his Ninja ZX-RR in a rain soaked British Grand Prix today.

In torrential rain Hofmann rode a superb race in cold and treacherous conditions, after racing bravely through blinding spray from 15th on the grid.

The 25-year-old German is now full of confidence as he heads to his home race at Sachsenring next Sunday.

Hofmann made a storming start and tagged onto a charging group that included teammate Shinya Nakano and Carlos Checa on the opening lap.

However, on lap two, as Nakano moved into 11th position, Hofmann was baulked by Toni Elias and dropped five positions. He fought his way back into eighth on lap five, as the water-logged conditions again showed the performance potential of the Bridgestone rain tyres.

Today's 30-lap race, run in cold 15 degree conditions, was a huge disappointment for Hofmann's teammate Shinya Nakano, who crashed out on lap four.

Nakano had a strange feeling with the clutch on his Ninja ZX-RR, which caused the engine to stall at the beginning of the final sighting lap.

After a quick adjustment by crew chief Fiorenzo Fanali, Nakano took his place on the grid but the clutch problem returned almost immediately after the race start.

As a result Nakano had difficulty downshifting and at the beginning of lap four, he missed a gear and crashed out of 12th place on the entry to turn one (Redgate).

Nakano's DNF cost him valuable points in the championship, and he slipped one place to ninth and is now ten points behind nearest rival Loris Capirossi.

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Eighth
"That was a cold and tough race, but my best ever result so I'm very happy about that. The conditions were unpredictable and very slippery, but I was able to control the sliding and over the final ten laps I was running at the same pace as Capirossi and Tamada ahead of me, but we had lost contact with the front group. At the start I was in the group with Shinya and Carlos when we got to Elias and he was braking very early and I ran wide to avoid him at the chicane and lost five places. I had to do it all again and would have liked to have been closer to the front, but I can't complain, it was a good result for me today."

Shinya Nakano: # 56 - DNF
"On the grid leaving for the final sighting lap I had a strange feeling with the clutch and the engine stalled. After restarting I took my place on the grid, but then in the opening laps I still had a problem and it was difficult to downshift. I missed a gear on the entry to Redgate and crashed, which is disappointing as it cost me points in the championship. The conditions were very, very difficult today."

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
"The clutch on Shinya's bike would not open properly and this led to the downshift problem, so we need to investigate this situation. In the heavy rain conditions of today's race we again saw the potential of the Bridgestone wet weather tyres."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"That was great effort by Alex to achieve his best ever MotoGP result in these conditions, it was a very difficult race. It was unfortunate that Shinya had a problem and crashed, which has cost him some valuable points in the championship."

MOTOGP RACE RESULT
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 52'58.675; 2. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +3.169; 3. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +4.006; 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +10.292; 5. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +13.020; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +23.321; 7. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +37.833; 8. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +44.617; 9. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Yamaha Team +1 Lap; 10. Roberto Rolfo (ITA) DAntin MotoGP +1 Lap; 11. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +2 Laps; DNF. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team

[mfzx6r]

a bit slow there Dave
Nakers fell off and Hoffman came in 8th I think which aint too bad considering the weather. And thats a pommy summer ??? they can keep it


mario

[MadKaw]

yeh, sorry about that...

I had a hangover and then I was busy..

[tape]

yeh, sorry about that...

I had a hangover and then I was busy..

Neka Mark and I sat and watched, I think they got the shits with me for snoring too loud cos they left me asleep in my chair... I woke up at 3.10am

I think the lack of sleep had something to do with it not the hangover from Diesels party....

cheers

[smek]

hmm I know how ya feel ... got home from vinces around 4 pm, went to sleep on the couch, woke up at 1:30 for the motogp, watched that and the 250's and then went to bed till lunch time monday ... only missed a couple of classes hehe