Kawasaki Racing Team - Assen

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
22 JUNE 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DE PUNIET FIFTH FASTEST ON OPENING DAY AT ASSEN

It was MotoGP rookie, Randy de Puniet, who led the charge for Kawasaki today, mastering the revamped Assen circuit to finish this afternoon's free practice session fifth fastest overall aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.

Weather conditions at Assen have been unpredictable for the past two days, with intermittent rain reducing track time during this morning's extended free practice session.

With the rain holding off for this afternoon's hour-long session, de Puniet took the opportunity to test a number of rear tyres from Bridgestone, to identify a suitable tyre for Saturday's 26-lap race, for which dry conditions are forecast.

The 25-year-old Frenchman is aware that lap times will continue to improve tomorrow, as his rivals become more familiar with the new Assen layout, but he remains confident that he will be able to match this increase in pace with improvements of his own.

De Puniet's Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano, posted the fastest time during this morning's 90 minute extended free practice session, but slipped back to finish this afternoon ninth fastest, after changes made to the gearbox on his Ninja ZX-RR didn't work as expected.

Finding himself between gears at a number of corners, the 28-year-old Kawasaki rider struggled to find a good rhythm this afternoon, a problem that was compounded by the difficulty of passing slower riders around the new section of the Assen track.

However, Nakano remains confident that reverting back to the gearbox he ran during this morning's session tomorrow will allow him to close the gap on Colin Edwards, who was the fastest man on the track today.

Randy de Puniet: 5th - 1'38.610
"Today we tried a lot of tyres from Bridgestone, to identify a good race tyre for Saturday, and one in particular seems to work well around this new Assen circuit. It's been a good day overall; I have a good feeling with the bike and my lap times have been consistent throughout this afternoon's session. The track is new, and I think some riders will go faster tomorrow, so we must continue working to try and improve my lap time further. I prefer the older, faster part of the circuit, because the new section feels too slow to me. But it is the new section that I must concentrate on tomorrow, as I think it's possible to save some time if I can improve my lines through these first four corners."

Shinya Nakano: 9th - 1'38.965
"This morning I had a good feeling from the bike and I set the fastest time, but we made some changes to the gear ratios for this afternoon and these changes didn't work as we expected. I think we geared a little too long for some of the turns, which meant the bike didn't pull as hard out of the corners, and this made it difficult to find a good rhythm this afternoon. For tomorrow we will change back to the gear ratios I ran this morning, and I'm confident that this will lead to an improvement in my lap time. I got caught behind a slower rider a couple of times today, and it was difficult to find a place to pass them on the track. This is something I need to look at again tomorrow, as it's important to identify places on the track where a pass is possible before Saturday's race."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Our aim today was to identify a race tyre for dry conditions on Saturday, because the weather has been very changeable and it is possible we won't get another completely dry session this weekend. The changes to the track mean that we now have a number of slow speed corners out of which the rider must accelerate hard onto fast parts of the circuit, and to find the best set-up for this situation is always a challenge. Apart from a gearbox change on Shinya's bikes, the only changes we will make ahead of tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions will be minor ones to the engine and chassis settings."

FREE PRACTICE - COMBINED TIMES
1. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team 1'38.144; 2. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +0.115; 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.272; 4. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.366; 5. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.466; 6. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.515; 7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.576; 8. Makoto Tamada (JPN) JIR Konica Minolta Honda +0.777; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.821; 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.998

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
23 JUNE 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FRONT ROW FOR KAWASAKI'S NAKANO AT ASSEN

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow's 26-lap Dutch TT from the front row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in second place during this afternoon's hour-long timed session at Assen.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider stole pole position early on in the session, but was pushed back to second place by a hard charging Colin Edwards after 20 minutes at the top of the timesheet.

Nakano responded with ten minutes left on the clock, retaking pole position from the American and holding on almost to the chequered flag. With just 14 seconds remaining of the session, Nakano was knocked from the top spot by John Hopkins, who bettered the Kawasaki rider's lap time by just 0.013s to steal pole position for tomorrow's race.

Although a little disappointed to have missed out on his, and Kawasaki's, first pole position in the premier class by such a narrow margin, Nakano is happy to be starting from the front row of the grid on a revamped Assen circuit that offers few opportunities for overtaking.

For Randy de Puniet, today's hour-long qualifying session was a frustrating one. The 25-year-old Frenchman was disappointed to finish 11th fastest overall, and knows that starting from the fourth row of the grid will make for a hard race tomorrow.

Although fast around the old parts of the circuit, the Kawasaki pilot lost valuable time each lap as he struggled to get to grips with the new section of track that has replaced the old North Loop.

De Puniet will again concentrate on this section during tomorrow's 20-minute warm up, when he is hoping to unlock the secret to a fast time through the difficult Ossebroeken right-hander.

Shinya Nakano: 2nd - 1'36.424
"Everything came together for us today. The bike and tyres were working well, especially the qualifiers from Bridgestone, so I knew that pole position was a possibility. In the end I lost out by the smallest amount, but the important thing is that I will start the race from the front row. As soon as practice started on Thursday it was obvious that there aren't many places to overtake on this new circuit, so a front row start is important if you are to avoid a difficult fight through the field. So, we achieved today what we set out to do, and now I need to make sure I get away cleanly from the line tomorrow, so I can take maximum advantage of starting with a clear track in front of me. On race tyres today I was able to lap consistently to stay in the top five on the timesheet, so our original aim for the weekend of securing our best result of the season so far is looking to be a very realistic possibility."

Randy de Puniet: 11th - 1'37.556
"This afternoon was disappointing; I was actually quicker during this morning's free practice session. The problem is the first section of the track, I just can't seem to find the right line, especially through the long, right-hand Ossebroeken turn. Even when I was behind Colin Edwards through this section, I just didn't seem to be able to follow the same lines as he was taking, and I still lost time. It's frustrating, because my times through the remaining sectors are good, but the new section loses me too much time on every lap. The only thing I can do is to try some variations to my line through Ossebroeken tomorrow during warm up, and I hope we can find some improvement before the race. Starting from the fourth row of the grid doesn't make my job any easier in tomorrow's race but, as always, I'll be pushing as hard as I can to get the best result possible."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"With the changes made to the first part of the track, it seems that Assen probably suits the characteristics of our Ninja ZX-RR better than any other track on the calendar. Shinya was consistent on race tyres during practice and qualifying today, before switching to Bridgestone's qualifiers and putting in one of his best qualifying performances to date. He has given himself the best possible chance by qualifying on the front row, and I think he is capable of securing his, and Kawasaki's, best result of the season so far tomorrow. I know Randy is disappointed not to have finished higher up the grid after all his hard work today, but he seems to be struggling with the first part of the circuit and it looks like he is fighting too much with the bike. I hope we can improve his set up for tomorrow, because I know he will want to push hard in the race."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP 1'36.411; 2. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.013; 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +0.344; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.347; 5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.582; 6. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.666; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +0.921; 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +0.967; 9. Alex Hofmann (GER) DAntin Pramac Ducati +0.988; 10. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +1.117; 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.145

[Neka79]

i notice that on moto gp.com they have toni elias listed, but with no time etc..is he not riding?? did he not qualify??
rossi from 18th with a crook hand....

good work shinya!!

[greenmeanie]

Finally something to cheer about! Onya Nakkers...2nd.

On a side note - Do we need 6 threads for 1 race ?

[Stereo]

Finally something to cheer about! Onya Nakkers...2nd.

On a side note - Do we need 6 threads for 1 race ?

When was the last time that Team Green got a podium finish again? I think it deserves a little celebration....

[icebreaker]

Last year with OJ in the wet... 2 laps short of passing Rossi.. (well we'll never know really)

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
24 JUNE 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUPER SHINYA SCORES STUNNING SECOND PLACE AT ASSEN

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano scored his best ever result in motorcycle racing's premier class today, as he brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in second place during an action-packed Dutch TT at Assen, held in front of a capacity 91,000 crowd.

The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider took maximum advantage of his front row start, hitting the first turn in third place and then staying with the leading quartet of riders as they pulled out a lead on the pursuing pack.

Nakano was pushed back to fourth by eventual race winner, Nicky Hayden, and then dropped back slightly from the leading trio as a result of front end chatter on his Ninja ZX-RR. As the race approached the halfway point, and the chatter diminished, the Kawasaki rider managed to chase down John Hopkins, putting in a pass at the start of lap 12 to retake third place.

Nakano pushed hard to try and join the battle between Edwards and Hayden at the front of the race, whilst keeping a wary eye on the battle behind him, as Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner worked to close the gap on the Kawasaki pilot.

By the final lap Nakano had settled for third place, and his first rostrum finish of the season, when Colin Edwards crashed out of the race at the final chicane, gifting Nakano with second place on the podium and his best ever result in the MotoGP World Championship.

Randy de Puniet was quick to congratulate his Kawasaki teammate on his podium finish, despite the bitter disappointment of his own race. The 25-year-old Frenchman suffered a problem with his Ninja ZX-RR on the warm-up lap that forced him back to the Kawasaki pit box to switch to his spare machine for the 26-lap race, which he then had to start from pit lane.

With brand new tyres fitted front and rear to his second Ninja ZX-RR, de Puniet struggled with grip problems on the opening lap, and by the time his tyres were up to temperature and working, the rest of the field had opened up a big gap on the luckless Kawasaki rider.

Undeterred, de Puniet put his head down and pushed hard throughout the race, making up places wherever he could to salvage valuable championship points with 14th place at the chequered flag.

Shinya Nakano: 2nd
"It goes without saying that I'm happy to score my best result in MotoGP with second place here today, although I was happy enough when I thought I was going to finish third! I knew I needed to be on the front row to secure a good result on this new Assen circuit, and Bridgestone certainly gave me the qualifying tyre to achieve that. I got a good start, but I just couldn't stay with Colin, Nicky and John during the opening laps. We had to go for a hard front tyre because of the rise in temperature this afternoon, and I had some chatter from the front early on in the race. But then it improved and I was able to chase down and pass John as the race approached the halfway stage. At the end I was too far back to see what happened to Colin, but as I came through the final chicane I saw his bike on the side of the track, but it was a second or so before I realised that this meant I was in second place. I have to say thank you to the team who, despite our recent run of bad luck, have never lost their confidence in me. When the team are confident in me, it gives me confidence on the bike. This result was not just down to me, but to everyone in the Kawasaki Racing Team who've worked so hard this year."

Randy de Puniet: 14th
"Congratulations to Shinya on his best result ever in MotoGP, I'm happy for him, even though I leave here myself feeling very frustrated with my race today. I felt there was something wrong with the front of the bike on the warm-up lap, and while I didn't know what the problem was, I knew it was impossible to start the race on this bike. So, I had no option but to return to the pits for my spare bike, which was set-up differently to my number one machine. Starting from pit lane was bad enough, but then I couldn't push on the opening laps because the tyres on the spare bike were completely new. Once they were up to temperature I managed to make up some places, but after a good warm-up session this morning, I was hoping for so much more today. I will not dwell on our bad luck today; instead I must look forward to next weekend's race in Donington."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"Today is a very special day for Shinya Nakano and the Kawasaki Racing Team. Shinya scored his best ever result in MotoGP, bringing to an end the run of bad luck that we've had over the past few rounds. I'd also like to say a big thank you to the team, who have all worked hard for this result today. I am sorry for Randy. Once again he was disadvantaged at the start through no fault of his own, but he battled on to pick up championship points and more valuable experience. I hope that, at the next race in Donington, he will have the chance to show the potential that he undoubtedly possesses."

MOTOGP RACE RESULT
1. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 42'27.404; 2. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +4.884; 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +7.525; 4. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +7.555; 5. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +8.078; 6. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +17.065; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +18.090; 8. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +23.951; 9. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +29.027; 10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +31.627; 11. Makoto Tamada (JPN) JIR Konica Minolta Honda +32.841; 12. Alex Hofmann (GER) DAntin Pramac Ducati +34.143; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1'03.648