Kawasaki Moto GP - Sepang

[MadKaw]

Circuit: Sepang
Date: 17/10/2007



KAWASAKI RETURN TO MALAYSIA
Fresh from the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the Kawasaki Racing Team this week heads to Sepang for the penultimate round of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship.

Randy de Puniet enjoyed many a top ten finish at the Sepang International Circuit, near the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in the years he rode in the 250cc world-level series and is looking forward to the battle this weekend. The 5.55km track will host Sunday's 21-lap race and the Frenchman will be aiming to improve on the 13th place he managed there last year which, considering his recent form, shouldn't be too much trouble.

Riding the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR, the 26-year-old has consistently shown himself to be among the fastest racers in the championship this year and he is feeling positive after a healthy sixth in Australia. His ongoing improvement as a rider, and increasing skill at developing the bike, make him ever more a man to contend with.

Anthony West also knows Sepang well, having ridden there numerous times prior to his arrival in MotoGP earlier this season. Like de Puniet, he too has scored some top ten finishes at the circuit but the place is particularly memorable for the 26-year-old Australian as it was the venue for his debut race in the quarter-litre class, back in 1999, the year the track itself first welcomed Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Having scored points at every round since he joined Kawasaki at the UK's Donington Park in June, including at his recent home event, West is still aiming high and hopes, yet again, to finish well in Malaysia. However, despite his experience, he lacks the advantage that almost all the other MotoGP riders have: that they have completed literally hundreds of practice laps at the circuit on their Grand Prix machines during winter testing sessions. Having come to the championship mid-season, this could make life difficult for him but West will not give in that easily and, as always, will prove an exciting and passionate competitor to watch.

The track is quite a spectacle in itself, boasting eye-catching architecture and a particularly intricate layout. It is located in an enormous sports and leisure complex and cost in the region of £50 million to create, some 19 years ago. It held its first MotoGP race the following year so experienced riders on the grid are used to its technicalities: some very slow corners, a number of medium to high speed curves and a couple of very fast straights, the longest of which measures 928 metres.

The Malaysian round always proves a great test of skill and this year sees the first time the track has played host to the 800cc machines. Kawasaki's ZX-RR has, throughout the season so far, evolved in to one of the fastest and most competitive motorcycles in the elite class, so the bike and circuit could well prove a very happy partnership indeed.


Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #14
"I think we have a good bike with good tyres for Sepang, although it's hard to be sure as the track's recently been resurfaced. But I like the circuit, I'm fast there and I think we can get a good result: top six again or maybe even another podium. That would obviously be my ultimate aim at the weekend. Certainly, I feel particularly strong after the last few rounds and the ZX-RR is working better than ever so I'm excited to see what we can achieve in Malaysia."



Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
"I'm looking forward to Sepang; it should be a bit warmer than it was at Phillip Island, which can't be bad. I reckon the ZX-RR will perform well around the track. The engine's strong, so it should deliver on the two long straights and, if we can get some good traction on all those corners that make up the rest of it, I think we'll go really well. Ideally, I'm still aiming to better my previous best result of seventh at Laguna Seca. I know I'm at a bit of a disadvantage, as the other guys have done so many laps there, but I'm sure we can put up a good fight."



Kawasaki Technical Manager
"We have completed many laps of the Sepang circuit during winter testing, but the track has been completely resurfaced since we were last here, and this will have an impact on tyre endurance. For sure the surface will be more abrasive than it was before, especially as there have been no major races on the circuit since the work was completed, which means that there will be little rubber on the track. We will have to see what our tyre endurance is like during practice on Friday, although the surface will almost certainly improve before the race as rubber is laid down during practice and qualifying. It's a factor that we will have to assess as we go through the weekend."

[Cath]

And everyone needs to keep their eyes peeled for the KSRC Hardcore fans who will be in the grandstand!




Bastards.

[Gosling1]

And everyone needs to keep their eyes peeled for the KSRC Hardcore fans who will be in the grandstand!




Bastards.

HUH ??? WTF ?????/ who are the barstages going over for ????

[Neka79]

i think she is referring to the 2 grandstand tickets stace has hanging on his notice board at home....

dunno if hes goin tho... gotta organise flites etc if he goes...

[Cath]

Mattchan and Di are going over. Or more correctly, are over there already. They left the PI GP, visited family, then flew out to Sepang. That's the life - isn't it!


Like I said... Bastards

[dave#3]

Mattchan and Di are going over. Or more correctly, are over there already. They left the PI GP, visited family, then flew out to Sepang. That's the life - isn't it!


Like I said... Bastards

You forgot to add .... sent txt messages when they were checking in and chatting to Chris V. Bastards!

[MadKaw]

Circuit: Sepang
Date: 19/10/2007



DE PUNIET FLIES TO THE TOP OF THE TIME SHEET
Typically hot, humid weather greeted the arrival of the MotoGP paddock to Sepang as the first practice sessions of the Malaysian Grand Prix took place today at the 5.55km circuit, near Kuala Lumpur.

The Kawasaki Racing Team's resident French speed demon, Randy de Puniet, launched himself in to the spirit of things straight away, with an impressive performance in the morning session, resulting in his coming fifth fastest on the time sheets.

However, his efforts in the afternoon saw the 26-year-old taking his 800cc ZX-RR to the top of the leader boards, finishing the day with a best time of 2'02.917 after 17 laps. De Puniet claimed the lead just over half way in to the hour-long session and even this year's new world champion, Casey Stoner, whilst able to close in, had to settle for second, unable to catch up.

Only four riders were able to come within a second of de Puniet's time and his team mate, Anthony West, having a similarly good day at Sepang, was one of them. He ended the second practice in fifth place, with a best run of 2'03.825.

It seems that his earlier concerns at not knowing the circuit as well as the rest of the MotoGP field, who practice here during winter (West only joined MotoGP in June), may be unfounded. With only Stoner, Marco Melandri and Dani Pedrosa separating the 26-year-old Australian and his fellow Ninja rider, West showed today he's more than capable of running with or, indeed, faster than, many more experienced premier class pilots.

With both Kawasakis looking so strong, and their Bridgestone tyres offering plenty of reassuring grip on the newly-resurfaced track, the weekend has got off to an excellent start for the squad, who hope to continue in this vein during tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions and on into Sunday's 21-lap race.


#14 - 1st - Best Lap 2'02.917
"During the first part of the practice session the track conditions weren't so easy, which is why I stayed in the pits, but I went out on track after about 20 minutes. The surface was becoming dry and I feel I did a good job. I tried a hard compound race tyre, which gave me a really good feeling, so I'm pleased with that, and I did some really good, consistent lap times so it's not been such a bad day! I think we can improve the bike a little bit for tomorrow but I think, for the first day, we've not done badly."



#13 - 5th - Best Lap 2'03.825
"It was my first time here on this bike and I'm really pleased with the way it went today. The track's okay but there are some slippery areas which never seem to completely dry out and, while grip's not perfect, it should get better over the weekend when the surface gets some more rubber laid down on it. However, my tyres have been feeling pretty good. At Phillip Island, I had a lot of problems with the rear but today I had loads more grip, so things have already improved and hopefully we can keep getting better tomorrow."



De Puniet's Crew Chief
"Conditions this morning meant the new surface was really slippery so we couldn't really set up our machine. The lap times were really slow and we decided not to touch the bike during lunchtime, keeping the morning set up to see what it would do when it was drier. At the beginning of the afternoon session, the track was still not completely dry so we decided that Randy would stay in for the first 20 minutes. The weather is due to be bad tomorrow so we planned for him to do just two, long runs on two different-spec race tyres, so we could get a thorough evaluation of them. Obviously we will slightly adjust the set up: the mapping, engine braking and suspension, but it looks like both Randy and the bike are at a good level after only one day."



1. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team 2'02.917; 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.011; 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini +0.744; 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.850; 5. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.908; 6. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +1.114; 7. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Tech 3 Yamaha +1.177; 8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.538; 9. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.577; 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +1.835

[Ben]

was looking good at 2.23 to go, not going to complain

[ty]

Way to go for the kwakka boys! - let's hope they maintain the pace.
All 3 aussies in the top 7! How good's that!
ty

[MadKaw]

Circuit: Sepang
Date: 20/10/2007



DE PUNIET AND WEST ON THE SECOND ROW AT SEPANG
Today's qualifying practice at Sepang ended with Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet heading up the second row with his team mate, Anthony West right behind him on the grid for tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix.

In the afternoon's nail-biting session, the Frenchman crashed out, rode his spare bike for much of the allocated hour, then rode home his hastily-repaired, primary Ninja ZX-RR to fourth place on the leader board in the very final moments. He clocked his best qualifying time of 2'02.107 with a top speed of 296.5kmh, just behind Marco Melandri who snatched the last place on the front row in the closing seconds by the tiniest margin of 0.163 seconds.

De Puniet began the day with another scorching free practice, which saw him coming second on the results sheets with a time of 2'02.534, just 0.243 behind Casey Stoner. Having notched up such consistently good lap times on race tyres throughout all sessions, de Puniet feels confident for tomorrow's 21-lap race.

It was an electrifying session, which resulted in West's best qualifying position yet in MotoGP. The 26-year-old Australian enjoyed provisional pole after putting in his best lap time of 2'02.202 on his first qualifying tyre. This was eventually stolen from him but he maintained a front row spot until the very last second, when Melandri and de Puniet pushed him back to fifth in an exciting climax.

But West is positive: he, like his team mate, has been having an excellent weekend at Sepang so far. The final practice combined times clocked him as fifth fastest in the field of riders and a long run on race tyres saw him show remarkable consistency, culminating in a best time of 2'02.627.

Watching tomorrow's race will be the President of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, Mr Tadaharu Ohashi, who is currently visiting Malaysia on business, and the President of Kawasaki's Consumer Products and Machinery Company, Mr Shinichi Tamba. De Puniet and West will be particularly keen to do well in front of the two men who have done so much in support of Kawasaki's MotoGP project this year.


#14 - 4th - Best Lap 2'02.107
"As in the past couple of races, I'd hoped for a better position but I had a small crash early in the session and had to use my second bike for quite a while after that. I had a good feeling from it, although I prefer my other bike. I used two different types of qualifying tyre and one of them didn't work for me at all: it was impossible to finish a lap. The other one was better and I used that on my normal bike at the end, which got me this good lap time. It was so close and I'm just two tenths of a second off pole. We have a good base for tomorrow with the bike, and we've gone very fast on race tyres all weekend, so we should be able to do well."



#13 - 5th - Best Lap 2'02.202
"It was good to be up the front for most of the qualifying session and I was feeling really comfortable. We used two different types of qualifiers and the two I didn't do so well on are the ones which are usually the best at other circuits. Here, it was the opposite way around. The first one I used was really good but the others barely lasted a lap. I'm actually quite disappointed I didn't stay on the front row but the main thing is I know that with this set up, our race Bridgestones and the good feeling I've got, it's not as if I've only been on the pace for the one lap. So I'm pretty confident and we'll see how it goes tomorrow. Everything's working really well this weekend; it's nice."



West's Crew Chief
"Anthony's never ridden on this racetrack on a MotoGP bike so, for him, it's been completely new and, from the first practice session, we've been improving. This morning he did many laps on a race tyre and was still getting better and better times. He was in the top five so he's riding very well, the bike's working brilliantly, and so are the tyres, so I feel he can be strong tomorrow. He's always at his best in the race too so, as he's starting from a good position, I'm sure he can fight for a top finish."



1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2'01.877; 2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.041; 3. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini +0.067; 4. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.230; 5. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.325; 6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.348; 7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.424; 8. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +0.555; 9. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.589; 10. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.820

[Phil]

GO WESTY

[Neka79]

Go the aussies.!!!

all 3 in the top 10 would be great.... top 5 would be spectacular!!

[MadKaw]

Westy was ripped. Didn't look a jump start to me or any of the others at the pub...!!

[dave#3]

Westy was ripped. Didn't look a jump start to me or any of the others at the pub...!!

It wasn't a jump start, he started from the wrong position on the grid (he should have been 3 feet to his right). It was still a rort

[red_dave]

RIPPED OFF!!!

Randy did well though...