Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

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

KAWASAKI OPTIMISTIC AHEAD OF GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA

This weekend's Grand Prix of Catalunya marks the start of a busy period for the Kawasaki Racing Team, with three races in as many weekends, starting in Spain and finishing in Great Britain, with the Dutch TT at Assen in between.

Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet both arrive in Barcelona determined to get this run of three important races off to the best start possible, with a strong performance in Sunday's Grand Prix of Catalunya.

After the disappointment of both riders finishing outside the top ten at Mugello, Kawasaki engineers have been working overtime to ensure that both Nakano and de Puniet have a competitive package in the Ninja ZX-RR for the 4.727 km Circuit de Catalunya.

Both Kawasaki riders will test a new exhaust system on their Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machines this weekend, which has been designed to improve driveability out of the corners; critical around the 13 turns at Catalunya, the majority of which are right-handers.

This predominance of right-hand corners is also important in terms of tyre selection, and the Kawasaki Racing Team will again be working closely with Bridgestone this weekend to ensure that, come race day, Nakano and de Puniet have a tyre that will provide consistent performance throughout the 25-lap Grand Prix of Catalunya.

After intensive dynamometer testing in Japan, Kawasaki engineers have also increased the upper rev limit of the Ninja ZX-RR for this weekend. As well as offering more flexibility on both gearbox ratios and gear selection, the additional revs should make it easier for Nakano and de Puniet to pass out of the slipstream along the 1.047 metre main straight at Catalunya.

Having won twice in the 250cc World Championship class at the Circuit de Catalunya in the past, Randy de Puniet arrives in Barcelona fully fit and determined to improve upon his previous best result in the MotoGP class this weekend, at a track he rates as one of his favourites.

The Circuit de Catalunya is also a favourite of de Puniet's Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano, and the 28-year-old Japanese rider is confident that, if he and his crew can find a good set-up in practice and qualifying, then a good result on Sunday is a distinct possibility.

Shinya Nakano: #56
"Like Mugello, the Circuit de Catalunya is a fast circuit, but unlike Mugello there is no secret to going fast here. We need to find a good set-up during practice and qualifying, and we also need to test the new exhaust system that Kawasaki engineers have brought to this race in a bid to improve the driveability of the bike out of the turns. Theoretically the increased rev limit should also make passing out of the slipstream on the main straight easier, but we will only see how much easier once practice gets underway on Friday. I think if everything comes together as we expect during practice and qualifying then we can be competitive here in Sunday's race."

Randy de Puniet: #17
"We had a good test here at Catalunya during the build up to the start of the season, so I know how to ride the Ninja ZX-RR at this circuit. I have won here on the 250cc machine twice, and I like this track a lot, so I think this could be a good weekend for us. I arrive for this race fully fit, and I think I'm now starting to realise the full potential of the Ninja ZX-RR on track, so hopefully I'll be able to put in a strong performance in the race on Sunday and leave Spain with my best result of the season so far in the MotoGP class. Anyway, that's my aim for the weekend ahead."

What a bookie says
Valentino Rossi (ITA)-Yamaha 1.60
Dani Pedrosa (ESP)-Honda 6.00
Loris Capirossi (ITA)-Ducati 6.00
Marco Melandri (ITA)-Honda 11.00
Nicky Hayden (USA)-Honda 12.00
Sete Gibernau (ESP)-Ducati 13.00
Casey Stoner (AUS)-Honda 21.00
Colin Edwards (USA)-Yamaha 34.00
Toni Elias (ESP)-Honda 67.00
John Hopkins (USA)-Suzuki 76.00
Shinya Nakano (JPN)-Kawasaki 76.00
Makoto Tamada (JPN)-Honda 101.00
Chris Vermeulen (AUS)-Suzuki 126.00
Kenny Roberts Jr.(USA)-Proton KR 151.00
Randy de Puniet (FRA)-Kawasaki 151.00
Carlos Checa (ESP)-Yamaha 201.00
Jose Luis Cardoso (ESP)-Ducati 251.00
James Ellison (GBR)-Yamaha 501.00
Alex Hoffman (GER)-Ducati 501.00




And for the Championship
Valentino Rossi (ITA)-Yamaha 1.72
Loris Capirossi (ITA)-Ducati 4.50
Nicky Hayden (USA)-Honda 6.50
Dani Pedrosa (ESP)-Honda 7.50
Marco Melandri (ITA)-Honda 8.00
Casey Stoner (AUS)-Honda 34.00
Sete Gibernau (ESP)-Ducati 81.00
Toni Elias (ESP)-Honda 101.00
Colin Edwards (USA)-Yamaha 101.00
Shinya Nakano (JPN)-Kawasaki 201.00

If only i was a betting man!!

fark - i'd go $5 bucks on melandri....not bad odds.

i think pedrosa will be valentino's biggest problem this weekend - the race, after all, is in spain.

i wonder if they change those prices, $10 on hoffman..he has a wet on at the start of a flag to flag race, everyone else on slicks.. it starts pissing down during lap one so everyone else has to pit and alex has 120 seconds on rossi!!

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

DE PUNIET LEADS THE WAY FOR KAWASAKI IN CATALUNYA

Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet remains confident ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix of Catalunya, after finishing this afternoon's second free practice session just one second adrift of reigning World Champion, Valentino Rossi, who topped the timesheet today.

This afternoon's free practice session was disrupted by the onset of rain shortly before the start, with the result that almost a third of the session was lost while riders waited for the circuit to dry sufficiently to allow the use of slick tyres.

Once the track had dried out, de Puniet was quick to find a good rhythm aboard his Ninja ZX-RR, improving his time with each lap and eventually finishing the session twelfth fastest overall.

The 25-year-old Frenchman was disappointed to have finished outside the top ten, but remains confident that, with some changes to his lines through the critical second sector, he can close the gap on the leaders even further during tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions.

Also confident of an improvement tomorrow is de Puniet's Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider finished today's free practice session down in thirteenth position, after problems with the stability of his Ninja ZX-RR under braking lost him valuable time, by forcing him to brake early for each of the thirteen corners that make up the 4.727 km Circuit de Catalunya.

Although disappointed with his position on the timesheet today, Nakano has already identified a tyre that works well around the Catalunya circuit and remains confident that changes to the chassis set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR overnight will be rewarded with an improvement in lap times during tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions.

Randy de Puniet: 12th - 1'43.784
"Conditions were hot out there today, and I expended some energy chasing a fast lap time towards the end of the session. I had a good feeling on the bike, and my last run was good, so I was a little disappointed to finish today outside the top ten. At the moment I have some problems through the second split; I need to look at my lines through this section of the track to see where I can save some time. We're less than a second from pole position at the moment and I'm confident that, with the help of my crew, I'll be able to close the gap further on the leaders tomorrow."

Shinya Nakano: 13th - 1'43.937
"The rain just before practice meant that we were 20 minutes into the session before it was possible to start testing the different rear tyres we have for this round. In the end we tested three rear slicks and the last one felt pretty good overall. Our main problem today was with stability under braking; the bike just didn't inspire confidence going into the turns, with the result that I had to brake earlier to make sure the bike was settled before turning in. This lost me a lot of time. Tonight we will look at changing the balance of the bike to improve stability, and with more confidence in the bike under braking, I'm sure that we can improve our position during practice tomorrow."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"Catalunya, like Mugello, is a fast circuit and I'm afraid we will face another difficult race on Sunday, as we did two weeks ago in Italy. Randy and Shinya are riding as hard as ever, but I think we must hope for rain in Sunday's race if they are to compete on a level playing field with our rivals."

FREE PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 1'42.837; 2. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.093; 3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.199; 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.471; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.543; 6. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +0.545; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.584; 8. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.596; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +0.663; 10. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.780; 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.817; 12. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.947; 13. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.100

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

SECOND ROW FOR SUPER SHINYA AT CATALUNYA

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano put in a strong performance aboard his Ninja ZX-RR during this afternoon's qualifying session in Spain, to secure fifth position on the grid for tomorrow's Grand Prix of Catalunya.

The 28-year-old Kawasaki rider struggled yesterday with a lack of stability under braking, leaving him down in 13th place on the timesheet, but bounced back strongly today after changes made to his Ninja ZX-RR overnight.

Nakano was first to stake his claim for pole position this afternoon, grabbing the top spot just minutes into the qualifying session. The Kawasaki rider remained in the top five for the next 30 minutes, before once again stealing provisional pole with another flying lap on race tyres.

At the end of the qualifying session Nakano posted the fifth fastest time to secure a place on the second row for tomorrow's race, and the Kawasaki rider is confident that his performance today on race tyres means that a good result is a distinct possibility in tomorrow's 25-lap Grand Prix of Catalunya.

Nakano's Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, also ran top five on race tyres for much of this afternoon's hour-long qualifying session, but was forced to settle for tenth position, and the fourth row, on tomorrow's grid after suffering with brake problems on his final flying lap.

Although disappointed not to be starting closer to the front of the grid, the 25-year-old Frenchman remains confident that a good result in the race is possible, especially if the conditions experienced during qualifying today continue into tomorrow.

Shinya Nakano: 5th - 1'42.216
"Conditions were hard this afternoon. The temperature is a lot higher than yesterday, which meant there was less grip, but the bike was working well. We made some changes to the suspension settings today, to find a better balance with the bike, and we also made some changes to the gear ratios to better suit this circuit and to take advantage of the additional revs we have available from the engine. Only small changes, but they have had a positive effect, with the result that we were running top five on race tyres for much of the qualifying session, with very consistent lap times. This, more than our final qualifying position, is a good indication of our potential for tomorrow's race. Anyway, fifth position on the grid is not so bad and, after the two sessions today, I'm more confident going into the race tomorrow."

Randy de Puniet: 10th - 1'42.620
"I'm a little disappointed with my final qualifying position; I had some brake problems as I came round to start my final flying lap and this meant that I wasn't able to make use of my last qualifying tyre. It's a shame, as I am confident I could have improved my grid position by at least one row. On a more positive note, we made some small changes to the bike that have definitely made it easier to ride; today I could open the throttle earlier without the rear spinning up straight away. This afternoon, on race tyres I did two good runs on the bike to go top five on the timesheet, so we know that, if the conditions for tomorrow's race are similar, we will be competitive. So, overall, I'm happy with the progress we've made today and I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Between the morning and afternoon sessions we made some changes to both bikes to improve stability on corner entry without compromising agility in the turns, with positive results. We then focussed on identifying a suitable race tyre for tomorrow and then refining the set-up of the bikes to suit better the specific characteristics of the tyre we feel offers the most potential. If both riders make a good start tomorrow, then I think it's possible for us to leave here, and head to the next round at Assen, with two good results behind us."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 1'41.855; 2. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.129; 3. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.200; 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.356; 5. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.361; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.392; 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.450; 8. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.489; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +0.637; 10. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.765

at $21 id put $5 on Casey..hes shown he can go with the big boys.... and $5 isnt much to lose..

Redback wrote:i wonder if they change those prices, $10 on hoffman..he has a wet on at the start of a flag to flag race, everyone else on slicks.. it starts pissing down during lap one so everyone else has to pit and alex has 120 seconds on rossi!!

Bwahahahah Hofman would still find a way to loose, he'd fall off looking around thinking "where are those guys, did I take a wrong turn?"

tape wrote:

Redback wrote:i wonder if they change those prices, $10 on hoffman..he has a wet on at the start of a flag to flag race, everyone else on slicks.. it starts pissing down during lap one so everyone else has to pit and alex has 120 seconds on rossi!!

Bwahahahah Hofman would still find a way to loose, he'd fall off looking around thinking "where are those guys, did I take a wrong turn?"

Good one!
then $1,000,000 on Nakano to score a ride through

A weekends racing Team Big K would like to forget...

I reckon there are a few teams waking up today wishing yesterday never happened. Ducati for one!!! And Melandri's team for another!!!

I really hope both Capirossi, and Melandri are OK, and that Gibbernau is only hurt enough to stop him racing and hurting any more riders!!!!!

Watching the footage, bottleout turned in on his team mate capirossi going into turn one, and it was like waaaaaaaaaaay before he should have turned. The bride even exclaimed a WTF is he doing turning in there???? Dumb shit! I just hope he hasn't hurt Melandri or Capirossi badly enough to effect the remainder of their season.

Kawasaki have been giving us false hope of late. Qualifying really well, but failing to either make it to the end or stay up the front till the end.... Bring back Hansford I say!!!

After last night I think they should give it up for the year
& start developing the 800 & get a new No1 rider.
I was a Nakano fan but two ride through penalties
in 3 races!!!!

Gotta commend John Hopkins...

Riding injured and on his second bike.

As per usual kawasaki going backwards on race day.

If the race was 1 lap i reckon we we have a shot at a podium!

Full credit to suzuki ......2 riders in the top 6. Seems like they are making big steps forward.

Also what about kenny jnr.........blast from the past seeing him up on the podium!

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

KAWASAKI'S NAKANO UNFORTUNATE VICTIM OF CATALUNYA CHAOS

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano was excluded from the Grand Prix of Catalunya, after falling foul of the regulations during the third attempt to start today's 25-lap race.

Nakano got a lightning start first time out to steal third place into the first turn, but his efforts were wasted when a collision between Ducati teammates, Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi started a chain reaction that saw five riders crash on the entry to turn one, and forced officials to red flag the race.

The stoppage was bad news for Nakano, who had already gapped the rider in fourth place, but good news for his Kawasaki teammate, Randy de Puniet, who crashed in turn one after being forced onto the grass to avoid colliding with Gibernau's cartwheeling Ducati.

The drama continued when the race was restarted, as Chris Vermeulen experienced a problem on the grid that required the attention of his mechanics, resulting in a further delay, during which Nakano's Ninja ZX-RR overheated.

The bike was pushed off the grid as the Kawasaki rider sprinted back for his number two machine, but in the confusion of the restart he took his place on the grid, instead of starting from the back of the field as the regulations dictate.

Again, Nakano got a good start to steal fourth place into turn one, but slipped back after being baulked by a hard charging Kenny Roberts into the left-hand turn two. Race officials then showed the Kawasaki rider the penalty board, but Nakano didn't see it as he battled for position down the main straight and, after failing to pit in after the requisite number of laps, he was black-flagged and excluded from the results.

An innocent victim of the first corner crash, Randy de Puniet received a reprieve when the race was red-flagged and he was able to take to the grid for the restart aboard his spare bike.

After a cautious start, the 25-year-old Frenchman was pushing hard to fight through the field, but was forced to try and make up time and positions on the brakes and through the turns, as he was unable to match the straight-line speed of his factory rivals.

Trying to close the gap on Makoto Tamada, de Puniet pushed just a little too hard through the left-hand turn at Le Caixa on lap six, and crashed out of the race after losing the front of his Ninja ZX-RR.

The Kawasaki Racing Team now head for The Netherlands, and next week's Dutch TT, where they are determined to make up for the frustration and disappointment experienced in Catalunya today with a strong performance.

Shinya Nakano: DNF
"I got a good start in the first race and I really thought we were in for a good result, so I was disappointed to see the red flag, but relieved to hear that none of the riders who crashed have been seriously hurt. The restart didn't go quite so well. I saw Chris Vermeulen had a problem on the line, and while we were waiting for it to be sorted out my bike overheated and sprayed water up the inside of the screen. I went back to get my spare bike, and that's where the confusion started, as I'm sure I was waved through onto my grid position. I didn't see the penalty board at all, as I was tucked in behind someone each time I came down the main straight, so the first time I knew something was wrong was when I saw the black flag together with my number. Obviously I'm hugely disappointed, and not a little frustrated, because a good result looked to be well within our grasp here today."

Randy de Puniet: DNF
"I got a good start first time out, but then I was forced onto the grass and into the gravel when Gibernau's bike came bouncing across the track towards me. I went into the gravel pretty hard, so I count myself lucky that I was able to walk away with nothing more serious than a few scuffs on my leathers. I just hope none of the other guys picked up any serious injuries in the crash. I lost some places at the restart, and it was hard to find anywhere to pass as I tried to fight my way through the field. I couldn't get into a position where I could pass on the straight, because I didn't have the top speed of the others, so I was having to try and make up ground on the brakes and through the turns. I guess you can only get away with this for so long, and I eventually lost the front and crashed out on lap six. Overall, it's been a disappointing end to what looked to be a promising weekend."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"Shinya got a fantastic start, and looked capable of securing a good result, but then the crash and the red flag spoiled what could have been a great race. It was bad for Shinya and Kawasaki, but it was also bad for the thousands of fans here, because Gibernau, Capirossi and Melandri were unable to make the restart and only eleven riders actually finished the race. I don't think the crowd got to see MotoGP at its best today. It's a shame that Shinya didn't see the penalty board, as I believe his could have taken the ride through penalty and still secured a top ten finishing position. Randy was forced to push hard to make up ground on the riders in front of him when he lost the front and crashed out. Sure he is disappointed, but I know that both him and Shinya will bounce back ready for next weeks Dutch TT at Assen, where I hope we'll be able to put this weekend well and truly behind us with a good result."