Qatar Test (Day 2 and 3)

[Bigdog]

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/Ballmead/n496818_stoner_0_0_preview_big.jpg

Stoner ahead of the pack on second evening under the floodlights
Monday, 02 March 2009

The second session at the MotoGP Official Night Test concluded with former World Champion Casey Stoner at the head of the timesheet.


Ducati Marlboro’s 2007 MotoGP title winner Casey Stoner was the man on the pace on night two in Qatar, finishing Monday’s session more than half a second faster than any of his rivals.

Stoner’s best effort of 1’57.139 was registered just before 9.15pm and put him 0.608s in front of Valentino Rossi, who briefly topped the timesheet at the midway stage of the session and eventually ended up second. Rossi undertook 51 laps in total as he tested a new electronics system, whilst Stoner only undertook five or six lap bursts - and a total of 37 laps - as he debuted a new swingarm and tested the condition of his troublesome left wrist.

Third on the timesheet was Tech 3 Yamaha’s Colin Edwards with similar time to Rossi’s best, as he continued his good preseason performances, in contrast to his team-mate James Toseland who was last on the timesheet – three seconds off Stoner’s pace.

A late fast lap from Andrea Dovizioso with less than five minutes to go before the midnight conclusion of the test put him fourth overall, just ahead of Rizla Suzuki colleagues Chris Vermeulen (who crashed without consequence earlier in the evening) and Loris Capirossi, completing the top six.

Away from the timesheet the big news of the evening was a heavy crash at around 10.00pm for Dani Pedrosa at turn ten. The Spaniard, who did not ride at all on Sunday, has apparently aggravated an existing left knee injury and has hurt his left hand which he also damaged last year in Germany. He will travel back to his native Barcelona on Tuesday for further medical checks.

Following the Pedrosa crash there was a second red flag of the session when Ducati satellite rookie Mika Kallio suffered an accident on turn nine at approximately 10.20pm local time and a puddle of oil had to be cleaned up.

The Qatar test concludes tomorrow night with a third and final evening session from 6pm-midnght local time (4pm-10pm CET).

MotoGP Official Night Test at Qatar - Day Two, best times
1. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'57.139 (37)
2. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'57.747 (51)
3. Colin Edwards, Tech3 Yamaha - 1'57.817 (41)
4. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda - 1'57.879 (60)
5. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.018 (24)
6. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'58.264 (42)
7. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'58.400 (63)
8. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'58.441 (53)
9. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'58.577 (54)
10. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda - 1'58.619 (28)
11. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP - 1'58.936 (55)
12. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'59.036 (56)
13. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team - 1'59.153 (65)
14. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team - 1'59.195 (63)
15. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing - 1'59.266 (36)
16. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing - 1'59.764 (48)
17. James Toseland, Tech3 Yamaha - 2'00.234 (51)

[Bigdog]

Woo Hoo! Go Casey.
Day one was washed out, which was very unusual for Qatar

[Belinda]

I wonder how much confidence Toseland has lost from that 200km/h highside a few weeks ago?

Hope Caseys wrist holds up.

[Cedric]

From the new Hayate Racing team..

Melandri makes 2009 test debut with Hayate Racing
Sunday, 01 March 2009
The very first rider out on track at the MotoGP Official Night Test at Qatar on Sunday evening was Marco Melandri, testing with the newly formed Hayate Racing Team.

Wasting no time whatsoever as the Qatar test commenced it was Marco Melandri who undertook Sunday evening’s first lap of the floodlit Losail International Circuit.
After a period of uncertainty and having missed the first test of the year at Sepang in February it was perhaps no surprise that Melandri would be the first out of his pit-box, notching up eight early laps before a surprise rain interruption.
Keen to get his 2009 preparations underway Melandri headed out onto the track on the Kawasaki ZX-RR under the watchful eye of Ichiro Yoda, the veteran Japanese engineer who will direct the newly formed Hayate Racing Team, for whom the Italian 26 year-old will be the sole rider.
Giving his very first thoughts on his initial 2009 outing Melandri commented on his return to the pit-box, “It was difficult getting used to being on a MotoGP bike again at first after a few months away, but the key thing is I am already feeling good on the Kawasaki.”
Assisting Melandri this season under the management of Yoda, the Hayate Racing Team Manager will be Andrea Dosoli, whilst Jasja Bos will undertake the role of Team Co-Ordinator.
Dosoli told motogp.com, “This is an important test for us in order to assess our potential. The chassis is completely new and so is the engine. The rain is not helping us early on, because we need to see exactly where we are as a team in normal conditions. It is improtant for us to have Marco on the bike as he is a talented rider who has great experience.”

[zenodamper]

Hope Rossi finds some pace.... :stirthepot:

[clarkey]

Hope Rossi finds some pace.... :stirthepot:

I hope Casey finds a new wrist :mod_smilie_rockwoot

[Bigdog]

Vermeulen is doing very well. Lets hope he can score some podiums or even a win or two this year.

[Captain]

Where's Westy? Maybe his bike's lacking some torque down the straight ... :lmao:




:stirthepot::stirthepot::stirthepot:

[Dave75]

I can't wait for this season to start.

It's going to be a big fight for the title

[Marcus]

I hope I dont fall asleep watching the first race

[Johnny]

I hope I dont fall asleep watching the first race
You wont, Stoner has already made himself an excuse...:lmao:

[Turtle]

Go Casey !!!!! Whats with that exhaust ?

[oz r1]

hayden 1.4 seconds down from casey :ayyy: whats his excuse or is he working on some for the start of the season.

[Mr.Ed]

Same as Lorenzo's to Rossi...

[Specs]

hope it is as exciting as the WSBK round last week :mod_smilie_hitit:

[Turtle]

mmmm.....Edwards 3rd and Toseland last..........hahaha

[Mr.Ed]

mmmm.....Edwards 3rd and Toseland last..........hahaha
hahahaha that looks bad doesn't it?! Kinda like Stoner/Melandri last year.
I hope Edwards and Tech3 can be that competitive in the race and maybe even the season! I doubt it though, I don't think Yamaha would let its factory bike get pushed by a satellite rider...
Would love to see a 3-way dogfight for 1st place though. It's been a long time...

[Cedric]

mmmm.....Edwards 3rd and Toseland last..........hahaha

Especially since all that hullabaloo went down about Toseland 'stealing' Edwards' crew chief too.. or is it all just mind games.. :confused:

[stetto]

Vermeulen is doing very well. Lets hope he can score some podiums or even a win or two this year.

+1 much prefer him over stoner

[zenodamper]

Would love to see a 3-way dogfight for 1st place though. It's been a long time...

...oh, they have that; it's just called SuperSport and SuperStock 1000... :lmao:

...bring back the Trans Atlantic Challenge races I say...

[Cedric]

...bring back the Trans Atlantic Challenge races I say...

Yes, there was some definite racing involved in that.. :ayyy:

[Captain]

Some pics

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-2009-test-qatar-marzo/big_valentino_rossi_05.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-2009-test-qatar-marzo/big_02_valentino_rossi_03.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-2009-test-qatar-marzo/big_03_nicky_hayden_04.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-2009-test-qatar-marzo/big_04_andrea_dovizioso_01.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-2009-test-qatar-marzo/big_jorge_lorenzo_02.jpg

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-2009-test-qatar-marzo/big_niccolo_canepa_01.jpg







Not good for Pedrosa:

Qatar test: Dani Pedrosa injured in night crash


http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/221031/images/pedrosa.jpg


Spaniard Dani Pedrosa is facing a fight to be fit for the final pre-season test in Jerez later this month after he suffered left wrist and knee injuries on the second night of testing in Qatar.

Pedrosa was lying eighth quickest on the timesheets with a best time of 1.58.619 after 28 laps when he crashed his Repsol Honda RC212V machine on the entry to turn 10 – a medium speed left-hander before the series of three fast rights at the Qatar track. The left side of his V4 was badly damaged after Pedrosa high-side on a cold and windy second night of action in the Middle East. Pedrosa was struck by his bike as he careered down the track.

The session was immediately red flagged as Pedrosa lay stricken on the track, and he was taken by ambulance to the circuit medical centre for a detailed examination of his injuries.

He arrived at the medical centre with an oxygen mask on with his left arm in a protective brace.
A Repsol Honda spokesman told MCN: “The X-rays showed no clear sign of a break in his left wrist, but he is in a lot of pain. He hit the arm quite hard on the ground. The doctors want him to have a scan on the wrist to check in close detail that there is not damage or a cracked bone.”

Pedrosa, who finished third in last year’s MotoGP world championship, also aggravated an old injury on his left knee. He recently had to miss the final day of the opening winter test in Sepang because of the pain from knee surgery he underwent in December.

He has aggravated that old knee injury, which he first damaged in a first lap crash during last year’s Australian GP at Phillip Island, and needed three stitches to close an open wound.

The latest injury blow for Pedrosa means it is the second year in succession that his pre-season preparations have been marred by injury.

He missed the majority of the build up to the 2008 campaign when he broke a hand on the opening day of testing. And his world title hopes were ended last July when he broke his left hand when crashing out of the lead of a rain-lashed German GP at the Sachsenring.

At the time he was leading the world championship race ahead of 2007 world champion Casey Stoner and Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi.

Pedrosa was due to fly back to Spain for scans on his wrist after doctors immobilised his left arm ahead of the flight back to Barcelona.

[Bigdog]

Stoner ends Losail visit ahead of competitors again
Tuesday, 03 March 2009

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/Ballmead/n496818_stoner_0_0_preview_big-1.jpg

As the MotoGP Official Night Test came to a conclusion at midnight in Qatar on Tuesday it was Casey Stoner who sat proudly at the head of the timesheet.


Winner of the last two MotoGP races at the Losail International Circuit, including last year’s historical first ever floodlit Grand Prix, Casey Stoner showed his strength around the 5.38km desert track again on Tuesday night.

The night time practice visit to Qatar, the second preseason test for the 2009 MotoGP field, ended with Stoner setting the pace just as he did in the opening test of the year in Malaysia in February.

Stoner’s best effort of 1’55.744 was recorded shortly after 9pm on the 22nd of his 31 turns under the floodlights, the Australian completing far fewer laps than any of his rivals. The test saw him successfully debut a new carbon fibre swingarm on the Desmosedici GP9, though he was unable to undertake a race simulation and kept to short bursts on track as he rebuilds the strength in his left wrist, which was operated on over the winter.

Stoner crashed without consequence on turn two around ten minutes after setting his best time, but was back out on track within an hour.

Last year’s Qatar poleman Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) got closest to Stoner on the timesheet, though he was nearly a full second (0.989s) behind the Ducati rider, with his best time registered late in the evening. Lorenzo’s colleague Valentino Rossi completed the top three with a 1’56.972 effort as the only other rider to go round under the 1’57 mark, the Italian satisfied with a new electronics system on the Yamaha M1.

The top five was rounded off by Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen, his best time arriving on the last of his 70 laps, and Stoner’s new team-mate for 2009 Nicky Hayden.

Also featuring in the top ten were Vermeulen’s Suzuki colleague Loris Capirossi, fastest Honda representative Randy de Puniet, factory Honda newcomer Andrea Dovizioso, the experienced Colin Edwards and San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis.

There were also crashes for Capirossi on turn six, Niccolo Canepa at turn 13 and Yuki Takahasi at turn three, but all three riders were reportedly unhurt.

The next outing for the MotoGP riders is the Official MotoGP Test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain which takes place on 28th & 29th March. They will then return to Qatar for the first Grand Prix of the year on 10th-12th April.

Qatar Night Test, Day 3
1. Casey Stoner, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'55.744 (31)
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'56.733 (82)
3. Valentino Rossi, Fiat Yamaha Team - 1'56.972 (75)
4. Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'57.224 (70)
5. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Marlboro Team - 1'57.225 (53)
6. Loris Capirossi, Suzuki MotoGP - 1'57.253 (42)
7. Randy De Puniet, LCR Honda MotoGP - 1'57.401 (77)
8. Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda - 1'57.449 (74)
9. Colin Edwards, Monster Yamaha Tech3 - 1'57.515 (46)
10. Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'57.591 (61)
11. Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini - 1'57.804 (66)
12. Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing - 1'57.938 (54)
13. Niccolo Canepa, Pramac Racing - 1'57.946 (50)
14. Yuki Takahashi, Scot Racing Team - 1'58.412 (61)
15. James Toseland, Monster Yamaha Tech3 - 1'58.786 (51)
16. Marco Melandri, Hayate Racing Team - 1'58.851 (73)

[Bigdog]

Stoner is superfast at Losail, nearly 1 second quicker than his rivals. It's also good to see Vermeulen right up there too.

[oz r1]

Damn good pics them night shots captain . :ayyy: good to hayden still consistently 1.4 slower than casey.:)

[Captain]

And Melandri at the back. Goddamit.

[James]

Where is Sete Gibernau?

[Turtle]

Who's on the PRAMAC Duck in the pics??

[Specs]

Where is Sete Gibernau?

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2009/Gibernau+to+miss+Qatar+test+due+to+shoulder+ligame nt+problem

[Captain]

Pedrosa to undergo surgery

Dani Pedrosa returned to Barcelona Tuesday morning, and was taken directly to the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus hospital, where he was examined by Doctor Xavier Mir, the head of the Hand Surgery Unit.

After a checkup and further Cat scans and a RM, Pedrosa was diagnosed with a distal radius fracture on his left wrist. He will be operated on Wednesday, and a titanium screw will be inserted.

In addition, the check-up revealed that Pedrosa has lost some flesh around his left knee which received three stitches in Qatar and this will require skin graft surgery, also to be done on Wednesday.

[mag57l]

Canepa is #88


Who's on the PRAMAC Duck in the pics??

[Captain]

Vermeulen is doing very well. Lets hope he can score some podiums or even a win or two this year.

+1, would be great to see him on the podium. I notice he's very fast in the wet, which would show that he's a skilled rider, but then I remember Randy Mamola.

http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/motogp-test-qatar-marzo-day-3/big_chris_vermeulen_01.jpg

[Mr.Ed]

Ducati confirms carbon fibre swingarm

Ducati has confirmed to Crash.net that the new swingarm used during the Qatar MotoGP night test, which concluded on Tuesday, is made of carbon fibre.

Ducati's Desmosedici GP9 is already the only MotoGP bike to feature a carbon fibre chassis and the move to a carbon fibre swingarm further separates the Italian machine from its Japanese rivals.

Ducati's five MotoGP riders all claim to have felt a clear improvement in stability from the carbon fibre chassis, but factory riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden avoided being too specific after debuting the new carbon fibre swingarm at Qatar.

“We confirmed the good feeling I had yesterday [Monday] with the new swingarm, although we still need more time to work on it and that's what we'll be doing at Jerez,” said Stoner, after finishing the Qatar test fastest of all by almost one second.

“I got a good feel for the new swingarm straight away but we still have work to do and we need to make more comparisons with the previous version before drawing definite conclusions,” added Hayden, who was fifth on the end of test timesheet.

The original Desmosedici GP9 swingarm is made of pressed aluminium.

The final pre-season MotoGP test of 2009 takes place on March 28-29 at Jerez.


by Peter McLaren

http://www.crash.net/MotoGP/News/143632/1/ducati_confirms_carbon_fibre_swingarm.html

[gazujc]

A couple of audio captures at the testing.

Stoner.
http://www.gpone.com/news/ZoomMediaaudio.asp?file=Media_2009_03/20090303STONER.mp3&didaM=Casey%20Stoner


Hayden
http://www.gpone.com/news/ZoomMediaaudio.asp?file=Media_2009_03/20090403HAYDEN.MP3&didaM=Nicky%20Hayden




Garry

[rats666]

Qatar - Day 3 Results

1 Casey Stoner 1:55.744 :notworthy::blumsmiley::dancesmiley:
2 Jorge Lorenzo 1:56.733 :drivingsmiley:
:piss2:3 Valentino Rossi 1:56.972 :Rossi:
4 Chris Vermeulen 1:57.224 :mod_smilie_rockwoot
5 Nicky Hayden 1:57.225 :mod_smilie_rockwoot
6 Loris Capirossi 1:57.253
7 Randy De Puniet 1:57.401
8 Andrea Dovizioso 1:57.449
9 Colin Edwards 1:57.515
10 Alex De Angelis 1:57.591





:stirthepot: come on!!!

[Cedric]

Stoner's really in a different league isn't he.. a full second quicker than the next fastest rider. Great to see Vermeulen up there! (and .001 sec quicker than Hayden :))

[Captain]

That's true. This year should be interesting indeed :ayyy:

[Mr.Ed]

I think it's still too early to call a favourite... with the season starting in April, there's a long way to go still. Plus we don't know what they're testing other than Ducati's CF swing arm. Maybe Yamaha or Honda have something else up their sleeves but it's just not dialed in yet...
It does seem that Ducati is well and truly on the ball though.

[Cedric]

Stoner's got to be able to do more than a few laps as well..

[clarkey]

Gawd i hope Casey sorts his injury, With Pedrossa injured if he can get a few up on Rossi ..............:mod_smilie_rockwoot

[Captain]

Update on Pedrosa

http://static.blogo.it/twowheelsblog/0303pedrosaqatar002_g.jpg

Dani Pedrosa was operated on by Doctors Bartolomé Ferreira, specialist in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Dr. Xavier Mir, Head of the Hand Surgery Microsurgery Unit at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus yesterday evening to place a titanium screw in Pedrosa’s left wrist and skin graft on his left knee. The two doctors carried out the three-hour operation at the same time, with the left knee skin graft taking the most time.

At the press conference the doctors spoke about each procedure and the likely recovery time.

“Dani Pedrosa received a graft on the open wound using a rotation graft, a graft of skin and fat taken from the inside of his left thigh to cover the affected area,” stated Dr. Ferreira. “We must now wait for scar tissue to form; the patient will be able to start moving a little within three weeks and within a minimum of four he can begin to bend the leg.”

“The fracture on the left distal radius, which was affecting the joint, has been repaired, it was then fixed with a titanium screw. The functioning of the affected zone will begin within ten days, in the meantime Dani Pedrosa will stay in hospital for the next 72 hours” said Dr. Mir.

With doctors saying that it will be four weeks before Pedrosa can even bend his knee, it is very likely that he will not be able to take part at the IRTA test at Jerez in three weeks time.

[Birdman45]

Stoner's got to be able to do more than a few laps as well..

exactly, one lap doesn't win races. What were the race sim times like on everyone? That's what I'd love to see.

[motoplast]

Yep, I reckon this years season will be a bloody bottler!. Bundy's newfound friend, Chris Vermuelen will hopefully do very well, Bundy is his greatest fan and will be barking for him! I would like to see Casey get his crown back, as for Dr. Rossi, who cares!!!:stirthepot:

Cheers,
Tex & Bundy

[Cedric]

I really hope Vermeulen does well too. He's worked hard and by all accounts is a top bloke. I'd love to see a Suzuki up there to mix it up a bit with the Honda/Yamaha/Ducatis.. Although I reckon MotoGP is going to have to do well to compete with the likes of racing seen in WSBK/WSS..

[Turtle]

Looks like Pedrosa will be out for a while.......

[jasonbw]

Assisting Melandri this season under the management of Yoda, the Hayate Racing Team Manager will be...

What the fuck hope has any other team got with these guys using the force???

Go green!

P.s. see in the first post one of the motogp bike crashes left a puddle of oil on the track!!!! see it even happens to the pros !

[Johnny]

What the fuck hope has any other team got with these guys using the force???
!
Using the force are these guys, what fucken hope have others??? mmmmm??? yess???? mmm?


Your out of practice Jason :p

[Turtle]

Using the force are these guys, what fucken hope have others??? mmmmm??? yess???? mmm?


Your out of practice Jason :p

Here we go again........:headshake:

[Johnny]

Here we go again........:headshake:
Wrong... !

Again we go here, mmm, again..



:lmao:

It was begging for it, sorry :p

[Turtle]

Wrong... !

Again we go here, mmm, again..



:lmao:

It was begging for it, sorry :p

sorry doesn't cut it mate.....not this time...........:storm:

[Captain]

Pedrosa to miss Jerez test, unsure for Qatar

http://static.blogo.it/twowheelsblog/ILFATTO.jpg

Dani Pedrosa was released from the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus hospital Saturday morning after undergoing surgery to his wrist and left knee after crashing during the Qatar tests last Monday evening.

According to Dr. Mir both operations were a great success and was optimistic about a rapid recovery, however did not give a definite date for the rider’s return, but did state that recovery times for professional sportsmen are shorter and that Dani’s prognosis is very good.

Whilst the recovery time for the injury to his left arm will be reasonably short, he will be able to start his rehabilation within a week, his knee will need more time to heal after it received a skin graft. The rider will have to rest it completely for three weeks, he will then be able to begin bending the joint at some point during the fourth week.

Here’s what Pedrosa had to say:

“I feel quite a lot better. “When I arrived the truth is that the knee did not look very good, but the operation went well and I am pleased. This morning Dr. Ferreira made his final check and I saw how good the knee was looking.

“Now I have to rest a little as it is very important to give the body a break for the first few days, let things take their course, then I will start my recovery plan.

“I imagine that at the beginning it will be tough trying to give the skin and knee some elasticity. Referring to my arm, this will not be so complicated, as it will not be immobilised for so long. We are planning to work hard and so be ready for the first race in Qatar, but when the day arrives we will have to see whether I am really in perfect shape to get on the bike.

“The objective is to try and be fit for the first race. You do not choose to be in a situation like this, but we have no other choice than to face up to things and to carry on. I have fallen many times and I have always fought back and I will do it again. We will get back to riding fast on the bike, but it is true that I am having some problems this pre-season, but there is nothing we can do about that, we just have to keep going.”