Kawasaki Racing Team - Mugello
Fri Jun 03, 2005 6:40 pm
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMIO ALICE D'ITALIA
02 JUNE 2005 - EVENT PREVIEW
HOFMANN ALL SET FOR RACING RETURN AT MUGELLO
Alex Hofmann will make his return to the Kawasaki Racing Team for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, having now recovered from the injuries he sustained in a crash during a promotional event seven weeks ago.
Hofmann, who celebrated his 25th birthday just a week ago, suffered a fractured ulna and scaphoid in his left wrist when he was highsided from his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR in Estoril during a MotoGP parade.
The factory Kawasaki rider underwent a rigorous fitness assessment on Wednesday evening at Mugello before being given the green light to race this weekend by Kawasaki's MotoGP Project Leader, Kenichi Furuhashi, and Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl.
But while a fitness assessment is a good indicator of a rider's ability to race, it is difficult for medical clinicians to replicate the physical demands of racing a 250BHP MotoGP machine. Hofmann will only find out if he is truly fit to race when he takes to the track aboard his Ninja ZX-RR for the opening practice session on Friday morning.
On standby, should Hofmann's recently healed injuries cause him problems during Friday's practice session, is Kawasaki super-sub, Olivier Jacque. The Frenchman will be at Mugello and also at Catalunya, where he will test for Kawasaki immediately after the Grand Prix of Catalunya.
Fully fit and raring to go for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix is Hofmann's Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano. The Japanese star is looking forward to again spearheading Kawasaki's increasingly competitive MotoGP campaign at Mugello. Recent engine developments, including a drive-by-wire engine control system, have allowed Nakano to post impressive qualifying and race performances at the French GP.
And following a productive engine and tyre test at Le Mans two weeks ago, Nakano is convinced the Ninja ZX-RR will put him in contention at Mugello, just a year after he walked away from a nightmare 300 kph crash on the super-fast main straight at the classic Italian circuit.
Nakano has prepared for the Italian GP with a training camp in France, undertaking a series of mountain runs and outdoor exercises, including jet skiing, as a break from gym workouts.
Alex Hofmann: #66
"I've spent seven weeks preparing for this weekend, working with my doctor and physiotherapist to ensure that I was ready to make my return to racing at Mugello. I've done everything possible to make sure I'm fit for this race, but racing a MotoGP bike at a track like Mugello is physically demanding, and I'll only really find out if all the preparation has been successful when I take to the track on Friday morning. I'm fairly confident that everything will be fine, and I'm definitely looking forward to racing the bike again after such a long lay off."
Shinya Nakano: #56
"I'm feeling refreshed after the training camp in France, it is always good to try some different training methods. I'm very positive about our potential at Mugello, especially after the success of the Kawasaki test at Le Mans. Front end set-up and tyre choice are both critical at Mugello, there are many fast changes of direction, with heavy braking and downhill corner entries. After the Le Mans test I think both Kawasaki and Bridgestone have some excellent options in these areas. Mugello has some bad memories for me from last year, but I want to try and forget that with a good result on Sunday, which will show the true potential of the ZX-RR."
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"Alex will try the bike for the first time on Friday morning, and I hope that his injuries have healed sufficiently for him to make a good result in the opening practice session. Should he suffer any problems with his injuries when he rides the bike, then we always have the option to replace him with Olivier Jacque, who is on standby at Mugello for just such an eventuality."
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMIO ALICE D'ITALIA
02 JUNE 2005 - EVENT PREVIEW
HOFMANN ALL SET FOR RACING RETURN AT MUGELLO
Alex Hofmann will make his return to the Kawasaki Racing Team for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, having now recovered from the injuries he sustained in a crash during a promotional event seven weeks ago.
Hofmann, who celebrated his 25th birthday just a week ago, suffered a fractured ulna and scaphoid in his left wrist when he was highsided from his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR in Estoril during a MotoGP parade.
The factory Kawasaki rider underwent a rigorous fitness assessment on Wednesday evening at Mugello before being given the green light to race this weekend by Kawasaki's MotoGP Project Leader, Kenichi Furuhashi, and Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl.
But while a fitness assessment is a good indicator of a rider's ability to race, it is difficult for medical clinicians to replicate the physical demands of racing a 250BHP MotoGP machine. Hofmann will only find out if he is truly fit to race when he takes to the track aboard his Ninja ZX-RR for the opening practice session on Friday morning.
On standby, should Hofmann's recently healed injuries cause him problems during Friday's practice session, is Kawasaki super-sub, Olivier Jacque. The Frenchman will be at Mugello and also at Catalunya, where he will test for Kawasaki immediately after the Grand Prix of Catalunya.
Fully fit and raring to go for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix is Hofmann's Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano. The Japanese star is looking forward to again spearheading Kawasaki's increasingly competitive MotoGP campaign at Mugello. Recent engine developments, including a drive-by-wire engine control system, have allowed Nakano to post impressive qualifying and race performances at the French GP.
And following a productive engine and tyre test at Le Mans two weeks ago, Nakano is convinced the Ninja ZX-RR will put him in contention at Mugello, just a year after he walked away from a nightmare 300 kph crash on the super-fast main straight at the classic Italian circuit.
Nakano has prepared for the Italian GP with a training camp in France, undertaking a series of mountain runs and outdoor exercises, including jet skiing, as a break from gym workouts.
Alex Hofmann: #66
"I've spent seven weeks preparing for this weekend, working with my doctor and physiotherapist to ensure that I was ready to make my return to racing at Mugello. I've done everything possible to make sure I'm fit for this race, but racing a MotoGP bike at a track like Mugello is physically demanding, and I'll only really find out if all the preparation has been successful when I take to the track on Friday morning. I'm fairly confident that everything will be fine, and I'm definitely looking forward to racing the bike again after such a long lay off."
Shinya Nakano: #56
"I'm feeling refreshed after the training camp in France, it is always good to try some different training methods. I'm very positive about our potential at Mugello, especially after the success of the Kawasaki test at Le Mans. Front end set-up and tyre choice are both critical at Mugello, there are many fast changes of direction, with heavy braking and downhill corner entries. After the Le Mans test I think both Kawasaki and Bridgestone have some excellent options in these areas. Mugello has some bad memories for me from last year, but I want to try and forget that with a good result on Sunday, which will show the true potential of the ZX-RR."
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"Alex will try the bike for the first time on Friday morning, and I hope that his injuries have healed sufficiently for him to make a good result in the opening practice session. Should he suffer any problems with his injuries when he rides the bike, then we always have the option to replace him with Olivier Jacque, who is on standby at Mugello for just such an eventuality."
re: Kawasaki Racing Team - Mugello
Sat Jun 04, 2005 11:13 am
i hope that they just run OJ anyway.... 
re: Kawasaki Racing Team - Mugello
Sun Jun 05, 2005 8:47 am
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMIO ALICE D'ITALIA, MUGELLO
03 JUNE 2005 - FREE PRACTICE
HOFMANN BACK ON TRACK IN MUGELLO
For the first time in two months Alex Hofmann joined his factory Kawasaki teammate Shinya Nakano on the track in today's free practice sessions at Mugello.
It was a successful return from injury for the 25-year-old German rider, who completed a total of 36 laps during the two, one-hour sessions.
Hofmann finished 15th on the time sheets, with Nakano impressively tenth fastest and less than a second behind the quickest time posted by Sete Gibernau.
Sunday's Italian Grand Prix will only be Hofmann's second race of the season after being sidelined with a fractured ulna and scaphoid in his left wrist, suffered when he fell in a MotoGP parade in Portugal in April.
An operation was required to insert a pin to repair the injury and Hofmann has been undergoing intense physiotherapy treatment since the plaster cast was removed only last week.
Hofmann completed today's practise session in a buoyant mood as he rebuilt his confidence aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.
Meanwhile Nakano spent much of today evaluating race tyres and tried four different rear tyre options from Bridgestone. The Japanese ace feels he has two excellent race options on which he will complete further tests tomorrow.
The 5.2 km Mugello circuit places a huge demand on front-end feel and steering response and this was the main area of set-up work by both riders and factory technicians today.
The set-up work will continue tomorrow in advance of the afternoon one-hour qualifying session to decide grid positions for Sunday's 23-lap race.
Also on the agenda tomorrow is the evaluation of a revised exhaust system supplied by Kawasaki's technical partner Akrapovic.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - Tenth - (1'51.494)
"It wasn't such an easy day, it was quite hot and in the morning session I had some set-up problems with braking stability and turn-in for the fast changes of direction. We still need to fine-tune the front-end set-up and engine braking to improve this area. The bike felt better in the afternoon session when I concentrated on testing race tyres and I have identified two excellent options from Bridgestone. I'm feeling good about being back on the ZX-RR after a three week break and I'm not worried about my problems with the big crash here last year."
Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fifteenth (1'52.357)
"It's a really cool feeling to be back riding the ZX-RR, it's been a long and difficult time away, especially watching the races on television. I'm still not completely comfortable with my suspension set-up especially in the fast corners, which is where you can attack on this track and pick-up time. But I'm sure that will come with more time on the bike as I build my confidence. I can still feel an occasional twinge in my wrist and this was only to be expected, but I was able to ride this afternoon without any strapping and I know that come two o'clock on Sunday and the race start I won't be thinking about it."
Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
"I'm very happy to see Alex back on his ZX-RR and riding strongly. I thought it may have been difficult for him after such a long time off the bike, but he has displayed a good feeling in both sessions today. Our main challenge here is front and rear chassis balance for all the fast changes of direction. A smooth transition is critical to a fast lap time. Bridgestone have a new specification front tyre here and so far it is performing impressively. Tomorrow we will continue our evaluation of suspension and tyre combinations for the race, plus a revised exhaust system."
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMIO ALICE D'ITALIA, MUGELLO
03 JUNE 2005 - FREE PRACTICE
HOFMANN BACK ON TRACK IN MUGELLO
For the first time in two months Alex Hofmann joined his factory Kawasaki teammate Shinya Nakano on the track in today's free practice sessions at Mugello.
It was a successful return from injury for the 25-year-old German rider, who completed a total of 36 laps during the two, one-hour sessions.
Hofmann finished 15th on the time sheets, with Nakano impressively tenth fastest and less than a second behind the quickest time posted by Sete Gibernau.
Sunday's Italian Grand Prix will only be Hofmann's second race of the season after being sidelined with a fractured ulna and scaphoid in his left wrist, suffered when he fell in a MotoGP parade in Portugal in April.
An operation was required to insert a pin to repair the injury and Hofmann has been undergoing intense physiotherapy treatment since the plaster cast was removed only last week.
Hofmann completed today's practise session in a buoyant mood as he rebuilt his confidence aboard his Ninja ZX-RR.
Meanwhile Nakano spent much of today evaluating race tyres and tried four different rear tyre options from Bridgestone. The Japanese ace feels he has two excellent race options on which he will complete further tests tomorrow.
The 5.2 km Mugello circuit places a huge demand on front-end feel and steering response and this was the main area of set-up work by both riders and factory technicians today.
The set-up work will continue tomorrow in advance of the afternoon one-hour qualifying session to decide grid positions for Sunday's 23-lap race.
Also on the agenda tomorrow is the evaluation of a revised exhaust system supplied by Kawasaki's technical partner Akrapovic.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - Tenth - (1'51.494)
"It wasn't such an easy day, it was quite hot and in the morning session I had some set-up problems with braking stability and turn-in for the fast changes of direction. We still need to fine-tune the front-end set-up and engine braking to improve this area. The bike felt better in the afternoon session when I concentrated on testing race tyres and I have identified two excellent options from Bridgestone. I'm feeling good about being back on the ZX-RR after a three week break and I'm not worried about my problems with the big crash here last year."
Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fifteenth (1'52.357)
"It's a really cool feeling to be back riding the ZX-RR, it's been a long and difficult time away, especially watching the races on television. I'm still not completely comfortable with my suspension set-up especially in the fast corners, which is where you can attack on this track and pick-up time. But I'm sure that will come with more time on the bike as I build my confidence. I can still feel an occasional twinge in my wrist and this was only to be expected, but I was able to ride this afternoon without any strapping and I know that come two o'clock on Sunday and the race start I won't be thinking about it."
Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
"I'm very happy to see Alex back on his ZX-RR and riding strongly. I thought it may have been difficult for him after such a long time off the bike, but he has displayed a good feeling in both sessions today. Our main challenge here is front and rear chassis balance for all the fast changes of direction. A smooth transition is critical to a fast lap time. Bridgestone have a new specification front tyre here and so far it is performing impressively. Tomorrow we will continue our evaluation of suspension and tyre combinations for the race, plus a revised exhaust system."
re: Kawasaki Racing Team - Mugello
Sun Jun 05, 2005 8:50 am
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMIO ALICE D'ITALIA, MUGELLO
04 JUNE 2005 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE
NAKANO IN CONFIDENT MOOD FOR ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano will start his Ninja ZX-RR from ninth position on the third row of the grid in tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
Nakano's qualifying time was just 0.6s off pole position, in a fiercely competitive session that finished with the top 12 riders separated by less than one second.
Teammate Alex Hofmann, making a comeback after eight weeks on the injury list, qualified an impressive fourteenth. Hofmann is still not 100% fit following surgery to repair a fractured left wrist.
Nakano was delighted with today's performance on two counts, and is in a confident mood for tomorrow's 23-lap race.
In both qualifying and race set-up Nakano feels his Ninja ZX-RR is very competitive, a reflection of recent engine control system improvements and the latest specification Bridgestone tyres available for this race.
A year ago in this race Nakano walked away from a nightmare crash on the super-fast main straight, but he has put all that behind him this weekend.
Nakano's qualifying time was one second faster than for this race in 2004 and he feels he is well prepared for a strong points-scoring result tomorrow.
Meanwhile Hofmann is just happy to be back racing in MotoGP after a frustrating two months as an unwilling spectator. Hofmann, still short of race fitness, is treating the Mugello weekend as a means of rebuilding confidence and familiarity with his Ninja ZX-RR in the world's toughest class of motorcycle racing.
In today's two hours of free practice and qualifying both Nakano and Hofmann concentrated on race set-up, with Nakano completing a productive evaluation of race tyres.
Further refinements to front and rear chassis balance also produced improvements, on a track that requires smooth and agile transition through a sequence of fast curves.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - Ninth - (1'49.856)
"The times are very and close and I'm feeling very good about today, it is a boost to be this close to the front group. More importantly I think the gap is also very close on race tyres and, if I can make a good start, I am confident of a strong race. After I tried some changes in the morning session I was able to settle on an improved chassis balance. The ZX-RR is faster here than last year, which shows that we are making progress in the right direction with the latest engine and chassis improvements."
Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fourteenth - (1'51.056)
"Overall I'm happy with the progress I have made over the past two days, although I'm not pleased to be 14th. But I don't think I can expect much more after being away for two months, and I have just concentrated on getting track time. There was a big push for fast times, but I worked mainly for the race, especially to improve the set-up for rear grip, which I have had a problem with at this track. This will be my first race since the beginning of the season at Jerez and I aiming to finish in the points."
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"I'm satisfied with the performance of both Shinya and Alex today. Shinya did a fantastic qualifying lap and is close on times. With a good start he can race with the front group. Our bike may still be down on top speed to some rivals at this track, but Shinya has shown that the ZX-RR is competitive through the fast corners and infield section. For Alex, to be 14th after just two days back on the bike shows that when he is 100% fit he can be even closer to the front."
QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1'49.223; 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.138; 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +0.235; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.323; 5. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.333; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.410; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.582; 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.588; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.633; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +0.728; 14. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.833
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMIO ALICE D'ITALIA, MUGELLO
04 JUNE 2005 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE
NAKANO IN CONFIDENT MOOD FOR ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano will start his Ninja ZX-RR from ninth position on the third row of the grid in tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
Nakano's qualifying time was just 0.6s off pole position, in a fiercely competitive session that finished with the top 12 riders separated by less than one second.
Teammate Alex Hofmann, making a comeback after eight weeks on the injury list, qualified an impressive fourteenth. Hofmann is still not 100% fit following surgery to repair a fractured left wrist.
Nakano was delighted with today's performance on two counts, and is in a confident mood for tomorrow's 23-lap race.
In both qualifying and race set-up Nakano feels his Ninja ZX-RR is very competitive, a reflection of recent engine control system improvements and the latest specification Bridgestone tyres available for this race.
A year ago in this race Nakano walked away from a nightmare crash on the super-fast main straight, but he has put all that behind him this weekend.
Nakano's qualifying time was one second faster than for this race in 2004 and he feels he is well prepared for a strong points-scoring result tomorrow.
Meanwhile Hofmann is just happy to be back racing in MotoGP after a frustrating two months as an unwilling spectator. Hofmann, still short of race fitness, is treating the Mugello weekend as a means of rebuilding confidence and familiarity with his Ninja ZX-RR in the world's toughest class of motorcycle racing.
In today's two hours of free practice and qualifying both Nakano and Hofmann concentrated on race set-up, with Nakano completing a productive evaluation of race tyres.
Further refinements to front and rear chassis balance also produced improvements, on a track that requires smooth and agile transition through a sequence of fast curves.
Shinya Nakano: #56 - Ninth - (1'49.856)
"The times are very and close and I'm feeling very good about today, it is a boost to be this close to the front group. More importantly I think the gap is also very close on race tyres and, if I can make a good start, I am confident of a strong race. After I tried some changes in the morning session I was able to settle on an improved chassis balance. The ZX-RR is faster here than last year, which shows that we are making progress in the right direction with the latest engine and chassis improvements."
Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fourteenth - (1'51.056)
"Overall I'm happy with the progress I have made over the past two days, although I'm not pleased to be 14th. But I don't think I can expect much more after being away for two months, and I have just concentrated on getting track time. There was a big push for fast times, but I worked mainly for the race, especially to improve the set-up for rear grip, which I have had a problem with at this track. This will be my first race since the beginning of the season at Jerez and I aiming to finish in the points."
Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"I'm satisfied with the performance of both Shinya and Alex today. Shinya did a fantastic qualifying lap and is close on times. With a good start he can race with the front group. Our bike may still be down on top speed to some rivals at this track, but Shinya has shown that the ZX-RR is competitive through the fast corners and infield section. For Alex, to be 14th after just two days back on the bike shows that when he is 100% fit he can be even closer to the front."
QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 1'49.223; 2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.138; 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +0.235; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.323; 5. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.333; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.410; 7. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.582; 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.588; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.633; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +0.728; 14. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.833
re: Kawasaki Racing Team - Mugello
Sun Jun 05, 2005 10:14 am
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!
GO SHINYA!!!!!!
GO SHINYA!!!!!!