Kawsaki Moto GP - Brno

The commontator keeped on saying that stoner lost the front end on both fox and channel 10. But I bag to differ It definately lost the rear end. Looks like Rossi will take the championship this year.

Looks like Rossi will take the championship this year.

I hear no fat lady singing yet. 6 races to go, a dnf and a bad day and casey's back in the hunt.

So where did they find their pace and confidence? They did very very well

A great result for Westy!

I fear too little too late though

if westy sticks it top 8 for the rest of this year he will find a ride somewhere im sure of it...

I agree - 6 more great results will help his cause a great deal. All he needs now is a win, even if its the wet, to keep his job with Kawasaki

Given Melandri has already signed with Kwaka and I don't see them sacking Hoppa, I wouldn't hold your breath on Westy getting a kwaka ride next year..

Circuit: Brno
Date: 19/08/2008




KAWASAKI DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES AT BRNO
The Kawasaki Racing Team brought to a conclusion a successful two-day test at the Brno circuit today, where perfect testing conditions allowed Anthony West and Olivier Jacque to work their way through an intensive evaluation programme aboard their Ninja ZX-RR machines.

As Kawasaki's test and development rider, it was Jacque who shouldered most of the testing duties over the course of the two days. The former 250cc world champion completed a total of 87 laps of the 5.403km Brno circuit, as he worked with his crew to further refine the same upgrades on his Ninja ZX-RR that helped West to a career best fifth place finish in Sunday's Czech Republic Grand Prix.

The two Kawasaki pilots also evaluated chassis settings which, when combined with a different front tyre option to that run by both West and Hopkins in Sunday's race, gave both riders improved feeling from, and more confidence in, the front end of their Ninja ZX-RR machines.

John Hopkins made a brief appearance on track during the first day of testing, but decided to sit out the remainder of the test after struggling with a minor, but painful, injury sustained in a practice crash on Friday. The 26-year-old Anglo-American displaced an intercostal muscle in his rib cage, which was affecting his breathing on the bike.

With Misano just ten days away, it was decided that Hopkins would withdraw from the test in order to give him maximum recovery time ahead of the next race.




#13 - 65 Laps - 1'59.010
"I didn't test yesterday because Olivier was evaluating various different parts on my machine, however we have managed to achieve quite a lot during today's track time. We focused mainly on setting up the bike to suit a front tyre option that we've not used so much but has been put to good use by a few other Bridgestone riders recently. Previously we've not been able to make this tyre work effectively, but with the changes in chassis set-up we've made, it is now a viable option for us to use. In the race this weekend I had to push hard every lap to be fast, but with the advances we've made at this test, the bike feels much more rideable. I'm now really looking forward to furthering our improvements next time out."



#19 - 87 Laps - 1'58.483
"The last two days have been very useful to us and we've gathered a lot of data. We firstly worked with our base chassis setting to see where we could make adjustments to improve the stability and balance of the machine. We also had a new swing-arm and some electronic components to test today, which have both brought interesting results. This track is quite grippy so it's difficult to see exactly where this puts us with regards to some of the other circuits, but I am confident that we've made many forward steps. We now need to spend time reviewing the data to assess fully everything we've evaluated in the last two days."



Kawasaki Technical Manager
"We have mainly evaluated different engine and chassis settings at this test, along with some new specification components for the Ninja ZX-RR. It was unfortunate that John was unable to ride because of the injury he is carrying, but we've gathered a lot of data from both Olivier and Anthony. We've definitely got a new direction with the machine and both riders have seen improvements with the set-up of their bikes throughout the time they were on track. Anthony made adjustments to his chassis set-up and adapted his riding style to suit a particular front tyre, which hopefully will now be an option for us to use in the future. We will now refer all of the information we have gathered back to the factory, so we can continue with our development."



1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'55.855; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha +0.758; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.277; 4. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +1.628; 5. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini +1.704; 6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha +1.745; 7. Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Ducati Test Team +1.784; 8. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha +2.152; 9. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.628; 10. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +3.072; 11. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +3.155

MotoGP Race Classification
MotoGP
Pos. Rider Nation Team Total time
1 V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 43'28.841
2 T. ELIAS SPA Alice Team + 15.004
3 L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 21.689
4 S. NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini + 25.859
5 A. WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team + 29.465
6 C. VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 30.608
7 M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team + 36.453
8 A. DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini + 36.750
9 A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 38.822
10 J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team + 39.573
11 J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team + 39.610
12 S. GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team + 40.892
13 J. TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha + 1'11.490
14 C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha + 1'21.133
15 D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team + 1'37.038
16 R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP + 1'38.407