Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Circuit: Misano
Date: 30/08/2007


NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE NINJAS AT MISANO
Motorcycle Grand Prix racing returns this weekend to MIsano, on Italy's Adriatic coast. The San Marino round of the 2007 MotoGP calendar is to be held at the circuit after 14 years away and, for every rider on the grid bar one, it represents a new challenge.

Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet is looking forward to racing at the new track after the last round at Brno, where he put in a solid performance to gain eighth place. After that, the team stayed at the Czech circuit for further testing, where de Puniet assessed recent modifications to the Ninja ZX-RR including changes to the chassis and clutch plus a revised version of the 800cc four stroke engine. With positive feedback from the 26-year-old Frenchman, it looks as if the Japanese manufacturing giant's premier class offensive is very much gaining momentum as the season progresses.

Fellow Ninja pilot, Anthony West, also took the updated version of the ZX-RR through its paces during the rain-hit testing sessions at Brno and, like his team mate de Puniet, has chosen to run the latest spec engine in his bike at Misano this weekend.

West will be hoping to use his exclusive track knowledge to his advantage at the upcoming Italian round. He is the only premier class contender to have raced at the newly-reopened circuit, having won a World Supersport race there earlier this year, just prior to his move to MotoGP in June. For everyone else, the first practice sessions will be a chance to learn their way around.

Misano originally opened in 1972 and last hosted a world championship motorcycle Grand Prix back in 1993, when Luca Cadalora rode his 500cc two stroke Yamaha to victory ahead of Mick Doohan and Kevin Schwantz. Now, after an extensive programme of improvements and a recent reversal of track direction, the circuit is once again welcoming MotoGP to its doors.

The event represents a whole new challenge to the riders and their machines so, prior to Sunday's 28 lap race, teams will get an extra hour's worth of practice on the 4.180km track. This means it will be a weekend of setting records and establishing the standard for years to come and the Kawasaki Racing Team aim to use their outstanding and ever-evolving machinery, on top of the Bridgestone tyres that have been dominating the season so far, to set the pace.


Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #14
"The testing we did at Brno was very constructive and the changes that have been made to the bike were really positive, although I don't know if they'll be obvious at a shorter track like Misano, I'm certain they'll become more apparent at faster circuits such as Motegi and Sepang. We also tried many tyres during the tests and that was also very useful. It will be an interesting race at Misano, as nobody except Anthony has ridden there, and it could be difficult as obviously we don't have prior knowledge to help with set up. But we're getting some extra practice time on the first day, and I tend to learn tracks quite quickly, so we'll be ready for the race."



Kawasaki MotoGP Pilot #13
"I’m looking forward to racing at Misano. I won a World Supersport round there earlier this year, so I know the track and its new lay out and, obviously, I've got good memories of the place. At our testing sessions at Brno, I got to spend some time trying out qualifying tyres, which was great as they're new to me and it's been difficult to use them to their full advantage at the races we've done so far. And, as the season progresses, I'm getting to know the ZX-RR more, which should mean we can go to Misano and improve our set up for the race as, all the time, I'm finding out what works on the bike and what doesn't. It'll be good to see what we can achieve at San Marino."

Circuit: Misano
Date: 31/08/2007




MISANO FREE PRACTICE CANCELLED AFTER TORRENTIAL RAIN
Free practice ahead of Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix was cut short today, with all track sessions being cancelled after the opening MotoGP practice when torrential rain left parts of the Misano circuit flooded and the teams fighting a losing battle to keep water out of the pit boxes.

Even the one session completed by Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet and Anthony West was hampered by heavy rainfall, but all the premier class riders managed to complete their virgin laps of the course before the really serious weather crept in.

De Puniet put in an early, strong ride, coming in seventh on the final timesheets. The 26-year-old Frenchman continued his recent good form, scoring the second fastest time of the day of 210.8 km/h on his 800cc Ninja ZX-RR. Even in spite of the conditions, he complimented his Bridgestone tyres, impressed with their grip around the track. Certainly, he didn't look like a rider who was learning his way around.

Kawasaki team mate, Anthony West, meanwhile, topped the leaderboard to begin with, being the only rider familiar with the newly reconstructed layout (he won a World Supersport race at Misano earlier in the year). But the others soon caught up with him as they got used to the 4.180 km circuit's twists and turns. The 26-year-old Australian came home in 9th with a best lap of 1'50.389 and a top speed of 206.5 km/h, despite a minor crash at turn one.

MotoGP has not visited the track since 1993 and in that time it has been vastly re-structured. Therefore, an extra practice, in addition to the usual two the teams get on a Friday, was scheduled in for this afternoon to further help riders learn their way around.

However, only the first morning session was run before the really torrential rain fell at around noon, flooding parts of the track, much of the paddock and most of pit lane. Teams suddenly found themselves frantically attempting to keep the water at bay but soon hundreds of mechanics, suspension engineers, data technicians and even Kawasaki's Competition Manager, Michael Bartholemy, were doing everything possible to save bikes and equipment in the garages.

As a consequence, the remaining two sessions were cancelled and Saturday's timetable has been rescheduled. There will now be a two-hour long practice from 09:00 to 11:00hrs tomorrow, with qualifying remaining at 13:50. Sunday's 28-lap race will go ahead as planned at 14:00.


#14 - 7th - Best Lap 1'49.724
"I was second fastest in that session, which is quite a good start. Initially, I wasn’t doing so well as I had a technical problem and lost 20 minutes; then I restarted, just as the really heavy rain came down and only managed two laps. Later on I got up to first place but then ended up seventh. The bike had a good feeling in the wet and I felt the Bridgestones had pretty good grip on the track, considering how wet it was, but I'm looking forward to riding in the dry because I think I can go even faster then. By the time the really bad weather began, I was in my motorhome. When I arrived back at the pits I saw what was going on in the box and pit lane. There was no way we could carry on today. It was quite an impressive sight, though!"



#13 - 9th Best Lap 1'50.389
"Well, that was interesting. It was good to get out there and be at the front for a while, and things were going well, but then I came off. But the other two Aussies, Chris Vermeulen and Casey Stoner, went down too and I didn't want them to feel embarrassed so I thought I'd join in. Seriously though, it was just a stupid thing as it was slippery out there. I went in to turn one, touched the brakes and lost the front. Still, I came back in, went straight out again and my fastest lap of the session was my last, which is a good sign. I've never seen anything like this rain and flooding though. I was looking for the Kawasaki jet ski…"



Kawasaki Competition Manager
"It was a funny day! But I'm happy with these early results. It's a new track and it's not just the riders who need to get used to it but also the crews, for set up and so on. Anyway, it was more like Scotland today than Italy! I hope the circuit improves the situation for next year, as it's been difficult to deal with in the garages. But the weather is due to get a lot better for tomorrow and Sunday so we look forward to Randy and Anthony getting back on the bikes in the morning."



1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 1'46.948; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing +1.684; 3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.904; 4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +2.219; 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +2.271; 6. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +2.643; 7. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.776; 8. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +3.009; 9. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +3.441; 10. Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d'Antin Ducati +4.124

Circuit: Misano
Date: 01/09/2007


KAWASAKI PROVING A STRONG TEAM AT MISANO
Randy de Puniet and Anthony West will start tomorrow’s MotoGP race from fourth and tenth on the grid respectively after today’s qualifying practice at the Misano World Circuit

After a spectacular downpour yesterday, which caused extensive flooding at the track, two vital practice sessions were cancelled. Consequently, this morning's practice was extended to two hours, enabling the riders to learn the track, which hasn't seen premier class motorcycle racing since 1993, and teams to perfect race set up.

Both Kawasaki pilots put in blistering performances, with West finishing third fastest, behind Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, and team mate, de Puniet, coming home seventh after they put a new specification, 800cc engine through its paces in their Ninja ZX-RRs.

This afternoon's qualifying was held in superb, sunny conditions with an air temperature of 23°C and track temperature of 42°C. Frenchman, de Puniet, was on spectacular form, sitting on provisional pole for roughly half the allocated hour as he pushed his Ninja ever faster, competing with Stoner, Rossi and Nicky Hayden for the lead. His second row start in tomorrow's race will give him a strong advantage as the speeds at the 4.180km circuit rise and his bike and Bridgestone tyres seem more than able to cope with its complex twisty sections, as well as its hair-raising straights.

Ahead of John Hopkins and Dani Pedrosa, de Puniet's time was only 0.588 seconds off Stoner's pole and, with the grid's top nine riders separated by under a second, it looks as if tomorrow's 28 lap race is going to be a good one.

Meanwhile, West also put in a strong effort aboard his ZX-RR, having likewise found an effective race set up in the morning. He proved the extra practice on qualifying tyres he had after the Brno round had been fruitful as he continued to explore the limits of the sticky rubber and found himself pushing harder than he's done previously. His top ten starting position, just 0.171 seconds off Colin Edwards and a mere 1.021 seconds off pole, means he'll commence tomorrow's race with more confidence and that, coupled with his usual fire to succeed, should mean we see the 26-year-old Australian at his best.

Certainly, after winning a World Supersport round here earlier this year, he'll be aiming to be in the running for a great result.


#14 - 4th - Best Lap 1'34.506
"Fourth is not so bad but I think I could have been on the front row, all things considered. On the last lap, I made a small mistake in turn three, and lost some tenths, and that's why I'm on the second row. However, in practice I was going very fast on race tyres so I feel like we've got an exceptional set up for tomorrow. The bike and the Bridgestones are working brilliantly and I think we're in with a strong chance of doing well."



#13 - 10th - Best Lap 1'34.939
"I didn't manage to go as fast as I'd have liked, and it's not as good as the third position this morning, but I feel there's definitely some improvement after Brno. This morning, everything went smoothly, no problems, but this afternoon I didn't manage quite the same times with the race tyres. I think maybe the rise in temperature made them work differently. Things were a lot better with the qualifying tyres this time round though, and the bike ran a lot smoother, but I still wasn't as quick as I'd like. No worries for the race though: I think we should be okay. I reckon I'll be able to fight far better, I usually do in the race itself, so I think I can improve on tenth."



de Puniet Crew Chief
"It's been a pretty satisfying day. It's never easy when we haven't got long on the track and we need to find the best set up and best tyres in such a short space of time. This is especially true this weekend, as this is our first visit to Misano. But all the crew have been working really hard and I'm very pleased with their teamwork and with what Randy did this afternoon. We need to finalise some adjustments on the bike but I think it's all looking pretty good. Very strong."



1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'33.918; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.176; 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.551; 4. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.588; 5. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.618; 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.662; 7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR +0.710; 8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.799; 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.850; 10. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.021

under 1hr to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love my foxtel

See that Randy did his usual thing again. Westy rode the wheels off that green monster...

Circuit: Misano
Date: 02/09/2007


WEST IN THE POINTS AS DE PUNIET CRASHES OUT
The first world championship motorcycle Grand Prix for 14 years took place at Misano today and it was a race of very mixed fortunes. Kawasaki Racing Team pilot, Anthony West, managed a well-deserved eighth place while Randy de Puniet crashed soon after the start and was unable to continue.

After flying off from tenth on the grid, West initially battled with Marco Melandri but when the Italian moved further up the field, it was Alex Barros, Colin Edwards and Toni Elias who he had to tussle with. After some dicing, Edwards dropped back and Brazilian Barros retired, leaving the Ninja ZX-RR rider to fight with Elias. West boldly managed to fend the Spaniard off, holding on to seventh, for around half the 28-lap race but was overtaken just three laps from the end.

It was a strong performance from the 26-year-old West in only his sixth outing on the Kawasaki. This, the 13th round of the MotoGP world championship, saw him put in a fastest lap of 1'36.246 mid race and, having scored championship points at every round he's ridden, he's notched up an impressive 41 in total and sits at 15th in the current standings for the season.

Things didn't go so well for Randy de Puniet, however, who crashed just two corners into the race when the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR came round on him. The 26-year-old Frenchman collected Dani Pedrosa on his way into the gravel trap, and both riders were unable to rejoin the race. It was a huge disappointment for the Frenchman who had ridden brilliantly all weekend, looking increasingly strong and confident at the Misano circuit. Happy with his set up and choice of Bridgestone tyres, he had his sights set on a podium finish but it was not to be.

However, having spent the past few days as a virtually permanent fixture at, or near, the top of the timesheets during practice and qualifying - and he was the fastest man in this morning's warm-up session with a top speed of 244.6kmh - de Puniet will be even more determined to prove himself at the next round.

The 57,321 fans who packed the circuit from early morning left without the hoped-for celebration of an Italian rider winning but there was a spectacular atmosphere at the track nonetheless and there will be more to come at Estoril, in Portugal, in a fortnight. Kawasaki will be back and will continue to pursue that podium finish that has so far eluded them this season.


Position 8th
"My start wasn't so bad, which meant I was in quite a good position going into turn one, but as I approached the second corner all I could see were guys flying through the air. I didn't feel that strong during the first few laps. In fact, to be honest, much of the race was really difficult because I had a few small problems with the feel of the bike all the way through. Although small, these problems made it quite difficult to wrestle the bike around such a small and tight track. I'm a bit annoyed Elias went past me towards the end: just like he did in Brno! But I held him off for most of the race, which is some small consolation. I think he could see that I had to fight the bike at some parts of the track as he was waiting behind me. Anyway, by the later stages, the tyres were pretty well gone and I couldn't hold him off. Still, top ten is not too bad, you've got to be happy with that, and I got some more points. If we can improve the small problems we had today, I'm sure we'll be running a lot further up and I'll be able to go better towards the end of the race. We're always working on things and have more time to improve further during testing tomorrow."



Position DNF
"I don't know what happened, we have to check the data because when I tried to change direction, entering the left corner, I lost the rear, touched Pedrosa and crashed. I don't know if I used the rear brake or not, I want to check our data so I have a better idea about what happened. Obviously, I'm disappointed. I feel I did really well over the weekend so, to finish the race at the second corner is not very good. Luckily, there aren't any big injuries: the footpeg went in to my back when I crashed, and that hurts, but it's nothing major. But yes, obviously, I'm not very happy."



Kawasaki Competition Manager
"Randy has been fast all weekend, but then he made a mistake going into the second turn and that's where his race ended. It's a shame because he had the potential to finish on the podium today and I'm sorry for the two riders who were the innocent victims of the crash. Anthony also had a hard race today but, once again, he brought the bike home in the top ten to continue his run of scoring points in every race. Hopefully, with a full day of testing here at Misano tomorrow, Anthony and his crew will be able to eliminate the small problems that he had to contend with in today's race. Despite Randy's crash today, we will head for the next race at Estoril with confidence high, and with both riders determined to produce a strong performance in the Portuguese Grand Prix."



1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 44'34.720; 2. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +4.851; 3. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +16.002; 4. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini +22.737; 5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +24.747; 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR +34.986; 7. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +40.896; 8. Anthony West (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team +41.774; 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +47.146; 10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +48.808; DNF. Randy De Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +27 Laps

damn that green looks good

is it just me> or was that race boring as batchit to watch? the 1st few laps ok. but after that

It's just you mate!!!! I thought it was so good, that I am watching it again on Fox RFN!!!!!

if your gonna crash, might aswell take a few others out too:)