Kawasaki Racing Team - Catalunya

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 5 - GRAN PREMI GAULOISES DE CATALUNYA
09 JUNE 2005 - EVENT PREVIEW


KAWASAKI PAIR AIMING HIGH AT CATALUNYA
The Catalunya Grand Prix is one of the most eagerly anticipated races on the MotoGP calendar, none more so than for Kawasaki factory rider Shinya Nakano.

For Barcelona is Nakano's base during the European summer, with the Catalunya Circuit just a 30-minute drive from his downtown, beachside apartment.

The race is very much a second home Grand Prix for Nakano, after his personal favourite, the Japanese GP at Motegi.

And after impressive points-scoring performances in last Sunday's Italian GP, both Nakano and Ninja ZX-RR teammate Alex Hofmann come to Barcelona in a relaxed and competitive mood.

Since the pre-season IRTA tests in Barcelona, the ZX-RR has been boosted by upgraded electronic systems and engine parts that have helped Kawasaki to third place in the Constructors' World Championship after five races.

In this race last year Nakano finished seventh, and he is again targeting a top ten result. For Hofmann, the Catalunya GP will be just his second race back after a fractured wrist, and comes just a week after his determined comeback ride into 12th place at Mugello last Sunday.

Hofmann travelled to Barcelona via the 18-hour, Mediterranean Sea ferry crossing from Genoa, a trip that allowed the 25-year-old German to relax and further recuperate from his recent wrist injury.

The long, flowing corners of the 13 turn Catalunya track place a premium on smooth riding, combined with precise chassis settings and tyre performance. It is not the easiest track to set-up for, although Kawasaki technicians have the benefit of the data gathered at the pre-season test here.

The string of constant radius corners are balanced by a long, 320 kph straight, a combination that produces a stunning lap average speed of 162 kph (101 mph). This 4.72 km track was first used for a motorcycle GP in 1992 and remains a classic test of both rider and bike.

Although resurfaced during the off-season the new tarmac has not completely eliminated all of the bumps and ripples.

The Catalunya GP is the second of three races scheduled in 2005 for Spain, a country known for its passionate love affair with motorcycle racing. An attendance of over 100,000 spectators is predicted for Sunday's sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Shinya Nakano: #56
"The ZX-RR has improved since the beginning of the season with new electronic and engine parts, so it will be interesting to see the potential of our bike at Catalunya. I was seventh here last year and this is a good racetrack, so that position is a good target for the team this week. I want to aim higher than the tenth position I got in Mugello, which was a difficult track for our bike. For me, this is a relaxing race, like a second home GP, because I can stay in my apartment and not in a hotel or at the track."

Alex Hofmann: #66
"Catalunya is usually one of the hottest races of the year but that suits me. I like the heat and this track, although it is a tricky place to find the best set-up. The new surface has smoothed out some of the bumps, but it also seems to have made some new ripples in different places. My wrist is improving every day and I'm ready to race again; it is the best therapy possible. The ferry ride was a pleasant start to the week, just relaxing and getting some sun. I had a good race here last year and I want to go top ten in my second ride back after the wrist injury."

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 6 - GRAN PREMI GAULOISES DE CATALUNYA
10 JUNE 2005 - FREE PRACTICE


NAKANO AND HOFMANN COMPLETE VALUABLE TEST DAY
The Kawasaki Racing Team devoted the opening day of the Catalunya GP weekend to a comprehensive test session evaluating the latest Bridgestone tyres and technical updates.

Team riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, completed a combined total of 99 laps in the two free practice sessions, almost the equivalent of four grand prix race distances.

The data gathered by Kawasaki engineers today will be critical in deciding race set-up for Sunday's 25-lap race and for the on-going development programme for the Ninja ZX-RR.

The 4.72 km Catalunya circuit was resurfaced during the winter and Kawasaki's tyre partner Bridgestone have brought a wide range of new concept tyres to this race.

The tyres feature different constructions and compounds and are already showing improved performance compared to the pre-season IRTA test in Barcelona on the new track surface.

Neither Nakano nor Hofmann tried for a single fast lap as they concentrated on the test programme. Both riders are still chasing further improvement to rear-end grip in preparation for the race.

Nakano recorded his fastest lap of the day, for 11th overall, in the morning free practice session, in which the Japanese rider was unhurt in a crash when he lost the front end

Hofmann, 17th at the end of the day, also posted his best lap in the morning session. The German ace is quickly regaining 100% fitness as he faces his second race after an eight-week lay-off with a fractured left wrist.

On the technical front a revised specification exhaust system from technical partner Akrapovic was tested back-to-back with the standard system, by both Nakano and Hofmann.

More rider friendly throttle response is one benefit of the latest exhaust and Kawasaki technical director Ichiro Yoda says he expects both riders will use the system for the race.

Warm, sunny but breezy conditions with a track temperature, of 35 degrees greeted riders for the opening day of practice.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - Eleventh - (1'44.268)
"This was very a productive day, especially this afternoon when I did some endurance runs on the new tyres; we have gathered a lot of useful data. The grip levels are better than at the IRTA test in March - although I would still like more - and also improved throttle control, but we have made a positive step forward today. Race tyre endurance looks good for Sunday."

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Seventeenth - (1'45.193)
"I did a lot of work today, especially on tyres, I don't think I've ever spent some much time out running on used rubber. It's a little frustrating when you look at the times, but our focus is on the race on Sunday and a perfect set-up. I tried some different set-ups at the rear and I am still chasing some more grip, but I think the new surface is a factor; it is different from last year. My wrist is holding up okay, although there is a bigger strain on the left side with the corner layout at this track."

Ichiro Yoda - Technical Director
"Today was only for testing, mainly for the new concept tyres from Bridgestone and to check chassis settings against the different constructions and compounds. We had five rear and four front tyres for the test programme today plus the different specification exhaust. Tyre performance is already noticeably improved from the IRTA test and the riders also checked the smoother throttle response from the new exhaust."

FREE PRACTICE - COMBINED TIMES
1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP 1'43.317; 2. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +0.091; 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.150; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.321; 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.335; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.568; 7. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +0.788; 8. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.821; 9. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.822; 10. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +0.828; 11. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.951; 12. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Camel Honda +1.113; 17. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.876

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 6 - GRAN PREMI GAULOISES DE CATALUNYA
11 JUNE 2005 - QUALIFYING PRACTICE


KAWASAKI RIDERS IN SEARCH OF MORE PACE AT CATALUNYA
Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, ended a frustrating qualifying session in 12th and 14th positions respectively at the Catalunya Circuit this afternoon.

Both riders had anticipated much stronger performances, but were hampered by a lack of grip as they tried for faster times on soft qualifying rubber.

Nakano posted his fastest lap, at 1'43.607s, on race rubber and could not improve when he switched to qualifiers late in the session. Hofmann was just 0.2s slower than his teammate and also mystified at the lack of pace and grip in the warmer afternoon session.

Both riders had been more consistent, and almost as fast, in the cooler morning free practice session as they evaluated race suspension and tyre set-ups.

Nakano's free practice time on race tyres was 1'43.8s, just two tenths slower than qualifying. Also in free practice Hofmann did a string of low 1'44s laps, almost the equal of what he achieved in qualifying.

Grip levels appeared to change dramatically when track temperatures rose for qualifying as the sun broke through threatening lunchtime clouds.

Tyre supplier Bridgestone have provided a wide range of new tyres for evaluation this weekend and, while there has been an improvement, both riders and technicians are searching for another step forward.

Nakano, who finished a brilliant seventh in this race last year, is predicting a long and hot struggle in the forecast warm and humid conditions.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - Twelfth - (1'43.607)
"It was very strange, I was faster on a race tyre than the soft qualifying rubber. The positive point was that our race pace is improved from yesterday, but this is going to be a very difficult race for us. I'm looking for and need more traction and grip in the high-speed corners. I'll give it 100% in the race, but I would prefer to be able to qualify closer to the front than the fourth row."

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Fourteenth - (1'43.856)
"I'm not happy with this qualifying result. I got 100% out of the qualifying tyres, but this was the best time that was possible. The performance in the morning free practice with race set-up was more positive, I was able to do 1'44.1s laps comfortably. This will be our race pace, but it is going to be a long and hot race that will require a lot of consistency from the set-up. It wasn't easy this afternoon with a lack of grip, perhaps because of the higher temperature."

Ichiro Yoda: Technical Director
"Our tyre performance has improved a little from the IRTA test here in March, but we still need more edge and drive grip; this sums up our performance today. We have concentrated heavily on tyre testing this weekend."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Movistar Honda MotoGP 1'42.337; 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) Movistar Honda MotoGP +0.053; 3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.386; 4. Max Biaggi (ITA) Repsol Honda +0.419; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.510; 6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.655; 7. Colin Edwards (USA) Gauloises Yamaha Team +0.772; 8. Carlos Checa (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.792; 9. Alex Barros (BRA) Camel Honda +0.822; 10. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +0.870; 11. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.954; 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.270; 14. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.527

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2005 Download PDF
ROUND 6 - GRAN PREMI GAULOISES DE CATALUNYA
12 JUNE 2005 - MOTOGP RACE


NAKANO FINISHES TOP TEN IN BARCELONA
Shinya Nakano showed pure class to ride his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR into a brilliant ninth place under difficult circumstances in today's Catalunya Grand Prix.

Nakano was the first rider using Bridgestone tyres to finish the race, and just failed to hold what would have been a deserving eighth place in the final stages.

Nakano's brave fight against diminishing rear end grip forced him to unwillingly concede eighth position with two laps remaining of the 25-lap race, which was won by Valentino Rossi.

Nakano started 12th and by lap six had charged into eighth place after passing a group of riders, including the Ducati of Loris Capirossi. For the next 18 laps Nakano controlled his top ten position with a stylish performance in hot and slippery conditions.

This was Nakano's fifth top ten result out of six races this season.
The race was a huge disappointment for German rider Alex Hofmann, who has been out of luck since breaking his wrist in a promotional event more than two months ago.

After an intense two days of tyre testing and set-up preparation, Hofmann was primed for a strong performance. However, his race was spoiled when tyre induced vibration at the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR forced the Kawasaki pilot to pit for a change of tyre.

Hofmann had started the race with a slightly softer specification rear tyre compared to Nakano, but felt comfortable with his choice for the race having completed more than 20 laps on the same tyre earlier in the weekend.

Hofmann's pit crew made a fast rear tyre change to send their rider back out, to eventually complete the race in 17th position, one lap down.

On his return to the race Hofmann said he was initially able to run at the pace of Colin Edwards and Max Biaggi, which only added to his feeling of frustration.

Hofmann was having just his second race after an eight-week injury layoff.

Today's race was watched by a capacity crowd of 105,698, who again confirmed the massive following that the MotoGP World Championship has in Spain.

Shinya Nakano: #56 - Ninth
"I enjoyed the race, even though I would have preferred to hold off Bayliss at the end, but it was just not possible. Over the final ten laps it was very difficult for me to control the sliding of the rear tyre. But I was the first Bridgestone rider to finish, which showed that compared to other Bridgestone teams our set-up for the race was the best it had been all weekend. My start was fast and I pushed very hard in the opening laps and was able pass some riders, but then I had a lonely race just trying to score top ten points."

Alex Hofmann: #66 - Seventeenth
"My luck has gone missing for the past two months, after such a good start to the season at Jerez. After the warm-up this morning everything looked positive, but the tyre performance was not the same as in practice and after 12 laps I had to make a pit stop because of tyre induced vibration at the rear of the bike. Straight after the pit stop for five laps I was able to run at the same pace as Edwards and Biaggi, I just needed to be able to do that for the whole race."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
"This was a tough race for Kawasaki given the track and tyre conditions today. But Shinya saved some important points with another determined ride. Shinya's strong start and opening laps showed positive potential for the Ninja ZX-RR. It was not easy for Alex whose rear tyre was a softer compound compared to the tyre that Shinya used. The endurance was not quite what we expected, so he had no other choice but to make a pit stop for a fresh tyre."

[MadKaw]

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KAWASAKI DEVELOPMENT TEST
13 JUNE 2005 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


JACQUE JOINS KAWASAKI TEST AT CATALUNYA
The Kawasaki Racing Team were out in force for a development test at Catalunya today, as Olivier Jacque returned to the team to test alongside regular Kawasaki pilots, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann.

While Jacque started the day with shakedown tests on the two Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP machines he'll race at Sachsenring and Valencia, Nakano and Hofmann got straight down to testing with Kawasaki's tyre partner Bridgestone.

For Nakano the aim of today's test was to evaluate a new profile rear tyre from Bridgestone, but the conditions conspired against him. For comparison purposes Nakano started the test on the same tyre he used in yesterday's race, but before he could switch to the new tyre the onset of rain forced him back to the Kawasaki pit box.

The Japanese rider patiently sat in the pit box waiting for the weather to change, but with the rain continuing on and off throughout the day, any plans to return to the track to complete the planned tyre test had to be abandoned.

Hofmann took advantage of the damp conditions to test for the first time the wet tyre that took Olivier Jacque to second place in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai six weeks ago, with positive results.

The 25-year-old German rider was impressed with the improvements the latest wet tyre offered over the old, especially when combined with revisions to the electronics package fitted to his Ninja ZX-RR.

For Jacque the day ended with a minor crash, but the 31-year-old Frenchman declared himself happy with his progress after working his way through an intensive test schedule with his new crew.

Jacque slid off his Ninja ZX-RR uninjured right at the end of the day, after being caught out by the combination of a full wet tyre on a rapidly drying track.

Shinya Nakano: #56
"Today we intended to concentrate purely on tyre testing, as Bridgestone have a new profile rear slick for evaluation. I went out this morning on the same tyre I used in the race yesterday to allow a direct comparison, but the rain started before we'd even had a chance to put the new tyre on the bike. The weather looked like it might improve in the afternoon, but when it was still raining at four o'clock we decided to finally call it a day."

Alex Hofmann: #66
"Conditions weren't ideal for testing today, but at least the rain gave me a chance to try for the first time the wet tyre that Olivier used in China. Bridgestone have definitely made some improvements with this wet weather tyre; the performance was very impressive. We also tested some new engine components, together with some slight modifications to the electronics package that made the bike a little easier to control on the throttle. Overall, despite the weather, it's been a productive test."

Olivier Jacque: #19
"The idea of today's test was to shakedown the two bikes I'll use for the Sachsenring race next month. Despite conditions that weren't really ideal for testing, we've managed to get a lot done today. We've tried different set-ups on the bike and we've also had the opportunity to test a range of wet tyres from Bridgestone. Unfortunately, right at the end of the day I crashed after being caught out with a wet tyre on a drying track. The rear just came round on me mid-corner and down I went. I've lost some skin off my little finger, but apart from that I'm perfectly okay and I'm looking forward to my next outing on the bike. Overall it's been a good day of testing."