Kawasaki Racing Team - Valencia

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
26 OCTOBER 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KAWASAKI CONFIDENT AHEAD OF SEASON FINALE

Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet will be looking to end the year on a high this weekend, as the Kawasaki Racing Team head for the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia for the final race of the 2006 championship season.

Shinya Nakano in particular will be aiming for a strong finish in Sunday's 30-lap Valencia Grand Prix, to end a streak of bad luck that has seen him crash out of the previous two races. But, while reaching the chequered flag on Sunday is his number one priority, the 29-year-old Japanese rider is adamant that he won't be playing it safe this weekend.

Nakano is determined to realise the true potential of the Ninja ZX-RR that he has spent all year developing, and he arrives in Valencia confident that Sunday's race will provide him with an ideal opportunity to achieve his aim, and to finish the season on a high note.

Randy de Puniet scored his best result of the season so far last time out in Estoril, finishing a creditable tenth after battling with rear grip problems throughout the race. The 25-year-old Frenchman arrives in Valencia determined to carry this momentum through into Sunday's race, where he'll be aiming to improve on his Estoril performance.

Now the traditional host of the final race of the year, the Valencia circuit is unique in that it is the only stadium style venue that the MotoGP series visits during the course of the season. The 4 km track is surrounded by grandstands, from which spectators will enjoy an unrestricted view of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden battling it out in the season finale, to decide who will be crowned world champion.

The Spanish race fans have a reputation for being vocal in their support, and with all 225,000 tickets for this weekend sold out weeks ago, the atmosphere for Sunday's 30-lap race promises to be very special indeed.

Shinya Nakano: #56
"I've crashed out of the last two races, so the priority at Valencia must be to finish the final race of the season. This year has been all about developing our new engine, and I think we've reached the point now where, as a package, the Ninja ZX-RR is competitive. We've had some bad luck recently, which means we haven't been able to realise the bike's full potential, so it would be good to end the season with a strong result, just to show how much progress we've made with the Ninja ZX-RR over the past sixteen races. Valencia is a very technical track, which suits both my riding style and the characteristics of our bike, and I have won here on the 250cc machine in the past. The first corner and the hairpin at turn two are critical to a fast lap here. Last year we suffered some chattering at these two turns, but I'm confident that we won't struggle with the same problem this time around. I'm looking forward to Sunday's race, and I will be aiming for the best result possible to mark the end of the season."

Randy de Puniet: #17
"This is the last race of the season, and it is important for me to mark the end of my first year in the MotoGP World Championship with a good result this weekend. Last time out at Estoril I had my first top ten finish, and I hope that we can improve further here at Valencia. I like this track. I've been fast here in the past on the 250cc bike, and I hope I will be just as fast on the MotoGP machine. There is no respite here; you need to be completely focused on every lap. The circuit is very technical, and even as you enter one corner you must be thinking about the next, as the turns flow together. Make a mistake anywhere on the lap, and it's almost impossible to recover the time lost. Sunday's race is a long one, and I think consistency will be key to a good result, so that's what we'll be working towards during practice and qualifying."

[Strika]

1. The Doctor ITA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 33.310 secs
2. Stoned again AUS Honda LCR 1min 33.316 secs
3. Farm Boy USA Repsol Honda Team 1min 33.317 secs
4. Crappers ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 33.474 secs
5. Vermin AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 33.513 secs
6. Tornado USA Camel Yamaha Team 1min 33.545 secs
7. Mini P SPA Repsol Honda Team 1min 33.643 secs
8. God AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1min 33.699 secs
9. Horny puny one FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 33.774 secs
10. Meladrama ITA Fortuna Honda 1min 33.791 secs
11. Knackers JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 1min 33.815 secs
12. Hopper USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1min 33.845 secs
13. Chuka SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 33.860 secs
14. Jr USA Team Roberts 1min 33.988 secs
15. tamatoe tamado JPN Konica Minolta Honda 1min 34.050 secs
16. ellyarseSPA Fortuna Honda 1min 34.449 secs
17. Hoff GER Pramac d'Antin MotoGP 1min 34.767 secs
18. Jose Lius Cardomon seed SPA Pramac d'Antin 1min 35.947 secs
19. Great white hope GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 1min 36.042 secs
20. Mr. Squiggle AUS Ilmor SRT (800cc) 1min 36.566 secs


2005 Valencian Grand Prix – 6/11/2005:
Pole position: Sete Gibernau SPA Movistar Honda 1min 31.874secs
Fastest lap: Marco Melandri ITA Movistar Honda 1min 33.043secs

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
27 OCTOBER 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW FOR FLYING DE PUNIET

Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet got his Valencia weekend off to a flying start today by finishing this afternoon's free practice session second fastest, as Bridgestone riders filled all three of the top slots on the timesheet.

The 25-year-old Kawasaki pilot was on the pace from the start this morning, quickly finding a good rhythm aboard his Ninja ZX-RR and then working together with his crew to further refine the set-up of the bike.

As the track temperature increased for the afternoon free practice session, de Puniet switched his attention to evaluating the race tyre options that Bridgestone have made available for Sunday's 30-lap Grand Prix of Valencia.

After lapping consistently in the top ten on race tyres, and less than half-a-second off the provisional pole sitter, de Puniet ended the session with a fast lap on a qualifying tyre, in preparation for tomorrow's all-important qualifying session.

The Kawasaki pilot initially took provisional pole with his fast lap, but was then ousted from the top spot right at the end of the session by Loris Capirossi, who also set his fastest lap on a qualifying tyre.

Shinya Nakano finished the opening day of practice in ninth place, after opting to stay on race tyres throughout the hour-long afternoon session in order to continue working on the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR for Sunday's race.

The 28-year-old Japanese rider had some problems with front-end chatter throughout the practice session, but is confident that this can be dialled out with some minor changes to the suspension settings ahead of tomorrow's two track sessions.

Randy de Puniet: 2nd - 1'32.408
"Today was a good start to the final race weekend of the season. I felt comfortable on the bike straight away this morning, and this meant we were able to get on with the job of refining the set-up without having to work through any problems first. This afternoon we worked through some of the tyre options that Bridgestone have available, with very positive results. Set-up and tyre choice are critical here, as it's a long race and tyre performance will inevitably drop off by the halfway point. With this in mind, we have tried to find a good balance with the bike, and on the tyre we think we will use on Sunday my lap times were consistent, even after a long run. Qualifying high up the grid is also important, as this is a difficult track on which to pass. For this reason we tried a qualifier last thing this afternoon, and I was quite pleased with the lap time, although I still think there's more to come from the qualifying tyre tomorrow."

Shinya Nakano: 9th - 1'33.394
"We made some changes to the bike after this morning's practice session, which gave us some improvement this afternoon, but we still have some work to do on the set-up. At the moment it seems I have a small problem at each corner - in some the rear is spinning and sliding, and in others there is some front-end chatter - but I don't think we're too far off a good set-up on the bike, and I'm sure some small adjustments tonight will lead to further improvements ahead of practice and qualifying tomorrow. Our tyre situation for the race looks pretty good. We went harder and harder with the rear compound this afternoon, but I finally found a tyre that I'm happy will work well in Sunday's race. Overall, it's been a pretty positive start to the weekend."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"Last year we had a lot of problems with the performance of the right hand side of the tyre, but Bridgestone have addressed this problem and we're in much better shape this time around. Now we need to work through some of the options with regard to the balance between right and left hand grip, and we need to make some fine adjustments to the bikes, to allow the riders to keep their lap times consistent when tyre performance starts to drop off in the race. While it is important that we finalise our race set-up tomorrow, we must also ensure that we're prepared for qualifying. It is difficult to make up places lost at the start here in Valencia, so we need to make sure that both riders qualify as close to the front of the grid as possible."

FREE PRACTICE - COMBINED TIMES
1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 1'32.220; 2. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.188; 3. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.566; 4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.799; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.860; 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +1.034; 7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team +1.054; 8. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +1.149; 9. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.174; 10. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.213

[icebreaker]

Nakano starting 4.
Randy 11th


Rossi 1st, almost breaking the 1min 31sec barrier..

Hayden 5th
Traitor 6th

Shaping up to be a top race!!!

[RG]

[Barrabob]

Wonder if baylis will crash????Looking good for the bridgestones in qualifying and should be a great race.

[FrogZ]

Shame on you Bob, wonder all you want if Skittles will takeout Popeye again, but dont whammy Troy...

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
28 OCTOBER 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SECOND ROW FOR SHINYA IN SEASON FINALE

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow's season finale from the head of the second row of the grid, after qualifying his Ninja ZX-RR in fourth position during this afternoon's hour long timed session at Valencia.

The 29-year-old Japanese rider looked certain to start tomorrow's 30-lap race from the front row, after an inch-perfect qualifying lap right at the end of the session, but was demoted to fourth position by a flying Loris Capirossi, who just managed to beat the chequered flag on his final fast lap.

Nakano goes into tomorrow's race confident of ending the season with a good result, after finding a good race set-up on his Ninja ZX-RR during today's final qualifying session. The Kawasaki rider is also happy with his tyre options for the final race of the season, after testing a number of rear race tyres from Bridgestone, before switching to super-sticky qualifiers to secure his grid position.

After settling on his race set-up early on in this afternoon's session, Randy de Puniet was the first rider to make the switch to qualifying tyres, capturing pole position with his first flying lap as the session reached the halfway point.

De Puniet was quickly demoted by a hard charging Capirossi, but was confident of improving his grid position with his final two qualifying runs at the end of the session. Unfortunately, on the first of these runs, de Puniet suffered a mechanical failure on his number one Ninja ZX-RR, forcing him to fit the final qualifying tyre to his spare machine.

With only minutes remaining, de Puniet returned to the track for his final flying lap, but was unable to improve upon his previous best lap time, and was disappointed to finish the session only eleventh fastest, and facing a start from the fourth row of the grid tomorrow.

A record crowd is expected for the championship deciding Grand Prix of Valencia, and organisers have been appealing all weekend for those fans not in possession of a ticket to stay away from the circuit tomorrow.

Shinya Nakano: 4th - 1'31.341
"My aim today was to make sure I started the last race of the season from the front row of the grid, so I am a little disappointed to have missed out on third position by such a narrow margin. But, I am happy with my race set-up and we have good tyre options whatever the conditions tomorrow, so starting from the second row will not be such a big disadvantage I think. I crashed out of the last two races, so my first priority tomorrow is to make it to the chequered flag, but I'd also like to finish the season with a strong result for both me and the team, so I'll be pushing as hard as ever. The battle for the championship between Valentino and Nicky is sure to be intense tomorrow, but there is no pressure on me for the championship, and I hope I can ride my own race without becoming involved in their fight for the title."

Randy de Puniet: 11th - 1'31.892
"Once again we've been the victims of bad luck. The bike felt good in race trim, so we opted to run a qualifier early on in the session. I was happy with my first flying lap, and I was confident that we could improve further with the second and third qualifying tyres. But, on my second qualifying run towards the end of the session I suffered a mechanical problem with my number one machine. I had just enough time to get back to the pits, get the mechanics to put my last qualifying tyre on my spare bike, and head back out to try and improve my position. Unfortunately, I couldn't improve on my first lap on a qualifying tyre and, as a result, I will start the race tomorrow from the fourth row of the grid. But, our race set-up is good, and Bridgestone have the tyres we need, so I still think it's possible to end the season with a top ten finish tomorrow afternoon."

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager
"I think we will go into tomorrow's race confident in the race set-up of both riders, and secure in the knowledge that, whatever the conditions tomorrow afternoon, we know Bridgestone have a race tyre that works well at this circuit. Shinya did a good job in qualifying today, although I know he is disappointed to have missed out on the front row. Unfortunately, Randy suffered a mechanical problem at the worst possible time and, as a result, he now faces a start from the fourth row of the grid. But, he proved in Estoril that, even starting with such a big disadvantage, it's still possible for him to finish the season with a top ten result, and I know this is what he will be aiming for tomorrow."

QUALIFYING PRACTICE - FINAL TIMES
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team 1'31.002; 2. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.208; 3. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.305; 4. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.339; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.376; 6. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.383; 7. Casey Stoner (AUS) LCR Honda +0.468; 8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.604; 9. John Hopkins (USA) Team Suzuki MotoGP +0.661; 10. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +0.709; 11. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.890

[icebreaker]

Wow Kawasaki top speed is WAY down on the rest in the top 12, so they must be hitting the corners hard to maintain pace..

I think over race distance though this is going to reflect where they'll finish sadly...


Go Team GREEN!!!!!


I just wanna seen Randy and Shinya well inside the top 10..


Go Pedrosa, take out Hayden and anyone else nearby.... except a Green bike obviously...

[Barrabob]

Sorry if i offended you frog Baylis is a true champion its just that ducati probably has a huge pile of bent motogp bikes left from the last time he was riding for them.

I think his idea at the time was if they didnt turn out something to his likeing they could build him a new one.

Hope he goes well.

[RG]

Very good race from Troy Bayliss, true champion.

And guess who took the title for MotoGP World Champion 2006?
It's that American guy who did not win the most number of races in 2006 ! Damn... I wonder how he did it.

Oh! I forgot they work on 'point system'...
nah...what would I know...



Did anyone see Dani Pedrosa putting his foot out to get Nickey Hayden to pass him?

[redzedx7r]

Troy Bayliss maiden GP Win!
Stoked! Could not have happened to a nicer guy or some one more deserving.

Nicky Hayden as world champion will be a one off just like KR Jnr, similar situation consistency but not many wins.

Who is going to ride the green machine next year alongside RDP?

I know this much whilst Harld Eckl is still there, Kawasaki will not win another race. Just my 2 cents worth.

See ya Nakkers, close but no cigar, don't let the door hit ya arse on the way out!

[mfzx6r]

Great race and good to see Bayliss show them how its done.

I couldn't stop laughing when Val fell off.
guess his deal with the devil has ended.
Hey Bluefly MonkeyBoy lost but he did take defeat quite good even shaking Nicky's hand .

Bring on march cant wait for it all to start again

[MadKaw]

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2006
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
29 OCTOBER 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAKANO ENDS THE SEASON WITH TOP TEN FINISH AT VALENCIA

Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano took a hard fought seventh place in today's season ending Grand Prix of Valencia, as Nicky Hayden secured the 2006 world championship title with a third place finish.

Nakano was baulked off the start by the collision between championship contenders Hayden and Valentino Rossi, but the 29-year-old Japanese rider recovered quickly and was immediately behind Rossi when the Italian crashed out of the race, and out of the championship running.

After battling with Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen for much of the middle part of the race, Nakano was eventually elevated to sixth place when the Australian missed a braking marker and ran straight on into the gravel trap.

The chattering problem Nakano suffered during practice returned as the race drew to a close, and the Kawasaki pilot was unable to hold off the challenge of Toni Elias, forcing him to settle for seventh place at the line.

Randy de Puniet was left disappointed and frustrated after crashing out of today's season finale just five laps into the race.

The 25-year-old Frenchman was pushing hard to make up for a bad start, but his race ended prematurely when he lost the front going into turn two, sliding off into the gravel without injury.

Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR machines will be back on track tomorrow, but not with Nakano or de Puniet at the controls. 30 journalists will be given the chance to test Kawasaki's MotoGP machine, including former world champions, Kevin Schwantz, Alex Criville and Dirk Raudies.

Shinya Nakano: 7th
"That was one hard race with which to end the season. I was right behind Valentino from the start, and there was a chance to pass him on the straight, but it would have been a close pass, and I didn't want to crash into him when he was fighting for the championship. But then he crashed in front of me anyway in turn two, leaving me to battle with Chris Vermeulen. It was impossible to put in a pass, because we were struggling with the same problem in exactly the same places, but then I got the place anyway when he missed his braking marker and ran straight on. Towards the middle of the race I started to suffer the same problems with chattering that we had in practice, so I was unable to counter Elias when he came past me for sixth place. I'm disappointed to have finished the last race of the season outside the top five, but I'm also glad to have reached the chequered flag for the first time in three races. I would like to say a big thank you to the team, and to Bridgestone, for all their hard work throughout the season. They have been outstanding."

Randy de Puniet: DNF
"I got a really bad start, which put me back in sixteenth place at the first corner. I managed to pass Makoto Tamada and Carlos Checa quite quickly, and then I got held up behind Kenny Roberts. He was a little bit slower than me, so I had to try and pass, but I made two mistakes trying to put in a pass, and lost ground. Pushing to close the gap again, I got into turn two a little bit too hot, and the front tucked under on me. I am really disappointed, because Roberts finished eighth at the end of the race, so I think a top ten finish was a possibility for me today. I wanted to finish the season with a good result this afternoon, both for me and the team, but it wasn't to be. I'm sorry for the team, as they have all worked so hard for me this season."

Harald Eckl: Team Principal
"I think we were all expecting a better end to the season today, but it seems that neither rider had the ideal set-up for the conditions this afternoon. Shinya was finding it difficult to maintain his earlier pace once the race reached the halfway point, but at least he managed to ride through the chatter problems to end the season with a top ten finish. We need to work with Randy on his starts, because he put himself at an immediate disadvantage by being slow off the line this afternoon. When you're pushing to make up places lost at the start, then you obviously increase your chances of crashing, which is exactly what happened to Randy today. But, although we were hoping for a better result today, I would like to thank everyone in the team, as well as the two riders, for their hard work and dedication during what has been a long and arduous season."

MOTOGP RACE RESULT
1. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team 46'55.415; 2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.319; 3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +9.230; 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +12.065; 5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda +16.306; 6. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda +17.390; 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +19.329; 8. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +23.174; 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team +26.072; 10. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha +28.194; DNF. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +25 Laps