Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2007
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM PRESS OFFICE
20 MARCH 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KAWASAKI FACES WITH CONVICTION EUROPEAN DEBUT IN JEREZ

After a hard start to the year in Qatar just over seven days ago, the Kawasaki Racing Team head for the first European round of the new season at the technical Jerez circuit, for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix

The technical Andalusian circuit welcomes back all the MotoGP teams less than a month after the Official IRTA test at the track, which saw Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque top the timesheets on the final day of testing.

Now having got over the crash that saw him fail to finish in the season opener in Qatar, Randy de Puniet has good reason to be confident heading into the second round of the championship. The 26-year-old Frenchman finished twice on the podium at Jerez in the 250cc world championship, and was consistently in the top ten during the recent IRTA test, setting consistent times on race tyres before finishing fifth fastest overall during the annual qualifying shootout.

Despite the fact that he had to withdraw from last year's race after sustaining injuries in a morning warm up crash, Kawasaki's young gun heads to Jerez determined to kick-start his season with a strong result in Sunday's race.

De Puniet's Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, had a steady start to the season with a 12th place finish in Qatar, but the 33-year-old Frenchman heads for Jerez determined to take another big step forward in his transition from development rider to full-time racer.

Jacque is the first to admit that he still has some work to do if he is to regain his race pace, which he hopes to achieve this week during the build up to the Spanish Grand Prix. The Kawasaki pilot will also work on taking full advantage of Bridgestone's qualifying tyres, in a bid to improve on his fifth row grid position in Qatar.

With race tyres already selected, both Kawasaki riders will be free to continue refining set-up on their Ninja ZX-RR machines during practice and qualifying for Sunday's race. They will also have the first opportunity to test at Jerez changes to the ignition mapping tested in Qatar and designed specifically to alleviate the abrupt power delivery that both riders commented on during last month's IRTA test.

Randy de Puniet: #14
"Jerez is one of my favourite tracks; it is very technical but fun to ride. I like the style of the corners; second-third gear in the corner and even fourth gear at the last part, which makes you take them at very high speed. The atmosphere at this track is amazing, crowded with people from all over the world. The main straight is not so long, which is good for us, but it is not easy to overtake. There are only three points where you can pass: the first and last corners and after the back straight. We were very competitive there during the IRTA tests, with only an issue with the engine power delivery. In Qatar we tried different mappings that helped a lot and I hope we will confirm it on Friday. If we can get a good grid slot and make a good start, I hope I can fight for a top six or seven finish. But I won't take unnecessary risks this time, as my main concern is to finish the race, though I will try to do it in the best position possible."

Olivier Jacque: #19
"The Qatar race was the first step, but I know that the race rhythm was not so fast and I need to improve it here. The most important thing was to understand the bike better and check myself. Now I know that I am still capable to race and that makes me face this GP with more confidence. Jerez is a demanding and technical circuit; short, narrow and a bit bumpy. The last test here was hard because the bike was not so easy to ride, but this time will be better. The straight is shorter than Qatar, the power delivery has been improved and one of the strengths of our machine is the corner speed, which is very important in Jerez. I am very optimistic for this race but not under any illusions as there are still some things that need to be improved, both from the machine side and myself, to be 100% competitive."

Ichiro Yoda: Kawasaki Racing Director
"Randy didn't achieve his target in Qatar, but I'm sure this time he will. We had a talk and I asked him to be calmer this time and finish the race. We would be happy if he could qualify on second or first row and finish the race among the first eight. Olivier showed his talent in Qatar and we hope he will start from third row and finish in the top ten this time. We already have a very good set up for Jerez that only needs to be adjusted. The procedure will be easier this weekend. We know the track and successfully tested there a month ago, finishing first and second. The engine was the main problem then, but in Qatar we found some solutions that made the power delivery friendlier from the bottom to full throttle. I hope we can corroborate that as the rest of the package is already working very well."

Randy better do something soon, I'm losing the faith i'm afraid.

Circuit: Circuito de Jerez
Date: 23/03/2007


KAWASAKI LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION IN JEREZ
Kawasaki Racing Team riders, Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque were left looking for inspiration at the conclusion of today's free practice at Jerez, after problems during both hour-long track sessions left them down in 14th and 19th place respectively.

The Kawasaki Racing Team enjoyed a successful three-day test at the Jerez circuit less than one month ago, but the change in track temperature and surface conditions between then and now meant that both riders were struggling to find useable grip around the tight and technical 4.423 km track during today's two, one-hour free practice sessions.

After the disappointment of failing to finish in the opening race, de Puniet worked tirelessly today to find a solution to his rear traction problems. The 26-year-old Frenchman worked his way through a number of different combinations of chassis and suspension set-up, as he sought a solution to the problem of the rear tyre spinning up under acceleration.

His efforts, combined with a rise in track temperature, paid dividends during this afternoon's free practice period, with the Kawasaki pilot posting a lap time more than a second faster than this morning's best effort.

A lack of rear traction was also a problem for de Puniet's Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque. In addition to the problems at the rear, the 33-year-old Frenchman also struggled with a lack of confidence in the front end of his Ninja ZX-RR.

A slight improvement to the set-up of the bike meant that Jacque was able to test the tyre options available late in this afternoon's session, but will hold off on making a decision about a race tyre until he's had another chance to work with his crew to refine the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR during the final free practice session tomorrow.

Confident that track conditions will be better suited to their Ninja ZX-RR machines tomorrow, both Kawasaki pilots will continue to work on set-up, before switching to qualifying tyres at the end of the second track session in order to secure a good grid position for Sunday's 27-lap Spanish Grand Prix.


14th - 50 Laps - Best Lap 1'41.666
"Well this weekend definitely didn’t start as we hoped or expected. It was a hard practice day today, as we experienced a lot of problems with the rear. The bike was sliding a lot in almost every corner. We tried different tyres from the choice we have for this weekend, but the performance was not what we were hoping for. The bike improved a lot in the afternoon and, looking at the timesheets, the gap with respect to the front guys is not so big. We are still confident, as we just need to adapt to the situation and we know our bike is capable of going well here."



Olivier Jacque: 19th – 48 Laps – Best Lap 1'42.402
"This morning we didn’t have any rear grip at all. I was expecting it to be better in the afternoon, as the track temperature increased, but even though it improved a little, it was not enough. The rear wheel kept spinning a lot and I had no traction, which prevented me carrying good corner speed. We tried different suspension settings, mainly on the rear, but also on the front as well. It looked to be better, although we need to confirm it tomorrow. The new engine mapping seems to make the power delivery friendlier at the bottom, but it still needs to be adjusted for full throttle."



Technical Manager
"If we look just at our position, we are far behind the top riders, but looking at the lap times, we are not. Certainly, we need to be faster but with surface conditions improving tomorrow and some adjustments in the machine’s balance, I think we will be ready for the race, which will be held under warmer conditions. The new ignition mapping seems to work and we have already decided the tyres. Though the temperature is a little higher now, I don’t think we will have problems."



1. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR 1'40.851; 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +0.055; 3. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +0.121; 4. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.320; 5. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.331; 6. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.347; 7. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.394; 8. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.454; 9. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.488; 10. Alex Barros (BRA) Pramac d'Antin Ducati +0.511; 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.558; 14. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.815; 19. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.551

JEREZ PROVES CHALLENGING FOR KAWASAKI
Kawasaki's Randy de Puniet was disappointed to end today's qualifying session ahead of tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix in twelfth position, despite lapping less than half-a-second off the pole position time set by Honda's Dani Pedrosa.

While de Puniet will start tomorrow's 27-lap race from the fourth row of the grid, his Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, is facing a much tougher challenge, as he tries to make up places from the sixth row of the grid, after finishing today's hour-long timed session in 16th position.

Subtle adjustments to the chassis and suspension set-up of de Puniet's Ninja ZX-RR during today's practice and qualifying periods led to a slight improvement in rear traction, with the Kawasaki pilot lapping consistently on race tyres before switching to the first of his three qualifying tyres halfway through this afternoon's timed session.

His first run saw him top the timesheet for a short time, with Jacque just behind in second place, but de Puniet soon found himself demoted to 12th position on the grid as his MotoGP rivals also switched from race tyres to soft qualifying rubber as the end of the session approached.

De Puniet will approach tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix in the same way as always, aiming to get a good start and then trying to stay in contact with the leading group of riders for as long as possible. Tyre life will be critical in tomorrow's race, and the 26-year-old Frenchman will be looking to use the consistency of his Bridgestone tyres to maximum effect should any of his rivals start to suffer with tyre wear towards the end of the 27 laps.

Olivier Jacque was disappointed not to have made the same level of improvement today as his teammate. The 33-year-old Kawasaki rider worked his way through a number of different chassis and suspension set-up options today, but was unable to significantly improve his feeling on the Ninja ZX-RR.

Despite a rise in track temperature increasing available grip in the afternoon, Jacque was still complaining of a lack of confidence in the front end of his Ninja ZX-RR as the end of the timed session approached, leaving him with no option but to switch to qualifying tyres and simply ride the bike as best as he could.

Struggling to get the bike turned around the tight and technical Jerez circuit, Jacque was unable to take full advantage of his qualifying tyres and eventually had to settle for 16th position on the grid for tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix.

The qualifying performance of both riders fell short of the targets set by Kawasaki's Racing Director, Ichiro Yoda, but the Japanese engineer had nothing but praise for de Puniet and Jacque, as they were forced to overcome handling problems that were absent during the IRTA test at Jerez just one month ago.

Both Kawasaki riders will be aiming to further improve their race set-up during morning warm-up tomorrow.


12th - 50 Laps - Best Lap 1’39.883
"Compared with yesterday, this morning I felt better riding the bike and I improved my lap times on race tyres in the afternoon. With the changes done, we reduced a little the rear tyre sliding but it is not enough. I don’t feel yet at 100% but I hope to make the last adjustments tomorrow morning. With the qualifying tyres I improved my lap times with every set that I used. Finally I did the same lap time that I did here one month ago at the IRTA test, but today I have qualified twelfth. If I do a good start tomorrow, I think that a top ten position is still possible."



16th – 43 Laps – Best Lap 1’40.405
"We worked hard this morning but things seemed not to change at all compared to yesterday; it was a little bit frustrating. However, things went a little bit better in the afternoon, although I don’t like the way the bike is working on the track. We don’t have enough rear grip; I fight to make the bike turn and I can’t keep the speed in the corner. The bike is controllable but not efficient. I improved my lap times and I felt more comfortable with the qualifying tyres than I was in Qatar, but I couldn’t do it better."



Kawasaki Racing Director
"This is not the position in which we expected to be, but after two days of practice and qualifying sessions, in which we suffered some problems that we weren’t expecting, we discovered some areas that need to be improved both in chassis and engine. Both riders have done a good job, but we need to improve three or four tenths making the power delivery friendlier and working in other areas to improve rear tyre grip. We have found some directions to follow for Monday’s test, as we have almost dismissed this race. Our hopes are not really high, though we expect our riders to finish the race and do it in the points."



1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'39.402; 2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.051; 3. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR +0.058; 4. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +0.084; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.122; 6. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +0.223; 7. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +0.230; 8. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +0.258; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini +0.320; 10. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts +0.325; 11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +0.432; 12. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.481; 16. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.003

KAWASAKI'S DE PUNIET PICKS UP POINTS IN TOUGH JEREZ WEEKEND
Randy de Puniet scored Kawasaki's only world championship points after bringing his Ninja ZX-RR home in a hard fought 13th place in today's Spanish Grand Prix, which was won by Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) from home hero Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and watched by more than 132,000 spectators.

De Puniet's fellow countryman, and Kawasaki teammate, Olivier Jacque, was unable to add to his points haul from the opening race in Qatar, finishing in a disappointing 18th place after struggling with traction problems throughout the 27-lap race.

Kawasaki's expectations had been high coming into the second race of the season, with Racing Director, Ichiro Yoda, predicting a strong performance from his two riders, but these expectations had to be re-evaluated during the opening practice session on Friday, as de Puniet and Jacque encountered problems with their Ninja ZX-RR machines that hadn't been apparent during the IRTA test at Jerez just one month ago.

The problems persisted throughout practice and qualifying on Saturday, but de Puniet saw a distinct improvement in the handling of his Ninja ZX-RR during this morning's 25-minute warm-up session. Despite this improvement, both de Puniet and Jacque lined up for today's Spanish Grand Prix knowing that today would be an exercise in damage limitation, rather than an opportunity to push hard for a top ten finish.

Even so, if it hadn't been for some back luck then de Puniet could have potentially secured a top ten finish for Kawasaki today, but two small mistakes at mid-race distance saw him lose contact with the battle for ninth place, and he lost further time when forced to run wide after Kenny Roberts (Honda) suffered machinery problems on the racing line.

To say that Jacque was disappointed with his result today would be something of an understatement. The 33-year-old Kawasaki pilot was left frustrated after suffering with traction problems from the start of the race, which left him chasing Suzuki's test rider, Kousuke Akiyoshi, at the back of the field.

Jacque closed on to the back of Akiyoshi in the latter part of the race, but was unable to pass after using his tyres up in the chase. Only Suzuki's John Hopkins, who rejoined the race behind the Kawasaki pilot after crashing out of fourth place, spared Jacque the ignominy of finishing last.


13th Position
"I kept the position and at the beginning I was faster than other riders, but here it is really difficult to pass. I stayed behind, as I didn’t want to make any mistake. Rear tyre performance dropped down, but I managed to stay with the group until ten laps to the end, when I made a mistake and lost some time. I pushed and caught the group again. But then, four laps to the end, I don’t know what happened but I saw Roberts' bike stop and I lost about a second avoiding him, which allowed Capirossi to catch me. His bike is more powerful and I couldn’t prevent him from passing me on the back straight. The positive is that the bike’s performance improved a little, but we now need to find solutions to all the issues we had this weekend."



18th Position
"It’s been a hard weekend; even though I was not expecting much from this race, it has been a bit frustrating. I did a good start, but had absolutely no grip after only three laps, which meant I was spinning the rear tyre at every single corner. I was losing a lot of ground exiting the corners and it got worse lap by lap. I made some mistakes as well, trying to catch up on braking, but it was just impossible. Slide control was really good, and I could have had fun, but it was not efficient in terms of lap time. At the end, the tyres were ruined but I managed to finish. We don’t know what has gone wrong this weekend but, fortunately, we have two testing days to sort it out."



Kawasaki Competition Manager
"Randy showed his growing maturity by riding a risk free race to pick up his first points of the season today, despite the fact that we still need to make some improvements to our Ninja ZX-RR. But, while Randy was able to salvage some points, the same wasn't true of Olivier. We need to sit down with him and find out why he wasn't able to match Randy's lap times today. Kawasaki isn't here to finish so close to the back of the field, so if there is a problem then we need to find a solution. I'm sure it was possible to leave here with a better combined result today; yes, we've had some problems this weekend, but whether we have the perfect package or not, we're here to compete and we need to be going into every race 100% committed to securing the best result possible."



1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing 45'53.340; 2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team +1.246; 3. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +2.701; 4. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +4.351; 5. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +4.993; 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR +10.000; 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +14.146; 8. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini +19.969; 9. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +24.786; 10. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda +24.955; 13. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +26.445; 18. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +1'00.901

Bloody hell EVEN "Nackers" beat both of them home .. again.
I hope KHI starts saving up now, so that they can sign Hayden next year after Rhonda treat him like sh!t for a 2nd season.
I bought a blue wig & will barrack for CV this year, at least he has "The talent & Guts" to have a go.

If we save enough $ I would hope we could get a better rider than Hayden, sure he's the reigning world champ but ore by good luck than riding ability IMO.

Circuit: Jerez
Date: 27/03/2007



KAWASAKI INCREASE THE PACE AT JEREZ TEST
The Kawasaki Racing Team completed a productive two-day test at the Jerez circuit in Andalusia this afternoon, with Olivier Jacque topping the timesheet in the wet yesterday, and Randy de Puniet finishing top three in dry conditions today.

Yesterday's persistent rain meant that for the first time this season both Kawasaki riders had the opportunity to test their Ninja ZX-RR machines in full wet conditions, which they took full advantage of.

Jacque quickly got to grips with the difficult track conditions and Bridgestone's wet weather tyres to record the fastest time of the day, just ahead of Kawasaki teammate de Puniet, who finished second fastest of the 19 riders participating in yesterday's test. Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen finished third fastest, making it a Bridgestone one-two-three at the top of the timesheet.

Overnight rain meant that the Jerez circuit was still damp as the Kawasaki Racing Team arrived this morning to start the second day of testing, but clear skies and a warm conditions meant that the track was declared dry enough for constructive testing just after lunchtime.

The dry conditions this afternoon meant that Jacque and de Puniet could finally begin working through the test programme that had to be postponed yesterday, with de Puniet testing for the first time Bridgestone's new front qualifying tyre, as well as revised rear qualifying rubber from the Japanese tyre giant.

The two riders also tested revised engine components, designed by Kawasaki's development engineers back in Akashi, Japan to liberate more power from the 800cc, inline four-cylinder Ninja ZX-RR engine, with positive results.

Also evaluated today were new rear suspension components, which de Puniet and Jacque agreed gave a significant improvement and made the bike easier to turn through both fast and slow corners; an area which the two Kawasaki riders had identified as being a problem at this circuit in the run up to Sunday's race.

Finally, de Puniet also tested a revised seating position on his Ninja ZX-RR, designed to create a more aerodynamic profile on the straights and improve outright top speed, again with positive results.

This combination of new engine and suspension components allowed both Kawasaki riders to improve on their best race laps by over half-a-second today on race tyres. Jacque finished today sixth fastest and de Puniet finished third behind the Hondas of Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, making it another Bridgestone one-two-three at the top of the timesheet for the second day running.

After two productive days of testing the two Kawasaki riders are now looking forward to the next race in Turkey, which takes place after a brief three-week break at the Istanbul Park circuit on 22nd April.


142 Laps (2 Days) - Best Lap 1'40.225
"Yesterday in the rain we initially had some problems with rear grip, but because it stayed wet all day we had the chance to make some changes to the set-up of the bike, and at the end it felt a lot better. Today we tried quite a few things on the bike. By changing my riding position it was easier for me to get right down behind the screen on the straights, and this is good for our top speed. The new suspension components also made a difference, with the bike now easier to turn and the rear traction, which we had problems with all weekend, much improved. Overall, it's been a very positive two days of testing for us."



120 Laps (2 Days) - Best Lap 1'41.908
"It was the first time on this bike in the wet for both me and Randy yesterday. We managed to improve rear traction throughout the day and, while there is still room for further improvement, I was happy with the feeling of the bike overall. Today started much better than we finished on Sunday. I was really frustrated after the race, so today was all about finding solutions to the problems I'd experienced during practice, qualifying and the race itself. I talked through all the problems with my crew, and I had a much better feeling with the bike they gave me today compared to the one I raced on Sunday. We worked our way through a whole list of changes this afternoon, and there was definitely a significant improvement, which is always good for restoring confidence. I was happy with my lap time in the end, and now I'm looking forward to the next race in Turkey."



Technical Manager
"We had a fairly intensive test programme to get through during these two days, so the rain on Monday wasn't ideal for us. But, it did give us a chance to test our bike in full wet conditions for the first time, so it wasn't a wasted day. Again, the weather meant that it wasn't possible to test properly this morning, but the conditions this afternoon were much better. With the revised engine parts we're seeing more power from our engine, although we know there is still some work to do in this area yet. The riders said the bike was easier to turn when they tested the new suspension parts and set-up today, and Randy commented that he felt rear traction was also improved; both problems that the riders experienced here ahead of the race. Despite the problems with the weather, both riders have improved on their race lap times by over half-a-second, so this has definitely been a productive test for Kawasaki."



1. Marco Melandri (ITA) Honda Gresini 1'39.484; 2. Toni Elias (SPA) Honda Gresini +0.191; 3. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.741; 4. Carlos Checa (SPA) Honda LCR +0.872; 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing +2.271; 6. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.424; 7. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Tech 3 Yamaha +2.607; 8. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing +2.864; 9. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team +3.078; 10. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Tech 3 Yamaha +3.252

Pontikat wrote:Bloody hell EVEN "Nackers" beat both of them home .. again.
I hope KHI starts saving up now, so that they can sign Hayden next year after Rhonda treat him like sh!t for a 2nd season.
I bought a blue wig & will barrack for CV this year, at least he has "The talent & Guts" to have a go.

I'm with you on Hayden. And sign Whore-gay Lorenzo alongside him. As much as I don't particularly like him, he's bloody fast and will never be accused to not putting in.

Zoidberg wrote:

Pontikat wrote:Bloody hell EVEN "Nackers" beat both of them home .. again.
I hope KHI starts saving up now, so that they can sign Hayden next year after Rhonda treat him like sh!t for a 2nd season.
I bought a blue wig & will barrack for CV this year, at least he has "The talent & Guts" to have a go.

I'm with you on Hayden. And sign Whore-gay Lorenzo alongside him. As much as I don't particularly like him, he's bloody fast and will never be accused to not putting in.

steady on man, i reckon lorenzo rocks (liked him better when he was more loopy tho ), in fact i want to be the mayor of newly conquered "lorenzo land"

Phil wrote:steady on man, i reckon lorenzo rocks (liked him better when he was more loopy tho ), in fact i want to be the mayor of newly conquered "lorenzo land"

I don't hate Lorenzo, I just reckon he seems very arrogant. He is entertaining though.
You can be mayor or Lorenzo land if I can be the dodgy money man.