The Fiat Yamaha team were hard at work in Brno today and topped the standings in a one-day test, the final chance they will have to test outside of a race weekend before the end of the season. Jorge Lorenzo shrugged off any effects of yesterday’s crash to put in some brilliantly quick times and finish the day fastest, whilst yesterday’s race winner Valentino Rossi was close behind him in second.
A few hours were lost to rain during the afternoon but Lorenzo made the most of the time available, working to improve the setting of his M1 with an eye to getting back onto the podium in the remaining six races. He worked on a new clutch setting, different engine maps and also had the chance to try some new chassis parts for 2010. The 22-year-old was consistently fast all morning and set his best lap of 1’56.171 just before the lunch break, a time that was only a few tenths of Rossi’s pole time from Saturday.
Championship leader Rossi also had a first chance to test some prototype developments for 2010, trying out a new chassis and a new engine specification. He set his best time of the day just before the end of play with a lap of 1’56.622, under the new lap record set by Lorenzo in yesterday’s race.
The team now has a ten-day break before the next round at Indianapolis in the USA.
Jorge Lorenzo Speaks… (Position: 1st Time: 1’56.171 Laps: 52)
"Today was a profitable day and we worked on a lot of different things, especially electronics. I felt comfortable and I could ride in the 56.1’s, which was good after yesterday. In the last hour I worked on my starts because this is something I need to improve. After lunch it began to rain and so I didn’t go back on track until 1630, but I hope that everything we’ve done today will help us in Indianapolis. I’m not thinking about the championship now because it’s very difficult unless something strange happens, but I want to try to be back at the front and I’m looking forward to the next race."
Valentino Rossi Speaks… (Position: 2nd Time: 1’56.622 Laps: 38)
"It’s always hard to go back to work after a great win like yesterday but it was an important chance to try some things for the future. Before lunch we did a run with the new chassis, it has some good points and some bad ones and we were able to collect some data. Unfortunately it rained in the lunch break and so we couldn’t ride for a lot of the afternoon because of the wet rack, but it dried enough for us to do some more work at the end. This time we could really concentrate on doing a proper job testing the chassis and the new engine specification, and I was quite fast. Now we have a short break and then it’s on to Indianapolis!
Daniele Romagnoli Speaks… (Lorenzo Team Manager)
"Today was quite a useful test for us despite an early afternoon rain shower that meant we had to change our plans a bit. We tested some chassis parts for 2010, a different clutch setting in order to find an improvement for the race start and various engine maps. We are satisfied about today’s job and right from the beginning of the test Jorge was able to ride fast and lap in the low 1’56s, showing that he was feeling okay after yesterday’s race crash. Thanks to all the team for a good job and now we’re looking forward to Indianapolis."
Davide Brivio Speaks… (Rossi Team Manager)
"It was a pity it rained today but nonetheless we got a lot done and we were able to collect a lot of data about the new chassis and engine spec, which will help the engineers back in Japan with their development for the future and next year’s bike. We also tried some electronic mapping and it was a very useful day for us. We’re now approaching the final stage of the championship and we can’t relax because our rivals are strong, so now everyone can have a well-deserved rest and then we’ll be ready for anything in Indianapolis!"
MotoGP Test Times
1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1’56.171
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1’56.622
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda
1’56.747
4. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1’57.543
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda
1’57.764
6. Toni Elias (SPA) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1’57.841
7. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1’57.891
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team
1’57.928
9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Hayate Racing Team
1’58.045
10. Mika Kallio (FIN) Ducati Marlboro Team
1’58.051
11. Niccolo Canepa (ITA) Pramac Racing
1’58.120
12. Gabor Talmacsi (HUN) Scot Racing Team MotoGP
1’59.008
13. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda
1’59.614
Brno: Record Lap
J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2009, 1’56.670
Brno: Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2009, 1’56.145
