Yesterday’s MotoGP test at Brno was all about the 1000s and the first timed test that saw the two current top factories pitted against each.
Amazingly enough both Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies were up to top speed on their first shakedown test on the 2012 M1 which has had up to now only test rider feedback and it looks like machine can only get better after the factory riders feedback.
All the riders were happy with the power and grunt that these 1000s gave and it will also be interesting to see if they’ll be able to reach the top speeds of 350kph (Dani Pedrosa hit 349.
288kph on the Mugello straight in 2009) as Stoner, Lorenzo and even Valentino Rossi mentioned they could easily due.
Here’s what some of the riders had to say after the test.
Casey Stoner “Today was another good shakedown but we still have some work to do, we found a few positive things and confirmed certain directions to take and move forward.
We had a few small problems with chatter but it’s something that shouldn’t be too difficult to sort out through engine braking and engine management systems, which are areas we can definitely improve in, along with the chassis.
The engine for me is fantastic, to ride the 1000 with more grunt and more power it’s a lot of fun, it has incredible acceleration, most of the time too much! We tested a couple of the new tyres and had some issues, the traction didn’t feel that great and they seemed to create a lot more chatter so we went back to the standard tyres and the chatter seemingly disappeared.
From the data we have from the first test and this test, we can go away and come back with the next step and take it from there”.
Jorge Lorenzo “Today has been an exciting and busy day because it has been the first day riding the 1000cc bike, but also because we have made a small step with the engine upgrades for the 800cc bike.
We rode many laps non-stop from nine this morning to five this afternoon! I realized the 1000cc bike was incredible when I saw the power on the straight.
I like this bike a lot and I wanted to have more laps but I have to still think about this season! I have been just one hour with our future bike! I can say that the next MotoGP season will be amazing, much more power, you go out of the corners sliding; I can’t wait!”Ben Spies “The 800cc upgrades we tested this morning were positive, hopefully there’s more in that direction in the future as well.
With the 1000cc bike it was a pretty successful first day.
We didn’t change much on it, pretty much just rolled out and did some laps to get as much data as possible.
We made some small changes to see how differently it affected the bike compared to the 800.
There’s more improvements to be made for sure but for the first day to go faster than the 800 was a surprise.
My arm is feeling better and better, I’m getting a check up when I fly home to the US on Wednesday but should be fit and ready for Indianapolis.
”Dani Pedrosa:“First of all, I’m very happy to have tested the 1000cc because rain was expected but it didn’t arrive until the end of the day, so we were lucky with that.
My first impression in the morning was that the feelings were quite similar to those I had when I first came into MotoGP, you can feel the difference in torque and power.
Perhaps I was still riding it with a 800cc style and I need a little more understanding again and try to ride it differently, but the bike seems to work quite well.
We will make many modifications, so the final version will be very different to today’s bike, but this is normal and the first impression is quite good.
Compared to the 990cc I rode in 2006 it’s very similar on the power side, but a little lighter in weight and behaviour.
I tried one run with the prototype Casey tested in Jerez and also the other one with some modifications and it was a bit better.
With a new bike, electronics, engine, chassis, everything is not the best, but from my experience in the past with new bikes, the starting point is not so bad.
We have to be very careful with the chassis because perhaps the tyres next year are a little different in construction which will affect the chassis”.
Nicky Hayden:“Everything went pretty well today.
We didn’t break any track records or anything, but luckily the rain held off.
I did one run this morning with the GP11 just to start from zero and then went straight in on the GP11.
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Like at Laguna, I was immediately just as fast, but steadily through the day, I was quicker and quicker.
Once again, the team worked like dogs, between working on my race bikes and preparing for the test.
I enjoyed riding the bike, and it’s always nice to see progress and have a good feeling, I plan to ride it at Indy.
My sister’s getting married this weekend, so we’ve got a pretty special two weeks coming up between that and my home GP.
”Toni Elias: “Apart from the bad crash I am quite satisfied about this test session and about my lap time.
We have mainly tried to fix our front end issues: some changes did not work but with small adjustments on the front geometry I could improve my feeling on the bike acquiring more corner speed.
After lunch I was going for another long run and I probably pushed too hard crashing heavily in the gravel.
The bike hit my right leg and I thought my feet was injured but the x-ray has ruled out the damage.
After that I was a bit dazed and I have preferred to remain in the garage for the rest of the session.
Anyway I think we took another step forward ahead the next race in Indianapolis”.
Valentino Rossi:“It was a very busy day, not only because we did almost 75 laps, but also because we tried many changes in every outing.
It’s not easy riding like that, as it requires a lot of concentration.
We had some electronic updates that we still have to perfect, but we’ll return to those soon.
Apart from that, we were thinking more toward the future, mainly trying different geometries, weight distributions, and settings that were a little strange, everything to remove any doubts and to understand some things about the GP11.
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I’d say it was a successful test, even if we sacrificed some performance since we had other objectives.
We also tried some new tyres from Bridgestone, and the first impression was good.
”Colin Edwards:“Today was just about getting some information for Bridgestone and Yamaha.
The new tyres I tested seemed to be a good step in the right direction, so they’ve got a lot of information and feedback to analyse and digest now.
I’m happy with the direction Bridgestone is going with the rear tyre.
I tried two today, and both give you a lot more security.
There’s not so much risk involved in the first couple of laps, so credit to Bridgestone because they have listened to our comments this season and taken action to improve the tyres and I’m really pleased.
I also ran some new electronics for Yamaha and there were a couple of interesting options.
I’m looking forward to going home now and relaxing ahead of another important race in Indianapolis.
To have two home races in such a short space of time is awesome, so I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for the American fans.
”Cal Crutchlow:“This morning we didn’t change the bike and I just went out and did some laps and I was doing low 58s on old tyres, so that makes me feel even more disappointed with the crash in the race yesterday because that pace would have put me on for a good result.
The front-end could still be better but we’ve definitely been working in the right direction and we’re trying to figure out how we can make more improvements.
But this process isn’t just about working on making the bike better.
I know I’ve got to improve myself and adapt my style more and I’ve worked on that a lot today.
At the moment some laps I’m braking much better and how I should be and others I go back to my normal style, but that is all part of the learning process and why this test has been so valuable.
I still need to release the brake earlier to help me carry more corner speed, so I’ll be working on improving more in that area in the future.
My crew have worked really hard today after a long weekend, so credit to them for that.
It was a good day and I can take some confidence to Indianapolis now.
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