The 2009 Season

Bridgestone sign three-year agreement as single MotoGP tyre supplier
Monday, 26 January 2009

Tyre company to provide rubber for premier class in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

MotoGP Official Tyre Supplier Bridgestone have put pen to paper on a final contract for their debut as sole tyre provider for the next three seasons. The Japanese factory will start their term this year, following a tender process established in 2008.

`In these turbulent times of economic crisis, Bridgestone is delighted to be working positively with Dorna to make an exciting contribution to MotoGP,´ said Bridgestone Motorosport Director Hiroshi Yasukawa of the announcement. `We are dedicated to our support of MotoGP and being chosen as the official tyre supplier shows the high regard in which we are held by the sport in which we have been involved since 2002. Our participation in MotoGP is an important element of our position as the foremost tyre supplier in motorsport.´

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP rights holders Dorna, added that `We are delighted to have secured Bridgestone as sole tyre supplier for all teams in the MotoGP class of the FIM World Championship for the next three years. Bridgestone is a company with a fantastic reputation and they make an outstanding contribution to motorsport. We strongly believe that this new agreement is very positive as it will simultaneously reduce costs and increase competition in MotoGP.´

The first all-Bridgestone MotoGP World Championship race will take place on April 12th at Losail, the season-opening Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar.

Stoner: `Late-2008 form repeat will be enough to beat Rossi´
Monday, 26 January 2009

Ducati rider believes expected title contenders have what it takes to defeat six-time champ.



2008 MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi may be the bookies favourite for the premier class title this season, but the Italian is a beatable foe for the rest of the riders on the grid. The last man to do so, ex-titlist Casey Stoner, has a reasoned outlook on the chances of coming home ahead of the Fiat Yamaha rider, based on his performances at the end of last year.

`To beat Valentino we don´t need anything more than what we had at the end of last season,´ stated Stoner at the recent Wrooom event. `If things go right then we know that we are fast enough to win. We´re not alone either; Dani (Pedrosa) can do it, Jorge (Lorenzo) can do it, and there´s probably a couple of others that can push us as well.´

With that in mind, don´t expect outlandish excuses from Stoner should he fall behind in the title chase. Short shrift will also be given to anyone putting their poor form down to lack of familiarity with their 2009 bikes.

`I think that people use the excuse of lack of testing a bit too much. A bike´s got two wheels, handlebars, brakes, gears and the clutch,´ says the Australian, who missed the last test of the year at Jerez following wrist surgery.

`You´ve probably got to get a little used to the feeling and direction of the setup, but four days of testing before a season is enough.´

Cutting down critics before they have time to crow, Stoner is playing down any advantage that he may have as the most experienced Bridgestone rider of the expected title contenders. The Japanese tyre manufacturer will be providing a level playing field for the single-tyre regulated 2009 season, and their first ever MotoGP World Champion feels that the only benefit of his long association with Bridgestone will come from Ducati´s existing working methods.

`The single tyre will make people have to work a lot harder on setup, rather than just throwing on a set of tyres that make things feel better. This will be good for us in a way, because we´ve always worked around things and maybe had harder tyres when everyone else is on softer rubber.´

Stoner returns to testing on February 5th in Sepang, where he will ride for the first time since going under the knife in November.

I'm a testing race official for Suzuki on the 17th to the 18th of Feb..

Dammit, i was hoping Nicky Hayden would be testing the duke there but it's damn Suzuki !

lmao
will you get loris and chris's autographs for me?

Yes i will certainly try too..

I'm going to hit them up for stuff to give away on the forum..

tassiedevil wrote:I'm going to hit them up for stuff to give away on the forum..

Thats an excellent idea, lets hope they are generous

yeah lets hope that they give you james

you can past him straight to me too look after i promise he will still be in the package LOL

Sepang test: MotoGP cost cutting measures revealed
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

06 February 2009 09:06


MotoGP engines will have to last for two races for the final part of the 2009 world championship campaign, MCN can exclusively reveal.

The new rule, which means a rider must use the same engine for two races as part of a range of cost cutting measure, will come into force for the Indianapolis GP in America at the end of August.

The increase in engine life is part of plans to be put before the Grand Prix Commission in the next fortnight after lengthy meetings between representatives of the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association (MSMA), International Race Teams Association (IRTA), FIM and Dorna in Sepang this week.

Extending engine life to two races later this season is an interim proposal, with the MSMA planning to extend the rule to three races for the 2010 campaign.

Currently in MotoGP, a team changes an engine every race with the high performance engines normally lasting between 600 and 800ks.

Other rules for 2009 set to be approved at the Grand Prix Commission meeting later this month will see Friday morning’s MotoGP free practice session scrapped.

And the other practice and qualifying sessions cut from one hour to 45 minutes to help cut down on engine mileage. Teams estimate that could save them around 4000ks in engine use.

The five post race European tests will also be abolished, though a compromise could be to keep the scheduled tests in Catalunya and Brno on the calendar.

Rules for 2010, which will be further debated by the MSMA at next month’s Qatar night test, include reverting to a one bike per rider rule, and extending engine life to three races.

One possible option to further cut engine mileage in 2010 is to completely scrap Friday practice and only run two-day meetings.

One suggestion has also been to ban carbon brakes, but it is estimated that would only save around £50,000 for a two-rider team per season.

For full details see next Wednesday’s MCN, out on February 18

Rossi and Lorenzo pleased with test results



Saturday, 07 February 2009
The Fiat Yamaha team left Malaysia on Saturday with confidence high, after three productive days of testing.




Factory Yamaha colleagues Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo rounded off the first test of 2009 in good form on Saturday, with Rossi finishing second, less than one tenth off pace-setter Casey Stoner and Lorenzo ending up seventh – the Spaniard inside lap record pace for the first time this week.
World Champion Rossi again focused mainly on electronics on the last day as he continued to fine-tune the 2009 M1 ahead of his title defence. Due to the stitches in his hand and foot he decided not to attempt a race simulation, but he was able to improve on his time from Friday by half a second and recorded a best lap of 2’01.137.
The Italian star enthused: “I am leaving this place feeling happy, because we’ve made a good start. Everything went well: my pain is reducing, the bike is good and I am feeling better and better. We finished everything we wanted to do on the bike and the setting and the rhythm are quite good. The lap time is fast so we have made a good start. We didn’t do the long run, but actually we didn’t need to. Without my injury maybe it would have been possible, but in this situation we decided to leave it.”
He continued confidently, “I don't think that my injuries made much difference to my speed here and by the Qatar test I will be back in perfect shape. I did the fastest lap today with the hard Bridgestone tyre, so it means that the bike is good. The first test of the year is always difficult, even if you trained a lot in the winter, so I am happy.”
Previewing the next test date at the Losail International Circuit at the beginning of next month Rossi concluded, “Qatar will be interesting, because last year we weren’t strong there, but then last year the bike was not yet ready when we went to the first race in Doha. I am really looking forward to the next test there.”
Meanwhile, his team-mate Lorenzo had struggled to find confidence on the first two days of tests, but for the first time on Saturday he found his rhythm with the new Bridgestone tyres. He was delighted to complete a race simulation of 22 laps and his best lap of the day, in a time of 2’01.907, was over a second quicker than his Friday best.
The youngster from Majorca stated, “I am very happy because today I’ve seen how fast I can ride with the Bridgestone tyres. Today has definitely been the best day for me at this test. We did a long run in hot conditions and I was able to finish 22 laps without stopping. I was tired when I finished but it was incredible; the rhythm was good and my best lap was right at the end, when I did a 2’01.9. This means that I have improved over a second since yesterday and we have made a big step forward.”
The results from the concluding day at Sepang can be found here.

De Puniet: "I need more time to adjust the bike"



Saturday, 07 February 2009
Thirteenth fastest on the third day of testing at Sepang, LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet hopes to improve next time out in Qatar.


LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet completed 50 laps of Sepang on Saturday aboard the Bridgestone-shod 2009 spec RC212V, clocking a fastest lap time of 2’03.418 (thirteenth quickest overall).
The Frenchman undertook tyre tests and setting evaluations throughout the day in favourably warm conditions at the Malaysian track.
"We improved the lap time but it’s not enough for me: last year I was fourth here in the same test session," said the Frenchman. "There are a lot of things to adjust but this first outing has given us important data for next test session in Qatar."
"This morning we took a step forward and I knew I could improve more in the afternoon but we suffered some brake problems and we missed more than one hour of testing. Today I feel more positive than yesterday but I need more time to adjust the bike."

Dovizioso confident after first 2009 test



Saturday, 07 February 2009
Andrea Dovizioso completed the first MotoGP test of 2009 with positive feelings in Malaysia.




The Repsol Honda man continued his adaptation to the new RC212V, evaluating the chassis of his machine and working on matching the bike's settings with the new Bridgestone tyres in typically tropical conditions.
The Italian rider, who last year scored his first MotoGP podium at Sepang, was Repsol Honda’s lone rider on Saturday following Dani Pedrosa's early departure on Friday. Dovizioso improved his race pace on the final day, cutting more than four tenths off his lap time from the previous day.
"We focused on bike set up and decided the way to go concerning the chassis," commented the former 125cc World Champion. "We learned a lot during the three days and I’m very confident. We need more work to adapt the machine to the tyres, this is a very important point. Concerning the engine, my feeling is that we need a smoother power delivery."
"Today it was really hot and it was very demanding out there from a physical point of view, especially after a break of more than two months. I did a long run of eleven laps to understand the machine better, to practice with the tyres and collect data. All in all, we have done a very good job and everybody in the team is very motivated."
His team-mate Dani Pedrosa ended the test session on Friday after completing the test programme with confidence and good feelings, even if he decided to return to Barcelona earlier than originally planned, as he continues to recover from a knee injury which he picked up at the end of last year.
"I’m satisfied of the work done during these three days of testing, both riders and team worked very well and we have fixed the line to follow for the season," said team manager Kazuhiko Yamano. "We made an important step forward. Dani finished his programme yesterday, he understood the bike and the way to go and Andrea concluded the job today with a long run. The motivation in the team in very high and we look forward to the next test session."
Repsol Honda will resume testing at Losail, Qatar, from 1st-3rd of March.

Hayden makes steady progress with Desmosedici



Saturday, 07 February 2009
Nicky Hayden made continual progress over the three days of the Sepang test, improving by another half second on the final day.




The 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden continued his adaptation to the Desmosedici GP9 and his new Bridgestone tyres in Sepang, steadily reducing his lap times over the course of the three day test.
The American is determined to use the information gathered in Malaysia to full effect at the next test in Qatar at the beginning of March, having already shown the team his famous dedication to the task.
The timesheet-topping laps registered by his new team-mate and friend Casey Stoner in Seepang have given Hayden the belief that there is a lot more to come from himself and his bike, providing confidence and motivation in this new chapter in his career.
Unshaken by a crash on Saturday, Hayden reflected on the Malaysian visit saying, “We started out on the right foot again today and I managed to knock six tenths of a second off my best lap from yesterday. Then in the early part of the afternoon I had a little crash in turn two, where to be honest they’ve done a bad job of resurfacing the track and it has caught a few riders out this week. Luckily I wasn’t hurt.”
”Obviously I’m not happy with my lap times,” he continued. “I was expecting more from myself, but I have to stay positive. I’ve improved my lap times every day and we have gathered a lot of data to work from in the next test. The fact Casey is already so fast means that the bike has the potential – it can only be a good thing that he is going so quick. The Bridgestones are really consistent and I was able to do my first long run on the Ducati without any tyre life problems.”

Bridgestone complete successful first test of 2009



Saturday, 07 February 2009
The first test of the 2009 MotoGP season was successfully concluded on Saturday with all 17 riders in attendance using Bridgestone tyres, under the single tyre ruling that has come into effect for this season.




After three days of uninterrupted running in the Malaysian heat, Ducati’s Casey Stoner finished fastest, followed closely by Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi. With every machine equipped with the same tyres, the top five riders were separated by just 0.5seconds.
As per the new single tyre supplier regulations, Bridgestone brought two compounds of its slick tyre to the test - medium and hard. Each rider was supplied with a total of ten sets of tyres during the course of the three days, as well as an additional three tyres (one front and two rears) for Bridgestone’s testing purposes.
On the opening day of the test every rider was allocated two medium sets and two hard sets of tyres. A further three sets of tyres were provided per additional day with each rider selecting his combination of compounds.
The test gave Bridgestone an excellent opportunity to continue working closely with all this year’s teams and riders and also to introduce two different specifications of extra hard compound rear tyre, under development for races later in the season such as the Sachsenring and Phillip Island. Each rider was offered one of each specification, along with an additional hard compound front tyre for the testing runs, and the performance of each closely monitored.
Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
“The test has been very successful for us, as all the teams responded positively to the performance and durability of our tyres, and we have gathered some valuable data relating to our extra hard compound rear tyres. This will allow us to determine the best way to develop these for races later in the season. The test has also given us a lot of information that will allow us to ensure we select the correct tyre compound choices for future hot races.”
Hiroshi Yamada – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit
“We are very pleased with the performance of our tyres following the first test of this season. Of course we have good relationships with many teams from previous years, but there are also new teams that we have recently started working with and the test has allowed us to continue to build these relationships. I’d like to thank all the teams and riders for their cooperation in this first test of the year as we look forward to the first race in Qatar. We have had very positive feedback from all the teams over the last three days and the times at the front are very close which is exciting for competition this year.”

Mrs James Toseland wrote:De Puniet: "I need more time to adjust the bike"



Saturday, 07 February 2009
Thirteenth fastest on the third day of testing at Sepang, LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet hopes to improve next time out in Qatar.


LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet completed 50 laps of Sepang on Saturday aboard the Bridgestone-shod 2009 spec RC212V, clocking a fastest lap time of 2’03.418 (thirteenth quickest overall).
The Frenchman undertook tyre tests and setting evaluations throughout the day in favourably warm conditions at the Malaysian track.
"We improved the lap time but it’s not enough for me: last year I was fourth here in the same test session," said the Frenchman. "There are a lot of things to adjust but this first outing has given us important data for next test session in Qatar."
"This morning we took a step forward and I knew I could improve more in the afternoon but we suffered some brake problems and we missed more than one hour of testing. Today I feel more positive than yesterday but I need more time to adjust the bike."

thats okay, its the first test of the season
he will be fine
and he didnt crash
thats a good sign