Repsol Honda duo satisfied but with more to do

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso set the fifth fastest time in first practice for the TIM TT Assen today as round six of the MotoGP World Championship got underway. The 24 year-old Italian, who lies second in the title standings coming to the Netherlands, is confident that with improvements to the feeling from the front end of his RC212V tomorrow he can qualify well in the afternoon session and continue his impressive start to the 2010 season.

“This was a decent first session and a positive start to the weekend. Of course we still need to improve things and make up some time but I think we can do this tomorrow,” said Dovizioso. “We had some movement on the front end entering turns and also mid-corner and we need to sort this out in order to improve. It’s an issue that I’ve had already this season so we’re familiar with it.”

He continued: “Today’s session was just the start to the weekend and I think we’ll see the real pace that we can run in tomorrow’s two sessions. We used the harder option Bridgestone tyres for our fast laps today, so there’s room for improvement on the softer ones tomorrow. The modifications to the track are good fun to ride although maybe it’s a little bit dangerous if a bike goes down in the right hander because it could come back onto the track in the next corner. Still, it was a positive session today and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Factory Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was right behind Dovizioso in sixth as the pair made the first inroads into setting-up their RC212Vs for the fast and sinuous Assen circuit. Though the 24 year-old Spaniard and his crew initially went the wrong way with suspension settings for this circuit, they too expect improvements tomorrow after the data they collected is analysed and setting adjustments are decided upon.

“We’re in sixth place which isn’t actually so bad considering that we initially chose the wrong direction with our suspension settings for this track,” explained Pedrosa. “Basically our set-up was too soft today and this cost us time - especially in Turn 1 - which meant that our lap times suffered quite a lot. So it’s not the ideal start to the race meeting that we were hoping for, but it looks like the weather is going to be stable for the rest of the weekend so we have time to improve things a lot.”

Eager to move on from his finish of eighth at Silverstone, Pedrosa continued: “We need a good result at this race to put Silverstone behind us and because last year I crashed here. The change to the circuit is good and that corner is now very fast - perhaps 270km/h in fifth gear. I’m confident that tomorrow we can do a better job than today and move forward.”

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New Assen corner suits Stoner

Small steps for Stoner after FP1

Casey Stoner was well on the pace in the opening practice session of the TIM TT Assen on Thursday, lapping with a best time just 0.011s off Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo who topped the timesheet.

Feeling the gradual improvements of some changes to his front suspension, the Australian feels that he is slowly reaching the level he wants to, but that there is still some way to go.

“It’s been one part we’ve been struggling with this year and in the last few races that we have changed the fork we’ve made some good progress,” said Stoner, who has been using a 2009 front suspension fork. “The progress unfortunately has been a little bit slow. In Mugello we were never competitive, at Silverstone by race day we were feeling much better but then we weren’t able to make the start with the bike we had. So I’m a little disappointed because we should have had a podium result this year, quite a few I think, but it’s the way things have gone for us this season and we just need to keep focused for each race.”

He continued: “Today was no different. We made a few setting changes and improved the bike a little bit as the session went on, but we still have to make some more improvements. We’ll have a go tomorrow and see if we can make the bike turn a bit harder without losing too much traction in the rear, and we should be quite confident for the race.”

The Australian was pleased with the change to the Ruskenhoek turn at Assen, which has been shortened, and feels that it suits his style much better now.

“The old corner where they have changed it now was probably the worst part of the track for me, and probably the worst part of the season!” Stoner said. “The other bikes were able to run over the kerbs with a lot of confidence, and every time I tried to the bike wanted to highside me, so it was very difficult. This year for me it’s a lot better: a fast corner into another one. It’s actually made the track more like the old Assen, not so tight and twisty but faster and more flowing and for me it’s a lot more fun.”

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Lorenzo taking it one race at a time

Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Melandri and Paul Denning all discussed the forthcoming AirAsia British Grand Prix at the official press conference on Thursday.

Jorge Lorenzo may have arrived at Silverstone for the AirAsia British Grand Prix with a 25-point lead over Dani Pedrosa in the Championship standings, but the Fiat Yamaha rider was quick to point out during the pre-event press conference that the title is not something he is thinking about at this point in the season.

"For me it's better not to think about the Championship and focus more on enjoying each race and improving my riding, because we know there are improvements to be made," explained Lorenzo.

With Valentino Rossi missing from the MotoGP grid this weekend following his Mugello practice crash, Lorenzo will be the sole Fiat Yamaha rider on track this weekend at Silverstone, a track that is new to all the riders.

"I like to do a lot of laps in practice, which will help with learning the circuit, but we won't be taking any risks tomorrow, as the track looks a little dirty at the moment,” he explained. “The track will clean up with each session, so the fast lap times will only come on Saturday. From a quick look around the circuit on a scooter the track looks very long and very wide, with lots of different types of tarmac, but I guess we'll only see how it feels on the bike tomorrow during free practice."

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) proved with a flag-to-flag victory in Mugello that he has the form to be a contender for the win here in Silverstone, while his RC212V has already displayed something of a speed advantage over the opposition at some of the faster tracks this season.

"The last race was good for us," declared Pedrosa. "With the bike we are improving little by little and we've had two good and two bad results so far this season. Hopefully this weekend will be another good one. This is a long track, without the short cut back to the pits that we had in Mugello, so it will be important to make the most of each lap during practice and qualifying."

A revitalised Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will be looking to carry the momentum from Mugello into this weekend's race at Silverstone. The Italian, who is currently lying seventh in the Championship standings, seemed to find a set-up that suited his very precise riding style last time out at his home race as he took fifth.

"The bike was certainly better in Mugello, but I'm still not 100% happy,” said Melandri. “There are still improvements to be made and I hope we can continue to make them here at Silverstone this weekend. The track looks amazing and I hope we will be able to put on a good race for the fans on Sunday."

Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) placed fourth at Mugello, his best result so far in 2010 after a difficult start to the season, and will be keen to take his first podium of the season and make some headway in the standings.

"We didn't have the start to the season we wanted, but we thought we could be competitive at Mugello because it's a track we've gone well at before,” he said. “To arrive there and have problems like we did was a real shock to the system."

Stoner is one of the few MotoGP riders to have raced at Silverstone before having contested the British 125cc Championship at Silverstone in 2001 and 2002, but he expects that to be of little help on the redeveloped circuit.

"I raced here nine years ago, but I think that there are only four corners still in use from that time with the new track layout. I certainly don't think that counts as circuit knowledge, so it definitely won't give me any sort of advantage this weekend,” he added.

For Paul Denning, Team Manager of the UK based Rizla Suzuki team, the weekend is a big one indeed. He stated: "We made some big steps with the bike over the winter, but then we had some issues at the start of the season with Loris' confidence in the bike and also with Álvaro's injury. Where we are right now obviously stinks, but when the riders are both fully fit and confident then I think we can be up there. I'm not saying we're suddenly going to start challenging Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa at the front, but the potential for much better results is definitely there."

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Hayden happy and ready to push after Mugello crash

The Ducati Marlboro rider is prepared for this weekend’s AirAsia British Grand Prix at the new Silverstone, where he hopes some fresh front end solutions will help in his search for a first podium of 2010.

Hayden tries his hand at cricket

Nicky Hayden has had a strong start to the 2010 campaign, coming close to a podium finish in the opening three rounds but just missing out before a crash at Mugello in the previous round highlighted a front-end issue on his Desmosedici GP10.

Going into round five at Silverstone this weekend the American is confident after the hard work put in by his Ducati Marlboro team, which has involved some testing in Italy in the intervening two weeks. The progress made so far this season also means Hayden is ready for what the new circuit has to offer.

“I’m pretty happy with the bike, the team and everything, I’m just not so happy with my mistake at Mugello. I tried a bit too hard there and it’s true we need to improve something in the front of the bike to give us a little more confidence,” said Hayden at the official AirAsia British Grand Prix pre-event at Lord’s cricket ground.

“The test team was at Mugello after we raced to try out a few different options, so we have a few things to try this weekend. It’s tough because it’s a new track and you don’t want to confuse things, but I feel good. The team are understanding me more and more and now we have five races in six weeks so let’s go!”

The Hayden family celebrated some good news this week when Roger Lee was confirmed as a wildcard entry for the Moto2 race at Indianapolis at the end of August, where he will ride under the leadership of former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz.

“Hopefully the team comes together in time and lets him get out and do some testing to make it a proper effort, and it looks like that will be the case,” said Hayden on his brother’s news. “Wildcards are always exciting and it will be good for him. When we first started racing we all rode 600s together in AMA which was cool, and who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be racing MotoGP!”

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Dovizioso and Pedrosa prepared for Italian attempt

With three podiums between them so far and occupying third and fourth in the Championship standings the Repsol Honda riders are ready to push hard at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM.

Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa have been the main challengers to Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi for the podium places so far this season and the Repsol Honda duo will both be looking to go one step better this weekend at Mugello, as they each look to secure their respective first wins of the season.

Dovizioso has twice finished third so far this campaign (in Qatar and France) and will combine the progress made in the opening three rounds with the support of the home fans to continue his strong start.

"We’re arriving at Mugello in a good situation,” said Dovizioso, whose best finish at Mugello to date has been third in the 250cc class in 2006. “Two weeks ago at Le Mans I was able to ride fast, we had a good race and I ended up with a great podium finish - plus we were quite close to the two Yamahas. I think that if I had been able to qualify further forward, we could have got an even better result. So that result has set us up well for Mugello which is a very special track for me.”

“The circuit is really fascinating to ride - it’s so challenging and demanding to get right and this is what makes it so appealing. Plus the support of the Italian fans is incredible. It’s also a special appointment for my fans gathered at the Casanova Savelli turns, so I’ll do everything I can to put on a good show for them this weekend," added the 23 year-old.

Pedrosa’s record at the Italian circuit is strong and he has finished on the podium there five times across all classes, including a win in the 250cc category in 2005. He also set the highest recorded maximum speed at Mugello last year in the first practice session, posting a blistering 349.3 km/h.

The Spaniard will be aiming to add to his sole podium finish of 2010 so far, and continue with the promising direction his RC212V prototype is taking. Pedrosa said: "Mugello is one of the circuits you always look forward to because the atmosphere is incredible. It’s very similar to Spain, people are very passionate, the viewing areas are normally full from the first day of practice and it helps you to get quickly in the mood for the Grand Prix. We will have to work hard this weekend, for sure, but we are very motivated to improve on the final result we got in France.”

“This season we go there in much better shape than last year and that's important because Mugello is a physically demanding track to ride, especially in the fast direction changes. The strategy for the weekend is simply to be totally focused and get the maximum out of every session,” concluded Pedrosa.

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