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The MotoGP test at Sepang in Malaysia continued
to enjoy favourable weather conditions on the second day, with bright sunshine
and a dry track for the entire session. It provided the platform for an
extremely positive day for the World Champion, who was able to clock a time of
2'01.836, inside his own circuit record, on just his second lap of the morning.
The good feeling Casey Stoner has already found with the new GP8 has
allowed him to get straight into some serious tyre tests and conduct a long run
in the afternoon. Unfortunately the race simulation was interrupted at the
halfway point by a small clutch problem that was causing the rear wheel to
judder under braking. It wasn't enough to cause the bike to stop but Casey
rightly decided to return to the pits and examine the problem. On his return to
the track, the Australian suffered cramps in his left arm - the same side as his
injured shoulder - and he was forced to end the day early, saving his strength
for another important day tomorrow.
Marco Melandri worked hard
throughout the day with his team and is confident that he can gradually find the
right feeling with his new bike.
Casey
Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team), best time: 2'01'638 (33 laps)
"That was much better than yesterday! I felt
much more comfortable on the bike from the first lap, so much so that we were
able to start some front tyre tests for Bridgestone straight away. We've found
some really interesting things and definitely a good base for the season - the
Japanese guys are doing a great job. After lunch we starter a long run and
everything went great for the first ten laps. I had a good pace together, inside
lap record, but then we started to get a strange vibration from the rear that
was upsetting the bike in a couple of braking areas. I preferred to stop to try
and work out what it was and we found a small problem with the clutch. We went
back out again on the same tyres but started to get cramps in my left arm, so we
decided it was better not to push it too much and to sit the rest of the day
out. When I think that I was still suffering from pain in my shoulder only a
week ago I have to be really happy with how things are going. I'm still not 100%
but I'm able to ride much better than I expected. Now I know that I can begin
making the right preparations to be ready for the start of the season. We'll
keep working with Bridgestone tomorrow and give the new qualifiers a
try."
Marco Melandri (Ducati
Marlboro Team), best time: 2'03.311 (46 laps)
"Today went a little bit better than yesterday.
I feel better with the geometry now and we can start to work on the suspension.
I'm still not completely used to the power delivery of the Ducati because there
is plenty of it but it's not easy to make the most of it with my riding style.
We are working on this aspect though and we'll find the best configuration for
me. Tomorrow I want to start testing the new Bridgestones and I think they can
also help me find something that will allow me to go a little faster. It is
proving to be more difficult than I thought but there is no reason why we can't
find a solution to the current problems. We'll keep working calmly and I'm sure
we'll improve!"
Sepang
Circuit
Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2007) 2'02.108
Pole
Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2006) 2'00.605
Lap times 23/01/2008
1. Randy DE
PUNIET (Honda) 2:01.139
2. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 2:01.327
3.
Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha) 2:01.437
4. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha)
2:01.583
5. Casey STONER (Ducati) 2:01.638
6. John HOPKINS
(Kawasaki) 2:01.874
7. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki) 2:01.917
8. Andrea
DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 2:02.006
9. Shinya NAKANO (Honda) 2:02.095
10.
Nicky HAYDEN (Honda) 2:02.102
11. James TOSELAND (Yamaha)
2:02.276
12. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 2:02.371
13. Anthony WEST
(Kawasaki) 2:02.579
14. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 2:02.914
15. Toni
ELIAS (Ducati) 2:03.311
16. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati) 2:03.380
17.
Olivier JACQUE (Kawasaki) 2:03.462
18. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati)
2:04.217
19. Tamaki SERIZAWA (Kawasaki) 2:04.382
20. Niccolo CANEPA
(Ducati) 2:04.427
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