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DIFFICULT FIRST DAY FOR RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP AT QATAR
06 April 2006 - Rizla-Suzuki
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins finished in 12th and 14th places respectively after spending the majority of the first day at Qatar battling to improve their performance.
The low-grip and dusty nature of the Losail International Circuit always presents a challenge to get the best tyre and handling package for the race and today was no exception. Both racers tried many different set-ups on their Rizla Suzuki GSV-Rs, in addition to reverting to the original settings they had used at the test here in February. Hopkins and Vermeulen both suffered with a series of handling and vibration issues and their respective teams worked hard to combat these afflictions and give the riders more confidence as they tried to improve on their lap times. Today’s practice sessions were held in dry but cloudy conditions with air temperatures reaching 27°c and track surface temperatures hitting the mid 40s. The fastest time of the day was set by ex-World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. Tomorrow will see Rizla Suzuki MotoGP have another free practice session in the morning followed by the important hour long qualifying session in the afternoon. Round two of the MotoGP World Championship will get underway at 15.00hrs local time (14.00CET) on Saturday 8th April.
John Hopkins:
“It’s been a bit like Jerez really in that we have had a difficult first day. We didn’t really come out swinging like we would have wanted to but it’s all trial and error really. We know what we had here at the test and today we tried a bunch of different set-ups, but with only having an hour long session you are not able to make big changes like a swing-arm or the chassis so today was more about trying lots of other different things. At the end of this afternoon’s session we had made a lot of progress and we know that there is now light at the end of the tunnel. We are fairly confident that we will be able to pick up the times tomorrow.”
Chris Vermeulen:
“It’s good racing at a track that I know. I’ve raced here in Superbike and we tested here in February, but the surface was a lot different from then, as it was a bit dusty early on and this made it quite slippery. We had a bit of difficulty to start with and we ended up by going back to the exact settings we had at the test. We are struggling with a few things including a bit of chatter, but the guys are working really hard and I’m sure we will get it sorted for tomorrow and move further up the time sheet.''
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“Everybody has worked really hard today to get the best out of the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R, but realistically without the success we would have liked. The bike’s strongpoint since the start of the season is that the chassis package has worked well but we came across some handling and vibration issues at the track today that were not easy to fix. Suzuki is concentrating very hard on continuing engine development - so we need the chassis package to be working at its optimum to be competitive. There will be a lot of midnight oil burnt this evening to try and find the best solution for tomorrow and give John and Chris the confidence to push harder and get into a better position.”
Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar Free Practice Classification:
1. Kenny Roberts Jr (KR211V) 1’56.905: 2. Casey Stoner (Honda) +0.006: 3. Marco Melandri (Honda) +0.105: 4. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.119: 5. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) +0.126: 6. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.236: 7. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.455: 8. Toni Elias (Honda) +0.487: 9. Nicky Hayden (Honda) +0.547: 10. Sete Gibernau (Ducati) +0.664: 12. CHRIS VERMEULEN (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.878: 14. JOHN HOPKINS (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.987:
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