The practice sessions in Malaysia ended today. There will be another three days practice starting on 30th January, this time in Australia, on Philip Island
Nicky Hayden completed the first MotoGP tests of 2008 with the fastest lap at Sepang today. The Repsol Honda man rode a stunningly fast lap on qualifiers to top the three-day session. He also set an impressive pace in race tri m, riding his best-ever Sepang lap on race tyres at 2m 01.6s.
The 2006 MotoGP World Champion spent most of the day riding his RC212V equipped with conventional valves after testing Honda’s new pneumatic-valve engine this morning. The Sepang weather was typically tropical today, with ambient temperature at 33 degrees and track temperature at 51 degrees.
Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2m 00.326s (lap 25 of 77)
“Today’s gone a lot better than the last couple and we’re feeling positive, I feel like I’m a lot closer than I was a year ago here. This morning we checked the pneumatic valve engine, then we just focused on the standard engine and this year’s chassis, working on the general set-up. Click here to read more
Nicky Hayden continued his sterling work at Sepang today, once again riding more laps than anyone else at the Malaysian circuit. In gruelling tropical heat (ambient 35 degrees, track 51 degrees) the Repsol Honda rider rode 66 laps, cutting more than four tenths off his previous best time from yesterday. Hayden spent most of the day evaluating HRC’s latest RC212V engine with pneumatic valves, having spent yesterday using an engine with conventional valves.
The 2006 MotoGP World Champion was Repsol Honda’s lone rider today, his team-mate Dani Pedrosa is in Barcelona, Spain, awaiting surgery. The Spaniard broke a bone in his right hand when he fell here yesterday afternoon. Dr Xavier Mir at the Clinica Dexeus is expected to operate on the injury this afternoon. It is not yet known when Pedrosa will be able to ride again.
Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2m 02.102s (lap 24 of 66)
“We used the standard engine in the morning. I set my fastest lap, then we started using the pneumatic-valve engine after about 25 laps. With that engine the bike did feel more like the prototype I rode last November, I guess because the bike was designed to have that engine, so maybe the extra weight makes it work a bit better. Click here to read more
The Repsol Honda Team was back in action at Sepang today following MotoGP’s traditional winter break. MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden got to grips with the latest version of Honda’s RC212V in typically tropical Sepang conditions, with ambient temperature reaching 35 degrees and track temperature 56 degrees.
2006 MotoGP World Champion Hayden spent the day getting a feel for the latest RC212V, riding more laps than anyone else and setting the eighth fastest lap. This is the first time that the 26-year-old has ridden a MotoGP bike since he had surgery to fix a lingering right-shoulder injury on December 1.
Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2m 02.558s (lap 64 of 85)
“It’s good to be back. Coming in here yesterday it was pretty cool because I had a line of mechanics and two brand new HRC factory GP bikes waiting on me, every nut and bolt was brand new, and to me that’s pretty cool.
Today didn’t go the best at the start. The chassis feels different to the prototype I tested last November. It took me a while to get a good feel from the front, though towards the end of the day we made some progress, doing some geometry stuff and a little bit of suspension. Click here to read more
Nicky Hayden also had a profitable final day and he too impressed on qualifiers, setting a time of 1m 38.848s on the 2008 RC212V, which was the quickest lap achieved on the new machine over the three-day test. The 2006 World Champion also completed a long run of 24 laps in order to test the durability of Michelin’s latest batch of race rubber. Hayden then clocked some quick laps with a final run on the 2007 machine and finished the test in positive mood as he heads home to America for the winter break.
After a long 2007 season the Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy some well-earned time off over Christmas before the MotoGP winter test schedule begins again on January 22 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 1m 38.848s – 82 laps Click here to read more
1. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1’38.562
2. Nicky Hayden Honda 1’38.848
3. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1’39.464
4. Andrea Dovizioso Honda 1.39.747
5. Shinya Nakano Honda 1’40.121
6. Colin Edwards Yamaha 1’40.184
7. Alex de Angelis (Honda) 1’40.185
8. James Toseland Yamaha 1’40.213 Click here to read more
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