The Grand Prix of Spain got underway today at Jerez with mixed weather conditions providing a frustrating experience. The majority of the MotoGP riders were forced to sit out the morning session as track conditions which were not fully wet or dry meant no valuable set up data could be assessed. The second session in the afternoon proved equally frustrating, starting wet but gradually drying over the 45 minutes.
Championship leader Lorenzo spent the afternoon hunting extra grip from the rear as the wet tyres quickly degraded on the drying track. Team mate Spies concentrated on finding an optimum tyre set up for the first half of the session, also making some small set up adjustments in the hunt for optimum performance.
Jorge Lorenzo
Position 4th - Time 1.51.873 - Laps 13
“This morning we couldn’t practice and this afternoon it was wet and then finally drying at the end. In these conditions we are not so good because the middle of the tyre is dropping a lot, after eight or ten laps we don’t have any more grip so we have to slow the pace. We have to work on that for Sunday if the conditions are going to be the same as today. If it rains with a lot of water then that’s one story but if it’s like today we are not the fastest so we need to gain some grip on the rear.”
Ben Spies
Position 10th - Time 1.53.409 - Laps 18
“Today was good, we started with a wet track and we had to fiddle round with some tyre pressures for a while. We got that sorted and made some changes to the bike to the point where I was comfortable. The tyres had got quite bad by that point; the times were dropping so we were slower, but still as consistently fast as everyone out there. I’m looking forward to tomorrow to see what we can do.”
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“A very strange first day in Jerez, this morning no practice and this afternoon a half/half practice, not completely wet and drying at the end which ruined the tyres. Difficult to say if we learnt much, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow and hope for either a completely wet or dry session. Today was in the middle, I wouldn’t say useless but nearly useless.”
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Unfortunately we didn’t have the perfect weather today. The first session was useless but we worked quite well in the afternoon. We found a balance that Ben liked and he seems quite satisfied with the set up so we’ll see for tomorrow. On Jorge’s side we are still hunting for some more grip from the rear in the difficult condition but we should make a step tomorrow.”
Solid start for Dovizioso and Crutchlow at rain-hit Jerez
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow began their preparations for the start of the European phase of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship in challenging and unpredictable conditions at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain today.
Track conditions in this morning's opening practice session weren't sufficiently wet to evaluate Bridgestone rain tyres or dry enough for slicks, and with no possibility of carrying out any meaningful set-up work, Dovizioso and Crutchlow didn't complete a single lap.
The tricky track conditions remained for this afternoon's second practice, with the session commencing on a wet track under threatening grey and cloudy skies. Patches of dry tarmac started to appear by the end of the session but Dovizioso and Crutchlow spent their time exclusively assessing Bridgestone's wet weather tyres in case Sunday's 27-lap race takes place in similar conditions.
Dovizioso was sixth quickest on board his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine this afternoon and seventh on the combined timesheets. His best time of 1.53.070 ensured he finished leading non-factory rider but the Italian is looking to improve rear traction in the wet with rain forecast to play a major part in proceedings for the rest of the weekend.
British rider Crutchlow, who made a sensational start to the 2012 campaign in Qatar earlier this month when he claimed a maiden front row start and fantastic fourth position, was only 0.3s behind his team-mate.
The 26-year-old set a best time of 1.53.352, which put him eighth quickest in the session and ninth overall ahead of factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies. He too will concentrate on improving rear grip in tomorrow's final practice and qualifying sessions.
Andrea Dovizioso
Position 7th - Time 1.53.070 - Laps 11
“It has been a day of pretty much constantly changing weather and track conditions and unfortunately that meant we were not able to try anything on the set-up of the bike. We did not have dry conditions at all and even though it has been raining we didn't get the chance to ride in full wet conditions. I went out to try the bike because we might have the same conditions for the race on Sunday, s o it was important to go out and collect some information. For tomorrow I just hope that we can do some more meaningful work. I don't care if it is wet or dry but anything is better than mixed conditions so that we can focus on improving the bike.”
Cal Crutchlow
Position 9th - Time 1.53.352 - Laps 15
“If we get more of the same conditions for the rest of the weekend then we have a lot of work to do. To be honest we struggled a little bit with a lack of rear grip and that is where we are going to have to work on because we could be racing in similar conditions on Sunday. This track dries really fast and with the rain tyres we are having a lot of spinning. Although we've got some issues with the rear grip, I am really happy with my position on the timesheets considering the problems and that makes me really confident that if we make the settin g better I will be very competitive.”
2012 MotoGP Spain
Jerez Circuit 27/04/2012
1 Ivan Silva BQR-FTR ESP 1'48.674
2 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'50.780
3 Valentino Rossi Ducati ITA 1'51.440
4 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'51.873
5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'52.106
6 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1'52.254
7 Andrea Dovizioso Yamaha ITA 1'53.070
8 Alvaro Bautista Honda ESP 1'53.166
9 Cal Crutchlow Yamaha GBR 1'53.352
10 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 1'53.409
11 Stefan Bradl Honda GER 1'53.409
12 Randy De Puniet ART FRA 1'54.155
13 Mattia Pasini ART ITA 1'54.370
14 Karel Abraham Ducati CZE 1'54.378
15 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 1'54.581
Circuit Length:
4423
Lap Record:
1'39.818
(Valentino Rossi, 01/01/2009)
Fastest Lap Ever:
1'38.189
(Jorge Lorenzo, 30/03/2008)
Last Years Winner:
Jorge Lorenzo
Statistics: Posted by totalmotorcycle — Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:12 pm
Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/GBvhJq45Lf6/News+Damp+Start+Jerez+Grand+Prix+Spain
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