Gresini Racing Jerez IRTA test notes 2008-02-17

Wind and Rain Hinder Progress

Wind and rain hinder second day progress at Jerez As predicted by the local weather forecasts the paddock awoke to rainy conditions for the second day of the MotoGP Official Test at Jerez today.

It wasn't the ideal scenario for the engineers and riders but it did give them a vital opportunity to try out wet settings and tyres, continuing with the job of gathering as much information as possible, which began yesterday.

For Alex de Angelis this was his debut in wet conditions on a MotoGP bike and the San Marino rider used the first part of the day to gather confidence with a bigger and more powerful bike than what he is used to. At 1400h the free practice session was interrupted by the annual time trial, screened live on television, and the first official practice session of the season for the Team San Carlo Honda Gresini riders with their new bikes.

A further free practice was scheduled for late in the afternoon but it was eventually cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions.

Shinja Nakano (16 laps, 1.51.594): "The wet session gave us the chance to test some different sets of tyres, some soft and some medium, and get ready for the time challenge in the afternoon. When the time came to attack and try to post a fast time we had a good pace but the track started to dry. Just at the decisive moment I ran into some traffic and if it wasn't for that I could have done better than sixth place. I'm happy though because this new bike is a big improvement."

Alex de Angelis (13 laps, 1.52.463): "I'm happy because it was important for me to get some laps under my belt in the wet -- it could have been really difficult for me turning up at the first race without any experience in the rain. Today's test gave us the chance to gather some telemetric data that can help us set the bike up to my riding style in the wet. So all in all it's been a positive day, I'm feeling better on the bike every day and I'm improving my feeling with the team."

-credit: gresini