February 08
Sepang, Malaysia - TestingFebruary 6, 2008
Sepang, Malaysia - Testing
NICKY HAYDEN CONTINUES DEVELOPMENT ON HIS RC212V IN SEPANG
Nicky Hayden leaves Malaysia pleased with the work carried out so far, centered mainly on the chassis and on new compounds for the Michelin tyres
Nicky Hayden made an early start to his final day of testing at Sepang today and the American was quickly up to speed on the Repsol liveried RC212V Honda on a hot and humid day. The ambient temperature soared to 34 degrees with the track surface at 46 by early afternoon, rising to 60 plus degrees at one point consequently reducing the level of grip in the process.
Despite the sweltering conditions the Repsol Honda team technicians managed to improve the chassis specification of the factory RC212V and find suitable Michelin rubber to suit the set up in the extreme conditions.
The former MotoGP World Champion was pleased with the results achieved over the two days and will not test on the final day of the planned three-day test. He now leaves Malaysia for his Kentucky home and a well earned break before MotoGP tes ting resumes in completely different weather conditions at the Jerez circuit, Southern Spain on February 16 to 18.
MotoGP
Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2m 00.900s (lap 36 of 90)
"Not too bad all in all a positive two-days testing. The team have worked extremely hard for me from day one of testing this year, the HRC engineers and the mechanics . Today we didn't focus on just one thing but worked on chassis comparison tests and working on tyres with Michelin. The track surface temperature was as high as it's ever been here and we got some positive feedback on tyres in the conditions. We found a good rear that gives good grip on the edge of the tyre. The front we tried was OK but we went back to the front tyre we had used at the last test. The chassis is now OK and we will have the new engine ready for the next test. It's been a pretty busy time and we go at it again i n Jerez before the big show opens."
SEPANG, MALAYSIAFebruary 5, 2008
NICKY HAYDEN, SATISFIED WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS ON THE CHASSIS OF HIS HONDA RC212CV DURING THE FIRST ROUND OF TESTS IN SEPANG
The first of three days of tests planned for the Malaysian Sepang circuit The Repsol Honda Team was back on track at Sepang today for the second pre-season test at the 5.548 km Malaysian grand prix circuit. American Nicky Hayden, MotoGP World Champion in 2006, is the sole factory Team rider present at Sepang his team mate, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa at home in Barcelona working on his recovery from a hand injury sustained at Sepang last month.
Repsol Honda team work today focused on chassis comparison testing while running with a variety of front and rear tyres from Michelin. The Repsol Honda Team technicians tried slight geometry variations that improved the overall balance of the RCV and provided Hayden with better rear end grip, particularly on the edge of the rear tyre. Hayden crashed at turn 15 near the end of the day escaping unscathed from th e incident. Hayden and the team will continue chassis comparison testing tomorrow working from the data gathered today while running with the latest Michelin tyre developments
MotoGP
Nicky Hayden, fastest lap: 2m 01.949s (lap 80 of 80)
"We got a late start because the track was not in good shape after the overnight rain. Nobody was in a hurry to go out. When we did we all went together and cleaned up the track a little. We ran comparison chassis tests and confirmed what we learned at Phillip Island. The guys changed the geometry a little on the 2008 chassis and the bike had a better balance so we made some progress there. Michelin gave me a couple of rear tyres I really liked, one 16 inch and one 16.5 both ha ve good grip on the edge of the tyre and the bike felt a lot better. We will keep on working on the chassis tomorrow and test more tyres."
