These press releases were just released for the press:
Dutch TT gets underway with Rossi and Lorenzo second and fourth
The sun shone in Assen today as the 61st Dutch TT got underway, the seventh round of the MotoGP World Championship. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who jointly lead the championship with Casey Stoner and who both have impressive track records here, started the weekend off in strong fashion, finishing the day second and fourth respectively.
Following the excitement of the race in Barcelona there is an air of expectation surrounding the pair and they were indeed fast from the outset, remaining near or at the top of the standings throughout the hour-long session as they looked to refine their base set-ups around the 4.555km 'Cathedral'. With temperatures in the mid-twenties conditions were perfect and both riders were happy with their progress through the opening practice, though Lorenzo lacked a little rear grip and will be looking to make an improvement in this area tomorrow morning in time for qualifying in the afternoon. Fastest man on track today was Randy de Puniet but Rossi was only 0.005 seconds off the Frenchman, with Lorenzo in turn just over two tenths off the front.
Valentino Rossi - Position: 2ndTime: 1'37.847Laps: 27
"I'm happy about today's practice because I was fast from the start and I could ride the bike how I want. This is very important because it means that the modifications we made in Barcelona are working here too, even though this is a different type of track. Now we have one or two small things to fix in order to improve our overall performance and lap time further. Anyway, we're there, second by just a tiny bit and feeling good. It seems there is a doubt for the weather on Saturday which is a pity; of course I hope it's dry but if it's going to be a wet race then I hope we have the chance for one or two wet laps before the race in warm-up otherwise it will be quite hard."
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 4thTime: 1'38.061Laps: 26
"Today wasn't perfect but we were still quite fast and I am happy enough. It hasn't been like Barcelona but anyway all the top riders are very close and we are only two tenths behind the lead. I expect tomorrow, with the riders all close like this, times will get even quicker so we need to check a few things and make some small improvements to our setting. Everyone seems to be expecting another race like we had in Barcelona but I don't think this is something that can happen every time! We just have to keep focused and do our best, and hopefully keep our target of getting on the podium again on Saturday."
Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"We made a good start today and Valentino was at the top throughout the session which is always a good sign! We tried the different tyres we have available from Bridgestone and also played around with the setting a bit in order to better suit it to the nature of this track, which is very different to the last couple we have been to. We've collected some good information and tomorrow morning we will start to put it all together to find the best package."
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"We started the session using the base we developed during the Barcelona test, with just a few adaptations to suit the Assen layout. We have quite a good pace but we need to work on improving the rear grip tomorrow because at the moment Jorge has a few problems going into the turn and also in acceleration. We will have a look at the data and tomorrow try a few new things."
Positive start for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in Assen
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team enjoyed an encouraging start to the Dutch GP at the historic Assen circuit, Colin Edwards and James Toseland lapping within half-a-second of the quickest time in today's practice session.
Using a longer wheelbase setting on his YZR-M1 machine for the first time since pre-season testing, Edwards started his quest for a second successive podium in Holland with the seventh best time.
The Texan, who topped the timesheets for part of the 60-minute session, ended with a fastest time of 1.38.205 to finish just 0.363s away from Randy de Puniet's best pace.
British rider Toseland had arguably his best opening day of the 2009 campaign. The Assen World Superbike race winner instantly benefited from a radically revised set-up on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 after lengthy consultations with Fiat Yamaha Team Director Masahiko Nakajima after the last race in Catalunya.
Toseland was immediately able to find a fast pace running a softer rear shock spring and revised footpeg, handlebar and seat positions. Less than 20 minutes had elapsed when the 28-year surged into the top three, with only Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa faster.
He was easily able to maintain a place in the top six until a typically frantic conclusion to the session, though Toseland was just 0.537s away from the best time in ninth.
Colin Edwards 7th 1.38.205 - 27 laps
"It was a reasonable day without being spectacular. I've gone back to a longer wheelbase setting I haven't run since winter testing and it's similar to what Valentino (Rossi) and Jorge (Lorenzo) have been running. There are some advantages and some disadvantages but I've still got a small issue on the front like I had during the last race in Catalunya. I'm not able to turn into the corner as quickly as I'd like, and it feels like I'm waiting on the front before I can go through the corner. But the longer wheelbase has made it probably the best bike I've ever been on for the last part of this track. It's so stable in the fast sections and I'm able to make up a lot of time, so there's some good and some bad with it. We've just got to make some adjustments to make the bike turn a bit better and I feel confident that I can be pushing for another podium here. I love this track and have had some good results and would love to give Monster Yamaha Tech 3 a rostrum for all the h ard work everybody is putting in. That would be a massive confidence boost for me too with Laguna Seca coming up."
James Toseland 9th 1.38.379 - 26 laps
"It was good today and I enjoyed it out there. I know this track very well and that makes a massive difference when you come to a familiar track. All my knowledge of this place means I'm not thinking about where I need to be and I can just concentrate on the bike. I'm not too worried about being in ninth because the times are so close and I'm only half-a-second off first. I'm just pleased that I'm close to the front on the first day rather than being 1.1 or 1.2s off. My bike was a lot different today and we've moved more weight to the back. My bike has been set-up for a lot of grip, but as soon as the race tyre started to wear, I struggled and it's amazing how sensitive these bikes are to weight. We've gone a lot softer on the rear spring to get more load on the rear and I've got the grip and the drive now. I'd like to thank Mr Nakajima from Yamaha. I had a meeting with him on Sunday night in Barcelona and he has been in my garage all through that session giving me some help and I really appreciate his effort. This new setting feels quite a bit different because we've changed footpeg and handlebar position too, and while it doesn't feel as comfortable as my old setting, I'm definitely going round the track quicker and that's the main thing."
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FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE FOR DUCATI MARLBORO AT ASSEN
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden were at work a day earlier than usual today as free practice for the Dutch TT got underway at Assen, with the legendary race set to take place in its traditional slot of the final Saturday in June. The Australian set out on the right foot, just 0.035 seconds off the fastest lap of the session despite being held up by traffic.
Stoner, last year's winner and the current lap record holder here, was immediately at ease with the base setting of his Desmosedici GP9 and was able to work calmly throughout the session on making gradual improvements to suit the intricacies of the fast and flowing layout. Stepping up his pace towards the end of the session, the 2007 World Champion finished third fastest but is confident of improvements tomorrow, as is 2006 champ Hayden, who was twelfth.
CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd (1'37.877)
"This afternoon went really well for us and we've started off where we left off in Catalunya, which is a great sign. Generally with this bike we've had to make a lot of changes from track to track and we usually have to spend the first session working really hard to adapt the set-up, but on this occasion it feels good out of the box. We tried a couple of things during the session but once we got onto the harder front tyre it all clicked into place and we could have gone a lot faster but I got held up on a couple of laps and then on my last lap I pushed the front a bit too hard and ran wide. We still have some improvements to make but generally speaking it is very positive to start out on the pace - especially at such a windy circuit, because usually we struggle in the wind."
NICKY HAYDEN - (Ducati Marlboro Team) 12th (1'38.928)
"We had some different ideas to try here with the electronics and we ran them at the beginning of the session but I didn't like them, so we went back to something similar to what we had in Barcelona, which enabled us to move up a bit. The gap to the front is closer than it's been at other tracks but unfortunately a second around here is a lot of time and our position is not much of an improvement. There are some parts of the track that are pretty good and other sections where I'm kind of in between gears so we obviously need to look at the transmission tonight and put it all together a little better for tomorrow. We've got a lot of work to do but we're used to that! I'm running the number 22 on my helmet this weekend for a close friend of our family back in America, Nick Cummins, who got hurt in a dirt-track event recently. His Dad used to sponsor me when I was younger and I just want him and his family to know that we're with them and thinking about them, hoping things come right."
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GP of Holland - Free Practice - 25/06/2009
DE ANGELIS TAKES EARLY STEP FORWARD AT ASSEN
As is tradition the Dutch TT got underway a day earlier than other events on the MotoGP calendar today, with the opening free practice taking place on the final Thursday in June, ahead of Saturday's race. The session saw contrasting fortunes for the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team riders, with Alex de Angelis making an encouraging start to the weekend but Toni Elias struggling to find a set-up for the technical circuit.
With Randy de Puniet setting the fastest lap on board similar satellite machinery to De Angelis, the San Marinese also took advantage of the bike's apparent suitability to this circuit by consistently lapping at the top end of the time sheets before eventually dropping to eleventh in the late push for times. Elias was unable to find front-end stability or rear traction for his factory-spec RC212V and is preparing for a day of hard work tomorrow.
Alex De Angelis (11th; 1'38.495): "We did a good job at the Barcelona test and we havecarried some of the positive things through to here. It's nice to be just six tenths of a second from the top because it's the first time we've managed to be so close all season and it shows we're moving in the right direction. We still have a couple of little problems to fix but I was fast on a hard tyre as well today and that is encouraging. We have some ideas to try tomorrow, particularly in the first sector which is where I am losing most time at the moment, but I am positive because we are on the pace and still have room for improvement."
Toni Elias (15th 1'39.642): "This has been a bad day for us. I don't have any feeling on the front on the way into the corners and not enough rear traction on the way out. It has been the same story at every track we've been to. If there is a silver lining it's that we have had bad first days at other circuits and been able to turn it around with a lot of hard work, so that is exactly what we intend to try and do tomorrow. Hopefully we can work something out and at least get more or less closer to where we should be. "
Fausto Gresini - Team Manager: "We've worked to find a good setting with Alex and we still have to improve the stability of the bike in the corners because he is still not quite able to push it as much as he would like. Having said that he hasn't made a bad start and he's in there with a group that isn't far off the top riders. To have a satellite Honda in first place today certainly shows the potential of the bike! With Toni we seem to be going round in circles with the same problems so hopefully we can do a good job and find a breakthrough tomorrow"
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KALLIO THIRTEENTH IN THE FIRST DAY AT ASSEN: "THE MAXIMUM FOR A ROOKIE IN ONE HOUR". CANEPA EIGHTEENTH WITH BACKACHE
The first free practice at Assen has been with perfect track and temperature condition. Mika Kallio has concluded in thirteenth position, the maximum from his point of view for a rookie, just over a second and half from the first while his teammate, Niccolò Canepa, is in eighteenth position. A lot of work has to be done by the Pramac Racing team to allow the two riders to sensibly improve tomorrow. Niccolò, after a few days of illness, isn't yet at the best physical conditions and suffer pain at his back that shouldn't anyway compromise his performances during the racing weekend.
Fabiano Sterlacchini - Pramac Racing Technical Director
"We are reducing our first free practice session gap from the firsts and this is an important sign for us. We are following the solution found during Barcelona test and Mika is really trustful. As always in the second day of work of each Grand Prix, with more time at our disposal, we will find the right balance of the bike to allow Mika to result faster."
Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing rider - 13th in 1'39.464
"It's not fair this way. In the first day of work in every race we start too behind compared to the riders that have already ridden in MotoGP on that track the year before. If we would have two hours at our disposal, like last season, things would be different, but we must take it the way it is. It seems simple but it's not easy to find the best lines to follow at each track. I don't want to be polemical but I wanted to make it clear: our potential, as we demonstrated in other occasions, is much better than the thirteenth place. Anyway compare to other first days of free practice things have gotten better and this gives us a lot of trust. In addition I missed the possibility of another lap for a couple of seconds otherwise I am convinced that we could have already improved our best lap time."
Niccolò Canepa - Pramac Racing rider - 18th in 1'41.020
"As soon as I concluded free practice I went to the mobile clinic because I had a lot of pain at my back. It's been a couple of days that I have backache, but I am sure that this will not compromise my performances on track. Today we didn't start in the best way due to some technical problems that didn't allow us to do what we have planned in the first half of the session. We have to understand what happened to be at the best in the next two days of work. We have tried to solve the problems in the last minutes but at that time there weren't so much time left."
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POSITIVE START FOR REPSOL HONDA TEAM AT ASSEN
The Repsol Honda Team riders opened their accounts for the Dutch TT weekend at Assen today with fifth and sixth places in a tightly contested hour of free practice. With only 0.6s separating the top 10 places, this was one of the closest sessions of the 2009 season so far and bodes well for another exciting MotoGP race.
Both Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa were riding with the latest developments to the Honda RC212V, and spent time evaluating the modified chassis first seen at the Catalunya round two weeks ago. With a string of fast laps towards the end of the session, Dovizioso moved up to third place before being relegated to fifth in the closing moments.
Pedrosa topped the timesheets twice during the session as he narrowed down his set-up options ahead of the 26-lap race on Saturday. Though he finished up in sixth position, the 23-year-old rider from Barcelona, Spain, rode without hindrance from his recovering hip injury and looks in good shape to have a competitive weekend.
Randy de Puniet finished today's session in first place for the LCR Honda squad, setting a late lap of 1m 37.842s on his satellite RC212V. Today's single session was held in warm dry conditions, but with rain forecast for Assen on Saturday, the MotoGP paddock will once again be looking at skies come race day.
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO - 5th 1m 38.092s
"The final result from the session was pretty reasonable - 5th place and two tenths from the front is a decent start. We'll be looking to make some more improvements tomorrow though because I'm not totally satisfied with how the practice went and we struggled a little to find a good feeling with the bike, in particular under braking and on corner entry. Now we'll analyse the data and come up with a plan for tomorrow, possibly working with the weight distribution to improve the set-up. It was actually quite a difficult practice session for me because I wasn't feeling too well, so I'll get checked out at the Clinica Mobile and be ready for tomorrow."
DANI PEDROSA - 6th 1m 38.194s
"Riding felt much better today than it did at the last race in Barcelona which is a positive sign. Even without any painkilling injection I was able to ride with quite a good pace this afternoon so I'm very happy about that. Now, after riding, it doesn't feel great and I have some pain, but that's to be expected. With some ice on it and some rest tonight, I'm expecting to feel in good shape for tomorrow's sessions. The feeling with the new chassis is good and I immediately felt much more comfortable than in Barcelona. I still need to learn more about the new chassis, but the initial feeling is positive, with improvements under braking and stability. Obviously, I need to do more laps to better understand its performance so we'll continue with that tomorrow."
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