Grand Prix of Valencia

FREE PRACTICE REPORT - 24/10/2008

Lorenzo in fast form in rainy return to Spain

Jorge Lorenzo made a return to home soil in Valencia today but it was a somewhat rainy homecoming for the 21-year-old as the final race of the season got underway. The Fiat Yamaha rider formed a bright spot in the gloom however as his M1 is carrying a special paint job for this race, incorporating the national flag of each of the 14 countries in which he has won during his world championship career.

This morning's first free practice session was run in very heavy rain but Lorenzo made a good start and was third fastest. This afternoon, in slightly drier conditions, he made more progress with the wet setting of his Yamaha and his Michelin rain tyres and was once again third fastest. With today's weather looking a possibility for tomorrow as well, the rookie and his crew will be looking to continue improvements, especially to the front-end of his bike, in order to maximise their potential before qualifying.

Lorenzo's world champion team-mate Valentino Rossi was unhurt in a low-speed crash this afternoon and finished just behind Lorenzo in fourth, with Nicky Hayden leading the way.
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rd Time: 1'45.959 Laps: 39
"It's a pity to be coming to Spain in the rain but anyway we made a good start today and I am quite happy. This morning was very wet and it was quite difficult to ride, but this afternoon the conditions were a bit better and I was able to be quite a lot faster and also do some good work on the set-up of my bike. My Michelin tyres are working well in the rain and I think we can make some more progress tomorrow if it's like this again, although of course I hope for sunshine! It's nice to be back in Europe but it's very busy for a Spanish rider at Spanish race and I have to have a lot of time for everybody! I have a special livery on my bike, which I like very much; it has the flags of all the countries where I have won and was designed by a member of the public in an Italian competition. It's all of 'Lorenzo's Lands'!"
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
"This has been a positive and useful day for us. We found a good base to work from in the wet and the bike and our Michelin tyres are working well so far. We need to improve some areas for tomorrow, especially in the front end, and so we will work on refining this setting if this weather continues. Of course we hope for a dry session before the race so we can be prepared for all conditions!!"
Rossi fourth on rainy opening day in Valencia
The traditional MotoGP season finale got underway in Valencia today in miserable weather conditions, with rain falling throughout the day. World Champion Valentino Rossi, chasing his tenth win of the season, was fourth overall despite a slip-off in this afternoon's second free practice session.

This morning's session was run in very heavy rain and cool temperatures, and Rossi completed just eight laps of the 4km circuit. The afternoon saw the rain ease off somewhat however and the Italian and his crew were able to make more headway with their wet-weather set-up, completing 21 laps and finishing the session fourth fastest. Rossi was luckily unhurt when he lost the rear at the last corner and slid into the gravel in the first half of the session and was able to remount and continue work on his second machine.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 4th Time: 1'46.070 Laps: 29
"Today was a difficult day because this track is quite bad when it's wet and cold like this - the asphalt really doesn't give enough grip. This morning I went out just when it started to get really heavy and so I wasn't able to do any good laps, but this afternoon was better. In fact I felt good and I was quite fast with the Bridgestone wet tyres, so I think we have good potential if the conditions are like this again. Unfortunately I had a small crash at the last corner when I made a mistake and lost the rear, but I wasn't hurt at all and I was able to go back out with a slightly harder tyre and continue to work. Anyway, we were fourth finally and I am quite happy although we can be faster. Now we have to wait and see the weather for tomorrow."
Davide Brivio - Team Manager
"This morning the rain was very heavy and we only made a few laps. This afternoon it was better weather so that's when we really started working, in what were reasonably wet but not soaking conditions. Things weren't so bad and Valentino was up there with the fastest riders, but we definitely have a bit more work to do. He had a small crash when he lost rear grip at the last corner and slid off, but it was very slow and he wasn't hurt. It seems that it's likely that this weather is going to continue, unfortunately, so now we need to put together all the information we gathered today and continue to improve things tomorrow."
Tech 3 Yamaha looking to improve in Valencia
Cool and wet weather greeted the Tech 3 Yamaha team for the start of the final round of the 2008 MotoGP world
championship in Valencia today, with Colin Edwards and James Toseland ninth and 16th in tricky conditions.

After torrential rain had battered the Valencia circuit this morning, conditions improved slightly for this afternoon's
second session, though track conditions were still treacherously slippery as Edwards and Toseland began their
quest to end 2008 on a high note.

Sixth in the rain-lashed first session, weight distribution changes to his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine helped Edwards
climb as high as fourth under grey and gloomy but dry skies this afternoon. His best time of 1.47.314 eventually
saw him finish ninth overall, just over a second outside of the top three as the Texan attempts to claim a top six
world championship finish in Sunday's 30-lap race.

Today's inclement weather made it a challenging return to a circuit Toseland has vast experience on from his World
Superbike days. The British rider gradually built up his confidence in the slippery conditions to post the 11th best
time this morning. The 28-year-old was able to improve his lap time by 1.5s in the second session, though he had
to settle for 16th overall having encountered some issues with rear grip.

With forecasts predicting a repeat of the wet and cool conditions tomorrow, Toseland is confident planned overnight
changes to improve rear feel will help his bid to claim a top ten overall championship placing.

Colin Edwards - Position: 9th Time: 1'47.314 Laps: 38
"We started with the rain setting I used to back at Donington Park and it felt fine, but it uses quite a lot of weight on
the front. So we tweaked it to get some more weight on the rear tyre and I felt pretty good. I'm really happy with the
soft rain tyre that Michelin has got. This track is pretty tough to judge in the rain but with the softer tyre I'm
reasonably happy with my pace. I tried a couple of harder tyres and didn't have the same confidence, but the soft
tyre we are not sure if it will have the endurance for 30-laps if it rains on Sunday. I'm going to try and make some
more changes with the team overnight to get a bit more weight on the rear to see if we can just to get a bit more
confidence. This track in the rain is really tough and conditions were quite difficult. It is a weird feeling because you
can't really push like you can in wet conditions on other tracks. Normally you can get the front and the rear moving
and you're feeling for grip, but here it is all or nothing. You can't spin the rear and feel what its doing on this track.
You've either got grip or you haven't and you don't get a lot of warning when there is no grip as we saw with a few
guys crashing out. There is still a lot to fight for on Sunday so I'm reasonably happy with progress today."

James Toseland - Position: 16th Time: 1'48.771 Laps: 41
"It was a tough day and we've got to find something to improve because the forecasts are for more rain tomorrow,
and I need to find a bit more from the bike. I just didn't have a very good feeling and I'm not happy, but I've got
some ideas. In those greasy conditions I just haven't got enough feel from the rear and we need to find a lot more
contact with the rear tyre. It feels a bit like riding around on eggshells at the moment. I'm not too far away but I've
definitely got to make a step with the direction I think will work. I just need more weight on the rear to give me more
confidence. This track is always tricky in the wet. When it is heavy rain, everybody has a respect for the place
because they know how easy it is to get caught out. But when it is drying out, it doesn't give more grip, even though
there is less water on the surface. People get sucked into thinking they can go faster and you don't get any warning
before you get a big slide. This wasn't the start I wanted with tenth place in the championship to battle for on
Sunday, but I'm confident we can make some big improvements."


Free Practice

Pos., Rider, Manu., Nat., Total Time

1, Nicky Hayden, Honda, USA, 1'45.777
2, Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, ESP, 1'45.864
3, Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha, ESP, 1'45.959
4, Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, ITA, 1'46.070
5, Casey Stoner, Ducati, AUS, 1'46.260
6, Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, ITA, 1'46.522
7, Randy De Puniet, Honda, FRA, 1'46.807
8, Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati, FRA, 1'47.055
9, Colin Edwards, Yamaha, USA, 1'47.314
10, Shinya Nakano, Honda, JPN, 1'47.483
11, Chris Vermeulen, Suzuki, AUS, 1'47.620
12, Alex De Angelis, Honda, SMR, 1'48.015
13, Marco Melandri, Ducati, ITA, 1'48.437
14, John Hopkins, Kawasaki, USA, 1'48.469
15, Anthony West, Kawasaki, AUS, 1'48.504
16, James Toseland, Yamaha, GBR, 1'48.771
17, Loris Capirossi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'49.092
18, Toni Elias, Ducati, ESP, 1'51.871