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Casey Stoner 2010 Ducati
Diecast model of the 2010 Ducati Desmosedici GP10 of Casey Stoner. This 1:10 model is a valuable piece of MotoGP history, being the bike Stoner last ridden before his switch to Honda.
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2007-09-24 Motegi test - day 1 times and claims
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 After excitement and for some of top teams dissapointment of Japanese Grand Prix, 8 riders stayed for extra day of testing in Motegi - Both Fiat Yamaha riders, two Suzuki riders, one Repsol Honda rider and Kawasaki test rider. The conditions were considerably cooler than the 30+ degree heat experienced on Friday and Saturday, but despite constant cloud cover only a few spots of rain fell today, in contrast to the wet conditions yesterday.
Chris Vermeulen, who had pretty bad race, was fastest of all riders in Motegi test. Colin Edwards was fastest Yamaha rider on test, doing tyre testing for Michelin. Rossi had the chance to try two new prototype chassis for the 2008 YZR-M1, although he continued to use the latest evolution engine, the same as he ran in Sunday’s race, setting 4th time of the test.
Nicky Hayden was only Repsol Honda rider on the test, as Dani Pedrosa has gone to further medical examinations after nasty crash in race. Hayden set third fastest time of the test while testing new Michelin tyres. The Repsol Honda Team returns tomorrow for another day at Motegi before MotoGP takes a two weekend break ahead of the Australian GP which takes place on October 14.
Colin Edwards, Position: 2nd, Time: 1:47.947
Today was a pretty good day after what happened yesterday. We tested a new front tyre that I am really happy with and a couple of different rears. I think Michelin brought some good new material here and it’s been encouraging to have the chance to try it out with the last three races in mind. We were so focused on the tyres today that we didn’t touch the bike at all. It seems that the stuff we tried was pretty good, so I am much more confident for the next races. Now we go to Australia and the Yamaha seems to always work good there, so I look forward to getting on board again at one of my favourite tracks and getting some results.
Nicky Hayden Best lap time: 1:48.065 – 86 laps
Looking back to yesterday I felt like if things had gone differently we could have had a much better result, so the only thing to do is come back here today and go to work. We spent time this morning checking some settings and testing a few modifications from HRC. We also tested some tyres for Michelin – both front and rear – in particular looking to help with the grip and performance in the first few laps so that they come in a bit quicker. That was a big part of the day with the tyres playing a huge role in things right now. We were lucky with the weather conditions today because it looked a little bit threatening and it definitely wasn’t a day to be at the beach. A few times I got a little bit of mist on the visor but we were able to get quite a lot done.
Valentino Rossi, Position: 4th, Time: 1:48.213
Today we made the very first test with the first prototype of next year’s M1. It is not a completely new bike, because the engine is the same as we used yesterday in race, but we tested two different chassis. We used the same engine of yesterday in order to be able to better judge any improvement. One chassis was stiffer than the other and with the stiffer one I felt some vibration, but with the intermediate one my feeling was really very good. Of course this is the first step, but with that in mind it was a pretty good test. Now we must work on the engine for next year. After the last race in Valencia we will test the chassis again, and also a different engine, so I look forward to seeing it there. Today we also tested some new material from Michelin and did some good work, especially with a new front tyre, which gives me a very good feeling.
Finally, we were also able to understand the problem we had yesterday with the front tyre. It seems that the problem was the temperature; when I re-entered the track after the change the pit-lane was still wet and the temperature of the front tyre dropped drastically. That’s why Colin and I could not ride the bike in the very first laps; we both had the same problem. Now we go to Australia and I am confident we will be competitive there and that we can finish the championship in the best possible way.
Unofficial test times - Motegi
1. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1'47.894
2. Colin Edwards (USA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'47.947
3. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team 1'48.065
4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 1'48.213
5. K Akiyoshi (JPN) Suzuki 1'49.09
6. A Yanagawa (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team 1'50.229
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