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The action began today at the
Brno Circuit in the Czech Republic for this weekend's Grand Prix
and the Kawasaki Racing Team looked strong from the outset.
Number 14 rider, Randy de Puniet, had an especially good day,
coming in fifth fastest on combined times after the two free
practice sessions. He performed particularly well in the second
session, holding his own at or near the top of the time sheets
for much of the hour, including holding off Casey Stoner and
John Hopkins for a number of laps. Eventually, he came home behind
them, Loris Capirossi and eventual fastest man, and the first
rider to use a qualifying tyre, Sylvain Guintoli.
During the traditional summer break after the US round at Laguna
Seca, de Puniet trained hard and, as a result, is fighting fit
and it shows. After being unable to work out to the maximum due
to injuries earlier in the season, the 26-year-old Frenchman
can now dedicate his time to maintaining ultimate fitness and
he has returned to Brno in great condition, with a renewed determination
to ride the 800cc Ninja ZX-RR to its full potential. And it certainly
looked that way today.
Anthony West also looked sharp, occupying the top ten for much
of the first hour-long session before slipping back as many of
the rest of the field picked up their pace at the last minute.
The afternoon practice proved harder work, however, as he struggled
to find a good rhythm and set up, having particular problems
finding grip on the cold Brno track surface.
The Australian, who was 26 last month, has also been in training
and, like his team mate, is showing continued improvements in
both his physical health and mental approach to his racing. West
has adopted a rigorous and unforgiving fitness regime and is
already reaping the benefits of feeling stronger on the bike.
Furthermore, with the official team colour back to the traditional
Kawasaki lime green, the manufacturer has reaffirmed its strong
presence in the paddock after fans asked for the return of the
brand-defining livery.
Despite being overcast today, the forecast is good for the weekend
and, as always, many thousands of fans are expected to watch
from the hills and grandstands surrounding the picturesque, 5.4km
track.
Randy de Puniet - #14 - 5th - Best Lap 1'59.064
"I'm very happy to be here and on the bike after the long
break. This morning was strange because some parts of the track
were wet and some were dry but this afternoon the track was good
and the temperature wasn't so high. We worked mainly on the tyres
and suspension and, generally, I'm happy with my bike. I did
a long run of maybe eight or nine laps, and my times were consistent
and fast, but we need to improve things a little bit. I'm sure
we will find some solutions this evening on how to get my lap
times even better and maintain this standard during the practice
tomorrow."
Anthony West - #13 - 15th - Best Lap 2'00.398
"I haven't managed to find a good feeling on the bike today,
for a number of reasons. The track temperature today was not
really what we were expecting it to be at Brno in August, and
this meant we've had some rear traction problems that will hopefully
disappear once the track warms up tomorrow. We've made some improvements
to the set-up of the bike during the two hours of practice, and
in the final ten minutes the feeling was definitely better, although
we still have some work to do. Overall it was difficult to go
fast today, but I'm confident that we'll be able to improve tomorrow.
We need to continue refining our set-up and I need to perfect
my lines around certain parts of the track, if we can achieve
this then I know we can finish higher up the order than we were
today."
Yoshimoto Matsuda - Kawasaki MotoGP Project Leader
"Our development programme has continued during the winter
break, with the result that we now have more usable revs, which
obviously means more top end power, for this race. Also, the
clutch we are using this weekend is a new development, as is
the chassis, both of which Randy used to good effect today after
finding a good set-up on the bike. Anthony looks to have struggled
a little today, but this is a new track for him on the MotoGP
bike, and we know how to improve his set-up for tomorrow, so
I think we will see an improvement from him. Today was a good
start, not just to the Brno race, but also to the second part
of the season." |
