2006 MotoGP - PORTUGESE GP

R16, OCT 15, 2006 - ESTORIL, PORTUGAL

• Davide Brivio (YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR): "The championship is now in its final, vital stage and it's important that we don't lose focus ... Our target for Estoril is to continue in the same way as at the last few races and arrive at the last round in a position to fight for the championship there. Estoril is going to be very important because we need to try to close the gap as much as possible to put us in the best position to win in Valencia.
• McCOY RETURNS WITH ILMOR - Gary McCoy is back in MotoGP as a wildcard rider with the new Ilmer 800cc bike.

RACE   (TOP OF PAGE)

RACE RESULT
1 Toni Elias Honda ESP 2 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA +0.002S 3 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA +0.17 4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 5 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 7 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 8 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 9 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 10 R de Puniet Kawasaki 11 Hofmann 12 Capirossi 13Ellison 14 Cardoso DNF: HAYDEN, PEDROSA, STONER, GIBERNAU
RACE RESULT	RACE RESULT
Dovizioso Aoyama H De Angelis Locatelli Lorenzo Takahashi Simoncelli Guintoli West Barbera	1 A Bautista Aprilia 2 H Faubel Aprilia +15 s 3 M Kallio KTM +15.1

RACE REPORT - YAMAHA: ROSSI - 2ND, EDWARDS 4TH(TOP OF PAGE)

• A fantastic team effort from Yamaha today saw Valentino Rossi take the lead in the MotoGP World Championship by eight points ahead of the final round of the season at Valencia, after taking second place in a race that saw Nicky Hayden (Honda) dramatically crash out at Estoril. Rossi missed out on victory by just 0.002 seconds after a photo finish with Toni Elias (Honda), the Spanish youngster slipstreaming the Italian to the line to take his maiden success in the class. Nevertheless the 20-point haul means that second place for Rossi at the final race in two weeks’ time will be enough for the title, regardless of who wins.
• Colin Edwards also played a crucial role for the team today, turning in one of his best performances this season to battle with the lead group throughout the race before being forced to settle for fourth in that breathtaking finale. The Texan got a great start from the front row of the grid and fulfilled his promise to help out Rossi for the opening laps, protecting his team-mate from the attentions of Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Hayden. Whilst Rossi tried to escape at the front, a pass by Edwards on Pedrosa for second place on lap three proved critical, as the Spaniard then became involved in a tussle with his own team-mate Hayden before sensationally colliding into the American to send them both tumbling into the gravel. Rossi and Edwards looked set for a one-two finish, mirroring their qualifying result, but a late charge from Elias, who was followed by Kenny Roberts JR (Team KR) put paid to those hopes as the top four crossed the line separated by just 0.864 seconds.
• VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd,+0.002) “I’m really happy to be finally leading the championship; this is the most important thing for today, even if I am disappointed not to have won! I made a good start and was in front after turn one, but I knew that my pace wasn’t as fast as yesterday, because it was about ten degrees colder and this gave us some problems. When I saw that Colin was behind me this made me quite relaxed because I knew he would help me as much as he could. He rode a great race and I have to say a big thank you to him, I am so sad that he’s not on the podium with me today. It was a very hard race for me and I had to push all the way because Kenny, Toni and Colin were very fast too. Going into the last chicane I knew I had to come out in front, but then Toni was just a little bit faster than me to the line. Well done to him for his first win, he really rode a hard race today! Now we have two weeks until the final showdown, so we need to relax and stay focused and try to do another weekend like this in Valencia! Once again of course I need to thank my team and everyone involved, I think we’ve really shown today that we have real ‘team spirit’ at Yamaha and Colin and I are really lucky to be able to race in a team like this.”
• COLIN EDWARDS (4th, + 0.864) “I got a decent start and just tried to help Valentino out, holding the other guys up where I could because in practice our pace was around the 1’37.9 mark so I thought if I could hold it at 1’38.5 he might be able get away. My plan was to put the hammer down once he’d gone and hopefully shake off the rest of the guys to seal up second place but Valentino couldn’t quite match his practice pace and we were just hanging behind him. It was a real scrap out there at the end and to be honest I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t make it onto the podium because we had the pace all weekend, the guys have done a brilliant job with the bike and I wanted to give them something to celebrate. Anyway, as a team things couldn’t have worked out much better so it’s been a very satisfactory weekend for us and now we’ll aim to go out on an even bigger high in Valencia.”
• DAVIDE BRIVIO, CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR “Our main target throughout the second half of the season was to arrive in Valencia with the championship still possible and we have done that so we are very pleased. We are delighted that Colin was able to get back to the kind of pace he is capable of this weekend and it couldn’t have come at a better time because he played a brilliant role and showed what a great team player he is. The two riders have a great relationship with each other and that team ethic runs throughout the staff. Today was a perfect example of why that is so important. Now we have to keep doing what we have done since Brno for one more race. Personally I wish it was tomorrow but we’ve got two weeks to wait so we will have to just use this time as best we can and make sure we are ready to try and win the title at Valencia.”

RACE REPORT - HONDA   (TOP OF PAGE) ELIAS 1ST, STONER DNF, HAYDEN DNF, PEDROSA DNF

• Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 1st. "It's incredible, I can't believe it. I am really happy. It was a very hard race, really hard. I made a good start and over the first few laps felt very comfortable on the bike. I was behind Colin and realised that he was holding me up, so I pushed hard to get past him. I pushed until I closed up on Valentino and then passed him to lead a MotoGP race for the very first time. The next lap I made three errors all at once and I decided not to risk too much by trying to get past him again at that stage. I felt very comfortable at the first corner all race and was able to out-break people and so I did not want to let the opportunity pass on the final lap. At no time did I give up, that's my riding style. I want to thank the team for the great job they have done and thank all the fans that came to see the race."
• This epic MotoGP race will be remembered as much for a stunning maiden victory for Toni Elias (Fortuna Honda RC211V) as it will for the misery suffered by the Repsol Honda Team – Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) crashed taking out team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) as he tumbled. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was second, Kenny Roberts (Roberts KR211V) third.
• A race of high drama played out in front of a 41,000 crowd, with overcast skies and a track temperature of 26-degrees and an ambient 20-degrees. Rossi hit the front from the lights followed by his team-mate Colin Edwards with Dani and Nicky in close pursuit. Dani wasted no time disposing of Edwards for second while Nicky rode around the outside of the Yamaha man at turn one on the next lap.
• Casey Stoner (LCR Honda RC211V) crashed on lap two taking down Sete Gibernau (Ducati) with him, while Edwards re-passed Hayden for third and then retook Pedrosa for second on lap three. Rossi meanwhile put in an early fastest lap of 1m 39.019s. The race was hotting up.
• Roberts, making his way through the field from a fifth row start, showed he was right on the early pace with a fastest lap of 1m 38.4 seconds, while Hayden wanted to get on terms with the two front men and barged past Pedrosa for third.
• Then on lap five the incident that every team dreads unfolded. Dani outbraked himself at the same tight left turn where Nicky had passed him and lost the front end. Dani’s bike skittled Nicky and the two hit the gravel – Dani’s race over, Nicky’s title hopes compromised by the crash.
• Toni Elias who had been fifth until the demise of the Repsol duo, was now third and working on Edwards for second. Roberts had now eased past Loris Capirossi (Ducati) for fourth setting another fastest lap of 1m 37.9s in the process.
• By mid-race distance Elias had secured second after a hard fight with Edwards and the Spanish star was now working on reducing the 1.1 second gap that Rossi held for the lead. By lap 19 of the scheduled 28 Tony was just 0.4 seconds adrift of Rossi and Roberts was shadowing Edwards who was still third.
• On lap 22 Elias swooped up the inside of Rossi on the brakes at turn one before the reigning Champion grabbed back the lead on the next lap at the uphill chicane. But Roberts had now taken Edwards and then he moved on Elias for second.
• On the penultimate lap Roberts made his bid for the lead at turn one and held onto it for the lap (Kenny would later reveal he miscounted the laps and expected to see the flag at the end of that lap). But on the final tour of Estoril’s 4.182km Elias made the same move from third place taking both Rossi and Roberts in one hit.
• Rossi stole second back from Roberts and then slipped past Elias at the final chicane – but Toni held his ground and kept the power down on the outside and as the pair rounded the Parabolica onto the finish straight, Elias slipped out of Rossi’s draft to win by two thousandths of a second.
• The World Championship has now swung in Rossi’s favour. The Italian has 244 points to Hayden’s 236 with the final round to be played out in Valencia in two weeks time.
• Elias said, “That was perfect. All weekend I had been having big problems and now I have this incredible moment. I got a good start and when Stoner crashed out and then Dani and Nicky I was on the leaders and thought I could get a podium. Then I saw that Vale was only faster in some parts and I saw an opportunity that I had to take. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me… Honda, Michelin, Fortuna, my fans… everyone.”
• Roberts said, “We’d improved quite a bit from Japan and I knew if I got a good start I’d be OK, but I didn’t want to be taking anyone out so I tried to get past Rossi on the last lap. But I miscalculated and when I crossed the line I thought I’d see the chequered flag – but there was one lap to go. I probably should have pulled this one out – but I won’t make the same mistake in Valencia – if I get the chance.”
• Makoto Tamada (Konica Minolta Honda RC211V) finished fifth and said, “During qualifying I found a good race set-up and in the warm-up I found a good rear tyre. The tyres worked well for the first half of the race then I had some understeer in the turns. So I didn’t force things and just kept my position.”
• “A difficult weekend,” said eighth-placed Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V). “It started badly with the Friday crash and we did a good job to get back from that but we couldn’t quite find what we needed. The bike was Ok but I never had quite enough grip to go fast. I tried to push but whenever I did I made a mistake. Eighth wasn’t bad under the circumstances and I’m still third in the World Championship. Well done to Toni, but I feel sorry for Nicky.”
• A dejected Nicky said, “It just hurts. I had a really hard race tyre on especially for the left-handers and I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt in the first few laps. I was a lot faster than Edwards and I felt I could go and see what Valentino had. I didn’t expect Dani to pull over and let me past but I didn’t expect him to do that. We’re professionals and Dani did come by my motorhome and we shook hands. I proved this weekend that I wasn’t going to give up without a fight and even now I believe I’m still pretty strong. The World Championship is still possible.”
• Dani said, “I made a mistake and I’m really sorry. It’s the first time I’ve hit another rider in my career. It’s never happened in six years and then now at the worst possible moment. I’m unhappy and so is Nicky and I just want to apologize. I wish I could change it. I braked and my rear wheel came off the ground and then when it came down again I got a little more speed and couldn’t stop the bike. I have a fractured finger but I should be OK for Valencia.”
• Stoner said, “I don’t know if I lost the rear in the middle of the corner. It seemed to slip a bit and as it came back it flicked out on me. All I remember is another bike hitting me pretty hard. I think Sete’s bike smashed into the lower part of my right leg, but nothing’s broken. I was waiting to make a move and didn’t get the chance.”

QUALIFYING   (TOP OF PAGE)

GRID

1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'36.200 2 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'36.478 3 Nicky Hayden Honda USA 1'36.549 4 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'36.569 5 Casey Stoner Honda AUS 1'36.702 6 John Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'36.790 7 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'36.790 8 Sete Gibernau Ducati ESP 1'36.940 9 Carlos Checa Yamaha ESP 1'37.107 10 Loris Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'37.182 11 Toni Elias Honda ESP 1'37.245 12 Chris Vermeulen Suzuki AUS 1'37.371 13 Kenny Roberts Team Robert KR USA 1'37.433 14 Makato Tamada Honda JPN 1'37.517 15 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'37.582 16 De Puniet 17 Ellison 18 Hofmann 19 Cardoso 20 McCoy

QUALIFYING REPORT - YAMAHA: ROSSI - POLE, EDWARDS 2ND (TOP OF PAGE)

• Camel Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards will start the Grand Prix of Portugal from the front two places on the grid tomorrow, after a sensational qualifying practice that saw the Italian seal his fourth pole of the season with a record time of 1'36.200. Edwards was just 0.278 seconds off the pace of his team-mate to equal his best qualifying position of the campaign ahead of what promises to be a mouth-watering penultimate round.
• Both riders worked hard on the race setting of their YZR-M1 machines throughout the day, building on positive recent tests at Motegi and an exhaustive first day of practice yesterday. In the morning they were second and fifth fastest but the momentum grew in the afternoon when they both dipped under the 1'38 mark on race rubber before launching their grid attack in an exciting climax to the session, Rossi setting his definitive pole time on the last of three impressive efforts.
• Tomorrow's race, which gets underway at 1pm local time (CET -1), will see the reigning World Champion aim to reduce a 12-point deficit to series leader Nicky Hayden, who clinched the final front row spot in third place, before the final round of the season at Valencia in two weeks' time.
• Valentino Rossi (1st - 1'36.200; 27 laps) "With the championship as it is now I think it was fundamental to be on pole position today and for Colin to qualify second is perfect - I am really pleased for him and all his guys. We've worked hard this weekend because the right setting was quite difficult to find and all the team had to give 100% so I'm really thankful to them and to Michelin for a great tyre. Of course the important thing is tomorrow and with Hayden on the front row with us it looks like it will be a great battle for the victory. There are a lot of other riders with good pace too but for now I'm really happy with the pole position. My first two qualifying laps were quite good but the last one was unbelievable - it is so much fun to ride the M1 when it's working so well like this. Hopefully the weather will stay like this tomorrow and we can have a good show for everybody."
• Colin Edwards (2nd - 1'36.478; 27 laps) "It's a fantastic feeling to be back on the front row and running with consistent times that we know can make us competitive in the race. Hats off to my team and to Michelin as well, because we had a lot of help from them today. After Motegi we stayed and tested and finally figured out the little piece of the puzzle that has been missing all year. Now the bike feels easy to ride - I can push it to the limit, even go over the limit, and I don't know how to thank the guys enough. Personally I feel good and feel that I'm riding great. Tomorrow looks like it's going to be really interesting so hopefully I can play my part for the team and we'll see what happens."
• Davide Brivio - Camel Yamaha Team Director "It was a perfect end to the session for us and a perfect way to start the race tomorrow! To have Valentino and Colin start first and second at such a crucial moment in the season is very important. It's great for us to see Colin back on the front row and so happy on the bike. It's also encouraging to see that we're making progress with the bike, even at this stage of the championship. It's fantastic that Valentino is on pole and in such good shape for these last two battles. But it is only Saturday and now we have to focus on tomorrow and hope for an equally good day."
• Tech 3 Yamaha Team storm into top 10 after sensational qualifying
• With a positive opening day as a springboard for today's one-hour qualifying session, the Tech 3 Yamaha Team, led by Carlos Checa, continued the encouraging performance of the weekend as he grabbed a top 10 spot on the grid claiming ninth fastest time to start tomorrow's Gran Premio de Portugal at the Estoril circuit from the third row of the grid. His lap time was less than a second off pole-sitter and fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi who is attempting to defend his world champion status in the 28-lap race. With just 10 minutes remaining of the session Carlos astounded the MotoGP paddock as he was second fastest taking over a second off his time from yesterday to confirm the on-going improvements of the Dunlop tyres and the factory Yamaha combination at a track where side-grip is so very important. With these two days now behind them, the team is confident that Carlos can score his best result of the year and help celebrate the Cataluyan's 34th birthday tomorrow. The second Tech 3 Yamaha pilot, James Ellison also improved taking nearly two seconds of his fastest lap from yesterday and will start from 17th position on the grid but unfortunately was pushed off the track after another rider came underneath him in the closing stages of the session causing him to crash and thus negate any further chance of moving up the grid.
• Carlos Checa (9th, 1'37.107, 28 laps) "It was a very positive day because we improved a lot with our race tyre and of course the track has improved in grip as well but we have made some good steps. We have found a good tyre for tomorrow after I had some concerns about warming the left hand side of the tyre and grip on that side but we have found a combination of tyre that we don't lose anything on the right side so this automatically gives me more confidence. With qualifying I had some chatter but we tried a different wheel size with the same tyre and we improved more than one second which for us is good. It was not enough to be in the top spot but I am quite satisfied with our procedure, our work and the structure of the tyre area for this race and gives us much more confidence for tomorrow. We have been moving step by step so we are improving time and again. Finally I couldn't improve anymore but at the end of the day we have had some very good information so I think for the next race we will be more effective in qualifying but for tomorrow I hope we can get the best result of the year."
• James Ellison (17th 1'38.810, 26 laps)
• "We improved again as I took two seconds off my time but I was hoping for a little bit more with another half a second. With the bike at the moment I feel I'm on the limit all the time but I don't think I pushed hard enough. I'm not entirely happy but not too disappointed either. Then to finish off the session I had a bit of an incident. There were a lot of guys going slow and I moved to keep out of the way but John (Hopkins) came around and he had to hit the brakes really hard getting out of shape to miss everyone and his handlebar hit me pushing me into the gravel and that was it. If it was anyone's fault it was all the guys going slow spread out over the track but at least it was right at the end of the session so I didn't lose too much. I'm ok and John came to apologise but really it wasn't his fault. Just one of those things and it was only cosmetic damage to the bike and I'm ok so no problem. I'm feeling pretty good for tomorrow as we can run a low 1'39 on race tyres so I'm fairly happy with that. Ive looked at the times and the guys that we should be up against, Chris (Vermeulen) and Randy (De Puniet), they're doing the same sort of times on race tyres so we just need a good start to get away with everybody - if it's dry. Chances are it's going to be wet tomorrow so we'll have to wait and see. If that's the case it's going to turn into a gamble for everybody."
• Herve Poncharal - Tech 3 Yamaha Team Director
• "We have had a fantastic day today but what is really worrying me is the weather forecast for tomorrow as it is supposed to be showers so it could be the same scenario like we had at Philip Island. That was also after such a good qualifying where we were sixth fastest, but we can't do anything about the weather. We have had a very positive weekend so far and it was so good to happen here because we were very sceptical after Japan and as I said yesterday we are back to where we were in Phillip Island. Carlos is very happy and I think the Yamaha/Dunlop package is working very well here as qualifying was very satisfactory and the third row is good enough for us. Also I think we have a good pace with the race tyre and providing we can get a good start I know we can stay with the lead group. Dunlop is looking good here and Carlos is very strong here and very motivated. James has also been improving a lot. Yesterday morning was a disaster but since then he has improved and his lap time is very decent. I'm sorry that he was taken out and he had a fall. Everybody knows that we are trying to finalise our collaboration for next year at the end of this race so I hope a good result will push the reason to allow Carlos to stay with us."

QUALIFYING REPORT - HONDA   (TOP OF PAGE) STONER 5TH, HAYDEN 3RD, PEDROSA 4TH

• Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda,3rd: “On my second qualifier I had a good lap going , that Michelin was a little bit softer , and it felt pretty good, but I got into turn six a little deep and went straight on. So on my last qualifying lap I felt a bit of heat because I knew I couldn’t afford to just completely let it hang out , I had to get in a good solid lap to try to get on the front row. For that lap I went back to the tyre I knew, which was a medium qualifier, and it felt good , I got in a decent lap. I’d hoped to have gone a little bit faster but this is definitely the best my bike has felt for a few races and I’m enjoying riding more this weekend than I have in a while. Tomorrow’s race is going to be a shoot-out and I think all the fans at home should get ready for it and take the phones off the hook because it’s gonna be a good one.”
• Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda, 4th: “We did another good practice today and we were able to put in some quick lap times on race tyres. After qualifying we are at the front of the second row and this is a pretty good position to be in. I had some traffic in qualifying which meant I couldn’t set my fastest lap, but this is normal sometimes. I think the last time I had traffic in qualifying was at Barcelona so I can’t complain about it. I appreciate that Casey came to the garage to say that he made a mistake and to apologise to me, so everything is fine. The race is very long so we’ll have to take care with the tyre choice , we still have to make the final decision. I’ll be looking for a good start tomorrow and to fight at the front.”
• Casey Stoner, LCR Honda:5th “I made an honest mistake and I went to Dani and apologised but I still got fined USD$1,000 and I think it is very unfair. I know what I did wrong -- I just didn’t think Dani and the other riders would catch me so fast on my slow down lap. I’ve never been charged for any bad riding in the past and now, after just one mistake, I get a fine. Apart from this, everything else has been going very well, we’ve just made small changes to the bike and I’m very comfortable at this track. I’ve come here with a relaxed attitude and feeling no pressure.”
• Toni Elias, Fortuna Honda: 11th. "I'm not happy with 11th but it has been a positive day. My feeling with the bike has improved, the team has done a good job. I need a good start tomorrow and recover some positions as quickly as possible. I'm confident that I can do that because I like this track a lot."
• Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR Honda:13th: There's nothing to say, really. I tried three qualifying tyres, and none of them worked for me. I made some mistakes, or I'd run in to traffic or something. I'd be happy about my pace on race tyres, if I wasn't 13th. I've got to get a good start.
• Makoto Tamada, Konica Minolta Honda: 14th. "I didn't do very well on the qualifying tyres I used today. On race tyres I'm not so bad I changed the front and rear suspension and it was an improvement and I could run 1m 38s on race set up but I should have been faster on the qualifying tyres. I need a good start tomorrow."
• Marco Melandri, Fortuna Honda: 15th. "After my crash of yesterday I feel a lot better than I thought I would. My knee hurts but only in the left handed corners. But that is not the problem the team are trying different set up ideas and tyres trying to make up for the hour of practice I missed because of the crash. Basically I don't have enough grip to ride smoothly. Tomorrow I hope to improve the bike and my feeling while riding. In the race I will not lack motivation and determination to do well."

FRI PRAC, OCT 13, 2006

1 CASEY Stoner (Aus) Honda 1m 38.218s\ 2 NICKY Hayden (USA) Honda 3 KENNY Roberts Jr (USA) KR211V 4 C Checa (Sp) Yamaha 5 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda 6 C Edwards (USA) Yamaha 7 S Gibernau (Sp) Ducati 8 V Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 9 J Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 10 S Nakano (Jpn) Kawasaki 11 Elias 1m39.21 12 Vermeulen 13 Capirossi 14 De Puniet 15 Tamada 16 Ellison 17 Hofmann 18 McCoy, ILMOR 800 19 Cardoso

FRIDAY REPORT - MOTOGP - DORNA 

• As the MotoGP riders took to the track at Estoril this morning for the penultimate set of free practice sessions this season, the hype surrounding Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi’s championship fight was at a frenzy. However, it was the young winner of last year’s 250cc race who showed that, with the phenomenal level of talent in MotoGP, a straight battle can never be guaranteed.
• Things appeared to be going as per the script when Valentino Rossi topped the leaderboard this morning in the opening session, at a track where he is a firm favourite and a four-time winner in MotoGP. Times were slow for all riders as they adjusted to the new asphalt on parts of the track, although by the second session they were soon notching up the expected speeds.
• However eventually it was Stoner who completed day one of practices for the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal at the top of the timesheets, after putting in the fastest lap of the day in the final session.
• The Australian’s 1’38.218 lap put him ahead of championship leader Nicky Hayden, who would benefit from a front row start as he looks to seal his first World Championship. Impressive rides from both Kenny Roberts Jr. and Carlos Checa brought them behind the two Honda riders.
• Dani Pedrosa, Colin Edwards and Sete Gibernau all improved on their morning times to put themselves ahead of Rossi, who dropped down the combined classification into eighth position.
• John Hopkins and Shinya Nakano were the other riders in the top ten, whilst Marco Melandri suffered an early crash and was taken to the medical centre. The Fortuna Honda rider was treated for a contusion of the left knee and given a precautionary scan at a local hospital, although he should be ready to take to the track tomorrow for the opening practice.
• The Ilmor team were hoping to kick off their MotoGP challenge with a bang, and Garry McCoy fulfilled their wishes as he impressed on their first outing in the series. Despite being around 25km/h down on the straights the Australian and his new 800cc machine finished the day in 19th spot ahead of MotoGP regular Jose Luis Cardoso on the Ducati.

FRIDAY REPORT - YAMAHA   (TOP OF PAGE) ROSSI 8TH, EDWARDS 6TH

• Camel Yamaha Team racers Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards began preparations for the Grand Prix of Portugal with an intense day of work on the set-up of their YZR-M1 machines at Estoril today. Dust and dirt lifted by recent modifications at the track made for slippery conditions in the morning, whilst warmer temperatures than those normally experienced here in the afternoon tempted the teams into experimenting with their race setting and made it a challenging day at the office for the riders.
• Rossi was the fastest rider out of the blocks in the opening session, the Italian’s best time of 1’39.398 leaving him two tenths clear of nearest challenger Loris Capirossi (Ducati), with Edwards less than a second adrift of his team-mate. The American, working off data gathered by Rossi at the recent Motegi test, slashed his times in the afternoon, although the Italian found progress more difficult to come by as he tried a variety of different set-up options ahead of tomorrow’s final free practice and qualifying sessions.
• The fastest lap of the day was set by Australian rookie Casey Stoner (Honda) with a time of 1’38.218, just 0.050 seconds ahead of series leader Nicky Hayden (Honda).
• COLIN EDWARDS (6th 1’38.779; 47 laps): “After we made such good progress at Motegi we just brought the same set-up here and pulled the bike off the truck this morning. However this track is quite different to Japan; there every corner is pretty much flat but here there are some banked turns, so we needed some time to understand how the setting from the Motegi test could translate and work for us here. Anyway we’ve definitely made progress throughout the day and we were much faster this afternoon than this morning, so we’re moving in the right direction. We need to sit down and talk about the next steps tonight, then with any luck we can come out fighting tomorrow morning with everything in place.”
• VALENTINO ROSSI (8th 1’38.826; 43 laps): “Today we’ve tried several different things with our bike, trying to find the best compromise for the track. In the morning we immediately went well and we were fast from the start. Then this afternoon we weren’t able to find the perfect tyre, so we need to do quite a lot more work in this area. Then we lost a bit of time because we had a problem with our first bike and so needed to set the second bike up quickly and so we only had time for three more laps before the session finished. I saw that Nicky was very quick so it’s definitely going to be hard this weekend! Anyway despite these problems it’s been a good start to the day overall and I am quite pleased. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow but I think it’s going to be a good fight!”
• DAVIDE BRIVIO, CAMEL YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR: “That was an interesting day to start off the weekend. Valentino started very well this morning and then in the afternoon we tried a different way with the setting of the bike. It was very interesting and helpful to compare the two sets of information and results , hopefully it will enable us to find the best setting tomorrow. Colin was also quite good today; we’re trying to use the good results from the Motegi test to help him find a comfortable setting here. It’s been a good day all round. Hopefully we can continue to make improvements with both Valentino and Colin tomorrow and make sure they are competitive for both the qualifying practice and the race.”

FRIDAY REPORT - KAWASAKI   (TOP OF PAGE) NAKANO 10TH, DE PUNIET 14TH

• A dusty track surface, and the resulting lack of grip, left Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano and Randy de Puniet down in tenth and fourteenth place respectively after today's opening day of practice at Estoril.
• While resurfacing work ahead of this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix has improved the notoriously bumpy Estoril circuit, the problem of windblown dust on the track surface remains, with both Kawasaki riders reporting a lack of rear grip throughout both of today's hour-long practice sessions.
• Despite the problems, Nakano remains confident that the base set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR will allow him to improve on both his lap time and his position tomorrow, once more laps on the circuit have started to clean off the surface.
• The dusty conditions also made evaluating revised suspension components difficult for the 29-year-old Kawasaki rider. Nakano did notice some improvement in the stability of his Ninja ZX-RR under heavy braking, which is important at Estoril, but he also feels there is more work to be done to improve the way the bike tracks through the faster turns.
• Randy de Puniet was also left looking for a solution to his rear grip problems after today's opening two practice sessions. The 25-year-old Frenchman was struggling for grip from the start this morning, with the rear of his Ninja ZX-RR spinning up under acceleration, losing him valuable time on every lap.
• Changes to the set-up of de Puniet's Ninja ZX-RR were made during both practice sessions to try and increase rear traction, but no significant improvement was forthcoming and, together with his crew, the Kawasaki pilot will need to look to the data for a solution ahead of tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions.
• Shinya Nakano: 10th - 1'39.161 "Track conditions were far from ideal today. The resurfacing work means there are fewer bumps than before, but the track is still very dusty, and this made it difficult to find the grip we need to assess our tyre options for Sunday's race. The lack of grip also makes it a little difficult to evaluate fully the revised suspension components we are running on my Ninja ZX-RR this weekend. Already I can feel an improvement in the stability of the bike under heavy braking - of which there is a lot here - we still need to refine the set-up further for the fast corners, as it was a struggle to get the bike turned at speed today. We know we have a good base setting, so I'm not so worried about my lap times today; when the track surface cleans off a little more tomorrow then I'm confident that the lap times will come."
• Randy de Puniet: 14th - 1'40.096 "Today was not so good for us. This morning we were struggling for rear grip, and the changes we made to our set-up for this afternoon's session didn't give us the improvement we were expecting. For sure, the track surface is still very dusty, but out of the turns the power seems to be coming in a little too hard, and the lack of grip means the rear is spinning up almost immediately. I know it's possible for me to go at least one second faster if I can get the rear to hook up out of the corners, so we need to come up with a solution for this problem ahead of tomorrow's practice and qualifying sessions. The track surface will also improve the more laps we do tomorrow, and this should, hopefully, make things a little easier for us."
• Naoya Kaneko: Technical Manager "While track conditions were obviously difficult today, it was the same for everyone, and we can see that some of our competitors are finding more grip than we are. Tomorrow we will try some changes to the suspension settings on both bikes, as well as different tyres from Bridgestone. With these changes I think it's possible to improve rear traction for both Shinya and Randy, and to close the gap on the riders who are at the top of the timesheet after today's opening two practice sessions."

FRIDAY REPORT - HONDA   (TOP OF PAGE) STONER 1ST, HAYDEN 3RD, PEDROSA 5TH

• LCR HONDA
• In sunny and warm autumn weather, Honda LCR rider Casey Stoner set a sizzling pace in today’s free practice in advance of Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix. Riding a Honda RC211V, Stoner posted the fastest time of the day to finish ahead of world championship leader and factory rider Nicky Hayden. Stoner’s best time 1’38.218 came during an impressive nine lap endurance run in the afternoon session.
• Following modifications to the Estoril circuit, Stoner’s time stands as a new, unofficial lap record with times from 2005 no longer valid. Refreshed by a two week break in Australia, Stoner is taking a “no pressure” approach to the final two races of the season, here at Estoril and in two weeks at the Valencia Grand Prix.
• CASEY: “I’ve taken some of the pressure off myself this weekend, and just concentrating on doing my job and not expecting anything special, and so far things are coming easier than in recent races - I haven’t been happy with those performances. Both the team and I are being very careful with the information on set-up -- we made a mistake in Japan and so far everything is going very well. The track was very dirty and slick today, although the new surface has taken away a lot of the bumps that were problem here. So the track is nicer to ride, but the grip is down. ”
• LUCIO: “Today’s performance by both Casey and the team provides a very good starting point for the next two days. The important point was that we worked very hard with both bikes, to quickly find a good set-up, although there are some small things to improve. Casey was very positive today, and very constant with his lap times -- and Michelin did a very good job with tyres.”
• REPSOL HONDA
• HAYDEN AND PEDROSA FAST ON FIRST DAY AT ESTORIL
• The Grand Prix of Portugal began today with the first day of practice ahead of Sunday’s race , a clash which promises to be crucial to the outcome of this year’s gripping title chase. Championship leader Nicky Hayden made a promising start, finishing the day with the second fastest time and establishing a good feeling from his evolution RC211V. The 25-year-old Repsol Honda star spent the two one-hour sessions near the top of the timesheets. His lap of 1m 38.268s was inside the existing lap record and just 0.050s behind the fastest time of the day set by Casey Stoner on the LCR Honda.
• Dani Pedrosa also had a good start to the weekend, quickly getting to grips with the Estoril circuit for the first time on a MotoGP bike and setting the fifth fastest time today. After two difficult races for the 20-year-old Spaniard who was battling against the injuries he picked up at the Grand Prix of Malaysia last month, Pedrosa looked to be back to his usual form. He finished the day just 0.366s from the front.
• Tomorrow afternoon will see a one-hour qualifying shootout to establish grid positions for Sunday’s 28-lap race at the 4.182km (2.597 miles) Estoril circuit. Round 16 of the 17-race MotoGP championship begins at 13.00 local time (14.00 CET).
• Nicky Hayden 2nd : 1m 38.218s “I’d say that’s by far the best Friday I’ve had in quite a few races, and definitely the best start I’ve had at Estoril, so it’s been a positive day. I came out this morning and had a pretty good feeling on the bike straight away. The team did a good job with the bike and we worked well together today. The bike felt better out the gate than it’s felt for a while which allowed me to ride it hard and get a good feeling - so we’ll see if we can make the steps tomorrow that we need. It’s exciting to be a part of this championship and I’m just going to try and have fun and enjoy the ride. It’s important and I definitely know what this means , I need two really good races. So I’ll just try to be smart, not make any mistakes and see what happens.”
• Dani Pedrosa 5th : 1m 38.586s “Today we had a great practice. We were trying to more or less find the right tyres and the best bike settings. Of course we still have to improve some things though, and I hope to make some further improvements tomorrow. I feel much better now on the bike, both physically and mentally, than I have in the last couple of races. It’s quite different to riding the 250 here because the MotoGP bike moves around a lot more on the track. This is a very tricky track and it’s not so easy to get a good lap time. There are still some secrets to the track which I must discover on this bike.”
• Makoto Tanaka, Team Manager “Both riders made a very positive start today. Nicky worked through most of the issues in the testing days after Motegi and he showed excellent concentration in his riding today. We’ll see him get even faster tomorrow. Dani made good progress and seems to be back to his normal speed from earlier in the season. He says he doesn’t like this track, but it doesn’t look like that today! This morning the track conditions weren’t so good, but they improved a lot this afternoon. Tomorrow we expect further changes and we’ll have to hone the settings for these new conditions.”

DUCATI FRI REPORT      (TOP OF PAGE) GIBERNAU 7TH, CAPIROSSI 12TH

• Ducati Marlboro Team riders Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi began practice for the penultimate GP of the year at the revised Estoril circuit this morning, ending the day seventh and 12th quickest. In warm, windy conditions Gibernau was just 0.5 seconds off ‘pole' and believes he can go quicker tomorrow if he can find more edge grip to improve his corner speed. Capirossi, winner of the Japanese GP three weeks ago, struggled with set-up this afternoon, lapping fractionally slower than he had in the first session but the Italian is confident he can resolve his settings issues and get back on the pace in time for Sunday's race.
• Sete Gibernau, Ducati Marlboro Team, 7th fastest, 1m 38.815s "Today wasn't too bad but we are struggling a bit. My shoulder is hurting again which isn't good, it didn't hurt at the last three races but maybe it got sore during those races. Anyway the bike is improving but we are lacking edge grip here. We went through some tyres today, we're chipping away at the problem and hopefully Bridgestone will help us out tomorrow with some different tyres. I am focusing on their new-profile rear slick here. As soon as I pick up the bike out of the turns I've got good traction but we are lacking grip through the corners, and that affects the whole bike, turning and everything. It costs us time everywhere, through the long, final turn and through all the tight turns, where you need edge grip to keep your corner speed."
• Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team, 12th fastest, 1m 39.637s "After this morning's first session I thought we would be much faster this afternoon but the changes we made to the set-up evidently didn't work the way we expected them to work. In fact I couldn't even match my times from this morning. During the afternoon session we focused on improving the set-up, running with the same tyres without really looking for lap times. I would have been faster with new tyres but I just wanted to fix the bike. Anyway, our package wasn't competitive today but Sete was pretty fast so I'm sure we'll be able to fix everything for tomorrow. The modifications they made to the track are okay, with much improved run-off following the chicane and the new tarmac is better too."

PREVIEW   (TOP OF PAGE)

YAMAHA PREVIEW - Two-race title challenge starts in Portugal for Rossi

• Five years to the week since he won the MotoGP World Championship for the first time, Valentino Rossi heads into the penultimate round of the 2006 season at Estoril in Portugal next Sunday aiming to finally overthrow Nicky Hayden from the top of the standings and set-up his sixth premier-class title in a row. After an amazing run of form for the Italian, who has made up 39 points over the last four races, he is now just 12 behind and on course to catch the American by the final round at Valencia.
• A slip-up for Rossi, of course, could see Hayden take the number 1 plate this Sunday, but the formbook suggests that this should not be the case, with Rossi having finished on the podium in each of his previous six visits to Estoril. The 27 year old has won the race four times, including his first appearance there for Yamaha in 2004, whilst conversely for Hayden it is one of his least successful circuits - his best result coming last year when he finished seventh.
• Estoril's location on the western tip of Europe, just seven kilometres from the Atlantic coast, makes it vulnerable to dramatic changes in weather and high gusts of wind, meaning the riders can take nothing for granted. An autumn visit promises to deliver similarly wild conditions to those encountered when the event was held last year in the spring, culminating in the first ever flag-to-flag race in MotoGP - although unlike at Phillip Island three weeks ago none of the riders opted to come in and change bikes.
• Rossi's team-mate Colin Edwards was a victim of the conditions on that occasion, the Texan sliding off his bike on lap twenty-four and then remounting to finish in sixth place. This year the 31-year-old is hoping for much better fortune as he looks to build on excellent recent progress with the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine, including sensational lap times in the recent one-day test at Motegi, and end his season on a high.
• Valentino Rossi: Two difficult tracks
• Valentino Rossi remains confident that he has the speed to beat Nicky Hayden in any situation although he admits that the upcoming circuits are not amongst his favourites. An intense summer of hard work by Yamaha's engineers on the YZR-M1 has given Rossi a competitive and adaptable package that he believes can adjust to the demands of both Estoril and Valencia and give him every chance of retaining the title, which he has made his own in recent seasons.
• "Now we have two difficult tracks but I think our M1 can be fast at both of them," says Rossi. "Since Brno, when we finally understood everything about what we needed to do to make our bike work at 100% again, we've been very strong everywhere and on the podium each time. I think that we're as strong as our rivals now and when we're at the maximum we're always going to be fighting at the front. Of course we know we could have won more if we'd been like this earlier in the season but we can't do anything about that. Anyway we know our potential and when we've started from the front lately we've been on the podium each time, so we have to carry on like this.
• "Everyone involved has helped bring us back to this level. I think the team's level of motivation and concentration is the best in the paddock, it's incredible, more than anyone else, so I have to say thank you again. I actually like Portugal - the '04 bike especially was very good there. It's twisty but we can go well there. In '05 we had some problems with the tyre, plus it was only the second race and early in the year so the weather was bad. I hope that it will be a bit warmer and won't rain, and that we can find a good tyre with Michelin."
• Colin Edwards: Our turn for sunshine
• Colin Edwards is also hoping that recent hard work on the YZR-M1 can bear fruit in a final two-race swansong for the 990cc machine. With development of the 800cc bikes now well underway ahead of the rule changes in 2007, the American is hoping he can end the era on a high and finally fulfil the promise he has shown on the current bike in brilliant flashes over the past two seasons.
• "We made a big step forward at the test after the last race in Motegi and I was pretty much flying round the track that day," says Edwards. "We've only got two more races with this bike but it is always important to improve in testing so that you can translate that to race conditions, which is what we hope will happen in Portugal. Even though we haven't had the exact results we've hoped for at the last two races, the overall feeling with the bike has been much better and so with any luck the recent adjustments we made in Motegi will give us a competitive package in Estoril.
• "I was unlucky to be one of the ones that went down in the rain last year but I did get back on and finish sixth, although I had better improve on that this time around! I don't have any particularly strong feelings one way or another for the track, it's got a bit of everything but I think it suits our bike quite well. As a place it's not bad either - the coastline is beautiful and the food is great. The only problem is the weather, but we've been fairly unlucky with that this season so hopefully it's our turn for some sunshine!"
• Davide Brivio: Keeping the focus
• After such a good run of recent form, Camel Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio says that the most important requisite from his staff over the final two rounds is that they maintain their focus. From being 51 points behind just four races ago Valentino Rossi is now within striking distance of the championship summit and Brivio is determined not to let this opportunity slip.
• "The championship is now in its final, vital stage and it's important that we don't lose focus," says Brivio. "Our target for Estoril is to continue in the same way as at the last few races and arrive at the last round in a position to fight for the championship there. Estoril is going to be very important because we need to try to close the gap as much as possible to put us in the best position to win in Valencia.
• "Colin did a great test on Monday in Motegi and made some really important steps forward. If we're able to confirm this improvement in Estoril and Valencia then I think we can definitely see him back fighting at the front at these two races. Unfortunately he's struggled quite a bit this season with finding the perfect setting on the bike, but we're not giving up! We have confidence in him and we know that we can see him in a better position for the final two races."
• Technically speaking: Estoril according to Mike Norton
• The Autodromo Fernanda Pires de Silva is a circuit of extreme contrasts. One of the lengthiest main straights in MotoGP allows speeds of over 340km/h to be reached and yet the chicane is one of the slowest corners on the calendar. The track itself has the slowest average speed and the throttle is seldom overworked on the extensively twisty and tortuous infield sections, riddled as they are by a host of second and third gear bends. However, the 200km/h kink at turn five and the final Parabolica corner are two of the toughest tests of any rider and machine's cornering prowess. With such contrasting challenges to overcome, the team mechanics and Michelin tyre technicians have no choice but to opt for compromise settings.
• "Suspension front and rear has to be generally set to work best towards the end of the race, to aid the tyres after such an extensive workout on the circuit's nine right and four left hand corners," explains Mike Norton, Öhlins' Suspension Technician to Valentino Rossi. "It's not particularly technical but it is quite hard on the tyres so the setting needs to help them out as much as possible.
• "Estoril needs a good compromise in order to be able to deal with the difference between the very twisty and quite slow infield sections and some much faster corners, such as turn five and the final Parabolica corner. The biggest problem last year was the temperature of the tyres because it was so early in the year and it rained, but hopefully this time the weather will be a little better and it will stay dry!"

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