The Qatar test concluded today, with lap records smashed all round thanks to the excellent conditions the MotoGP teams have encountered there this week. Tomorrow the Camel Honda will continue to lap the Losail circuit, more than anything to bring to a close the promotional work they began yesterday, whilst today the technical work came to an end. Both Alex Barros, who had a slight crash, and Troy Bayliss, improved their lap times, even using race tyres all day. The next appointment for the two riders Hill be the team's presentation in Milan, whilst the next on-track session will be the upcoming IRTA MotoGP test in Barcelona, from the 18th to 20th March.
Sito Pons - Camel Honda
"It was yet another good day today, as we brought to an end the work we had scheduled, and finished up there amongst the quickest riders. Apart from Tamada, who used qualifying tyres for his lap time, the gap between the top riders is small and Alex is amongst them. Troy is also getting ever closer and has got a good rhythm going now. Today the team worked both on the set-up and on tyres, with tomorrow lined up for photos, as we originally planned."
Alex Barros - Camel Honda - 1'57.38 (62 laps) 5th fastest
"I'm quite satisfied, although to be honest I hoped to go even better. When I was testing a new front tyre I slid out, nothing really, but here in the run-offs it's not sand or gravel, it's like little rocks. I can tell you, they're pretty hard! So the bumps aside, we worked on the set-up, testing various electronic things without picking out anything for certain. Perhaps regarding the tyres I could say that there has been another step up in quality. I finished work on the front, whilst on the rear tyre there are still some things to try. Of the six new ones, I tried three. Even though I felt I could have ridden quicker, in general the tests have gone well, the relationship with the team is as strong as ever and we con look forward to the IRTA test with confidence."
Troy Bayliss - Camel Honda - 1'58.18 (65 laps) 9th fastest
"I´m still not able to ride as I would like, but bit by bit I'm getting close. Here we worked on continuity, without changing too much on the bike but trying to find a good overall balance. I rode with race tyres throughout, and I even did my best time with soft tyres."
LAP TIMES (official):
- 1. Tamada (Jap-Honda) 1'56"64
- 2. Gibernau (Spa-Honda) 1'57"26
- 3. Capirossi (Ita-Ducati) 1'57"32
- 4. Melandri (Ita-Honda) 1'57"37
- 5. Barros (Camel-Honda) 1'57"38
- 6. Hayden (USA-Honda) 1'57"43
- 7. Checa (Spa-Ducati) 1'57"52
- 8. Biaggi (Ita-Honda) 1'57"63
- 9. Bayliss (Camel-Honda) 1'58"18
- 10. Rolfo (Ita-Ducati) 1'59"74
