UNSETTLED WEATHER conditions peppered Phillip Island for the second day of MotoGP testing but it dodn't stop Tech 3 Yamaha duo Colin Edwards and James Toseland from making good progress at the Phillip Island circuit today.
The second morning was dominated by persistent rain showers, but typical of the fast changing conditions experienced at Phillip Island, the grey and gloomy skies gave way to sunny but blustery conditions by midafternoon.
The day’s unpredictable weather gave Toseland his first taste of Yamaha’s YZR-M1 in full rain conditions, with the British rider gaining valuable experience and data in the wet.
Toseland completed 21 laps to post a 1.43.719 for the 11th quickest time. Edwards was eighth quickest in the wet with a new Michelin front rain tyre helping him register a best lap of 1.42.547.
After spending over two hours waiting for scattered damp patches to dry out, by the time Edwards and Toseland returned to the track, the rain and lower track temperature significantly reduced grip levels.
Toseland ended the day with the sixth fastest time, clocking a 1.31.451 in the last hour. Edwards was 10th fastest with a best time of 1.31.593.
Forecasts for the final day tomorrow predict sunny conditions throughout, with only a 20 per cent chance of light rain showers.
James Toseland 6th 1.31.451 – 55 laps
“It was important to try the bike in the wet for the first time and I got to grips with it quickly. Luckily I did a lot of wet tyre testing for Michelin last year at the Suzuka Eight-hour. I had five days of testing and three-and-a-half days were completely wet and I got a bit of time on the Michelin wets so I got a pretty good feeling pretty quickly.
"The electronics work very well and I had a lot of grip. The track was really dirty once it had dried. I don’t know whether the rain brought some sand with it but the track was really slippery. I went out and couldn’t break a 1.35 and it was completely dry. I got back down to some decent times but the conditions were still not as good as yesterday. There was just no drive grip exiting corners, so it was more difficult to make a lap time. Quite slow corners lead onto the fast straight sections on this track and if you can’t get good grip on the exit, you can’t carry momentum on the straight and that can cost a lot of time. It also got quite windy in the afternoon and that makes it difficult as well. I got some good experience of riding in the rain, and but hopefully it will be dry tomorrow so I can try a full race simulation.”
Colin Edwards 10th 1.31.593
“It was a difficult day with the weather but we still managed to take something positive out of it. I tried a new front rain tyre from Michelin that I was asking about and they produced one out of the back of the truck and I was really happy with it. Michelin seem to have really taken steps forward with slick and wet tyres. The tyre
was different to what I had in the wet last season and it felt more natural for my style. The electronics in the rain are so much better too. The bike is easier to ride. I came in after the first run and gave my electronics guys a hug because I was so happy with it. I liked the ’08 chassis in the rain too. It gives me a lot of confidence and I can understand more what’s going on with the front tyre.
"This afternoon the track was slippery as hell. I tried a few tyres from Michelin but it was hard to gauge with the track being so greasy. At the end of the day I think we have learned something for Michelin and Yamaha and that’s the key.”
