Moto GP - Phillip Island

[.RJ]

Caprirossi leads free practice #1

MotoGP FP1 Results from Phillip Island
by staff
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Pos. Rider Team Bike Time
1 Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:30.653
2 Sete Gibernau Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:30.693
3 Casey Stoner Honda LCR Honda RC211V 1:30.768
4 Marco Melandri Fortuna Honda Honda RC211V 1:30.863
5 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR 1:30.949
6 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR 1:30.952
7 Kenny Roberts Jnr. Team Roberts KR211V 1:31.077
8 Valentino Rossi Camel Yamaha Team Yamaha YZR-M1 1:31.143
9 Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team Honda RC211V 1:31.460
10 John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki GSV-R 1:31.496
11 Colin Edwards Camel Yamaha Team Yamaha YZR-M1 1:31.514
12 Carlos Checa Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha YZR-M1 1:31.553
13 Makoto Tamada Konica Minolta Honda Honda RC211V 1:31.930
14 Toni Elias Fortuna Honda Honda RC211V 1:32.034
15 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki GSV-R 1:32.130
16 Alex Hofmann Team D'Antin Pramac Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:32.510
17 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team Honda RC211V 1:32.578
18 Jose Luis Cardoso Team D'Antin Pramac Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:32.998
19 James Ellison Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha YZR-M1 1:34.028

Kawasaki leading free practice #2

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Rookie Randy de Puniet has upset the MotoGP applecart by leading Friday free practice for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Although the Frenchman, fifth in first free practice on his Bridgestone shod Kawasaki, ultimately set his quickest lap on a qualifying tyre, the 25-year-old was far from a one-lap wonder this afternoon.

Randy hit the top of second free practice with just eight minutes of the hour gone then, after a brief interruption by team-mate Shinya Nakano, returned to the head of the timesheets after 14 minutes - where he remained right until the dying minutes.

At that point world championship leader Nicky Hayden, the fastest Michelin rider for most of the hour, leapt momentarily to the top - before being demoted by Ducati's Loris Capirossi seconds later. However, the Italian's reign was also fleeting as de Puniet reduced his previous best by almost one second on his very last lap. That gave him a 0.565secs day one lead over Capirossi, with Hayden a further 0.161secs back in third.

Hayden joined de Puniet in using a qualifying tyre, with Capirossi quickest on race rubber. Capirossi's team-mate Sete Gibernau didn't use a qualifier either, the Spaniard being one of seven riders that lapped slower this afternoon than this morning, but still completed day one in fourth overall and just ahead of Nakano, who also stuck to race tyres.

Home hero Casey Stoner was the second best Michelin rider, after Hayden, with sixth on his LCR run Honda, while Marco Melandri was seventh and world champion Valentino Rossi eighth.

Rossi ran inside the top five for much of the hour and was broadly even on pace with title rival Hayden until the latter ran a qualifier. Rossi remained on race rubber and was left 1.3secs from de Puniet as a result, while Kenny Roberts Jr and Dunlop shod Yamaha rider Carlos Checa completed the top ten.

Second in the championship Dani Pedrosa, who sustained a deep cut in his knee one week ago in Malaysia - but still went on to finish third in the race - struggled with his injuries today and finished a cautious 17th out of the 19 riders.

MotoGP FP2 Results from Phillip Island
by staff
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Pos. Rider Team Bike Time
1 Randy De Puniet Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR 1:29.745
2 Loris Capirossi Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:30.310
3 Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team Honda RC211V 1:30.471
4 Shinya Nakano Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR 1:30.716
5 Sete Gibernau Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:30.719
6 Valentino Rossi Camel Yamaha Team Yamaha YZR-M1 1:31.045
7 Carlos Checa Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha YZR-M1 1:31.137
8 Marco Melandri Fortuna Honda Honda RC211V 1:31.154
9 Makoto Tamada Konica Minolta Honda Honda RC211V 1:31.346
10 Kenny Roberts Jnr. Team Roberts KR211V 1:31.358
11 Casey Stoner Honda LCR Honda RC211V 1:31.512
12 John Hopkins Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki GSV-R 1:31.719
13 Colin Edwards Camel Yamaha Team Yamaha YZR-M1 1:31.785
14 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki GSV-R 1:31.846
15 Alex Hofmann Team D'Antin Pramac Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:31.978
16 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team Honda RC211V 1:32.304
17 Jose Luis Cardoso Team D'Antin Pramac Ducati Desmosedici GP-6 1:32.419
18 Toni Elias Fortuna Honda Honda RC211V 1:32.696
19 James Ellison Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha YZR-M1 1:32.778