26.02.2007 @ 19:44:31

Kenny feels he is ready
MotoGP pre-season testing was brought to a close at the 4.423km Jerez circuit, Spain today as the grand prix teams completed their final three-day winter test session in preparation for the gruelling 18-round world championship series that opens at Doha, Qatar on March 10 - the first ever race under the new 800cc capacity regulations.

The next time they meet the fruits of their labours will be tested to the full in one of the most eagerly awaited contests for several years. Winter testing has produced no clear indication of which man or machine starts the season as favourite to win the most coveted title in motorcycle racing.

Team Roberts leave Jerez in great shape as they head for Qatar and the opening GP of the season. The team technicians have developed the Honda powered KR212V to a very competitive standard during the series of arduous winter tests.

The prototype KR212V covered 4,500 km over the winter and the Jerez test saw the team technicians establish a close to optimum machine balance that has eradicated the niggling front-end grip problems that rider Kenny Roberts Jnr identified as his only real concern. This was achieved by modifying the trail and suspension settings, without losing rear end grip.


At Jerez Kenny Jnr tested Michelin qualifying tyres for the first time with the latest version of the Team Roberts chassis and the results have confirmed the chassis – engine combination can run a full race distance at a fast consistent pace and perform equally well on qualifying rubber.

Kenny Roberts Jnr, KR212V: 1m 40.083s – 84 laps
“When we were satisfied with the chassis performance we basically spent the day tyre testing. I ran qualifying tyres for the first time and I'm happy with the results. We also put in a long run on development tyres and that was good too. Testing has been good for us and we are a long way ahead of where we were at this stage last year but you can have too much testing – now its time to go racing and we're ready. I'm really looking forward to Qatar.”
Source Honda Motor Sport