MotoReview

Although Randy de Puniet is new to the MotoGP class he managed to put in some consistent lap times and finished the day with a 2'03.9 lap, just two tenths of a second shy of teammate Shinya Nakano's best time of the day.

Shinya Nakano - 2'03.7 (43 Laps)

"I was in and out of the pit box a lot this morning, but this is normal when you bring a brand new bike to the racetrack for the first time, as there are always a lot of small things that need adjusting or changing. This afternoon I was able to put in more laps on the bike and, overall, my first impression is very good. The handling is a big improvement, and I can feel that the new engine has more power then the old. I need to spend more time on the bike to get a better understanding of the engine characteristics, but already I think this new bike has a lot of potential. There is still some work for us to do in terms of set-up, both the chassis and the engine, but we will continue with this process tomorrow, when we will also be running some important tyre tests with Bridgestone."

Randy de Puniet: #17 - 2'03.9 (58 Laps)

"Today was a good day for both myself and the team. I managed to put in a lot of laps aboard the new bike and my feeling was very good. At the end of the afternoon session I completed a 15-lap race simulation, with my fastest time of the day coming on the 11th lap. I had a good rhythm on the bike, the tyres and the bike were working well, and my lap times were consistent throughout. We will not make any major changes to the bike overnight ahead of the planned Bridgestone tyre test tomorrow. Overall, I'm pleased with today's test and I'm looking forward to getting back out on track tomorrow."

Harald Eckl: Team Manager

"Overall, today has been a good start to the new season for the Kawasaki Racing Team. I was surprised at just how quickly Randy has adapted to the Ninja ZX-RR in such a short space of time. During his race simulation today he was posting consistent lap times that were very close to Shinya's fastest lap. This is good for the team, to have two riders that are close enough on track to push each other, and also to develop the bike together. Over the next three days the riders and mechanics will concentrate on providing Kawasaki engineers with the data they need to continue the development process, as well as completing an important tyre testing schedule for Bridgestone."