Casey Stoner tests Repsol Honda 2012 prototype at Jerez - MotoGP News
Winner of the French round, Casey Stoner of Repsol Honda, landed at Jerez to test the new 2012 1000cc prototype developed by Honda Racing Corporation. A two-week break before the Grand Prix of Catalunya gives HRC plenty of time to test the new breed of RCV.
The test riders for HRC, Kousuke Akiyoshi and Shinichi Ito, have already tested the bike at the Suzuka circuit, Japan in April. The plan was to put Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa aboard the new machine in Jerez following the French Grand Prix. Unfortunately,
Dani Pedrosa is now handling a fractured right collarbone because of which he was not able to join his Australian team-mate for the testing round in Spain.
The morning of the test day say Shinichi doing the laps before Casey came on to the track. The day was sunny and perfect for testing conditions. The Australian completed 50 laps clocking 221km in total, while using the standard 800cc Bridgestone tyres and
also the new compound tyres for the 2012 campaign.
The Repsol Honda rider was positive about the test session and after his ride he said, "Everything has gone very well, very positive. It's just nice to ride the 1000cc again, to feel the engine and the power. I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed the first day because
everything we've tried seems to be working, so no complaints.”
The Aussie rider was not happy about his fellow rider Pedrosa who missed the test. Stoner feels he is very important in the development of the bike. The team is hoping to collect enough data from the test ride to get ready for the 2012 campaign. The test
was run to get the bike response and compare some issues having in 800cc RC212V. In Stoner’s opinion the bike is good at braking and the corner entry is very stable. He also thinks the power delivery is very smooth and it is problem free.
HRC Executive Vice-President, Shuhei Nakamoto, was also present at the 2012 prototype test session and said, "I think we had a good day of testing, the machine worked well as we hoped, without any specific issues. Of course, it's just the first day so we
will need to improve but we tested many things and everything was ok.”
Nakamoto also added that Stoner is pleased with the powerful engine and the drivability but the chassis needs improvements. He expects that Dani will join them soon, which is more beneficial for the development of the bike. Casey’s feedback was very similar
to the feedback of the other test riders.
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