Change of scenery for Yamaha as testing moves south

Phillip Island, Australia
17/2/2005

Gauloises Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards and Fortuna Yamaha
riders Toni Elias and Ruben Xaus were happy to be out on a different track
today, after three consecutive tests in Sepang since November. The riders and
their teams arrived in Phillip Island, Australia this week for their third
three-day test of 2005. With temperatures somewhat cooler and a sea breeze
replacing the humidity of Sepang, Malaysia, the Yamaha riders made good progress
for the first day and were pleased with the performance of their new 2005-spec
YZR-M1s at this track.

With a total of 15 other riders from Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and Suzuki sharing
the circuit, six-time World Champion Rossi, who celebrated his 26th birthday
yesterday, finished the day with the second fastest unofficial lap time. The
Italian, who clinched his 2004 championship title at this circuit last year,
completed 82 laps of the 4.448 km circuit and set a best lap of 1'30.55. His
team-mate Edwards rode 78 laps with a quickest time of 1'31.15, the eighth
fastest time of the day. Rossi's time was bettered by last year's Championship
runner-up, Honda rider Sete Gibernau (1'30.29) and factory Honda rider Nicky
Hayden (1'30.530). Ducati man Carlos Checa was fourth fastest, with a 1'30.69.

Fortuna Yamaha rider Rubén Xaus completed his first laps on a completely
different circuit with his new bike and continued with his testing program,
working on a variety of technical aspects. The Spaniard was today able to
complete 50 laps after missing most of the last test through injury. His
team-mate Toni Elías also worked on different technical aspects but basically
concentrated on completing as many laps as possible to aid his adaptation to the
premier-class.

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) - 1'30.55

"Today was not so bad. We arrived and straight away found some improvements
compared to the bike we had during the October race. We've improved the
stability and the engine is a little bit faster. We still have work to do on the
settings to find a better front-end feeling, so we'll continue to look for this
over the next two days of this test and see if we can make further improvements.
We also tested some Michelin tyres today and we're confident that the bike is
getting better. We're pleased with the work we've done this first day."

Colin Edwards (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) - 1'31.15

"The bike felt good today. We've been playing around and experimenting with some
settings, but the best one is probably the one we've already got. We weren't
really trying too much for fast lap times today, but I'm happy enough with my
time. We carried on testing tyres and we've collected some good data to work
with. It's so good to be at a different track; it's like a breath of fresh air!"

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director

"We've finally changed track and this is the first time we've been somewhere
other than Sepang with the new bike. We've started well with both riders and
done some good work for the first day. This afternoon it started to get a little
bit windy, but the conditions have been mostly okay. It seems like we've got a
good package and we hope to make some more progress over the next two days."

Rubén Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) - 1'32.22

"I was really looking forward to getting back on the bike! We're testing
different aspects which are giving us some positive results - we're making
progress. I think the M1 has adapted quickly to the new circuit and I had a good
feeling by the end of the day. We tried two different types of tyres and had
good results. I'm really happy with the whole team and the job we are doing."

Toni Elías (Fortuna Yamaha Team) - 1'33.48

"With this being a completely new circuit with the M1, I've taken things very
carefully today. It's a fast and narrow circuit, where a basic mistake can be
paid for dearly, so I opted to just ride the bike and continue to get to know it
bit by bit. The fact I need to adapt more to the M1 is even more apparent at
this circuit. We've tested suspension and tyres over the course of the day and
I'm making progress."

Unofficial times - day 1

 1. Sete Gibernau (Honda)                   1'30.29
 2. Nicky Hayden (Honda)                    1'30.530
 3. Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1'30.55
 4. Alex Barros (Honda)                     1'30.610
 5. Max Biaggi (Honda)                      1'30.652
 6. Carlos Checa (Ducati)                   1'30.69
 7. Loris Capirossi (Ducati)                1'30.81
 8. Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team)   1'31.15
 9. Marco Melandri (Honda)                  1'31.32
10. John Hopkins (Suzuki)                   1'31.32
11. Makoto Tamada (Honda)                   1'31.42
12. Kenny Roberts (Suzuki)                  1'31.61
13. Troy Bayliss (Honda)                    1'31.80
14. Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team)        1'32.27
15. Toni Elias (Fortuna Yamaha Team)        1'33.54