The chatter issues that plagued the Repsol Honda riders during the pre-season tests in Sepang, but not at the IRTA test at Jerez came back with a vengeance during tonight’s first free practice session in Qatar.
Casey Stoner despite his chatter issue was able to finish on top of the timesheets, while Dani Pedrosa not only had chatter but also had tire problems, but managed to finish fifth.
Both riders didn’t want Bridgestone’s new front tire spec denominated “24,” preferring the “21″ that according to Stoner offers better braking and stability, but at Jerez Bridgestone left the matter in the hands of the riders and asking them to vote on which tire they wanted this season with the Repsol Honda riders getting the short stick, because more than 60% of the MotoGP riders chose the more evoluted 24 that has a slightly different construction in the center.
“The track tonight wasn’t so bad, I expected the conditions to be much worse but in general it was ok.
We started this evening with huge chatter issues and I was a little afraid we couldn’t fix this but after a few more exits we managed to reduce it to a more comfortable level.
This is a positive point for the weekend but with such a short session and then nothing until tomorrow it’s slightly strange.
It was an ok start tonight, we finished quickest which is good but we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for some real track time and with the conditions a little better and see where we are,” said Casey Stoner.
While his team mate Dani Pedrosa said, “There are some corners where we are struggling a lot with the chattering, especially in the area where you slide more, but it’s like this and we will need to adapt the best we can.
On my first exit I had an issue with the tyres and I had to stop in the garage; I felt a vibration in the wheels, so we decided to change both tyres.
I lost some time there and at the end of the practice I went wide twice.
Anyway, it’s been good to go out there and get the feeling back at this track after a long time without riding here.
Tomorrow, with two practices sessions, we will start working more with the chassis and electronics to improve and prepare for the race.
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