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OFFICIAL MZ PRESS RELEASE
Estoril - Portugal - Poor weather conditions with lots of rain, wind and a track that only dried up at the very end of the three days slowed the progress of all 28 participating riders at the official Moto2-test at Estoril. MZ Racing made the best of the situation and focused on the work flow in the garage and on gaining as much data as possible rather than chasing fast lap times. In the end, Max Neukirchner and Anthony West, who will ride the Grand Prix series, and German Arne Tode, who will participate in the Spanish Championship and who will also work as a test rider for MZ, were satisfied with what they had achieved.
Max Neukirchner:
“The rain on all three days of testing here at Estoril made it difficult for everybody. We had three crashes. I fell down twice, Anthony once, but luckily, nothing serious happened. For me, the best part of coming here was to learn the track, as I had never ridden in Estoril before. But I didn’t do too many laps, because it was wet all the time, and even though the weather improved today, it took a long time for the wet spots on the track to dry up. During the last hour, the conditions were okay and we tested a few things, but we didn’t chase a fast lap time. The most important thing is that we know what we have to change for the next test in Jerez!"
Anthony West:
“Testing here wasn’t a very good experience due to the weather – it was just too cold! Especially in the wet yesterday it was really cold and windy, which made riding quite risky. But I did lots of laps anyway, just to ride, to get used to the new team and the mechanics and to get a system working. Today the track was half dry and half wet, which made it difficult again, but at least we found some things that we need to improve on the bike. For the Jerez test, we should have everything we need. Hopefully we can find a good base there, because at the moment we are a little bit slow!”
Arne Tode:
“For me, testing here was very interesting. We learned a lot in the few laps that I put in, and I feel that I am growing into my role of evaluating the bike and wording my opinion in order to further speed up the development of the bike. I was quite fast in wet conditions and things didn’t go too bad on a dry track, either. It’s good that we now have some data to work with!”
OFFICIAL MZ PRESS RELEASE
Valencia - Spain - The new MZ Racing Team in the Moto2 World Championship, with riders Max Neukirchner (Germany) and Anthony West (Australia) and Italian Marco Nicotari as the new technical director, completed a promising first test session at the Ricardo Tormo-Circuit in Valencia and leave for the next three-day-test in Portugal with confidence. The first roll-out of a „hybrid prototype“ with several crucial evolution parts on last year’s chassis was not only a track test of the latest technical developments but also the first chance of the new crew to work together at a race track. Gaining experience and sorting through inevitable small teething problems of the new bike were more important than lap times and both riders were sure to have found the right direction for the upcoming challenges.
Max Neukirchner – 25th in 1.37,8 minutes
“We are very well organized and I really trust my technicians, but we need a bit more time - the team is brand new and it has been the first time for all of us to work together at a race track. We also need some more time to get the motorcycle to where we want it to be by the first race. Therefore, it was not an easy start for us here at Valencia. But we understand each other and there is a great spirit in the team, which is one of the basic requirements for success. We know how tough the challenge is in this class, and we will do everything to get to the top!”
Anthony West – 28th in 1.38,1 minutes
“Marco Nicotari is very professional. Everything is organized and done the right way, and I like the people in the team as much as the whole structure and equipment. We only got the bike late and the guys spent the first day trying to get it ready. Max did eight laps on it just to make sure everything ran okay. After that, everything started to fall into place, and we sorted the usual problems that you get with any new bike, mostly silly little things like the grip on the seat that needed to be fixed. It was only a shake-down test without the chance to go faster, but we are trying everything to get the bike better for the next test and ready for the first race!”
Marco Nicotari – technical director
“I think we are doing a good job. We started last year testing with Max and Anthony in order to understand the bike and the improvements we would need, and we spent the last two months preparing all the structure whilst MZ was working on the things we asked them for. This test was only a shake-down, as our prototype here is not the final bike yet. It’s a hybrid-version between old and new just to see if some of the improvements would work, and we didn’t chase fast lap times. It was more a matter of getting the new team to work together, and in this respect, it was a very positive test. I hope we can move up in the time sheets at Estoril, because there we will have the complete new suspension system installed, and we will also have a second bike. We will continue to work in the same way, we know how to do it, and the only thing we need is time. I am very confident for this year.”
If you'll be in Germany next Saturday, don't miss the Motorcycle Show SachsenKrad in Dresden. Max Neukirchner will be there at 14h00 talking to fans and autographing his first 2011 cards!!!
Further Information:
SachsenKrad Motorcycle Show:
14. - 16. January 2011
Fr 11:00 - 18:00
Sat/Sun 10:00 - 18:00
Day ticket: 8 €
Tel: +49 (0)351 44580
Trade Show Contact:
sachsenkrad@ortec.de
www.sachsenkrad.de
Fair location:
Messe Dresden
Messering 6
01067 Dresden, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)351 44580
Fax: +49 (0)351 4458102
Spain - The team MZ Moto2 has finished the winter tests period for 2010, in a series of tests in Aragon, Jerez and Almeria in Spain during the 2 last weeks of November. All the data was taken to build the project of the new bike, that will be launched by the end of January. All the staff at Pro Ride Motorsports are very excited about this challenge. December 2010 and January 2011 will be months of full working inside our headquarters to conclude the project for the first prototype and we are happy to announce that we received the confirmation from most of our technical supporters that will be with us in this enterprise, like Nissin and Giannelli. Pro Ride wish to all our supporters, friends and fans an amazing X-Mas and a 2011 full of gas!!!! Let’s open the throttle!
Ing. Marco Nicotari:
“The winter tests in Aragon, Jerez and Almeria were very positive to evaluate how the bike is nowadays from the technical side. Valencia was not effectively a test, as we could not touch the bike, since many riders had to test it. In Aragon we had test the tires and many different clutch solutions to satisfy Max and Anthony needs and we are very happy with the results. As we used a standard engine for all the tests, we were not searching for lap times, but a good rapport with the bike itself.
We wanted to understand better the tires, which is something new for me and Max. Dunlop has given us something new to prove and so also Anthony had to learn and understand this new product.
The good lap time, even if we were not searching, actually happened gradually at the end of the tests, in Almeria. There we reached a nice 1.38.2, that keeping in mind the kind of engine we were using, it becomes something quite interesting to consider.
Now we come back to Italy for homework. I mean, to build up the bike for 2011, that will be made following MZ base, which is the frame in steel tubes, but trying to solve some small problems we have found. We want also to decrease a little bit the bike weight. On February we come back on the race track with Showa suspensions, Nissin brakes and many aerodynamic and cyclist changes.”
Max Neukirchner:
“These tests were essential to understand better the bike and to help the team to plan the project for the new prototype. It was very important for clutch and tires, since I come from the Superbikes and Dunlop is a new experience to me. Besides, I could learn more about the dynamics of Moto2 and understand our starting point. We have a good base and I hope our new project will be more competitive for 2011. I am happy with MZ team and Pro Ride technicians; my rapport with the Eng. Nicotari got better, he understood my needs and I’m excited to test the new bike next February.”
Anthony West.
“My test time in Jerez was very limited but I was happy to get to know some of the new members in the MZ Team and work with them before I left Europe to come back home to sunny Australia. The time I did get to ride the bike was encouraging, finding the right way forward with set up and a good base for MZ and Pro Ride to start with for the new bike in 2011. So I am looking forward for the 1st shake down with the new MZ !”
Spain - The Team MZ is in Spain for the last tests before the winter time at Jerez, Almerìa and Montmelò and will be back home by the end of the month with all the indications for the new bike. Detailed info and pictures in the next days.
Spain - MZ has started its racing activities for the 2011 Moto2 season right after the last 2010 race in Valencia. Some riders tested the bike, as the second rider name is still not confirmed. Names as Arne Tode, Alex Baldolini and Jonas Folger made some laps and for sure the first rider Max Neukirchner. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday Neukirchner and Arne Tode made a test day in the circuit of Aragon. Here some first impressions:
Max:"On Monday I was shocked after the first laps. My Superbike had about 100 Ps more on the rear wheel and the space conditions were completely different. I had to adapt my riding style for the third time this year. Now I can finally ride with a lot of corner speed which appeals to me very much. In Valencia and Aragon the focus was on getting to know and understand the bike. The base is right but we have a lot of work to do during the winter. The cooperation with my new techniques and the engineer Marco Nicotari was excellent. He understands me and can implement my wishes as far as possible immediately. I like the track in Aragon very much. I've never been there before and was a lot en-route on Tuesday with a Standard-CBR 600 to get to know the track. On Wednesday I could do some good lap times with the MZ MOTO2 and it was great fun.“
Arne: “The first impressions are quite good. But the next 3 months we have a lot of work to do. Martin Wimmer and Marco Nicotari have some good solutions to improve the bike. I looking forward for the future with MZ and I know we will get faster but step by step! I believe in this project.”
Milan, Italy - Pro Ride Motorsports took its Honda CBR 1000 RR 2010 to the EICMA show in Milan invited by Ognibene spa, Italian distributor for the brands DID, Nissin, Sunstar and a Pro Ride supporter since 2007. We would like to thank all Ognibene staff for this specially invitation; we are very happy to show to the Italian market one of our most complete projects. The CBR that Pro Ride took to the EICMA show was made for Makoto Tamada for the 2010 World Superbike Championship and it's the last version of a bike that we have been developing since 2007. It was an amazing success placing the bike inside Ognbene stand, the public was impressed and curious about the technical elements of this beautiful Fireblade. This bike it is now for sale, since Pro Ride Motorsports will be starting its racing activities in Moto2 for the 2011 season with the MZ Team.
