HONDA RCV212V 2010.

Here we are ! Finally I will ride my new machine ! I was starting to get impatient.

The tests’ length being this year reduced to 2 x 2 days, we’ll have to work hard.

Setting, various engine mapping, traction control…race simulations… Tyres tests…we’ll have a tight schedule.

The team’s mechanics were in Japan last week to work on the new RCV212V with the HRC staff, and according to Beefy, my chief mechanic, the bike is now getting close to the factory machines. I can’t wait to try it.

Don’t worry, I haven’t lost my time. With Jules Cluzel, I went back to Yves Demaria during a whole week to finetune our physical condition so as to be in perfect shape for these tests. We’ve been working hard on endurance, body-building, and covering many miles on road-bicycle.

We also relaxed and enjoyed  a day of karting with other french riders, Alexis Masbou, Mike Di Meglio and Valentin Debise.

Between two practice sesssions I’ll go and spend a few days at Fabien Foret in Australia with Francesca, to celebrate my birthday, and I won’t forget to keep you in the loop and send you my first feelings.

Regarding the surprises and fresh news on the website which I told you about, keep patient, it’s about to be ready.

Talk to you soon,

Randy

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi,

Thanks to all of you for your messages. Now it’s my turn to wish you a very happy new year !

I hope you stayed reasonable and enjoyed the end of year parties.

As far as I’m concerned, I took the opportunity of the end of year to take a short break and have some good time with Francesca under the Maldives Islands’ sun, before the new season starts.

Back from holidays, I quickly got back to serious stuff.

I’m currently with Yves Demaria, who is still handling my physical training, in order to help me be in good shape for the first tests soon to come. The program will be tense : jogging, gym, muscle-building, bicycle and motorbikes riding, even if it’s snowing. After my surgery I’m really happy to get back to sports !

This week-end I’ll be off to the European motorshow in Brussels. If you’re around, don’t hesitate to come and see me. I’ll be on the Shark stand most of the time.

Beginning of February, it will be time for me to go to Sepang for the first tests of the year. I’m really longing to be there !

Thanks again for your support. I promise I will keep you updated more regularly this year.

I’m preparing some surprises and new stuff on my web site. This is part of my new year’s good resolutions.

Talk to you soon,

Randy

Valencia GP, Day 2 : “7th but disappointed”

Qualifying practice : 7th, 1.135 from C. Stoner

I was very good in the early practice, always in the top 5. I stayed there until I crashed at the end of the straight line, because of problems with my gearbox. The lap before, I had to take a corner in gear 3 instead of gear 2.

Without this crash, I think I could make the fourth fastest time. So I’m disappointed despite my 7th time. Everything went well, I even had a good feeling with soft front tire. My second bike was set as the other, but the feeling was not exactly the same. Moreover, it’s always more difficult to go fast when you just crashed, even if I was safe afterall.
Anyway, I still improved my lap time on the last lap. Tomorrow we will have to make the right choice of front tire, depending on temperature. Because the feeling is better with a soft compound, but not sure it will last the whole race.

In any case I can do something good here.

See you tomorrow

Randy

Valencia GP, Day 1 : “I lost half a second…”

Free practice : 5th, 1.097 from C. Stoner

This time I started very good, unlike what happened to me on the last two races. I had a great feeling as soon as I rode my bike during this first free practice. The seetings were pretty good at once. It went good immediately with my times, and after one hour I’m just behind “Fantastic Four”, one second far from Stoner.

I could even do better, because I missed my best time in the last lap, entering tValenciaoo fast in the last corner. Based on telemetry, I lost almost half a second. Regarding my best partial times, I can do much better.

Moreover, I rode this time with a hard rear tire, a good way to prepare for the race. I feel really comfortable on the bike.

See you tomorrow.

Randy

Malaysian GP, Day 2 : “It turns better”

Qualifying practice : 8th, 1.580 from V. Rossi

It’s much better than yesterday and finally I finish my qualifying practice with at the 8th position. My time is two seconds and a half better than yesterday at the first free practice.

The bike runs much better with the modifications we put on it. But I still have problems during deceleration phases, so we will still have to work on it during the warm-up tomorrow morning.

Even if everything’s not at the top, it’s getting much better and it should continue like that.

Finally this race might be difficult because it is really hot (34 °C in the air and 51°C  to the ground during the qualifying).

See you tomorrow for the race.

Randy

Malaysian GP, Day 1: “Really not funny”

Free practice : 14th, 2.484 from J. Lorenzo

“These first tests were disastrous. We spent three days here in Sepang for winter tests and it wasn’t nice already. Usually I like this track, but this year with my new bike it wasn’t so good. But we didn’t worry at this time, thinking that I discovered my new bike.

Eight months later, I find exactly the problems I had before : I have big problems to make the bike turn just after taking the brakes. I can’t place it on the way on the lean angle, the bike doesn’t turn and I loose a lot of time there.

This reactions on my bike happen only here at Sepang. It’s really not funny and I worry about my race.

We have a lot of work for tomorrow. I think we will resume database settings from last year and we’ll try to progress in that way.
I hope so… In any case I don’t worry anymore about my foot.

See you tomorrow

Randy
Between Australia and Malaysia, a few days off in Thailand : beach and scooter …

Australian GP, Day 3: “I missed the sixth place”

Course: 8th (tied 7th overall with 101 points)

“My start was not so good, even if I was in the top ten after the first lap. Then I was embarrassed in the group where there was Elias, Kallio and Dovizioso. In the fight, I lost a lot of time from the front group. Finally I managed to pass them and make good lap times, I was then sixth.

The problem is that from the tenth lap, my rear tire was badly damaged, which has benefited the group behind me.

Fatally, I got passed by Dovi, Kallio and Melandri, and I ended up ninth. I managed to take eighth place from Kallio, but I stumbled on Melandri, who at once joined me in the overall standings.

Finally, I am a little disappointed because I still had a lot of grip problems and I think without that I could have finished at the sixth place.

The challenge for both races remaining is to take seventh place overall, but also solve the problems of grip at the rear that I have for several races.

See you soon in Malaysia ”

Randy

Australian GP, Day 2 : “Bad times in the morning, better in the afternoon”

Qualifying practice : 8th, 1.039 from C. Stoner

The second free practice was quite catastrophic for me. I started it with a worn out rear tire from yesterday, but the track was cold in the morning. I went to slide from the rear at the end of the straight line, I was almost 220 km/h fast, but hopefully I didn’t fall.

Unfortunately the problem happened again one lap later. This time I slipped on the wet grass coming out of the track and I fell at high speed, hurting my head violently.
My helmet was broken and I was really knock-out. After returning to my box, I came back on the way but it began to rain. It was really bad times.

So before qualifying in the afternoon, I slept during one hour because of my fall. Hopefully, I had a better feeling with my bike and I was finally able to solve one by one the three problems that I encountered during the first free practice.

I lined up 32 laps during the qualifying session, more than all the others. Another good point is that I could run with my race tires and qualifying in eighth place, three tenths from Pedrosa, who is third on the grid. It worked well on the bike settings and despite an early difficult weekend, I’m ready for the race.

See You tomorrow

Randy

Australian GP, Day 1 : “Problems with front & rear”

Free practice : 12th, 1.776 from V. Rossi

“This first day in Australia was not so good, because I had problems with my rear tire, just like in Estoril. Moreover, my feeling with the front was bad as well, so it was a difficult practice. We worked a lot on the front of the bike, without finding a solution.

The key to go faster is maybe to work on the traction control, we will try it tomorrow. At the very end of the session, we tried to put hard tire front-rear, but it didn’t really improve the handling of my bike.

With all this stuff, we will work hard tomorrow, but I think we can find solutions to go fast.

See U tomorrow

Randy

GP of Portugal, Day 3: “Problems with my… boot!”

It’s a shame because I was well placed on the grid. Then I pushed, but I had to fight with Vermeulen and once I finally passed him, I almost did a highside, and the fairing kicked my injured ankle.

It was a tough race, but hopefully, the DNF of De Angelis and Capirossi drop me 8th overall, 4 points behind Capi. But it narrows behind me at general rankings and I’ll have to do better on the last GP.

I’ll see you in Australia in great shape.

See you soon. ”

Randy