Checa tops Jerez test

Carlos Checa has ended the three-day Bridgestone tyre test at Jerez with a fastest lap that beats the time Valentino Rossi set to take pole position at the circuit earlier this year.

Checa was at the circuit on an upgraded version of the 2004 Ducati Desmosedici along with team-mate Loris Capirossi and the Kawasaki MotoGP team which also runs Bridgestones.

Checa spent most of the three-day test trying out the new range of race tyres from the Japanese manufacturer, which Ducati are running for the first time after running on Michelins in 2004. But on the final day Checa got his hands on a set of qualifyiers and put in a 1:40.926 lap, beating Rossi’s pole time by almost 0.8 seconds.

Capirossi wasn’t far behind Checa with a best lap of 1:41.392.

World Superbike runner up Regis Laconi was brought in to test the 2005 bike for the team and spent most of the time working on engine setup. His best time was 1:41.853.

It is a busy week for the Ducati crew who are now off to Valencia to squeeze in another two day test before the winter testing ban kicks in.

Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann both managed to better their best race laps from this year’s race. Neither of the pair ran any laps on qualifying tyres but Nakano still managed to post a time just one second slower than Checa.

Nakano spent most of the session working on various engine configurations while Hoffman worked on chassis and suspension setups.

Unofficial times:

Carlos Checa 1:40.926

Loris Capirossi 1:41.392

Shinya Nakano 1:41.94

Alex Hofmann 1:42.37