Fresh from his dominant Qatar GP win, Ducati's reigning world champion
Casey Stoner and team-mate
Marco Melandri attended the week-long event on Wednesday, with Kawasaki's
Anthony West joined by Suzuki's
Loris Capirossi on Thursday, while Honda Gresini's
Alex de Angelis and Alice Team rider
Toni Elias were present on Friday.
Each of the MotoGP riders got a first-hand taste of the BT-016 - fitted to road bikes from their respective manufacturer - under the guidance of former GP rider Jeremy Mc
Williams, who was working for
Bridgestone to set up the bikes at the track.
All six grand prix stars seemed impressed with the agility and handling of the new tyre, which uses technology derived from
MotoGP.
"Riding on track with Marco and Jeremy, for once without the pressure of the [stopwatch] was good fun," said Stoner. "My initial impressions of the tyre were good and so was my feeling with the 848 which has impressed me with the handling, the power delivery and the stability in braking. It has been a good way to relax after the excitement of the GP. Bridgestone has played an important part in my MotoGP career, they listened to me from the beginning, even if I was still young and I hadn't won MotoGP races, they gave back what I was putting in, so it has been a pleasure to join them at this event."
"It truly was a very fun event," echoed Melandri. "I went out to make five laps with my 848 and I just didn't stop lapping. After two hours they had to stop me or I would miss my plane! The tyre offered a fantastic grip, the bike was amazing in every aspect: the front precise in the changes of direction, the power simply great, the rear enjoyable when sliding entering the corners. Now I need some days of relax but not too many. I really look forward to get back working with my team in order to be able to get the maximum from my GP8."
