Barros rules Yamaha Mugello test

Despite still suffering from knee ligament injuries sustained at Suzuka, Alex Barros completed the Yamaha two-day Mugello test as undisputed top M1, holding a 0.4secs advantage over his colleagues.

Yamaha were blessed with brilliant weather for both test days, a welcome change from the bad weather conditions they experienced during much of their winter testing programme.

All Yamaha's representatives in the MotoGP class - Fortuna Yamaha riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri, Gauloises Yamaha riders Barros and Olivier Jacque, Team d'Antin Yamaha rider Shinya Nakano and Yamaha test rider Norick Abe - were present at the Italian GP circuit, seeking speed that will allow them to challenge the Hondas and Ducatis after a poor start to the season.

Of his 61 laps, Barros set a best time of 1min 51.7secs - a pace that put him nearly 1sec inside Ukawa's 2002 lap record (but 0.5secs adrift of Rossi's pole time) to illustrate the progress made in just under a year.

The #4 spent his time testing a new frame as well as tyres for Michelin, and despite a small off the Brazilian left the test with a confidence boosting advantage over the fellow M1 riders, with former GP winner Checa next quickest, but 0.4secs behind, while third fastest Jacque was 0.8secs away from his team-mate.

"Apart from a small crash everything went pretty well. Yesterday we concentrated mainly on chassis set up, while today we tried a lot of different tyres - 5 fronts and 2 rears. I think we found some good options, particularly for the front. We also tried a new rear suspension unit that gave better feedback," said Alex.

"We did a lot of laps, about 60 today and I had to take a couple of anti-inflammatory pills for my leg - though it is definitely getting better. Hopefully the tests we have done here will help us for Le Mans. It is important for me to go well at my new team's home GP."

Checa had a disappointing finish to last weekend's Grand Prix in Jerez when electrical problems meant he had to pull out of the race while fighting with the race leaders.

Yesterday, the Spanish rider suffered a few small tumbles while fine-tuning his YZR-M1 and tyre testing for Michelin, while today he also tested a new evolution of the M1 chassis for the second time, having already tested it for a limited time in Suzuka at the start of the season.

Checa is not yet sure whether he will use the new chassis to race at the forthcoming French Grand Prix.

"I am a little disappointed because I had some falls here," said Checa. "I lost the front - it is difficult to find the limit here and I just pushed too hard. We tested the old chassis yesterday which works very well and I got my best lap time with it. Today I spent almost all the day with the new M1 chassis and the feedback was positive but then I crashed so we stopped early.

"In Le Mans I will confirm whether we will use the new chassis - we will take both the old and new ones there," he added. "So far for me the new one is a bit better here in Mugello but we will confirm when we see how it works in Le Mans."

Jacque continued his recent upward rise, having been top Yamaha qualifier at Jerez, with 60 consistent laps today as the former 250cc World Champion builds his confidence with the fearsome four-stroke.

"Overall I'm very happy with how everything went here in Mugello," declared OJ. "Without making major changes we managed to improve the feeling of the bike considerably compared to Jerez. Obviously Le Mans is very important for me and I hope that I can put in a good result in front of my fans."

Fourth fastest was 20-year-old Melandri, who made his belated race debut at Jerez on Sunday. Today a tired Marco spent some time testing front tyres and, despite his physical condition, recorded more laps than anyone, at 71 circulations.

"I'm feeling very tired now and have a small ache in my ankle and my back", said Melandri. "But I am happy because I was able to do a lot of laps. This was the best training I could do for Le Mans. After Jerez I was really exhausted because I rode so many consecutive laps for the first time in the race. I am going to rest for a couple of days and then keep going swimming to train before Le Mans. I am definitely well on my way to full recovery now."

"Although Carlos slipped off today the test was still successful as he was pushing to the limits to try and find the benefits of the new chassis," explained Fortuna Team Manager Geoff Crust. "We found positive points and might well use the new chassis in Le Mans, we will analyse its performance now and in Le Mans and decide.

"After being checked by his doctor on Tuesday, Marco was advised to continue riding the bike to get fully fit. Towards the end of today he felt tired so we stopped early," he added. "Nevertheless, it was a successful test for him too and we hope he can improve even more in Le Mans. The M1 was strong in Le Mans last year and Carlos is going there with a positive attitude. Jerez was a little disappointing so we are looking forward to going to Le Mans and going for a good result, which we deserve."

Last of the race riders was Nakano, who struggled slightly today while testing a new frame and would finish 0.5secs behind Melandri after 63 laps. Shinya joins Checa in being unconvinced of the new frame's advantages.

"We have tested a lot of new parts, also a new frame," said the Japanese, before heading for his Barcelona apartment. "I will go out to Le Mans with the old frame because I'm more used to it and the new one has some good things and other things not so.

"I couldn't improve on yesterday lap times, I think because of the track conditions and also because we had a lot of parts to evaluate and we couldn't focus on improving lap times," continued Shinya. "But I'm not worried about that, we are working very well and after riding so many laps I want a little holiday to rest. I'm going happy to Barcelona where I will continue training for Le Mans race."

"Today things didn't go as well as yesterday," admitted D'Antin Technical Director Naoya Kaneko. "We couldn't manage to find a set up and Shinya wasn't confident with the new frame, so he will go out in France with the one we know. We need more testing to get good settings for the new chassis. But overall we are happy and step by step we will continue improving in the next few races. In the Italian GP practice sessions we will work hard to get the best possible bike set up."

Round four of the 2003 World Championship, the French Grand Prix, will take place on Sunday 25 May.

Yamaha Mugello test - day two of two:

1. Alex Barros Gauloises Yamaha Team (61 laps) 1min 51.7secs
2. Carlos Checa Fortuna Yamaha Team (34 laps) 1min 52.1secs
3. Olivier Jacque Gauloises Yamaha Team (60 laps) 1min 52.5secs
4. Marco Melandri Fortuna Yamaha Team (71 laps) 1min 53.0secs
5. Shinya Nakano Yamaha Team d'Antin (63 laps) 1min 53.5secs

Comparative lap times - 2002 Italian Grand Prix:

Pole position: Valentino Rossi Repsol Honda 1min 51.258secsFastest lap: Tohru Ukawa Repsol Honda 1min 52.601secs