De Puniet finds grip solution in Valencia test

Randy de Puniet’s post-season test at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit was a productive experience for the LCR Honda rider, who tested Ohlins suspension as well as dealing with the rear-grip trouble that caused problems in Sunday’s race.

Along with several other MotoGP riders, De Puniet also rolled out the new rear tyre spec made available by Bridgestone, as he completed 76 laps on Tuesday, clocking a best time of 1’33.111 to make him the second fastest Honda in the session.

“We tried to understand what happened in Sunday’s race when I struggled with rear-grip issues and we have found a good solution to that problem,” explained the 28 year-old. “We worked on Ohlins suspension and on the chassis to make the bike more stable in the corners. I am pretty satisfied with the things we have fixed in the last two days as the data will be helpful in relation to the 2010 machine, which we are going to test in February.”

De Puniet will now have time to continue the full rehabilitation of the ankle he broke back in August in a motocross training accident, which came at an unfortunate time in his season after he had secured his first – and only – podium of the year at Donington.

“In two weeks time I will remove the screws from my left ankle and will keep on training to make sure I arrive at Sepang in good shape,” he added.