• Welcome to the new B.I.R.D. Forum. Please be sure to read the "New Member / New Registered ? Please Read" thread in the Coffee Shop. This contains some important information. To become a full member ( £5.90 a year ) simply click on your user name near the top on the right I hope you enjoy the new site ................ Jaws ( John )

Official Irta Test - Sepang (Malaysia) - Day 1

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Positive start for Petrux and Scott
on the opening day of Irta test at Sepang

Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding ended with positive feelings the first of three days of official IRTA test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Petrux started off well by lapping fast with his new Ducati Desmosedici GP 2017 and working hard with used tires to gain confidence on race pace. The rider from Terni completed 34 laps finishing with a best time of 2:00.850 which earned him 11th place.
Scott got back on his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2016 finding a good feeling and ending just 3 milliseconds down on his teammate. The English rider completed 44 laps on the first day of testing.
A downpour that fell at the malaysian circuit shortly after mid-day break, prevented then riders to get back on track in the afternoon.
Danilo Petrucci 11th - 2:00.850
It?s always a thrill to get back on track after the winter break. I am pleased with the work we have done today. The bike is working well. It?s a big step forward compared to the 2015 version. The bike has great potential and I feel I have it also. I can do better but I'm very happy with this first day. I really enjoyed coming back on track.
Scott Redding 12th - 2:00.853
It was a quite good day. We worked a lot on used tires and I must say that the feelings are good. It was great to be back lapping after a few weeks. We made some kind of shake-down trying to find the right direction to take for the next two days. If it rains we'll try anyway but without taking unnecessary risks.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
IANNONE AND RINS KICK- OFF 2017 SEASON AT SEPANG

The 2017 MotoGP World Championship has officially begun at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia as Team SUZUKI ECSTAR?s Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins got their first taste of the updated GSX-RR machines following the long winter stop.

The two riders are taking a different testing plan, according to their skills; the more-experienced Iannone is already trying some comparisons between the standard GSX-RR used in 2016 and the evolutions developed over the winter, while Rins is still taking some time to get acquainted with the performance of a MotoGP machine, working on his riding style more than on machine?s improvements. Both riders reported very positive feelings for their first day,

Today?s work for the team was not focused on the timing, but was more on the technical development; the 2017 machine is not a completely new bike but the result of some updates to 2016. This meaning that the work asked of the riders is mainly to get well acquainted with the standard machine to have solid references and then make any comparisons with the evolution bike, so that they can address the engineers? work. Being so early in the season the job is still a preliminary one, meant to define the direction for the future developments.

Davide Brivio ? Team Manager:

?I?d call this a good start of the season, the work with both riders has been positive, with both of them we are proceeding step-by-step to introduce the improvements that has been developed during the winter. We are doing intense work collecting information, today we could do many laps, therefore we have a significant amount of data to work on tonight, also to determine how to adapt for tomorrow. We are introducing many improvements and so the objective of these three days is to decide what is positive and what is ineffective, so that we get the path to follow. Also we?re happy because Andrea confirmed the good feeling he has with the GSX-RR and Alex showed many improvements with the machine as well as more and more confidence.?

Andrea Iannone:

?For the moment everything is fine. Of course after a long break the main thing is to try to find back the confidence as quick as possible and find a good pace. We could already have some outcomes on the machines, it is very important to keep the comparative so we are working a lot switching the standard 2016 with the 2017 evolution one. We don?t have any decisions yet, of course, it?s long work that requires patience, but we?re happy with all the information we?ve collected. The relationship with the crew is very positive, everybody works really hard but the mood makes me very comfortable, I?d say my feeling now is really easy.?

Alex Rins :

?I feel very good on the bike, I believe we have done a positive step since Valencia and now I?m starting to get the confidence to be more and more effective. It?s a good feeling to be back on the bike after winter, the back is not 100% fit but I did a good preparation and I?m recovering. The good thing is that I get better and better feeling with the machine, this is a further push to improve. We found a good set-up with the machine and we started to work on the development. For today we mainly focused in finding a good set-up that makes me confident to take the references with the 2016 standard GSX-RR, so that tomorrow when we will introduce some bigger improvements in the bike I can give affordable feedback to the team with proper comparatives. The whole crew is supporting me at the best, they have big experience in helping a young rider to get acquainted, to take confidence and to improve.?

SEPANG TEST ? Classification after Day 1:

1. STONER, Casey - Ducati Test Team - 1:59.681
2. DOVIZIOSO, Andrea - Ducati Team - 1:59.796 +0.115
3. VI?ALES, Maverick - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 2:00.128 +0.447
4. BAUTISTA, Alvaro - Pull&Bear Aspar Team - 2:00.134 +0.453
5. IANNONE, Andrea - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2:00.490 +0.809
6. CRUTCHLOW, Cal - LCR Honda - 2:00.570 +0.889
7. FOLGER, Jonas - Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 2:00.643 +0.962
8. ROSSI, Valentino - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 2:00.695 +1.014
9. MARQUEZ, Marc - Repsol Honda Team - 2:00.737 +1.056
10. BARBERA, Hector - Avintia Racing - 2:00.744 +1.063
11. PETRUCCI, Danilo - OCTO Pramac Yakhnich - 2:00.850 +1.169
12. REDDING, Scott - OCTO Pramac Yakhnich - 2:00.852 +1.171
13. PEDROSA, Dani - Repsol Honda Team - 2:00.970 +1.289
14. ZARCO, Johann - Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 2:01.224 +1.543
15. ESPARGARO, Aleix - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 2:01.271 +1.590
16. ESPARGARO, Pol - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2:01.338 +1.657
17. LORENZO, Jorge - Ducati Team - 2:01.350 +1.669
18. BAZ, Loris - Avintia Racing - 2:01.351 +1.670
19. TSUDA, Takuya - Suzuki Test Team - 2:01.812 +2.131
20. RINS, Alex - Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2:01.889 +2.208
21. ABRAHAM, Karel - Pull&Bear Aspar Team - 2:01.926 +2.245
22. MILLER, Jack - Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS - 2:01.942 +2.261
23. NOZANE, Kohta - Yamaha Factory Racing - 2:02.187 +2.506
24. NAKASUGA, Katsuyuki - Yamaha Factory Racing - 2:02.290 +2.609
25. RABAT, Tito - Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS - 2:02.315 +2.634
26. LOWES, Sam - Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 2:02.942 +3.261
27. SMITH, Bradley - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2:03.034 +3.353
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User

Vi?ales and Rossi Top First 2017 MotoGP IRTA Testing Day in Valencia

Maverick Vi?ales kicked off the 2017 MotoGP pre-season testing in Valencia on a positive note, finishing first in today's session timesheets, 0.020s ahead of Valentino Rossi in second place.

Though the main goal of today's outing for Vi?ales was to get a feel for his new bike, he didn't waste time to make a statement. The Spaniard started his test around eleven o'clock and only took half an hour to ride to second place and continued to be in the top six throughout his morning run. He kept the momentum going during his afternoon stint and showed his confidence posting a 1'30.930s on lap 55 to take over first place from Rossi. The 21-year-old completed 61 laps in total and wrapped up the day of testing leading the way.

Rossi had a mixed but ultimately successful day of testing. He was quickly on the pace in the morning on his 2016 bike and topped the standings after his 11th lap, clocking a 1'30.950s, which was only bettered by Vi?ales later in the afternoon when the temperatures rose. Despite suffering a crash on lap 32 in turn 10, he walked away unharmed and started the Valencia test with a positive feeling overall. The Italian spent his afternoon session preparing for next year's season. He completed 47 laps in total and finished in second place in today's testing results, just 0.020s off the front.

Tomorrow Movistar Yamaha MotoGP will be back at the Ricardo Tormo track to continue their testing programme.

Massimo Meregalli - Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

"Today has been a momentous occasion and a promising start to the first pre-season MotoGP IRTA test. Maverick made his first kilometres on the Yamaha and, just like we expected, he has taken to the bike very well. He used today just to get a feel for the YZR-M1. Valentino was very quick this morning on his 2016 bike. It was unfortunate that his crash on the bike with the 2017 frame lost us some time, because the damage was quite substantial, but the main thing is that Vale is OK. Later in the afternoon he resumed his testing plan and the feedback we got from him is very clear, so overall we are satisfied with how the test has started and with our progress so far."

Valentino Rossi
2nd, 1'30.950, 11/47 laps


"It was a positive day, because I'm second and the lap time was not so bad, but I did it with the old bike. With the new chassis the first feeling was OK, but after unfortunately I crashed because I put the hard tyre on the front, which on the right side doesn't give enough grip for our bike. I damaged the bike and I didn't have enough time to try it again, so now the guys are working and I will try the new chassis some other time tomorrow and we will see."

Positive beginning to Tech3 chapter for Folger and Zarco

The all new 2017 Monster Yamaha Tech3 line up got straight to work today at the post-Valencia GP test where they made their highly anticipated debuts on the Yamaha YZR-M1. Jonas Folger impressively finished the opening shakedown as the fastest rookie and ahead of some vastly experienced MotoGP riders, with a personal best time that was only 1.520 from the top. Meanwhile, the exciting French talent of Johann Zarco also rode at a notable pace and he finished just 0.012 behind his teammate as he got to up to speed with the premier class machine. The final day of testing will commence tomorrow where both rookies will continue to gather knowledge of the bike that they will contest next season with.

Jonas Folger
16th, 1'32.450, 51/52 laps


"I'm very happy about my debut on the Yamaha because it was an exciting moment and overall, a great experience. Of course, the first outing was special and there was a large amount of information to absorb, but I started to get used to the YZR-M1 quite quickly and I've already learnt a lot. In addition, the team was also really helpful and they told me about what I had to change on the bike. The main goal was just to begin adapting to the Yamaha and to the MotoGP riding style, but we are all pleased about the progress. The thing that surprised me the most was the smoothness of the engine with all of that power and also the top speed, which is incredible. The bike is very impressive and it was fun to ride with such a strong yet controllable engine. Tomorrow, I aim to carry on from where we stopped but first, this evening I will study all of the data and then start comparing myself to some other riders. In addition, when I get back on the track, I will continue familiarising myself with the bike, and then we may possibly begin adjusting it later in the day."

Johann Zarco
17th, 1'32.462, 59/61 laps


"My debut on a MotoGP bike was very interesting, however, it was a bit tricky because I had to get used to a new motorcycle after many years in the Moto2 class. There is a lot to learn and many factors that I have to adapt to. My approach to this is to take everything step by step because of course, I will not be able to change in one session and I will need some time to comprehend everything. I am making progress and we finished in not a bad way at the end of the day and so this is the positive point. The Tech3 team understand my style of riding and I can see that with the YZR-M1, there are some really specific things that need to be undertaken in order to be fast. I have gained a lot of knowledge, but it will take time to improve and to adapt the bike, when necessary, to my style. It was a positive first day, but slightly more challenging than what I was expecting."
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Repsol Honda Team commence first pre-season test at Sepang


Good weather conditions (max temperature: 31? C air, 42? ground) favoured day one of the first MotoGP pre-season test in Sepang, Malaysia, until rain began falling at 4 p.m.

The track had opened at 10 a.m., and Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa headed out 15 minutes later to get to work defining the setup of the RC213V, trying different engine configurations and spending also time testing new Michelin tyres. The afternoon downpour also gave Marc and Dani the opportunity to complete a few laps with a wet configuration.

Their best lap times for the day were 2?00.738 on lap 25 of 56 for Marquez (ninth) and 2?00.970 on lap 25 of 44 for Pedrosa (13th). Testing will continue for two more days.

Marc Marquez 93


The feeling today wasn?t so bad considering that the first day after the holiday break is always a bit demanding for the rider and the team! We?ve been testing two bikes with different engine configurations, but we mainly concentrated on one, playing with electronics, geometry, setup and so on. We gathered a lot of information, and now we?ll keep working. We also decided to make the best of the situation when the rain arrived and did some laps in the wet, but we look forward to continuing testing in the dry tomorrow to better understand and exploit the potential of our bike.


Dani Pedrosa 26


Today I basically got reacquainted with riding my bike, with the track and the tyres, and I also rode for the first time on the new asphalt here at Sepang. We?ve started working on the bike as we have two different engine configurations to test. We mainly worked with one bike. We also had the chance to ride in the wet on that bike, and we got good information. Hopefully it won?t rain tomorrow, and I think we?ll be able to go more deep in the testing than we were today.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Official Irta Test - Sepang (Malaysia) - Day 2
Bad track conditions affect second day of testing for Octo Pramac Racing riders: Scott 15?, Petrux 17?

The heavy rains overnight have conditioned the second day of testing in Malaysia as riders were forced to remain still until the afternnon, when the track has dried.

Scott Redding completed 36 laps continuing the set up work Ducati Desmosedici GP 2016. The British rider, who has complained about lack of feeling on the front, tried to push in time attack, but he had to settle for a time of 2: 00,124 that earns 15th position.

Not an easy day for Petrux who can count on a single Ducati Desmosedici GP 2017 in the first official test of the season. The Italian rider has never managed to get the rhythm, first because of a technical problem that forced him to stay in the pits, then for a crash at turn 8 that didn?t allow him to take advantage of the best conditions of the circuit in the final part of the session (22 laps completed, the 17th time).
15th - Scott Redding - 2:00.972
We worked a lot on the set up but I could not find a good feeling especially on the front. We tried different tires which have given different data to work on. I can not find speed in the long corners where I feel the front closing. And this also happened in the small crash, fortunately without consequences for me and the bike. We have clear ideas about the work that we will do tomorrow.
17th - Danilo Petrucci - 2:01.124
I struggled today. After the technical problem I went back out on track and I felt good. I was improving even though I had the used tire but I made a different line in corner 8 and I lost the front. It has been a smooth slide, but there was no time enough to fix the bike. Too bad, we did a few laps in these two days. That?s why I hope that tomorrow there will be the right conditions to work throughout the day.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
IANNONE LEADS THE TEST IN SEPANG DAY 2



A positive day at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia allowed Andrea Iannone to set the best chrono of the day, leading today?s classification by 0.406s with the best lap of 1?59.452 as the Italian rider exploited the closing minutes and track conditions to put in a positive series of laps, being in the top part of the screen in every run.

Big improvements were also made by rookie Alex Rins, who is getting more and more familiar with his GSX-RR, and was able to get into the 2?00 bracket and climb the classification to 13th place with a best chrono of 2?00.877. His work is focusing in learning the electronic management of the bike, but he also tried the new 2017 spec of the engine, as this is one of the priorities for the definition of future development.

As heavy rain hit the track yesterday evening, the teams had to delay the working schedule for today awaiting the track to dry and get better grip, finally being forced to squeeze all the working schedule into a few hours in the late afternoon. Finally, the engineers could get important information, crucial as this was the day for the introduction of the most important 2017 configurations on the machines, in particular in the set-up and engine. Some steps forward have also been made in the electronics.

Davide Brivio ? Team Manager:


?It?s been a nice day, hasn?t it? Despite having a delay at the start due to the track conditions, we got only few hours left to test, but we could make another important day. We have tested many things that proved to be effective, and Andrea did a very good job, an incredible time. Of course we still need to work a lot but I?m happy for this time; although it?s only one single lap we have stayed in the front for the whole session. Most importantly, this time is the proof that there is already a good feeling between Andrea and the machine, this means that when the moment to push will come he will be already able to do it. Now we have to work on many aspects to prepare consistency for the race, so we need to work on tyres, suspension, electronics, many things. But this a good sign. Alex as well made very positive progresses, he has already gone under 2?00 and he is improving more and more, he feels the machine more and more and at the end he enjoys riding more and more. Today we could test more in depth the new specs of the engine, making comparisons with the old one, and also tried a new front fork that Ohlins provided, and especially Andrea proved to appreciate it.?

Andrea Iannone:

?I?m very happy with today, although we had a short time due to the track conditions, we could do much work and, most importantly, made a step forward. In the early runs we started with some configurations that didn?t make me feel totally comfortable, then when we tried some changes I found much more confidence and the lap times got a huge benefit. They were not radical changes, more small improvements, but they proved to be very effective. We are working very well, I am finding an excellent feeling with my team, they are working very hard and very professionally and this gives me a positive attitude that allows me to ride with confidence. Today is a result of this, we improved a lot since yesterday and it is important for us to have found positive improvements.?

Alex Rins:

?Today we couldn?t ride so much in the morning because of the track conditions. We have waited for the track to dry up but overall I am very happy, we have improved a lot compared to yesterday and we understand how the bike works, suspensions and other things, we have taken a big step especially on braking. Little by little I have taken the confidence to brake hard in the corner and we have improved so much. I think we will improve step by step with the bike just doing more kilometres. Fortunately regarding the back I don?t feel pain!?

SEPANG TEST ? CLASSIFICATION OF DAY 2:

1. IANNONE, Andrea ? Team SUZUKI ECSTAR ? 1:59.452
2. VI?ALES, Maverick ? Movistar Yamaha MotoGP ? 1:59.858 +0.406
3. BAUTISTA, Alvaro ? Pull&Bear Aspar Team ? 2:00.218 +0.766
4. ROSSI, Valentino ? Movistar Yamaha MotoGP ? 2:00.254 +0.802
5. ZARCO, Johann ? Monster Yamaha Tech 3 ? 2:00.343 +0.891
6. BARBERA, Hector ? Avintia Racing ? 2:00.351 +0.899
7. DOVIZIOSO, Andrea ? Ducati Team ? 2:00.441 +0.989
8. LORENZO, Jorge ? Ducati Team ? 2:00.484 +1.032
9. FOLGER, Jonas ? Monster Yamaha Tech 3 ? 2:00.495 +1.043
10. MARQUEZ, Marc ? Repsol Honda Team ? 2:00.531 +1.079
11. ESPARGARO, Aleix ? Aprilia Racing Team Gresini ? 2:00.609 +1.157
12. CRUTCHLOW, Cal ? LCR Honda ? 2:00.692 +1.240
13. RINS, Alex ? Team SUZUKI ECSTAR ? 2:00.877 +1.425
14. PEDROSA, Dani ? Repsol Honda Team ? 2:00.886 +1.434
15. REDDING, Scott ? Octo Pramac Racing ? 2:00.972 +1.520
16. ABRAHAM, Karel ? Pull&Bear Aspar Team ? 2:00.981 +1.529
17. PETRUCCI, Danilo ? Octo Pramac Racing ? 2:01.124 +1.672
18. BAZ, Loris ? Avintia Racing ? 2:01.227 +1.775
19. PIRRO, Michele ? Ducati Test Team ? 2:01.383 +1.931
20. ESPARGARO, Pol ? Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ? 2:01.525 +2.073
21. MILLER, Jack ? Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS ? 2:01.557 +2.105
22. LOWES, Sam ? Aprilia Racing Team Gresini ? 2:02.058 +2.606
23. RABAT, Tito ? Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS ? 2:02.190 +2.738
24. TSUDA, Takuya ? Suzuki Test Team ? 2:02.266 +2.814
25. SMITH, Bradley ? Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ? 2:02.517 +3.065
26. NAKASUGA, Katsuyuki ? Yamaha Factory Racing ? 2:02.893 +3.441
27. NOZANE, Kohta - Yamaha Factory Racing ? 2:03.052 +3.600
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Movistar Yamaha Continue Development on Damp Sepang Track
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Vi?ales and Valentino Rossi carried out their testing programme in a positive fashion today. Despite challenging track conditions, the teammates took second and fourth place respectively in the time sheets on the second day of testing at the Sepang International Circuit whilst working their way through a list of new items.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Vi?ales and Valentino Rossi were back in action today at the Sepang International Circuit for the second of the three track days that mark the start of 2017 MotoGP racing activity. They continued to work through a number of different testing materials, taking second and fourth place respectively in today‘s time sheets.

The riders had to be patient at the start of the eight-hour session. Damp track conditions made for a four-hour wait before they could put their 2017 YZR-M1s to the test.

Once the track had dried sufficiently, Vi?ales was keen to head out and continued his hunt for the perfect set-up. He soon found a good rhythm and he comfortably began to chip away at his time. After one and a half hours he posted a best lap of 2‘00.646s to temporarily take over the top of the standings before the pace of the other riders picked up.

In the meantime, the young Spaniard proceeded to test the new fairing in order to be able to compare data with his teammate, but couldn‘t resist to push on his final stint. Vi?aleswas one of only two riders to drop under the 2‘00 mark with, a 1‘59.858s and ended the day in second place, 0.406s from the front.

Rossi was also eager to work on the bike set-up to improve performance and left pit lane as soon as the circuit was dry. As one of the first riders to venture out on track, he put in 54 laps, which he used to compare the new fairing to the old version.

With his physical condition improved from yesterday, he underlined that he was back on form by being one of the few riders to improve on his best time of the day before. At the very end of the session he put in a time attack to move up to fourth place in today‘s standings, with a fastest lap of 2‘00.254s, 0.802s from first.
Massimo Meregalli
Massimo Meregalli - Team director, Yamaha Motor Racing

“Though we started late today, the test is proceeding well. We‘ve only been unlucky that we couldn‘t start early this morning. We had quite a lot of items on the programme for today and due to the delays we haven‘t been able to complete all of them. Valentino and Maverick put in a lot of effort to make the most of the dry track time. They both tested and compared the new fairing and new frame. We also made time to look further into improving rear tyre life, with positive results. So far the feedback from the riders has been good, so we are confident about the material that we are testing. Hopefully we will be able to start at 10 o‘clock tomorrow to continue our development and complete quite a full-on schedule, as we also have to try a new tyre for Michelin.”

Maverick Vi?ales


“Today was good and I‘m so happy because we worked on our race pace and finally at the end, on the race tyre. I tried to do consistent laps, and honestly the lap times were quite fast. I‘m surprised that the bike has been working so good and, as the grip increased, we improved each time we went out. As I said, we are focusing on riding on a used tyre so I‘m quite happy with second place. It‘s nice to focus on one lap and be fast, but we have to be fast on all twenty laps and I think we did a good job and made a good start. I don‘t know if I will do a time attack tomorrow, it will depend on the weather and the condition of the track. You always want to see your name at the top of the list, but sometimes it‘s more useful to work towards the races.”


Valentino Rossi


“I‘m feeling 100% fit again. Yesterday when I went to sleep I still had a headache, but today when I woke up I felt better so I was able to put in some good work and at the end it was a good day. This morning we lost a lot of time waiting for the conditions to improve, but in the afternoon I could do more than 50 laps. We had some important stuff to try and more or less everything was positive. My pace was quite good and at the end I did a time attack and I‘m in fourth position, so top five is OK. We have a different frame and it was good, I like it. We haven‘t decided yet, but the first impression was positive.”
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Official Irta Test - Sepang (Malaysia) - Day 3
Positive indications for Octo Pramac Racing at the end of the official Irta test in Malaysia


The third and final day of the first official test of the 2017 MotoGP season, went on stage today at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding have worked hard to improve the feeling with their bikes and were able to bring home important data to work with in sight of the Australian test.

Danilo Petrucci gave the feeling of having made a step forward with his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2017. Having had to deal with some technical issues which have slowed him down in the morning, Petrux went back on track in the afternoon finding a good race pace.

Scott has lapped throughout the day carrying out the intensive set-up work but he found a bit more difficult in the lap-time. On the last day of activity in Malaysia, the British rider completed 55 laps with his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2016
14th - Danilo Petrucci - 2:00.310
There were some small issues with the bike but this is a normal thing. We knew to come to Malaysia to do as much development work. I thank the team for the great job done by solving every problem. I wish I had the chance to try a time-attack this morning but it is not so important. I'm happy because I lapped consistently at mid day in difficult conditions and I had positive sensations. I can not wait to be at Philip Island hour.
19th - Scott Redding ? 2:00.645
We worked hard and we managed to improve the feeling with the front after the problems experienced the first two days. I still have problems of chattering, especially with the new tire and this prevented me to be incisive in the lap-time. With used tires instead, we have made great progress. It was a positive test because it gave us much data to work with in Australia.
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
IANNONE 2nd IN SEPANG TEST AS RINS GAINS EXPERIENCE


Andrea Iannone ? 2nd
Alex Rins ? 12th

After three days of testing, the first important appointment of the 2017 season completed today for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR with crucial information from Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins gathered for the future developments.

Iannone?s focus for today was to work on the race pace and the 1:59.452 he did yesterday puts him second overall in the combined classification of the test. Rins? performance today was faster than yesterday with a 2:00.057 that puts him in 12th place in the combined classification.

The three-day session saw the introduction of new improvements developed during winter and verified their efficiency; and the outcome is very positive, with both riders comfortable and confident with the new specs of the engine and chassis.

The Factory GSX-RR has not been completely renewed for 2017, the Suzuki Factory engineers have focused on small improvements to capitalise on the already-proven points of strength and have more options in configurations that can fix any small weaknesses. The next tests in Australia and Qatar will see the introduction of further upgrades and the development work will continue, although the engine has been approved by both riders, appreciating the behaviour of the new specifications.

Ken Kawauchi ? Technical Manager:

?First test is always strange because you are always eager to try so many new things, but on the other hand you are a bit worried for the results in testing new parts. The weather conditions sometimes affected our program as we couldn?t ride because of the wet asphalt, but all-in-all we are very happy. Andrea did a great lap-time already on the second day and today he could do a long run, but unfortunately, he crashed. Despite this issue, we found many areas where we can improve before the first race and this is a good thing. Regarding Alex, it was a big surprise for us because of his improvement and honestly, we didn?t expect his lap-time because Sepang was only his first real MotoGP test after the crash in Valencia. He did a good job. Both riders gave us the same direction for the development of the bike and this is really important for us to improve. We don?t have so much time before Phillip Island to prepare things, but we will do our best to get some improvements there. Our aim now is continuing to improve the bike on the basis of the new 2017 engine.?

Andrea Iannone:

?The day was positive and my feeling is good. Today we tried to focus on the race pace, finding a good balance of the bike and consistency in performance, and we improved session by session, which is positive. Also, the settings got some improvements, especially on the front; yesterday we experienced some vibrations in braking and slow corners and today we managed to find a good solution. Overall I am very satisfied with these three-days, we worked very well with my team and the feeling with the GSX-RR is very positive. Of course, we have many areas we can improve upon, but now our engineers have much data to work on and for sure we will be able to make further steps forward.?

Alex Rins:

?My feelings are very positive, I felt very confident on the bike and also the back is ok. In these three days we worked hard mainly to find the feeling with the bike, to adapt my riding style properly and also be more effective onboard. Today we could also work on the geometry of the bike and the outcomes were positive. I will need more and more kilometres, I need to better-understand the machine and grow myself. It?s mainly a matter of experience, because already today I saw that as the more experience I get, the better the times become.?

SEPANG TEST ? COMBINED CLASSIFICATION AFTER DAY 3:

1. Maverick VI?ALES, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 1:59.368 - Session 3
2. Andrea IANNONE, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 1:59.452 +0.084 - Session 2
3. Marc MARQUEZ, Repsol Honda Team - 1:59.506 +0.138 - Session 3
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Ducati Team - 1:59.553 +0.185 - Session 3
5. Dani PEDROSA, Repsol Honda Team - 1:59.578 +0.210 - Session 3
6. Valentino ROSSI, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - 1:59.589 +0.221 - Session 3
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Pull&Bear Aspar Team - 1:59.628 +0.260 - Session 3
8. Casey STONER, Ducati Test Team - 1:59.639 +0.271 - Session 3
9. Cal CRUTCHLOW, LCR Honda - 1:59.728 +0.360 - Session 3
10. Jorge LORENZO, Ducati Team - 1:59.767 +0.399vSession 3
11. Johann ZARCO, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 1:59.772 +0.404 - Session 3
12. Alex RINS, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR - 2:00.057 +0.689 - Session 3
13. Aleix ESPARGARO, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 2:00.108 +0.740 - Session 3
14. Danilo PETRUCCI, Octo Pramac Racing - 2:00.310 +0.942 - Session 3
15. Jonas FOLGER, Monster Yamaha Tech 3 - 2:00.312 +0.944 - Session 3
16. Hector BARBERA, Reale Esponsorama Racing - 2:00.352 +0.984 - Session 2
17. Jack MILLER, Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS - 2:00.439 +1.071 - Session 3
18. Karel ABRAHAM, Pull&Bear Aspar Team - 2:00.445 +1.077 - Session 3
19. Scott REDDING, Octo Pramac Racing - 2:00.645 +1.277 - Session 3
20. Loris BAZ, Reale Esponsorama Racing - 2:00.873 +1.505 - Session 3
21. Pol ESPARGARO, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2:01.338 +1.970 - Session 1
22. Bradley SMITH, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2:01.338 +1.970 - Session 3
23. Sam LOWES, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini - 2:01.341 +1.973 - Session 3
24. Michele PIRRO, Ducati Test Team - 2:01.382 +2.014 - Session 2
25. Katsuyuki NAKASUGA, Yamaha Factory Test Team - 2:01.658 +2.290 - Session 3
26. Takuya TSUDA, Suzuki Test Team - 2:01.812 +2.444 - Session 1
27. Kouta NOZANE, Yamaha Factory Test Team - 2:02.187 +2.819 - Session 1
28. Tito RABAT, Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS - 2:02.189 +2.821 - Session 2
 

KUCIAR666

Registered User
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Concludes Sepang Test on Top

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP has wrapped up the first official IRTA test of the 2017 season today at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Riders Maverick Vi?ales and Valentino Rossi have spent the three days working through various testing items to further develop their YZR-M1s and secured first and sixth place respectively in the overall standings.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team's Maverick Vi?ales and Valentino Rossi have completed their testing programme at the Sepang International Circuit today. This third and last day was the toughest for the riders as they rode back-to-back stints in hot temperatures to make up for lost time due to yesterday's damp track conditions.

Though the focus of the team was still solely on improving the technical aspects, the Spaniard and Italian took first and fifth place respectively in today's time sheets and first and sixth in the overall 2017 Sepang MotoGP Official Test results.

This morning Vi?ales showed once again that his riding style matches perfectly with the YZR-M1's nimble character. He dropped various hot laps before posting his fastest time of the day, a 1'59.368s on lap 40, to slot into first place in the rankings. With a margin of 0.138s ahead of his closest rival, he comfortably held his position until the end of the session after shifting his attention to the last details of his bike's setting.

A few spots of rain in the afternoon had the young rider sit in the pit box before he could resume his testing programme. As soon as the conditions improved Vi?ales had his final go on the YZR-M1 and had enough minutes left to end the test with a time attack. Though unable to beat his own best lap, he is leaving the Sepang track feeling confident, having completed 72 laps today.

Rossi also didn't let any time go to waste on the last opportunity of testing in Malaysia. He filled his morning session with evaluating a new tyre for Michelin and building on his findings from the previous testing days.

Similar to teammate Vi?ales, the Doctor was eager to start his afternoon session as soon as track conditions allowed. His fastest lap from the morning was a 2'00.125s, putting him in eleventh place, 0.756s from the top, but the Doctor had a trick up his sleeve. Once he got back out on track he fully committed to improving his position in the rankings and set the fourth fastest time, a 1'59.589s, 0.221s from first, on lap 50 of 62. He ended the test day in fifth place as the pace quickened in the final minutes.

The team will now return to Europe whilst the engineers return to Japan to process the data and take their 2017 MotoGP preparation another step further. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will regroup in Phillip Island from Feb 15th - 17th for the second pre-season test of 2017.

Massimo Meregalli - Team director, Yamaha Motor Racing

"This morning we knew it would be important to make the most of the dry and cooler track conditions so we started testing as soon as we could. We are satisfied about the way that the development proceeded over the last three days. We have been able to evaluate many items without facing any difficulties. We have been testing the frame, fairing, electronics, mapping and the tyres and we've collected a lot of data but, even more importantly, we have already been able to make some decisions for the 2017 season. We also received good feedback on the tyre life, which is one of the topics we focused on most during this test and this allowed us to not only to be quicker but also increase our consistency. Leaving Sepang with the fastest lap time to our name, we are now looking forward to head to Phillip Island where we will continue the development of our bike. Maverick, Valentino, the team and the Japanese engineers all did an excellent job and we are feeling confident about the next test."

Maverick Vi?ales

"Today again, like yesterday, we worked mainly on the race pace. We improved the pace a lot. I am quite surprised I could attain a 1'59 and I am really happy, because it was very fast and the bike was going well. We tried many things during this week, so I think we can have a better package for the next test in Australia. We will bring many good things to Phillip Island. At the moment it is difficult to say which aspect of the bike surprised me most. We are developing the bike, trying to better the package that we have, and I think for sure we have the best bike at the moment for one lap and on race distance. Step by step we are choosing the best things."


Valentino Rossi


"I'm quite happy, it was a good test, because my lap times were OK and 1'59.589 is not so bad and we are all very close at the top. In general, the feeling with the bike is positive and today we also found something interesting to further improve the bike. At the end it was a challenging test but we found something positive."
 
Top