The “Maniac” Strikes Back: Andrea Iannone Fastest On Day 2

Suzuki Takes The Top Spot As Testing Continues In Malaysia

Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) made the timesheets fantastic reading for his new home Suzuki on Day 2 of the Sepang test, as he smashed Ducati test rider Casey Stoner’s Day 1 pace to set the fastest lap of the test so far. A 1:59.452 saw the Italian an incredible four tenths clear of the man in P2, Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Impressing once again, Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) was third.

Rain and damp conditions were the early headlines of the second day, with no real action until the final few hours of the session as it began to fully dry. Once conditions allowed riders to push, the first crasher of the season was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), with Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich), Loris Baz (Reale Esponsorama Racing) and Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) the other fallers on day two. Rabat’s incident at Turn 7 briefly brought out the Red Flag with an hour to go, and the Spaniard was sent to the hospital in Putrajaya for further examination following the crash. He suffered a fracture in his hand, wounds to his left knee as well as his right foot and both wrists having taken heavy impact in the incident. He is set to return to Barcelona for further examination and will not take part in the final days of testing.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s new fairing – featuring “internal” winglets – was one of the big debuts of the day as the ban on external winglets comes into force in 2017. With work condensed down into the hours of dry track time, both Yamaha riders Viñales and Italian legend Valentino Rossi made the most of Day 2, with 51 and 54 laps completed respectively. Viñales’ best of 1:59.858 kept him P2, with Rossi fourth on a 2:00.254. The young Spaniard was the only other rider to dip below the two minute mark, four tenths off leader Andrea Iannone’s time.

Iannone, who also impressed on day one as he settles into life at Suzuki, led for some time until losing the top spot and then going red in every sector to take it back. The Italian has been focusing on a new engine as a point of exploration throughout his 40 completed laps, and rookie teammate Alex Rins increased the good vibes for the Hamamatsu factory as he improved on his Day 1 efforts to go P13.

Johann Zarco was the fastest rookie of Day 2. After a solid first time on track on Monday, the Frenchman took back that honour from Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Jonas Folger. Zarco lined up an incredible P5 – after having also briefly topped the timesheets for the first time in the premier class – and put in a 2:00.343 after 50 laps. Folger continued his impressive run with a 2:00.495 after 43 laps, ending the day P9.

Hector Barbera (Reale Esponsorama Racing) impressed on day two to join Alvaro Bautista in the top echelons of the timesheets on an Independent Team Ducati. Bautista in P3 did a 2:00.218, with Barbera in P6 posting a best of 2:00.352. The two men led the charge on day two for the Borgo Panigale factory, with the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo slotting into P7 and P8.

Dovizioso had a good day one in Malaysia as he was the quickest race rider behind timesheet-topping tester Casey Stoner, and the Italian ramped up the workload on day two to put in an increased 42 laps with a best of 2:00.441 – around half a second down on his Day 1 pace. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who ended day one in P17, took a leap up the timesheets as he gets used to life in red and ended second day in eighth – only 0.043 off his new teammate. The ‘Spartan’ put in an impressive 66 laps despite the time wasted by the weather, and finished the day a second off Iannone’s fastest lap of the session.

Reigning MotoGP™ World Champion Marc Marquez rounded out the top ten, as the Repsol Honda Team ended Day 2 in P10 and P14 with Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa. Marquez also suffered a stoppage on track at Turn 12, but put in a best of 2:00.531 during the course of his 33 laps. Pedrosa was only a few tenths back, with a 2:00.886 his fastest lap after 44 circulations of Sepang.

Aleix Espargaro was P11 for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini despite his crash, with a 2:00.609 to narrowly head LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow’s 2:00.691. Behind Rins and Pedrosa, the final rider in the top 15 was Scott Redding, who did a best of 2:00.972 after 36 laps.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith put in 37 and 32 laps respectively, and ended the day in P20 and P25 as they make progress through the incredible amount of testing work for the Austrian manufacturer – including three different chassis – ahead of their full-time race debut at Losail International Circuit in March.

Day three – the final day of testing in Malaysia – gets underway tomorrow at 10am local time (3am CET), before Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit prepares to next host the MotoGP™ paddock for the second Official Test of 2017.

Official MotoGP Test Results

Sepang, Malaysia

January 31st, 2017

1. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (Suzuki), 1:59.452

2. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (Yamaha), 1:59.858

3. Alvaro BAUTIST, Spain (Ducati), 2:00.218

4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (Yamaha), 2:00.254

5. Johann ZARCO, France (Yamaha), 2:00.343

6. Hector BARBERA, Spain (Ducati), 2:00.352

7. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 2:00.441

8. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 2:00.484

9. Jonas Folger, Germany (Yamaha), 2:00.495

10. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 2:00.531

11. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 2:00.609

12. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 2:00.691

13. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 2:00.876

14. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 2:00.886

15. Scott Redding, UK (Ducati), 2:00.972

16. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 2:00.981

17. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 2:01.124

18. Loris Baz, France (Ducati), 2:01.227

19. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), 2:01.382*

20. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 2:01.525

21. Jack Miller, Australia (Honda), 2:01.556

22. Sam Lowes, UK (Aprilia), 2:02..058

23. Tito Rabat, Spain (Honda), 2:02.189

24. Takuya Tsuda, Japan (Suzuki), 2:02.267*

25. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 2:02.516

26. Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Japan (Yamaha), 2:02.893*

27. Kouta Nozan, Japan (Yamaha), 2:02.893*

* Test Rider

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

Dovizioso seventh and Lorenzo eighth on day 2 of MotoGP testing at Sepang

The torrential rain that fell last night at Sepang left the surface of the Malaysian circuit very damp until early this afternoon, and so most of the riders only went out on track at around 2.30 pm, when conditions had improved considerably.

At the end of the day Andrea Dovizioso was seventh in the standings, with a time of 2’00.441, while his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, one of the few riders who ventured out at the start of the session, finished a fraction behind in eighth place with a time of 2’00”484.

Michele Pirro, the Ducati Test Team’s test-rider was also out on track today, pushing forward the development work on the Desmosedici GP 2017 over a total of 45 laps and eventually finishing in 19th place with a time of 2’01.232.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 42 laps – 2’00.441 (7th)

“Despite the bad track conditions in the morning because of last night’s downpour, today we managed to do four hours of work and test a lot of things. It was important because we picked up a lot of indications, my feelings were positive and I feel good with the bike. Now we must hope that the weather gives us a hand and that tomorrow the track is in a good condition to take advantage of the soft tyres and see if we can get our times down even more.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 66 laps – 2’00.484 (8th)

“I’m very happy with the progress we made today. Now I understand the bike a lot more and I managed to improve my performance, even though I’m still some way from my limit. We also improved the general set-up of the Desmosedici GP and in addition I could see that what I thought yesterday was correct: I only need a bit more time and to do a lot of laps to get even closer to the top and to my limit with this bike.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51) – 45 laps – 2’01.232 (19th)

“I have to say that today we managed to work well. We did back-to-back tests on chassis details, in particular with the suspension, and checked out the aerodynamics. I lapped in 2’01.232 on used tyres, which is a pretty good time, and I was always able to keep a very good pace considering the type of tyre I was using and the type of tests I was doing.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech3:

Tech3 duo outline their intent for 2017 with strong showings on day 2 in Sepang

Premier class rookies Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger continued to impress and make leaps forward on the second day of testing aboard their Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bikes. Johann Zarco highlighted his progress by completing the day as the fastest rookie with a time that left him 0.125 behind third and which was nine-tenths of a second quicker than his fastest lap from yesterday. Whereas Jonas Folger built up his pace before posting a personal best on his last run which saw him end up just 0.152 behind his teammate. The final day of testing will commence tomorrow at 10:00 local time and both riders fully intend to make further advances and close the test in a highly positive manner.

Johann Zarco

Position: 5th Time: 2’00.343 Laps: 50

“Today was positive and I am happy about what the Tech3 team and I achieved together. It took a long time for the track to dry this morning and so to feel comfortable on the bike, I started the day on rain tyres. Just like yesterday, it was useful to get some additional valuable experience in the wet and to gain more knowledge of the YZR-M1 in these conditions, plus I understood the grip levels well. The team and I did some really good work today and when we started to use the slicks, I felt confident and I was able to ride consistently. We put in the new tyre and every lap, I improved my personal best and also myself. It was a solid second day, but I still think that I need time and there are many things to control, yet, this will come with experience.”

Jonas Folger

Position: 9th Time : 2’00.495 Laps: 43

“We tested a lot of different things today but overall I am happy even if we had to wait a while for the track to dry this morning. Yet, once we got going, we tried a lot of different options from Michelin and found some improvements and useful information although it cost us some time. After this, we changed back to the standard tyres and started working on the setting and the braking performance which we managed to advance a little bit. Then, there wasn’t long to go until the end of the session, so we put some new slicks in and I rode quite a good lap, but I wasn’t completely happy with the edge grip after we had adjusted the braking. So the team tried one last thing with the shock, which worked and I was able to cut my personal best whilst running with the used tyres. I am happy about that last lap and I’m pleased with the work that we undertook today. We are not a huge distance from the top so I am excited to see what we can do tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

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.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Development work continues for Repsol Honda Team on second day at Sepang

Heavy overnight rain left a damp track today at Sepang and kept the riders in the pits for more than half of the second day of testing. Temperatures also were slightly cooler than usual in Malaysia, with a max of 30° C air, 38° ground.

Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa took to the track as soon as it was dry enough, after 2 p.m. They continued their development work on their RC213V machines, both of which were equipped with the same engine’s new configurations. Tests of the Michelin tyres also continued for both.

Marquez’s fastest time of 2’00.531” (lap 27 of 33) placed him 10th for the day. Pedrosa finished in 14th place with his time of 2’00.886” (lap 38 of 44). The test will conclude tomorrow.

Marc Marquez

10TH 2’00.531

“We started late like everyone this afternoon because of the track conditions, and generally speaking, it was a challenging day. We spent a lot of time in the garage working on sorting out many little things. It’s okay, as this is the pre-season and it’s better to work and solve all these issues now, but of course this takes time. We have a lot of work to do to find a good setup for the bike and the electronics. That said, our rhythm wasn’t too bad and hopefully tomorrow we’ll improve our pace and speed. We must keep focused and work hard. I’m sure that step by step we will get better!”

Dani Pedrosa

14TH 2’00.886

“Today we started working as soon as the conditions allowed, even if the track was still damp here and there. We made a re-check of some setup details we wanted to improve, and the positive is that we actually bettered them by about 50%. We’re not yet where we want to be, but it’s still a step forward. Other positives to the day are that I did my fastest time on a quite used tyre and that we did some good work on the fork and on one front tyre as well. Unfortunately, at the end of the session we weren’t able to fit a new tyre and try a time attack, but hopefully tomorrow we’ll have time to do more tests on the tyres and setup and to try and improve our lap times.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

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!” 

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT ON DAMP SEPANG TRACK

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales 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.

Sepang (Malaysia), 31st January 2017

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales 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, Viñales 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. Viñales was 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

TEAM DIRECTOR

“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 VIÑALES

“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.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

SECOND DAY OF TESTS HAMPERED BY DAMP TRACK IN MALAYSIA

On the second day of pre-season testing at the Sepang International Circuit, overnight rain meant that the MotoGP riders could only take to the track in the afternoon to continue their work on preparing their 2017 machines.

For the LCR Honda Team and their British rider Cal Crutchlow that meant a total of 44 laps as they worked through the test plan on this season’s Honda RC213V, with the 30 year-old stopping the clock in a best time of 2’00.691 – the 12th best time of the day.

Wednesday will mark the LCR Honda Team’s final day of testing for this week, with the chance to put in a race simulation and also to test the softer tyre option.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 12th (2’00.691 – lap 39 of 44)

“It was the same as yesterday really – nice to be back out on track again when we managed to get out after lunchtime when the track finally dried. We had lots of things to test, but it was very difficult out there because we had so much to try out. So far we are happy enough with the progress and we are just continuing to give our feedback to Honda and to the team.”

“I’m not so worried about the overall lap-time at the moment, because we didn’t use the soft tyre, which we know many of our competitors did. I now look forward to what is hopefully a dry day tomorrow when we can get some more work done.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Bautista shines at Sepang with third fastest time

Pull&Bear Aspar rider ends the second day as top Ducati with team-mate Karel Abraham just seven tenths behind

The second opportunity to ride their new bikes came a little later than expected for the MotoGP riders at Sepang today, with the action delayed by a wet track. Jorge Lorenzo was the first to venture out in the damp conditions but it was past midday before the majority joined him, with Italian rider Andrea Iannone setting the fastest time of the test so far, faster than Casey Stoner yesterday, with a lap of 1’59.452. Maverick Viñales ended the day with three fast laps inside the two minute mark to finish second fastest, with the virtual podium completed by Pull&Bear Aspar rider Álvaro Bautista, who was just eight hundredths off his best time from yesterday with a 2’00.218 that came despite the poorer track conditions at Sepang.

Both Pull&Bear Aspar riders Álvaro Bautista and Karel Abraham waited until around 2pm before getting to work, the Spaniard immediately finding a good feeling and adapting his riding style to the Ducati GP16 he will ride this season. Bautista finished as the fastest Ducati on track and the fastest Independent Team rider, with his team-mate Karel Abraham just seven tenths off his pace after improving by a second from yesterday to register a 2’00.981 and finish sixteenth. The Czech rider had set 2’01 as his objective for this test but after working with his team on a variety of chassis, suspension and electronic settings he was able to achieve his target with his last effort of the day. The Pull&Bear Aspar pair head into tomorrow’s final day of the test in positive mood.

3rd Álvaro Bautista 2.00.218 (49 laps): “I am happy because we have been very competitive and we have managed to complete everything we had planned. I really like the engine and my riding style suits this bike. We need to improve certain aspects but the base is very competitive. We tried some things with the electronics to get the most out of the potential of the engine and found some useful things for the future. Even though our bike is last year’s, it has a good base because it is a race winner. Today was a tricky day because we had to wait until 2pm for the track to dry. Also there wasn’t as much grip as yesterday and it was more difficult to find a feeling but that was the same for everybody.”

16th Karel Abraham 2.00.981 (44 laps): “Honestly I am very happy because I was hoping to get down to this lap time over the three days of the test but not expecting it on the second. We have done a lot of work with the suspension, the chassis and electronics and tried some different tyres. I set a good lap on my penultimate run and said to my crew chief that it was the moment to push, I felt comfortable. I am really happy. It’s a great lap time and sixteenth position is not bad because I am seven tenths off third place, although with such a small gap I would hope to be higher up the order.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Sixth fastest lap for Barbera on the second day at Sepang

The second day of the MotoGP test at the Sepang International Circuit was conditioned by overnight rainfalls and a damp track, which forced the riders to wait more than half of the day in their garages for the track to dry up.

Hector Barbera and Loris Baz made the most of the three hours of dry track time and continued adapting to their new bikes. Barbera moved up to first place during the final stages of the session for a while and eventually finished sixth with his Desmosedici GP16, only 0.9s behind the fastest rider today, Italian Andrea Iannone. The technical problems that had hampered him on day one had been completely resolved with the help of Ducati, so the Spaniard completed 33 laps with very good feelings.

His teammate Loris Baz tested different configurations on his bike, but didn’t quite like the changes to the set up of his Ducati Desmosedici GP15 and, after suffering a small crash when braking on a wet patch, returned to the set-up of yesterday. He finally was able to match his best lap time from day one.

Testing continues tomorrow and the final day will also be broadcast live on the official MotoGP website at www.motogp.com.

Hector Barbera | 2’00.352 | P6

“Today has been a positive day and I felt quite well on the bike. It was a shame to have to wait so long for the track to dry, but we solved the problems we had yesterday and I felt strong on the bike. I was quite comfortable and our line of work was very good. The team works perfectly and they understand what I need to go fast. Maybe I could have done a faster lap, which would have helped us to be closer to the top, but this is just a test and we are here to get ready for the first race. Considering that I’ve done my best time with worn tyres, I can be happy. I don’t want to worry about our position in the classification, the goal is to enjoy riding and I have more and more fun every time I take to the track with my bike.”

Loris Baz | 2’01.227 | P18

“Today was a little more complicated than yesterday. We had to wait a long time until the track dried up and when we went out, the feeling was very good. We then tried several setup ideas on the bike, but then I crashed and we lost a bit of time. After that, we went back to the set-up from yesterday and I inmediately repeated yesterday’s lap time. We miss the track time lost in the morning due to the damp tarmac, but other than that, it was a normal day. If it is dry tomorrow we will continue to test more things to improve the set up and I will also continue to work on my riding style. I am still aggressive, which doesn’t work with this bike.”