Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies continued to show promising form today in the second day of the Sepang test, the first official 1000cc MotoGP test of 2012. Having spent yesterday getting back into the rhythm of riding, today was spent focusing on comparative testing in a number of areas. The team worked to gather data to optimise the balance of the 2012 YZR-M1 chassis whilst also working to refine the power delivery of the increased engine capacity through electronics and power delivery. Spies led the field for the majority of the day with team mate Lorenzo just behind, the Texan eventually knocked from the top spot by just 0.157 seconds by Casey Stoner. Tomorrow’s final day of testing will see a further shakedown by the Yamaha riders before they return in one month’s time for the second test of the season. Ben Spies Position : 2nd Time: 2’01.052 Laps: 37 “We got going pretty well in the morning, then even when the track started to slow down the pace was still really good. We started to mess with the balance of the bike a little today and played with the electronics to find a good foundation with the bike. At Valencia we compared some stuff and got in the right direction. Now we’re here and taking the next step, trying some things to see how it affects the set up. There’s definitely some room for improvement and some areas we’re not struggling with at all.” Jorge Lorenzo Position : 3rd Time: 2’01.068 Laps: 40 “Today I was much more tired than yesterday so it was tough to finish with a good pace but we managed it. We didn’t find any big improvements but some small details. Tomorrow we hope to make one big step. We improved our lap times a lot in the morning but in the afternoon when it was even hotter we managed to go faster which is very positive.” Test Times 1. Casey Stoner (AUS) Repsol Honda Team 2’00.895 2. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha Factory Racing 2’01.052 3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing 2’01.068 4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 2’01.508 5. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha Tech3 2’01.565 6. Hector Barbera (SPA) Pramac Racing Team 2’01.788 7. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Ducati Team 2’01.886 8. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Honda Gresini 2’01.933 9. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Yamaha Tech3 2’02.160 10. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team 2’02.354 11. Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda 2’02.414 12. Karel Abraham (CZE) Cardion AB Motoracing 2’02.598 13. Katsuyuki Nakasuga (JPN) Yamaha Factory Racing 2’02.941 14. Franco Battaini (ITA) Ducati Team 2’04.311 15. Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing 2’05.603 16. Ivan Silva (SPA) Avintia Racing 2’10.297 17. Jordi Torres (SPA) Avintia Racing 2’11.893 18. Robertino Pietri (VEN) Avintia Racing 2’12.546 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: The Repsol Honda Team has enjoyed a productive second day of testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia with Casey Stoner topping the time sheets. After missing the first day of testing yesterday due to a back strain, Casey, the 2011 World Champion enjoyed good track conditions on his first outing on the bike in 2012. Casey spent the day doing a chassis comparison between his two RC213V chassis’ and finished the day as the fastest rider with a time of 2’00.895. Team mate Dani Pedrosa used his second day of testing to work on braking and to improve the stability of the new 1000cc bike in corner entry, looking for solutions to reduce the chattering. He finished the day 4th with a time of 2’01.508. The Repsol Honda Team will return tomorrow for the final day of this first Sepang test. CASEY STONER 1st 2’00.895 “It was great to be able to ride today and everything went pretty well, although I would have liked to have done a few more laps. We spent most of the day on the new chassis comparing it back to back with the one we had in Valencia and we found a good direction and where we want to go. As usual it would be great to take some elements from one chassis and some from the other, but at least we found the direction we are happy to follow. We used the hard front tyre this afternoon but found we had more chattering with it so we have to work on this, there is still room for improvement. We didn’t get a chance to use the new spec tyres that Bridgestone have brought here, we’ll try them out tomorrow and go from there”. DANI PEDROSA 4th 2’01.508 “Today we started to work well from the beginning; the track conditions were better than yesterday and it was hotter out there. We’ve been working on the setting of the bike, focusing mainly on the braking and reducing chatter, to improve the stability on the entry of the corners, that’s our main target right now. We made some comparisons between the two chassis’ and we will keep working with the bike and see what can we do before choosing. We have one more day, so we’ll try some other things with the shocks, this could help, and also different tyre pressures, we will see. I didn’t do many laps during the day, but now it’s time to test as much as possible and sometimes you have to spend more time in the garage, it’s normal. The new Bridgeston e tyres are working ok, I just tried one hard on the rear but I didn’t have much grip and the soft ones are working better, even for the endurance they don’t look so bad”. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: Rossi works hard on the GP12 at Sepang, Hayden stopped by painful shoulder For the Ducati Team, the second day of testing at Sepang was marked by a busy schedule that focused on preparing the GP12’s base setup. Valentino Rossi was engaged in the work that Filippo Preziosi had planned for the team, using all the time at his disposition, while Nicky Hayden was forced to stop after sixteen laps due to pain in his injured left shoulder. Test rider Franco Battaini took over the American’s seat in order to complete the work planned for today. Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 7th, 2:01.886 (44 laps) “It was another positive day, both because we achieved our goal of lapping at 2:01 and because we managed to make further progress with the bike’s setup. On the other hand, as is normal with a brand-new bike like the GP12, as we progress with our tests we also find other details that can’t be addressed with setup alone and that will therefore have to be perfected in the coming weeks. We had already identified those areas yesterday, acceleration and electronics, and we confirmed the progress made with the front end. Honda and Yamaha have been working on their bikes for a year, while we’ve just had two days, which makes our job particularly challenging, but we already knew that as well. Tomorrow will be important as well because we’ll be able to make an overall assessment of the three days, and we’ll have a clearer idea of where we stand compared to the others. If we manage to stay under one second from the top, I’ll be happy.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th, 2:02.354 (16 laps) “I was okay when I first went out this morning, and on my second lap I managed to make a pretty decent step from yesterday. After that I lost strength in the shoulder and wasn’t really able to ride fast or consistently enough to test much. I’m okay under braking because I can lock my shoulder out, but when the bike shakes I don’t have enough strength to hold on. I didn’t want to crash and cause bigger problems, so I just decided to chill out. It’s a bit of a bummer, but that’s how it goes sometimes. They’ve done a great job with the new bike, and you can see just from looking at it that it’s really slick. I just wish I could ride it closer to the edge and really see what it does and how it reacts to changes. Maybe I’ll do a few more exits tomorrow, but that’s about it.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL CONTINUES HIS ADAPTATION TO RCV AT SEPANG TRACK Sepang, 1 Feb: second day of testing at Sepang race track got underway from 10am till 6pm on a typically sweltering Malaysian daywith MotoGP teams and riders continuing the fine tuning of 1000cc prototypes. Today reigning premier class champion Stoner topped the timesheet on 2’00.895 after yesterday’s back problem followed by Yamaha duo Spies and Lorenzo. Better track conditions led to a more productive day for LCR rider Stefan Bradl who circulated the 5.548Km race track 41 times occupying the 11th spot at the end of the day (2’02.414). The reigning Moto2 champion focused his efforts on setting up the new RC213V shaving a further 1.2s from his yesterdays’ lap time. Stefan 2’02.414: “Today has been a full day of work for me and the guys. We made some good steps forward including in our TO DO list suspension regulations, chassis geometry adjustments and some electronics. I found the bike easier to ride and my fastest lap time came early in the morning and I was very pleased with that”. More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Recovered Stoner tops second day of testing at Sepang The Official MotoGP™ Test in Malaysia saw the reigning World Champion heading the times by the end of the day, with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo his closest rivals. After missing a day of testing on Tuesday due to a strained muscle, Casey Stoner gradually worked his way into the top of the timesheet on day two of the Official MotoGP Test at Sepang. The Australian’s 19th lap aboard his 1000cc RC213V stood firm as the fastest of the day at 2’00.895, with Spies following 0.157 seconds behind and Lorenzo a further 0.016s off the Repsol Honda rider. With the geometry and chassis set up adjusted to their ridings styles the previous day, the Yamaha Factory pair spent the morning smoothing out the YZR-M1’s electronics and power delivery which had Spies topping the timesheet at the midday point. Dani Pedrosa put forward his best time of 2’01.508 on his second to the last of 35 laps to rank him fourth for the day. The Spaniard used the day to work on braking and to improve the stability of the new 1000cc Repsol Honda in corner entry as well as to test solutions to reduce some chatter. Cal Crutchlow again completed the top five, doing well to reacquaint himself with riding a motorcycle having spent the off-season largely away from two wheels. The British rider’s best time of 2’01.565 at the controls of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine was just over two tenths quicker than Pramac Racing’s Héctor Barberá, who worked on solving a chatter issue and testing new parts for his GP12 Ducati. Italian Valentino Rossi was the final rider within one second of Stoner, as he and the Ducati Team spent the majority of the day testing new parts for the GP12. Still recovering team-mate Nicky Hayden reported the new Desmosedici is producing a better feeling in the front, although lack of strength from his recently injured shoulder gave him some trouble and the American passed the reins of his Ducati to test rider Franco Battaini for part of the day. Another rider recovering from injury, Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), produced a time while getting to know his Yamaha that ranked him 9th for the day, two tenths behind Alvaro Bautista aboard the San Carlo Honda Gresini bike. MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) followed in 11th with Karel Abraham taking the 12th spot as the Czech rider tested a new chassis on his Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati. American Colin Edwards improved his time on the Suter-BMW by over a second from his time set in the morning, as he and the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team worked on setting up a different electronics package from yesterday. Avintia Racing was not able to complete the day of testing due to issues with the engines in their BQR-FTR machine. Spanish rider Iván Silva completed just 16 laps with test riders Robertino Pietri and Jordi Torres making a handful of rounds each. More, from a press release issued by Gresini Honda: BAUTISTA MAKES PROGRESS ON SECOND DAY OF SEPANG TEST Wed, 01 February 2012 Team San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista enjoyed a positive second day of the first preseason testing session in Malaysia today, the Spanish rider continuing to gather confidence with the Honda RC213V, his first 1000cc Grand Prix motorcycle. The majority of today’s programme was focused on the first part of the day, avoiding too much track action during the hottest part of the afternoon. The main job was to establish a way forward so that Bautista could gradually improve on his lap times from yesterday and set out a clear programme for tomorrow’s final day. It has been a positive test so far and the atmosphere within the team is one of determination and confidence. Alvaro Bautista (2′ 01″ 993 46 laps) “The second day of the test has seen us improve our lap times slightly but above all put together a consistent pace over a series of outings. Today I had more confidence with the bike and I was able to push with more conviction, which I am particularly pleased about. We have tried some things with the electronics and some setting solutions that will give us an idea of what we need to do tomorrow. I am sure that we can improve the bike and my riding significantly. Obviously I need to get used to riding a ‘thousand’ because it has different characteristics to an 800, mainly in that it has more power and you have to use that in a different way. I have been able to see how professional this team is. They are doing a great job so that gives me confidence for tomorrow, when we will try to take another step forward.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: MotoGP Test Sepang Day 2 of 3 MotoGP Test Sepang, Malaysia Weather: Hot and sunny Temperature: Ambient 35 degrees C / Track 50 degrees C STONERS TOPS THE FIELD IN MALAYSIAN HEAT One day after wondering if he could even ride, Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) sprinted to the top time on the hot and sultry second of three days of MotoGP testing at the Sepang Circuit. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa was fourth fastest, with San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista improving one place to eighth, while MotoGP rookie Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) recovered from his first MotoGP spill to improve his time by over 1.2s. Reigning World champion Stoner was rendered immobile when a nearly decade-old back injury flared up as he was preparing for the start of the test on Tuesday morning. The injury, suffered in the 125cc GP in the 2003 Dutch TT, put him out of action and onto the physiotherapist’s table after only a few exploratory laps. But when he woke up on Wednesday morning, and with the help of some over-the-counter medication “that takes the edge off,” he was ready to ride, he said. The 26-year-old Australian spent the day comparing the new RC213V chassis to the one he had tested at the end of 2011 in Valencia. The diligence paid off, with the team finding a direction for the third and final day of the test, while giving Stoner a machine on which he could set both the day’s best time and one of his personal best. Stoner was the only one to lap the 5.548Km track under the two minute one second target, with a best of 2m, 0.895s. Pedrosa took advantage of the better weather to improve his time by over half a second. Unlike Tuesday, when overnight rains kept riders idle until late in the morning, Wednesday was sunny, hot, and humid; the track temperature was 50 degrees C. The team continued working on the new RC213V to reduce chatter, which has become noticeable on most of the MotoGP factory prototypes with the newest generation control tyres. Solving that issue is magnified by the concurrent issue of braking stability, which most of the riders agree is more essential on the 1000cc machines than the previous 800s. San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Bautista took nearly a second off his best lap time as he gained confidence in the Honda RC213V. Bautista sprinted out of the garage in the morning to take advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures; from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the searing heat makes it more difficult to achieve a good lap time. It was in the slightly cooler afternoon-the track is open until 6:00 p.m.-that the Spaniard recorded his best time, on the 45th of 46 laps. That put the team on the right path for the third and final day of the test on Thursday. Bradl’s best lap of 2m, 2.414s was set in the morning on the ninth of 41 laps. Not long after the young German endured every rider’s rite of passage, his first MotoGP crash, which was a result of trying a slightly different line in a right hand corner around the middle of the day. With only minor damage to both himself and his LCR Honda RC213V, he was able to resume his testing program and considerably improve his time. The test concludes on Thursday. HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V): 1st, 2m, 0.895s “It was great to be able to ride today and everything went pretty well, although I would have liked to have done a few more laps. We spent most of the day on the new chassis comparing it back to back with the one we had in Valencia and we found a good direction and where we want to go. As usual, it would be great to take some elements from one chassis and some from the other, but at least we found the direction we are happy to follow. We used the hard front tyre this afternoon, but found we had more chattering with it so we have to work on this. There is still room for improvement. We didn’t get a chance to use the new spec tyres that Bridgestone have brought here. We’ll try them out tomorrow and go from there.” Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V): 4th, 2m, 1.508s “Today we started to work well from the beginning; the track conditions were better than yesterday and it was hotter out there. We’ve been working on the setting of the bike, focusing mainly on the braking and reducing chatter, to improve the stability on the entry of the corners; that’s our main target right now. We made some comparisons between the two chassis’ and we will keep working with the bike and see what can we do before choosing. We have one more day, so we’ll try some other things with the shocks-this could help-and also different tyre pressures. We will see. I didn’t do many laps during the day, but now it’s time to test as much as possible and sometimes you have to spend more time in the garage. It’s normal. The new Bridgestone tyres are working OK, I just tried one hard on the rear, but I didn’t have much grip and the soft ones are working better. Even for the endurance they don’t look so bad.” Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V): 8th, 2m, 1.933s “The second day of the test has seen us improve our lap times slightly, but above all put together a consistent pace over a series of outings. Today I had more confidence with the bike and I was able to push with more conviction, which I am particularly pleased about. We have tried some things with the electronics and some setting solutions that will give us an idea of what we need to do tomorrow. I am sure that we can improve the bike and my riding significantly. Obviously I need to get used to riding a ‘thousand’ because it has different characteristics to an 800, mainly in that it has more power and you have to use that in a different way. I have been able to see how professional this team is. They are doing a great job so that gives me confidence for tomorrow, when we will try to take another step forward.” Stefan Bradl (Team LCR Honda RC213V): 11th, 2m, 2.414s “Today has been a full day of work for me and the guys. We made some good steps forward including in our ‘to-do’ list, suspension regulations, chassis geometry adjustments and some electronics. I found the bike easier to ride and my fastest lap time came early in the morning and I was very pleased with that.”