If there is one who can be very happy with his return to 2018 in MotoGP, it is good Dani Pedrosa. The Honda official felt so good in his sneakers that he dominated the first timer put into play at the end of a day of testing, not only dominating his illustrious teammate but also reconciling himself with a Michelin rear tire in the rain which caused him so much trouble in 2017…
A swallow certainly does not make spring, but what is taken is no longer to be taken. Dani Pedrosa recalled that at 32 years old he was not finished and that he was at the head of 54 victories while presenting himself, in the results of the first of the three days of testing in Malaysia, as the boss of MotoGP. In 1.59.427, he settled the score of his opponents. But not only…
The former protégé of a Alberto puig now HRC team manager has also discovered that his 2017 weaknesses seem to have been erased: “ this good time is to be shared with the whole team. We worked well. Especially considering the different track conditions we had. Particularly with the rain at the start, then with the track drying out. We can say that we are heading in the right direction. Michelin came up with different tire solutions and I really liked the rear rain tire. Then even on the dry track, I had good feelings ».
Hear what @simoncrafar and @NeilMorrison87 had to say about @ 26_DaniPedrosa's impressive performance on the opening day of the #SepangTest 🎙
Catch up with the best of the action from Malaysia over at https://t.co/BotafV05Yz 🎥 https://t.co/m2kY4M6JWs pic.twitter.com/4igkMYyNz2
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) January 28, 2018
A speech on the rubbers decidedly very different from that of last year... But there is also the new engine: “ The bike's biggest advancement is the new four-cylinder. From Japan we were sent two versions of the new engine. They give us more power, guarantee us more speed and even give us better driving sensations. But not only that: the motorcycle is also more stable, it shakes less, so it grips more and works better with the tires ».
« We compared three different motorcycles, with the same settings, but with engine adjustments that were not identical. Whether in the wet or in the dry, I had good sensations each time.we”. So everything is better in the best of all possible worlds for Pedrosa which ends: “ we will continue to work on the engine with different mappings on two bikes. We will also test new aerodynamics and try to further improve the settings of the bike to find the best possible balance. ».
MotoGP #Sepang test J.1: Chronos
1. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 1:59,427 min
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,343 sec
3. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,375
4. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,696
5. Jack Miller, Ducati, 0,751
6. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,806
7. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,863
8. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,994
9. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +1,095
10. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +1,141
11. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +1,200
12. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1,237
13. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +1,287
14. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,439
15. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +1,485
16. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +1,600
17. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,672
18. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,734
19. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +2,301
20. Sylvain Guintoli, Suzuki, +2,437
21. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +2,535
22. Yonny Hernandez, Yamaha, +2,626
23. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +2,661
24. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +3,519
25. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +4,305
26. Michele Pirro, Ducati, +5,340
27. Mika Kallio, KTM, +6,505
