MotoGP #SepangTest J.1 Dovizioso 2nd and Lorenzo 3rd, under the lap record

Andrea Dovizioso took second place on the first day of testing at the Sepang circuit. In 1'59.770, he was 0.343 behind the best time of the day set by Dani Pedrosa. His teammate Jorge Lorenzo was in third place, 0.375 behind Pedrosa, and 0.032 behind “Desmo Dovi”.

The GP18 available to Andrea and Jorge was not the final version, which according to team manager Davide Tardozzi, will only make its appearance in Qatar. For the moment, Gigi Dall'Igna's team is experimenting with several technical solutions in order to choose from the many possibilities available to it.

Andrea Dovizioso:

“I developed a very good feeling with the new bike today. I didn't expect it, so I'm really happy. Of course, the progress isn't as great as Gigi's first Ducati in 2015. Because the 2014 Ducati machine was…

“I was a little surprised and I'm happy with this good start. The new Ducati is instantly better, but there are still some flaws – as always. So we have to work and find out what we can get out of this machine. And we must not forget: I was really fast with the 2017 machine.

“We still have some problems. Now we have to see what we can do in the next two days. And we need to check what it looks like on other circuits. »

Would Dovi want to test at Phillip Island instead of Buriram, where they are going from February 16-18? Because he finished 13th in Australia in 2017.

“Of course it would make sense to race at a track where we weren't fast in 2017. That would be better. But in the February test at Phillip Island I was still fast with the Ducati. In Australia you can be fast but… in autumn it's a lot cooler, so it looks completely different. It's a completely different story in October. And Buriram is a new track, so it makes sense to ride there. »

Jorge Lorenzo:

“The new bike generally seems faster than the old one. This is a good thing, because normally you need more time to improve your performance. All the Ducati riders on our 2018 bike today improved on their October times here. This is a promising signal.

“What is important: The new Ducati adapts better to my natural riding style. I can open the throttle earlier. I can turn corners with more confidence. I can drive with a little more lean.

“I am very happy and satisfied. Such progress is not seen every day with a new racing machine. »

Test rider Casey Stoner said the 2018 Ducati's cornering speed still left something to be desired. What is Jorge's verdict?

“We are getting closer, this is an important point, because we want to maintain the strong points of Ducati and eliminate the weak points, if we reduce the chances that Honda and Yamaha have, that's perfect.

“The year 2017 has nothing to do with 2018. I have a year of experience with Ducati, I understand the bike better and this bike is now Lorenzo's bike. »

Results of the first day:

1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1m 59.427s [Lap 55/56]
2. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP18) 1m 59.770s +0.343s [33/35]
3. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (GP18) 2m 59.802s +0.375s [38/38]
4. Danilo Petrucci ITA Pramac Ducati (GP18) 2m 0.123s +0.696s [29/30]
5. Jack Miller AUS Pramac Ducati (GP17) 2m 0.178s +0.751s [42/43]
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 2m 0.233s +0.806s [44/50]
7. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 2m 0.290s +0.863s [50/51]
8. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 2m 0.421s +0.994s [60/62]
9. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 2m 0.522s +1.095s [28/38]
10. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 2m 0.568s +1.141s [38/39]
11. Alex Rins ESP Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 2m 0.627s +1.200s [61/63]
12. Takaaki Nakagami GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 2m 0.664s +1.237s [63/64]
13. Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha (YZR-M1) 2m 0.714s +1.287s [55/72]
14. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 2m 0.866s +1.439s [34/40]
15. Tito Rabat ESP Reale Avintia (GP17) 2m 0.912s +1.485s [66/66]
16. Andrea Iannone ITA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 2m 1.027s +1.600s [27/41]
17. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 2m 1.099s +1.672s [29/39]
18. Franco Morbidelli ESP EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 2m 1.161s +1.734s [61/62]
19. Alvaro Bautista ESP Angel Nieto Team (GP17) 2m 1.728s +2.301s [30/40]
20. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 2m 1.864s +2.437s [37/58]
21. Scott Redding GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 2m 1.962s +2.535s [40/51]
22. Yamaha Test 3 JPN Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) 2m 2.044s +2.617s [26/28]
23. Yonny Hernandez COL Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 2m 2.053s +2.626s [47/47]
24. Karel Abraham CZE Angel Nieto Team (GP16) 2m 2.088s +2.661s [46/46]
25. Yamaha Test 2 JPN Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) 2m 2.527s +3.100s [23/39]
26. Xavier Simeon ESP Reale Avintia (GP16)* 2m 2.946s +3.519s [45/47]
27. Tom Luthi SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V)* 2m 3.732s +4.305s [57/58]
28. Yamaha Test 1 JPN Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) 2m 3.786s +4.359s [3/3]
29. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Rider (GP18) 2m 4.767s +5.340s [3/4]
30. Mika Kallio FIN Red Bull KTM Factory (RC16) 2m 5.932s +6.505s [7/7]