Dominant yesterday, the official Yamaha riders were not so today.
For Valentino Rossi who rose in the last quarter of an hour to ninth place previously occupied by Johann Zarco, these relatively inexplicable ups and downs are a bit reminiscent of the bad taste of the same uncertainties suffered last year, including during the last tests in Valencia.
Valentino Rossi : “That worries us a little. In Valencia we were very fast on the first day. Maverick and I had a good feeling with the bike and the tires. Our pace was 1'30.3. We were in third and fourth position. The second day we sat on the same bikes, with the same temperature, and we used the same tires, but we lost three or four tenths. And it still remains a mystery to us that this happened. It was very similar here... We have to find the reasons for it. »
However, the Doctor also knows how to highlight the positive points of this third and final day of MotoGP testing in Sepang…
“My feeling on the bike has improved a lot compared to 2017, I feel comfortable, and the pace has improved compared to the previous year. Because last year the tires were degrading harder and faster. I wasn't that far back on my fastest lap, but my overall position isn't very exciting. Compared to that, my running pace was really remarkable. I want to look at it more closely but, at first glance, I think six, seven or eight drivers have a very, very similar pace. If we had to race here tomorrow, it would be like Moto3. »
The Yamaha rider therefore leaves Malaysia with good and bad things, but, above all, one certainty: the preparatory work for this 2018 season is very far from being finished!
“We are in the first group, but we know we have to improve. We have different versions of the chassis, and modifications will be necessary in terms of weight distribution and rigidity. Last night, I was confident of being able to improve my time during this third day. But we didn't succeed. We were not able to use the new tires ideally. With used tires, that is to say at race pace, we are much better. »
Satisfied with his race pace, Valentino Rossi is less satisfied with his time in qualifying mode. To then be half a second behind the best does not seem like a big deal, except that there are seven drivers who got in between...
MotoGP #SepangTest J.3: Chronos
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 1:58,830 min
2. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, + 0,179 sec
3. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,222
4. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,339
5. Jack Miller, Ducati, 0,516+
6 Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,518
7. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,552
8. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0.619
9. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0.681
10. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0.698
11. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +0.717
12. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0.785
13. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 1.132
14. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1.241
15. Alvaro Bautista, Ducati, + 1.375
16. Mika Kallio KTM +1,634
17. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1 696
18 Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +1,717
19. Karel Abraham, Ducati, + 1.744
20. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, + 1.954
21. Scott Redding Aprilia + 1.982
22. Bradley Smith, KTM, +2.139
23. Sylvain Guintoli, Suzuki, +2
24. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2
25. Yonny Hernandez, Yamaha, +2
MotoGP #SepangTest: Combined times of the 3 days
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 1:58,830 min
2. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, + 0,179 sec
3. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,222
4. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,339
5. Jack Miller, Ducati, 0,516+
6 Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,518
7. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +0,525
8. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,552
9. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,560
10. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0.681
11. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0.698
12. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +0.717
13. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0.785
14. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 1,095
15. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1.241
16. Alvaro Bautista, Ducati, 1,375+
17 poles Espargaró, KTM, + 1
18. Mika Kallio KTM +1,634
19. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1.690
20. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1.696
21. Karel Abraham, Ducati, + 1.744
22. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, + 1.954
23. Scott Redding, Aprilia + 1.982
24. Sylvain Guintoli, Suzuki, + 2.290
25. Tom Lüthi, Honda, + 2.296
26. Yonny Hernandez, Yamaha, +2.393
27. Michele Pirro, Ducati, 5,937
Reference times:
Test record: 1'59.053 by Dani Pedrosa (Honda) in 2015
Lap record: 2'00.606 by Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) in 2015
Test record: 1'58.867 by Marc Marquez (Honda) on February 6, 2015
