The season is starting but are you going to bed? Don't worry : as for the first day, We take care of everything !
Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will find in this article constantly updated from 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. all the information available regarding this second day of 2019 testing of the MotoGP field (The paragraphs are reversed so that you do not have to reread everything each time. We will put them back in logical order once the article is finished).
00h :
The references to take into consideration are currently in 4 times:
– Official circuit record in 1'59.053 to the credit of Dani Pedrosa (Sling),
– Best time in the 2018 IRTA tests in 1'58.830 by Jorge Lorenzo (Dozens),
– Best time of ShakeDown 2019:
Aleix Espargaro in 2'00.500 (Aprilia).
– Best time of the first day : 1'59.621 per
Marc Márquez.
In terms of drivers, the most notable fact is the temporary replacement of Jorge Lorenzo, injured, by Stefan bradl alongside a Marc Márquez still convalescing at Honda despite 79 physiotherapy sessions and 217 hours of recovery. Still at Honda, Cal Crutchlow is also convalescing, after his fall at Phillip Island which fractured his foot 17 times. At a lower level, Dani Pedrosa is also forced to rest, leaving Mika Kallio fully assume the role of test pilot despite a still weakened knee.
Michelin communicated on the tire allocation for this test in Sepang. It is very similar to the one provided for the last Grand Prix in Malaysia.
However, 3 new tires are offered to drivers for evaluation purposes:
– A new Medium/Hard front rubber
– Two rear tires using new technology introduced in 2018 to improve grip and consistency. One is tender, the other Medium.
Here, Marc Marquez impressed, as did alex rins, while conversely we expected better from the Ducati riders, with the exception of Tito Rabat who shone. At Yamaha, it seems that we progressed smoothly, without any real revolution, while at KTM we showed the highest top speed of the field but still had difficulty turning the bike.
3h00:
28° and a blue sky greet the riders for this intermediate day of MotoGP testing in Sepang.
We've already warmed up the bikes so as not to waste a second, and Rabat, Abraham, Quartararo and Zarco set off as soon as the track opens...
3h15:
During the first minutes, John Zarco
quickly won in 2'00.404 during his 4th lap then 2'00.146 in the 7th, while he had a best time of 2'01.121 yesterday. His current time would have placed him 7th in the hierarchy on the first day.
follow Aleix Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo and Tito Rabat, all in the second.
3h30:
Alone Marc Márquez hasn't hit the trail yet. Stefan bradl et Cal Crutchlow as well as the pilots Yamaha Factory and those of Tech3 have only just done it.
On your mind, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Rins et Aleix Espargaró took the best of Johann zarco, with a 2'00.055 for the Italian.
3h45:
33 minutes after the start of the session, Tito Rabat, already brilliant yesterday, was the first to go under the 2 minute mark and took pole position in 1'59.992, then 1'59.930 taking advantage of the wake of Marc Márquez
who has just joined the dance, while the track temperature still seems acceptable, before rising significantly from 11 a.m. local (4 a.m. in France).
Valentino Rossi then took the best time in 1'59.625 during his 8th lap.
fabio quartararo was positioned 4th in 2'00.108, 8 tenths better than his best time yesterday.
4h00:
During his 5th turn, Marc Márquez is positioned in 2nd place, 15 hundredths behind Valentino Rossi. The two men precede a Ducati quartet made up of Petrucci, Rabat, Miller and Dovizioso.
The leaders' engines have stopped and the track is warming up visibly. A lesson to remember for tomorrow…
With 21 turns, Tito Rabat has already covered the distance of a Grand Prix!
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
4h15:
Shortly after the first hour of the session, Andrea Dovizioso carried out an attack which initially made him climb to 3rd place before seizing pole position in 1'59.562 during his 19th lap. This is the best time so far in these MotoGP tests at Sepang, Marc Márquez having dominated the day yesterday in 1'59.621.
Alex Rins progresses slightly and barely passes under 2 minutes while Cal Crutchlow moves from 12th to 8th place.
4h30:
Cal Crutchlow continues its progression and places itself 2nd, only 4 thousandths behindAndrea Dovizioso. The Briton was plagued by doubt during the winter, following a foot injury much more serious than expected, but yesterday reassured him and he said he thought he could be competitive for the championship this year. This morning he is trying a rear thumb brake which could help him after his injury.
5h00:
After taking advantage of a relatively fresh track (now at 50°, it's very relative...) to set a time during the first hour, it seems that the drivers are currently trying various settings and/or new elements. As a result, the hierarchy has barely changed except for Franco Morbidelli who took the bull by the horns after a small fall. The Italian driver thus moves from 19th to 13th position. It’s noon in Sepang.
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
5h15:
Andrea Dovizioso et Danilo Petrucci have, at least on one of their GP19s, a system that appeared during the Jerez test and whose usefulness has not yet been clarified by the press: a sort of “butterfly” selector on the upper triple clamp whose we think it would be linked to the front suspension…
New addition to the triple clamps of the factory @DucatiMotor bikes today. Leading contenders for what it does are a) lock the suspension for better starts, b) nothing, but Gigi is messing with us, and c) dispense beer! #SepangTest pic.twitter.com/QEiMjjDfxJ
- Simon Patterson (@denkmit) February 7, 2019
We also note the use of vents on the tank covers which house the ECU, obviously because of the ambient heat.
5h30:
Good progress
Maverick Vinales, now 3rd at 35 thousandths ofAndrea Dovizioso. Considering the current track temperature, this is a very good performance! The first 4 are now within 6 hundredths of a second...
5h45:
With already 45 laps completed, Tito Rabat impresses all the more as he completed 59 yesterday. The Spanish driver has just covered the distance of 5 Grand Prix in just a few hours, showing that he has regained all his strength after his broken leg which had kept him away from the circuits after being hit at Silverstone last season. In addition, he declared himself delighted with his Ducati GP18, much more efficient in corners than the GP17.
6h00:
As you can see, few drivers on the track. Temperature of 57,7° on the asphalt.
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
6h15:
Takaaki Nakagami improves and positions itself 14th. As a result, we now have 19 motorcycles in the same second, including the 2 Aprilias, Andrea Iannone doing a better performance than yesterday...
6h30:
Marc Márquez, who remains the driver who has driven the least, has nevertheless just returned to the track. As usual, he uses a carbon swingarm whereas yesterday one of his RC213Vs had an aluminum arm.
6h45:
Unlike his rookie teammate who is constantly progressing,
Hafiz Syahrin is the main driver in most difficulty since the start of these winter tests. For the moment at 2,6 seconds behind the fastest, one would have thought that the Malaysian would take advantage of this home test to improve, but this track never really suited him, even if he had a good time there. return to racing last year. For the moment black, the official colors of the RC16s of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team will be revealed on February 12, next Tuesday, in Mattighofen.
7h00:
Except for
Marc Marquez, Cal Crutchlow, Jack Miller,
Sylvain Guintoli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga, it's the lunch break at the hottest time of the day (32°). It's 14 p.m. at Sepang and the track is now hovering around 60°... We're expecting the first race simulations this afternoon.
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
7h15:
At Yamaha, we film… everything, including the opponents, even if officially they are only advertising spots. The same “service” exists for Honda, although more discreet and not directly in the HRC colors, but with all the useful functions to dissect the behavior of all motorcycles (slow motion and much more)...
7h45:
Let's take advantage of the fact that there are no more bikes on the track to briefly return to yesterday's session. For once, in the two long straights of the Sepang track, it was not the Ducatis who made the show, but the KTMs with the highest top speed. This is new and it shows that the Austrian V4 has nothing to envy of the competition in this area, far from it.
But power is not everything, which benefits the Suzuki of Álex Rins, although the slowest in Top Speed, but 2nd in timed...
8h00:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
8h30:
Only the two official Ducatis broke the silence by riding together for around ten laps. Purpose of the maneuver? Racing simulation? No doubt, but why together? We ignore it, like many technical things on the GP19s. But that’s what makes them so charming! For the moment, no aluminum bar under the swingarm. Maybe tomorrow, this kind of “exotic” test often taking place on the last day…
At the time of writing, only the motorcycle
Jonas Folger is on track.
8h:
Discussion with Hervé Poncharal. Very happy with the first day of Miguel Oliveira and very happy with the energy of KTM. A lot of work for the technicians because each operation takes time. Does not prefer to communicate before the end of the tests and wants to concentrate on the substantive work.
9h00:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
9h15:
Activities are gradually resuming on the track, with no less than 10 motorcycles on the tarmac…
We can think that, like yesterday, Marc Márquez will not do more laps. The Honda driver went for a massage at the Mobile Clinic and briefly spoke with the press.
Jack Miller is credited with 328,2 km/h, a better top speed than all Ducatis yesterday.
9h30:
Attention to detail at KTM: manufacturing a custom fan for the air duct when the bike returns from a run.
Long time in bikes too – teams used to use gen-powered air lines to cool rads etc; now it's the ECU that's the concern. KTM unit is neater pic.twitter.com/QfkvrioERY
— Mat Oxley (@matoxley) February 7, 2019
10h00:
New racing simulation for the duo
Dovizioso-Petrucci, followed remotely by the couple
Rossi-Viñales...
An average of 12 drivers on track. Some improve in the first sector but lose in the following ones.
We attack the last hour with, undoubtedly, a few attempts at a time lap...
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
10h30:
Even if, today, Marc Márquez was not the fastest, he nonetheless remains in everyone's eyes as the man to be killed in view of his brief and rapid performances due to the concern to spare his shoulder . However, the Honda driver, who was unable to improve his 1'59.621 today, exchanged a few less than reassuring words with the press, while there were still several hours of potential running time remaining.
“I always slept like a baby, whereas now I wake up whenever I move, but it's not a big problem. Honestly, I thought today would be better because the start of the day was good, but immediately my energy dropped and I stopped. Unlike yesterday, my shoulder only got worse and I preferred not to continue to be ready for tomorrow. For now, I have to do what my body tells me. I probably couldn't do 20 laps in a row right now, and it's also a problem for me to stop and start again. I have to keep riding because if I stop, my shoulder gets cold and it gets worse. I know I still need training for my shoulder. Today I had no more strength and I felt pain.”
The Honda driver completed 37 laps today and 29 yesterday.
11h00:
Tito Rabat, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli although they gave everything in the last quarter of an hour, they were only able to improve their times in the first sector.
Conversely,lex Rins, Johann Zarco, Takaaki Nakagami, Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia and Pol Espargaró managed to go faster over a full lap, the Suzuki rider even jumping from 8th place to pole position, in 1'59.424!
It was without counting on Maverick Vinales who clocked a very impressive 1'58.897 in his last lap, beating everyone to the post!
No more possible doubt: the Yamahas are here!
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
This article will no longer be updated. Thank you and see you tomorrow at 3:00 a.m. for the last day!
