The third and penultimate 2017 pre-season test concluded this Friday at the Phillip Island Circuit. By definition, these tests have the sole objective of testing, evaluating and adjusting motorcycles in preparation for the new season which is fast approaching. However, they do give some indication of what to expect for 2017, as Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP Champion and current WorldSBK Team Ten Kate rider, shared on social media yesterday:
“For the record, when I hear a rider/team say they aren't looking or thinking of lap times at all, I don't really believe them. »
What should we remember from this last day in Australia?
Viñales and Marquez, in a handkerchief
Maverick Vinales dominated the rankings of the first three official tests, in Valencia last November, Sepang at the beginning of February then Phillip Island this week. The Catalan had already dominated this same test last season, riding the Suzuki GSX-RR.
This time it was on the Yamaha M1 that he won with a best time of 1'28.549, alone with Marc Marquez below the one minute and 29 seconds mark. However, Viñales admits to still having more under his belt, “Today we mainly focused on race pace,” he confided. “I am satisfied, but we can still improve. We still haven't decided which of the fairings we are going to choose, it's still an open question. »
Viñales and his teammate Valentino Rossi evaluated both chassis this week using both the new and old fairings. Rossi prefers the new version. “We're close to finding what we're going to use this season. There are still a few open questions that we will answer at Losail, but we are 80% certain of the direction we will take. » confided Mayo Meregalli, Team Manager of the Yamaha MotoGP team, at the end of the day.
For its part, Marc Marquez continued to look for what he was missing the first two days. The Honda driver was unable to ensure the connection between the throttle handle and the rear wheel as he wanted. On this point, the HRC is closely following the requests of the Spanish pilot, “We have made a lot of progress,” he declared. “Thursday, I said I wasn't really happy. I wasn't comfortable on the bike and something was missing. Today we found a direction that might be the right one. In the afternoon, by stringing together several laps, I was getting faster and faster. We are getting closer step by step, but we must not forget that Phillip Island is a special circuit when it comes to set-up and driving. We have to stay calm and analyze, because I'm not 100% yet. In Qatar, we will see where we are. »
Marquez emphasizes that the two factory Yamahas will be involved in the fight for the title, even if Rossi was 11th in the standings today, almost a second behind Viñales, “A race weekend is very different from a test,” added the Spaniard.
This Friday, Viñales completed two race simulations against one for Marquez. Which seemed slightly faster. The two adversaries also found themselves wheel to wheel during their simulation, to the great annoyance of the Yamaha rider, “I don’t know what to say… but this isn’t normal,” Viñales said annoyedly on Crash.net after having to put an end to his simulation. Despite this episode, Viñales recognizes the pace of the Honda driver. As far as he is concerned, he still needs to perfect his braking. For his part, after following his rival, Marc Marquez specifies that the Yamaha seems stable on fast curves, “The Yamaha is stable, but it is also very fast. »
All Hondas in the Top 10
In the absence of Tito Rabat, convalescing since his heavy fall at Sepang, four Hondas were present at Phillip Island.
Sick Thursday, Dani Pedrosa finished this test with the third time less than two tenths from his teammate, “Yesterday I didn't feel very well, but this morning it was a little better. In the end, we were able to do a good job with my team. This Friday, we were more focused on the electronics and the settings of the bike. The only thing I didn't have time to do was long runs. »
Cal Crutchlow uses a different engine/chassis configuration from the two official drivers, but he admitted to being satisfied at the end of the day, “Overall, the times aren't that bad. I think we can be even faster, we’ll see.”
“We found a base of settings that seems to work,” added Jack Miller. “I think we are going in the right direction and I can't wait to be in Qatar. » Note that Miller, ninth fastest over the three days, did not yet have the latest evolution of the new RC213V engine. According to Livio Suppo, all Honda drivers will have the same engine in Qatar.
The revelation of the rookies
Jonas Folger held third place in the standings for a long time this Friday, before losing behind Pedrosa's Honda. The German crashed at the end of the day, but riding his second Yamaha YZR-M1, he managed to make further progress, “We now know which direction to choose and we will try again in Qatar. The pace was good and the times were fast. We evaluated many options and clarified some things. »
His teammate John Zarco also discovered the Australian track on the handlebars of a MotoGP. For the Frenchman, it was mainly a matter of playing with the settings of his Yamaha to understand its behavior, “It’s a bit like days at school,” was having fun Guy Coulon, its chief engineer.
Zarco added, “This circuit is not my favorite, but thanks to the number of laps covered, I am able to understand the bike more and adjust the settings as best as possible. This is important for the last test, because I know I will be stronger at the next meetings. »
alex rins concluded this test with the sixth fastest time, just over half a second behind Viñales. The Spaniard nevertheless fell, without seriousness, “I opened the throttle too early. Step by step, I find the right trajectories. »
Both Suzuki riders sported the new fairing with the fins. For Davide Brivio, the choice of this fairing is still to be made, “We need to analyze the data. Some things are good, others much less so. We will do additional wind tunnel testing in Japan next week. We will evaluate whether we will use the same version or an evolution in Qatar. »
Lorenzo needs time, Rossi took the wrong direction
After a difficult Thursday, getting closer to the other Ducatis was the main objective of Jorge Lorenzo this Friday. Mission accomplished for the Majorcan who finally climbed into eighth position, just behind his teammate Andrea Dovizioso. “My goal was to improve my feeling and get the most out of the bike. We also wanted to run in 1'29. We succeeded. Now we know how to improve the bike to make it even better. I still have a way to reach my maximum. »
“We are satisfied, even if our times are not what we wanted. We compared different chassis configurations and different settings. We focused on the mid-corners and acceleration to make the bike smoother. confided Paolo ciabatti which ensures that the final version of the Desmosedici GP17 will be used in Qatar during the first Grand Prix of the season. Likewise about the ailerons, “I think you won't see any changes on this in Qatar. We should stick with the traditional fairing. »
To Christian Gabbarini, Lorenzo still has to adapt his style to the Ducati, but “We have to provide him with the best bike so that he regains confidence and is more aggressive when entering the curve. »
Loris Baz told us that the Ducatis were seriously lacking in front feeling during this test, especially with the new tires.
For its part, Valentino Rossi gave a rather mixed assessment. After taking the wrong direction on Thursday, the Italian gathered as much data as possible this Friday, “We worked a lot on the worn tires, but ultimately we didn't solve our problems. We'll have to try something else. The engine seems good, but this test was not as good for me as the one at Sepang. I'm not happy and we need to do better. »
Friday's session was the last daylight session for the MotoGP riders, before the first free practice session for the Argentine Grand Prix. They will meet in Qatar from March 10 for three days of testing under the floodlights of the Losail Circuit.
