Sepang J1 mid-day tests: Fastest stoner under the sun

Unlike last week, the test session started in the dry under magnificent sunshine. It was quite a good surprise and everyone rushed to the track. On the other hand, the weather forecast was not very optimistic for the rest of the day. Casey Stoner achieved an extraordinary time on this first morning, 0.6 from the pole position record... after 4 years without racing!

The factory Ducati team used GP 16s and GP17s. Casey Stoner and Michele Pirro shouldered Jorge Lorenzo et Andrea Dovizioso. A comparison was envisaged with Desmosedici with and without fins, to measure the respective support on the front and on the rear. The veil on the rim was intended for testing, not for Grand Prix weekends. Pirro took Dovi's bike for its first morning laps, and Stoner took Lorenzo's. The development bike was entrusted to Dovizioso this Monday. At Pramac, Danilo Petrucci had a GP17, and Scott Redding a GP16 with no changes planned during the year. Loris Baz and Karel Abraham had GP15s, Alvaro Bautista and Hector Barbera had GP16s. At Honda, there was little talk and no details were provided, other than that there were new suspensions and new brakes for Cal Crutchlow to test. The long exhaust was the only visible new feature.

Aprilia had a new engine, only for Aleix Espargaro, while Sam Lowes used the 2016 RS-GP. If the engine satisfied Espargaro, he was scheduled to test the new chassis tomorrow, Tuesday. The goal for Lowes was to get used to the bike, according to team manager Romano Albesiano. The new engine developed greater torque. The weight of the machine was reduced and above all the center of gravity moved to increase maneuverability without reducing the stability already acquired in 2016. Here too, we worked on the aerodynamics in the tunnel in order to increase the negative downforce (downforce) .

Yamaha started with the engine used in the last tests in November for Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, as well as two different chassis. It was a question of first defining a basic setting before then trying new parts, notably a fairing. One of the goals according to Massimo Meregalli was to improve the performance of the rear tire during the second half of the race, which was a problem last year at the end of the season. Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger, present here at the end of the year, used 1 M2016s. We had dinner together last night, narrated Hervé Poncharal, and both Johann and Jonas told me that their priority was to use the 9 days of testing (Sepang, Phillip Island and Doha) to be ready for the Qatar GP, rather than trying to achieve fast times right away. NOW. »

The Suzukis of Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins had improved chassis compared to last year, with an engine identical to that of the end of 2016, and a new, slightly more powerful engine. For Rins, the goal was first of all for him to discover the GSX-RR on which he had only been able to ride for one day during the tests in Valencia due to an injury. KTM used the same engine, improved electronically, and Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith worked mainly on the chassis. They were the only ones in WP suspension.

In terms of tires, each driver has 10 front tires and 10 rear tires for the 3 days. There is a choice of 3 different front tires, all new in terms of carcass and profile. For the rear, a choice of 4, including 3 new, with 2016 carcasses except the new medium. Only 3 of the softest option are available, that is to say it will only be possible to do 3 fast laps, of the qualifying type. Most teams try to achieve their best time on the third day, during the morning when cooler temperatures are more favorable. At Magneti Marelli, there have been some modifications to the system, according to Marco Venturi, but not concerning performance. On the other hand, the teams change the parameters of the arrival of the torque to reduce the pitch created by the abandonment of the ailerons.

At the end of the first hour, Alvaro Bautista was the fastest in 2'00.629, 0.3 ahead of Casey Stoner, ahead of Andrea Iannone, Maverick Vinales and Marc Marquez. Casey Stoner took the lead in 1'59.681, 0.1 ahead of Dovizioso. At mid-session, the Australian preceded the Italian, Vinales, Bautista and Iannone. Rossi was eighth, Lorenzo fifteenth, Zarco seventeenth and Baz twenty-first.

Results at mid-session (14 p.m. local time, 7 a.m. French time)

1 Casey Stoner-Ducati Test Rider (Desmosedici GP17) 1'59.680 [Best time on lap 25/total 26 laps]
2 Andrea Dovizioso-Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1'59.797 +0.117 [23/24]
3 Maverick Viñales-Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 2'0.129 +0.449 [34/42]
4 Alvaro Bautista-Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP16) 2'0.134 +0.454 [37/38]
5 Andrea Iannone-Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 2'0.489 +0.809 [22/30]
6 Cal Crutchlow-LCR Honda (RC213V) 2'0.569 +0.889 [27/39]
7 Jonas Folger-Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 2'0.643 +0.963 [23/28]
8 Valentino Rossi-Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 2'0.694 +1.014 [20/27]
9 Marc Marquez-Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 2'0.738 +1.058 [25/34]
10 Hector Barbera-Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 2'0.743 +1.063 [24/30]
11 Danilo Petrucci-Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP17) 2'0.850 +1.170 [27/33]
12 Scott Redding-Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Desmosedici GP16) 2'0.853 +1.173 [28/39]
13 Dani Pedrosa-Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 2'0.970 +1.290 [25/30]
14 Aleix Espargaro-Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 2'1.272 +1.592 [23/28]
15 Jorge Lorenzo-Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 2'1.562 +1.882 [35/37]
16 Takuya Tsuda-Suzuki Test Rider (GSX-RR) 2'1.812 +2.132 [28/41]
17 Johann Zarco-Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 2'1.850 +2.170 [29/38]
18 Karel Abraham-Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP15) 2'1.926 +2.246 [40/41]
19 Pol Espargaro-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 2'2.066 +2.386 25/34]
20 Jack Miller-Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 2'2.099 +2.419 [25/35]
21 Loris Baz-Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 2'2.252 +2.572 [31/39]
22 Katsuyuki Nakasuga-Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) 2'2.291 +2.611 [24/33]
23 Tito Rabat-Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 2'2.315 +2.635 [22/34]
24 Sam Lowes-Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 2'2.943 +3.263 [33/39]
25 Alex Rins-Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 2'3.061 +3.381 [36/37]
26 Bradley Smith-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 2'3.442 +3.76 [26/38]
27 Kouta Nozane-Yamaha Test Rider (YZR-M1) 2'3.717 +4.037 [24/25]