After a big storm Monday evening, the track was still wet in places this Tuesday morning, not really allowing riding in good conditions. Jorge Lorenzo was the first to set off, soon joined by Danilo Petrucci, but their times were far from the best time achieved the day before by Casey Stoner in 1'59.681. The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms for the afternoon.
Jorge Lorenzo was the first to ride, not to try to set a time, but to improve his position on the Ducati under braking. His team was expected to install a left-hand rear brake control, as was the case for teammate Andrea Dovizioso last year. Danilo Petrucci with his Ducati Pramac also took to the track, but for only one lap before returning to the pits, only to check that everything was working correctly on the bike. Michele Pirro then imitated him for five laps. Then Johann Zarco set off and completed ten laps on his Yamaha Tech 3. He was the fastest this morning in 2'10.906, ahead of Pirro in 2'13.147 and Lorenzo in 2'14.390.
It was a positive experience for Zarco who discovered his machine in these delicate conditions, particularly in terms of the electronics and its operation. This acquired knowledge could be useful during the season if a race takes place on a track with an identically uneven surface in terms of grip. Intermediate tires are no longer available this year, which Michelin's Piero Taramasso says is not a problem. “ On a partially wet track, a hard rain tire can last between ten and fifteen laps » he explained. It was this type of tire that the three drivers were using this morning. Takuya Tsuda, Suzuki test rider (and perhaps future teammate of Sylvain Guintoli at the Suzuka 8H) completed ten laps, including the fastest on slicks in 2'06.196.
Action remained very limited this morning due to the limited number of tires. Each driver only has a total of ten rear tires for these three days of testing, including a maximum of three soft. At lunchtime, about halfway through the session, most teams were warming up the engines, which seemed to indicate a resumption of activity. Dani Pedrosa took to the track.
Results at mid-session (14 p.m. local time, 7 a.m. French time)
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
