The two drivers of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi were satisfied at the end of the first of three days of testing organized at the Chang International circuit in Buriram, Thailand, host this year of a new stage of the MotoGP world championship.
After his first run this morning, Lüthi noted that the track was more technical but also bumpier than he imagined. Morbidelli shared his teammate's impression, adding that this circuit was fun with a MotoGP although tricky to be fast despite a fairly low number of turns.
While Morbidelli and Lüthi discovered the seven right turns and four left turns of the 4.554 km Buriram circuit, the technical teams worked to adapt the settings of their Honda RC213V to the specifics of a track that many drivers considered to be similar to that of Speilberg in Austria, minus the relief.
Lüthi's team worked on refining the electronics and engine management in relation to the requirements of the Thai circuit, while Morbidelli's team opted to work on the driver's position and define a basis for adjustments to progress.
Franco Morbidelli: 1'31.729
“Our first day in Buriram went well. We are still trying to adapt to the specificities of the track but we are already seeing progress on the bike. I am only 0.9 seconds off the best time, which is not much and above all the closest I have been so far since my time in MotoGP. That's good, but we need to continue working to better understand the bike. I like this track, there aren't a lot of turns but they are not easy to understand. The only downside today for me was a small crash at turn seven as I was going out to do some start tests. I don't really know what happened, we'll have to look at the data this evening to understand better. »
Tom Lüthi: 1'32.716
“Not a bad day but I still have a lot to learn. When I jumped on the bike this morning everything was still new to me even though it's my second test. The circuit is new, the bike still seems brand new to me, and I needed to do as many laps as possible today. Little by little my feeling is improving but I must remain patient. I have to accept the idea that you have to take it step by step to progress. It's sometimes difficult to be patient, but it's the only way to get the measure of a MotoGP. »
