MotoGP Rider Quotes – Sepang Test Day 3

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“Today was a difficult day for us, it was not easy to get into the pace and make a good lap this morning, but overall I’m really happy. We did a long run of 12 laps in the hottest conditions when there was nobody on track. It was not bad: our pace was high 1min 59sec and low 2mins, it was 55 degrees on track and nobody else was riding so it was probably the worst track conditions we had today. We are working in a really good way to improve the speed and hopefully in Qatar we will take another step forward. My goal now has changed a little bit; we want to have better long run pace, because we now know over one lap we are fast. Overall, I’m really happy with the first test of the year with the 2020 bike.”

Fabio Quartararo

Cal Crutchlow – P2

“We had a good and positive third day to get through a long list of items that we needed to test for ourselves and Honda. We had some test items on there throughout the day and also some geometry settings. I felt good today with the pace, although I still didn’t feel fantastic with the bike. We need to improve the pushing on the corner entry and the turning of the bike for me to feel more comfortable. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that at the Qatar test, but thank you to my team for such hard work over the last three days here in Sepang.”

Cal Crutchlow

Alex Rins – P3

“Today was the last day of the test, and we’re happy how all three days went. We tested everything we had on the list and now we go to the Qatar Test with a better bike than last year. I improved my rhythm and race pace here, and also my best lap time, so I’m happy with that. We’ll continue working and see how things are in Qatar, when we arrive there we will try the new parts again to compare how they work on a different track layout.”

Alex Rins

Pecco Bagnaia – P4

“It was a very positive day, in the time attack we were very fast. What I liked this morning was the consistency with my pace and this afternoon’s simulation helped us to understand a lot of things, how these tyres behave and how to improve my riding style to keep a better pace. In general it was a positive test, we are happy and we start with a good base for Qatar.”

Pecco Bagnaia

Valentino Rossi – P5

“We are happy with these three days. Today was a good day because I did a very good lap time in the time attack. It‘s the first time for me to be in the 1‘58s, so this is positive, also because we are in P5 and very close to the top. We worked a lot, also on the pace, and we tried different things. Some were good, others weren‘t. We have to work hard because everybody is so fast, but the test was positive.”

Valentino Rossi

Danilo Petrucci – P6

“It has been a busy three-day test. Today we worked on different setup solutions, and even if we still have a few aspects that we still need to improve, I am satisfied because we were able to find a good race pace and make another step forward. I discussed a lot with Andrea, and together we identified a few aspects that for sure will be helpful during the races. We still need to understand how to use well the new tyres, but we still have the Qatar Test to complete our work”.

Danilo Petrucci

Pol Espargaro – P7

“We’ve done a lot these six days! Today was successful: we tested the new Michelin tyres and we made our conclusions. We also worked on the swingarm because we felt we were losing grip in hot conditions from the soft tyres so we wanted to understand why. We learned a lot actually. We have more horsepower and the electronics are working smoother which allows you to open the throttle earlier in the corners and is important here in Sepang and what we were missing before. Overall it feels very good. In Qatar we will restart. We might have different problems and we’ll have different tyres so we’ll begin again and hopefully have the same results.”

Pol Espargaro

Jack Miller – P8

“A positive final 3-day test in Malaysia, we made many changes today, we were lucky that it was dry until the last 20 min. We are always happier with how the bike works, there are still a few details to work on but in general we have always been fast over the three days and we have done what we wanted. Today I had the best time with the medium rear tyre and I was very surprised. We have worked well with the team, now a couple of days to relax and then I will start preparing for Qatar.”

Jack Miller

Aleix Espargaro – P10

“I am absolutely satisfied and I would truly like to thank everyone at Aprilia Racing who made it possible to take such a new and competitive bike out on the track here. The 2020 RS-GP has improved in every aspect. It is a step forward that, quite frankly, almost surprised me. There are clearly many areas where we need to work, but they are problems due to how young the project is and not real deficiencies. At the end of the three days, I would have liked to have been closer to the leaders with the soft tyre, but with this type of tyre I just wasn’t feeling it. In race configuration, on the other hand, even with used tyres, I was extremely fast. We need to keep pushing, because there are only a few weeks left before the first race, but I am leaving Malaysia with a smile on my face.”

Aleix Espargaro

Joan Mir – P11

“I feel really good on the bike, it’s better every day. In the morning I tried the new soft tyre, but in the end I improved my lap time without the soft tyre so that was something positive. We’ve found good things in this test and we have strong potential, I think in Qatar we will take another step forward, and then we’ll be closer to the front. It will be interesting to try the bike on a different circuit.”

Joan Mir

Miguel Oliveira – P12

“This morning, we mainly focused on a time attack and doing this with the best setup, we found of parts together. We had a very good lap with our normal tyre allocation, which was surprising. When I put a softer tyre on the rear, I couldn’t improve, but overall, I’m very happy with our pace and all the work we have done during the three days of official test here. In the upcoming two weeks I still have some work to do, physically, building some more muscles and trying to remove as much pain as possible on the shoulder in order to have a good first race weekend in Qatar.”

Miguel Oliveira

Marc Marquez – P13

“I finished the day with a good feeling as this morning we had a good rhythm and I put in the most effort today. I had a small crash at Turn 15, but this was down to physical condition. It’s good to know where the limit is, of course it would have been better to not crash but I am OK after it. Today I did 47 laps again, but it was with a different rhythm. I tried a few things but there is still work to do. The runs today were a little longer today but our speed was still good.”

Marc Marquez

Franco Morbidelli – P14

“I feel quite happy about this test as we’ve been working a lot and we understand many things on the new bike. I also already feel that I have good confidence with the new bike. We didn’t use the super soft tyre today to make the time attack, we used it yesterday just for normal running. So I think that is why we are not higher up the timings today. But even with the normal tyre on the time attack our pace is not so far off the top. I understand a lot from these three days and we know what we need to work on in Qatar. It has been overall a good test and I look forward to Qatar now and we try to do a good job there also.”

Franco Morbidelli

Andrea Dovizioso – P15

“I am quite satisfied with the work we have done today. This morning we were able to put in several laps, improving the bike setup and also my feeling with the new tyres. It had not been easy because I had to adapt my riding style, and I was struggling a lot with this in the beginning. Danilo and I did a few laps together: the pace was good, but the tyre performance dropped quite a lot. We still need to understand how they will work on a race distance and here in Sepang, where the conditions are peculiar due to the high temperatures, is really difficult to make a complete evaluation. Now we still have a test before the opening round of the season in Qatar. I am sure that the final classification of these three days doesn’t completely reflect what will happen in the Championship this year”.

Andrea Dovizioso

Maverick Vinales – P16

“I‘m feeling very positive, because today we improved the bike quite a lot, especially the race set-up. I didn‘t have enough time left to make one hot lap but, doing things like this, I kept a bit calmer. We were really concentrated on working on the feeling and it seems to be good. On race tyres with a race set-up we had a good pace, I felt quite competitive. But we also noticed points that we are going to try to improve in Qatar. I didn‘t set up for one lap just yet. For me, at this test it was really important to concentrate on the feeling and understand what I need to improve on. We are now going to work very hard to accomplish those improvements and we will see if the bike works the same way in Qatar as it did here.”

Maverick Vinales

Johann Zarco – P17

“It’s been a good test. The first day was a little bit difficult. I think I can be faster, I still have to learn new things, but at the end of the third day I am happy because I see that the method I am following works well and with time I will be able to learn more. The bike has a lot of acceleration and I need to take advantage of it. I can’t wait to arrive to Qatar because we have three more days to improve and prepare for the start of the season. It is difficult to learn new things, but I feel prepared and I am very motivated.”

Johann Zarco

Alex Marquez – P18

“The general feeling everyday was better, we were faster and felt better. This is the most important thing. There are only three more days of the pre-season left to be ready for the Qatar GP but we are closer every day. Still we need to learn more but every time we ride my knowledge is growing and I’m pleased with everything we’ve achieved. For Qatar our aim is to continue to understand the setup of the bike for myself and in various conditions. We’ve tried a lot this test so I leave happy.”

Brad Binder – P19

“In the first two tests I was 2.1 off and now I am 0.7. It’s a big step forwards for us. The feeling and the comfort on the bike is way-better but we have a long, long way to go. I need to keep working and it will pay-off soon. If you look at the position then it is dissatisfying but the main thing is the gap. A couple of tenths have made a good difference in the standings. I have seen that it’s not too difficult to make a fast lap but I need to do twenty of them! It’s been a positive six days. We’ve progressed every day. We can reset and start again in Qatar.”

Brad Binder

Tito Rabat – P20

“We have been improving progressively during these three days, it has been a good test. We have to improve on the braking, but anyway I’m happy with the team and now the most important thing is to analyse the data collected and rest in order to reach 100% for the test at Losail.”

Tito Rabat

Bradley Smith – P22

“These were six important days of testing for us. We took a completely revamped RS-GP out onto the track and I am pleased with the way things went. Aleix’s times demonstrate the quality of the project. Now we have a lot of refinements to do which is inevitable for a new bike. During these tests, we focused on getting to know the 2020 RS-GP, rather than experimenting with the setup, but already in the base configuration, the results were decisively encouraging.”

Bradley Smith

Takaaki Nakagami – P23

“It’s been quite a tough three days for me. Of course, the physical condition of the right shoulder is not the best, but it’s getting a little better day by day. The first day there was a lot of pain, but the second day and third day were better and today we were able to get close to 50 laps. Still the lap time is not the best and we have to improve that, but we were able to test many items and it’s quite a positive result for the feeling of the bike. Now I’m going back to Japan for close to two weeks, so I’ll try to get some rest and hopefully be a little bit better for the Qatar test. We still have a lot of work to do and things to improve on the bike for my riding style, but let’s see what we do in Qatar.”

Takaaki Nakagami

Iker Lecuona – P24

“My goal was to have a small gap to the front, but today I didn’t improve as much as I wished, although I managed reach the 1:59’s. I tried some new tyres today and I know, that I still need to be faster, plus after all these days on track here, I’m physically exhausted, to be honest. Overall, I have to admit, that I’m not totally happy about today. I will continue to learn in Qatar. For now, we have a good base with the bike, which I like, my general feeling is great. I just need to learn and understand more and more things about this machine.”

Iker Lecuona

Sylvain Guintoli – P25

“It’s been a busy few days! I was riding at the ‘shakedown test’ for three days before this, so I’ve now done six days of riding and completed around three hundred laps! So, we’ve got loads of work done and it’s been really interesting. We tried different aerodynamic packages and chassis settings, and we’ve completed our planned program, so we’re really pleased. The bike is feeling good and Suzuki is doing a great job with all the work, and the atmosphere in the team is incredible.”

Sylvain Guintoli

Lorenzo Savadori – P30

“When Aprilia called, I came running, considering the opportunities and my bond with the brand. It was a fantastic experience – four days in which I had the chance to make contact with a new category for me and which make my mouth water for more… I wish to thank Aprilia Racing for the honour, after three days with the 2019 version, to test on the 2020 bike as well. The new RS-GP seemed easy and intuitive straight away, even for someone like me in his first experience. As for my performance, I am pleased to have been able to improve on every outing. It isn’t easy to understand these prototypes, partly because they are very sensitive to every command. I also did well in terms of physical fitness, despite a few months of inactivity and demanding environmental conditions.”

Lorenzo Savadori

Team Managers talk Sepang

Wilco Zeelenberg – Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team

“The first test for season 2020 is done. It was a very positive test with no crazy things happening! We had good weather across the test. For Fabio to have three days on top of the time sheets is very promising. I’m also very happy to see Franco riding like he is at the moment. I think he understands the bike better than he did last year and he also made some good steps forward. We did what we had to do and tested what we had to be doing, there were no big crashes and now we’re ready for the Qatar test.

Fabio Quartararo

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki ECSTAR

“For this first test of the year, we brought many parts; chassis, swingarm, electronics cowlings and some engine updates. Before the start of this test I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to go through everything, but we managed to do it and we found a good direction. This test was about trying these new parts, and then at the next test we’ll work to confirm the package more precisely and finalise everything. We’re pleased with how everything went here and the work we’ve done, and I’m confident about the Qatar Test.”

Alex Rins

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team

“We were able to get what we were after: we definitely got the confirmation that the 2020 bike is a step forward and from now on we will be focusing on this model. We noticed an improvement in top speed, grip, and tyre life. Maverick completed a race simulation today in very hot and critical conditions, and he showed great consistency from beginning to end. Vale didn‘t do the race simulation but focused on testing all the items that we needed to try here, and he also did a good hot lap. It‘s his first 1‘58s lap, so that‘s another positive sign that we are moving forward as a team. For Maverick, when the time came to do his time attack, it started raining, so this compromised his position in the Day-3 and overall standings. But we can certainly say that this has been a good three-day test, and we hope that all the information we have been able to collect will be helpful to make another improvement at the next Qatar test.”

Valentino Rossi

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM

“After six days we can be positive about our test programme and that is different compared to last year and the rainy conditions because we had ideas on the table that we could not try. It meant we had quite a big operation to bring over here to Sepang and some late decisions. So, the test has been really important and necessary and the feedback from the riders has been good. There are people in the company working so hard on this bike – including the whole test team – and they have done a great job this winter. We have confirmed ideas and changes and it was nice to see that in the long runs we are quite strong and the fast laps are acceptable. We can see that we have made another step. The riders had a lot to do and we have two rookies in the group in Brad and Iker and they did very well with a lot of laps and building up their knowledge of MotoGP with the riding style and small changes. Pol, Miguel and Dani had to do many laps, many runs and go through a big list and they stayed focussed and did it in a great style. It is also positive to leave here with everybody healthy. Small details make the difference and eighteen riders are split by one second so we know the season will be tough and very competitive. Let’s go to Qatar now and see how we look.”

Dani Pedrosa

Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3

“Finally, after a long stay in Malaysia, the first 2020 test is over. For Red Bull KTM Tech3 it was a tough mission, because we didn’t only test three days with the whole grid, but also had the great possibility to do the shakedown, which was another three days prior to the official test. After a long winter break without any MotoGP riding, if was clear, that the bodies of both riders are suffering, especially during the last two days. Anyway, it was a very, very productive test. Honestly, I have to state, that I’m amazed by what KTM did during the winter, about what the entire racing department brought to Malaysia and everything we were testing from chassis over aerodynamics to electronic was a big step forward. Compared to last year at the Sepang test, especially when we take a look to the gap of Miguel to the fastest, KTM was clearly much, much closer to the front, not only on a single fast lap, but also in terms of race pace. This is, what I would like to emphasize more than anything, that KTM has become a real strength for a top 5 finish or hopefully even more within only 12 months. Miguel is very positive about the outcome of this test, also about his own physical condition. Together with Pol (Espargaro) and Dani (Pedrosa) they are really the top guys, KTM can truly rely on to further develop the bike. On the other side, Iker did a great job, was improving every day and because he is a fighter, he was not satisfied with this, but either way, we can be proud of him. He is the youngest rider on the grid and was already under two minutes, which is a good lap time in Sepang. His physical condition was suffering towards the end, but all of this is what you need to become a good MotoGP rider. I’m sure he will go back to Spain with a lot of data in his head, ready for Qatar. I want to thank Miguel for his great work and also our rookie did a good job, overall, we are positive. I think we have a decent line-up. We don’t make headlines at the moment, but if people look closer inside the data, they will see, that the orange division is coming. Now everybody should go back home and get some rest until Qatar is going to be the final shakedown for the first round.”

Aleix Espargaro

MotoGP Sepang Test Weekend Combined Times

2020 MotoGP Calendar
Date	Grand Prix	Circuit
08 March	Qatar*	Losail International Circuit
22 March	Thailand	Chang International Circuit
05 April	Americas	Circuit of the Americas
19 April	Republica Argentina	Termas de Rio Hondo
03 May	Spain	Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May	France	Le Mans
31 May	Italy	Autodromo del Mugello
07 June	Catalunya	Barcelona – Catalunya
21 June	Germany	Sachsenring
28 June	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
12 July	Finland**	KymiRing
09 August	Czech Republic	Automotodrom Brno
16 August	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August	Great Britain	Silverstone
13 September	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
04 October	Aragón	MotorLand Aragón
18 October	Japan	Twin Ring Motegi
25 October	Australia	Phillip Island
01 November	Malaysia	Sepang International Circuit
15 November	Comunitat Valenciana	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
*Evening ** Subject to FIM Homologation

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP Rider Quotes – Sepang Test 2020

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“I am really positive because this is only our first day with the bike. We know that the Factory team tested on many occasions last season, but I’m really happy with the work of the team because we made so many changes in so few laps. We did 72 laps, which is quite a lot, but I’m so happy to already feel good on the bike. It is difficult to make a new bike really good in one day. We hope to make another step tomorrow. We had quite a lot of laps in the 1min 59secs on old tyres so that’s really positive. We need to improve the pace a little bit because I am not feeling 100% comfortable. We know that with a new bike you have some positive points and some parts that you are struggling a bit, but at the moment I have already found the positives in one day. With the settings we will change tomorrow we hope to find even more positive points.”

Fabio Quartararo

Jack Miller – P2

“I am very happy with how this day has gone, I can’t complain, there are still things to work on. When you change a bike you have to get the right feeling before you push hard. It takes time, but it takes everything you need to do it right… We’re definitely on the right way, I’m satisfied and I can’t wait to get back to work in the morning.”

Jack Miller

Joan Mir – P4

“It was quite tough today because there were a few different things to try, but this is all part of testing and it’s very important to try everything and understand everything. I’m very happy with how everything went, we found some positive things with the new chassis but we still need to analyse it more and find the best way. I managed some good laps, but there’s still room for improvement so we’ll push again tomorrow.”

Joan Mir

Franco Morbidelli – P5

I’m happy about today’s work, improving yesterday’s lap times. We’ve just been back-to-backing things that we were trying last year, as we wanted to reconfirm them for this year. Tomorrow we will try to make a time-attack, we will probably try to make that in the morning and then we will see what the weather is like. The forecast says it’s going to rain tomorrow but first of all we will do some work, then the time-attack, then continue to try some new things – we have some new ideas that we want to try with the bike.

Franco Morbidelli

Maverick Vinales – P6

“It went quite well. I’m happy because I felt quite good on the bike and my rhythm seems to be very competitive. At the end we improved some things that were quite important. We understand many other points, and day by day we are getting more ready for the Qatar race. We improved quite a lot since this morning, especially the rhythm, that was the most important for us at this moment. Like I said, the first laps, trying to push on braking, the feeling is very positive. We have improved the top speed. We are at the level of some of the other manufacturers, and that’s always important.”

Maverick Vinales

Alex Rins – P7

“We’re very happy again today. We tested a lot of new things, like the chassis and some things with the electronics. The best lap I did was with the new chassis, so it looks like there’s a bit of an advantage over the older one, and I think we’ve done quite a big step because my times are also more consistent. So tomorrow I will ride with the new chassis again and try to find the best set-up.”

Alex Rins

Marc Marquez – P9

“I’m very happy today as the shoulder was feeling better than yesterday, this is good. Unfortunately we had a crash, it looked big but it was a slow crash so I am alright but it does show that we need to remain 100% concentrated as there’s no room for small mistakes with my physical condition. The day was finished before the crash, so it did not stop us doing what we needed, the goal was 45 laps today. Tomorrow we will do more laps to keep understanding the new tyres along with our own changes.”

Marc Marquez

Valentino Rossi – P10

“Everybody is very strong, very fast as always. We are not so far from the top. The second day was better than the first day because we worked a lot on the new bike. We need some more experience and some more kilometres, but today we already found something good, especially for the grip, and the pace with the race tyre is positive. For me, the bike has better potential than last year, but we need to work because also the other manufacturers are making steps, and like I said before, they are very strong. So, we need to continue to work hard, but it looks like we’re heading in the right direction.”

Valentino Rossi

Cal Crutchlow – P12

“We worked really hard as a team today to clock up 64 laps, and we ran through a lot of items for Honda including different chassis on the 2019 and 2020 bike. We were trying to find which was the most positive of the two. It was a long list of items that took quite a while to get through, but we made a lot of good laps and I felt quite good on the bike. I wasn’t able to be super-fast over a full lap as such, but I was really consistent throughout the day and so we look forward to the last day of testing here in Malaysia.”

Cal Crutchlow

Danilo Petrucci – P13

“I am not completely satisfied with my ranking today. But still, I am happy because compared to yesterday we were able to make a big step forward and again we are really close to the top. Today we tried different new components, amongst which we also tried a new fairing: we did many laps, and my feeling with the used tyres is good. Tomorrow we will focus more on improving the bike setup, and we will also work with the new tyres to understand what we can do to take full advantage from them.”

Danilo Petrucci

Pecco Bagnaia – P14

“I am satisfied with this second day of testing especially in the morning where we found a very effective balance for me. This afternoon we did some tests that did not give the hoped-for results. I still have some references from my 2018 bike and I have to adapt my riding style to this bike which is very different but it has a high potential. The feeling is positive.”

Pecco Bagnaia

Andrea Dovizioso – 15

“It has been another busy day. We were able to test several new components, like a new fairing, while in the afternoon I had a small crash and we couldn’t end our setup work on the Desmosedici. Now I have some pain in my hand and neck, but fortunately, we could get on with an important part of our program. I hope to feel better tomorrow and be able to take great advantage from the final day of testing”.

Andrea Dovizioso

Miguel Oliveira – P16

“We started quite well this morning and actually improved the setting of the bike a bit, which was the goal for today. We didn’t try anything special, but were working on fine-tuning of suspension and rear shock. Finally, we pushed quite a lot in the morning, so I felt a bit uncomfortable with the shoulder, therefore we did some longer stops in between the runs. Apart from that, we managed to do a really nice step with used tyres. Our average lap is very interesting, so I would say, I’m glad that we were able to make this step into the right direction.”

Miguel Oliveira

Alex Marquez – P17

“I’m quite happy again today, especially because we worked quite well with used tyres. Learning the tyres and adapting to them has been my main focus. We did a time attack in the morning but I wasn’t riding in the best way, so to get a 59.6 is quite okay. The most important aspect of today was our long run, we had good pace and I was also able to see physically where I still need to work. Overall I felt good and I’m pleased with everything we are doing and how we have done it.”

Alex Marquez

Sylvain Guintoli – P22

“It was another good day and I improved my best Sepang time again a little bit this morning. We went on to test a lot of different configurations of the chassis, and it went well and we feel positive. So yesterday the focus was more on aerodynamics and today was more about the chassis and settings. Tomorrow I’ll ride a few laps in the morning to test the tyres and then Takuya Tsuda will take over.”

Sylvain Guintoli

Takaaki Nakagami – P22

“I had a little better feeling on the second day here in Sepang. Yesterday I was in a bit of pain, but today I took some painkillers and it helped me continue riding right until six o’clock, so that’s a big step compared to Friday. I’m still not in perfect physical condition of course, but we still tried to make some progress with our bike. I tested some new parts today and tried some different settings, and we worked a fair amount on the geometry of the machine with some positive results. Still our performance isn’t the best and there’s a big gap to the top, but we are staying calm about the situation because I’m not at the top of my physical fitness yet. Hopefully tomorrow we can make another step forward, this has been an important three days to get back riding again, and then we can look forward to the final test in Qatar.”

Takaaki Nakagami

Iker Lecuona – P23

“I’m very happy about today, because I improved my lap time compared to yesterday again a little bit. I continue to learn, I continue to try some electronic changes and some setting changes. Anyway, we stopped a bit earlier today, because these days including the shakedown are truly intense. I still hope that I can lower my lap time a bit more tomorrow in order to conclude this test on a positive note.”

Iker Lecuona

2020 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Two Times

2020 MotoGP Calendar
Date	Grand Prix	Circuit
08 March	Qatar*	Losail International Circuit
22 March	Thailand	Chang International Circuit
05 April	Americas	Circuit of the Americas
19 April	Republica Argentina	Termas de Rio Hondo
03 May	Spain	Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May	France	Le Mans
31 May	Italy	Autodromo del Mugello
07 June	Catalunya	Barcelona – Catalunya
21 June	Germany	Sachsenring
28 June	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
12 July	Finland**	KymiRing
09 August	Czech Republic	Automotodrom Brno
16 August	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August	Great Britain	Silverstone
13 September	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
04 October	Aragón	MotorLand Aragón
18 October	Japan	Twin Ring Motegi
25 October	Australia	Phillip Island
01 November	Malaysia	Sepang International Circuit
15 November	Comunitat Valenciana	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
*Evening ** Subject to FIM Homologation

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sepang MotoGP Test Day Two

On Friday’s opening day of testing it was an SRT Yamaha 1-2 but this morning Suzuki stole the early headlines with Joan Mir dropping in a 1m58.731 on his 11th lap of the session.

Joan Mir

Team-mate Alex Rins joined him in the 58s a short time later, a 1m58.978 to the #42 Suzuki.

A 1m58.989 from Pol Espargaro on his third lap of the session signals a hugely encouraging step forward for KTM as that time is almost a full-second quicker than he managed in qualifying at Sepang only three-months ago.

Pol Espargaro

But stealing the limelight at the top of the charts was Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller. The Australian’s 1m58.641 on his 15th lap of the morning held sway at the top of the table for quite some time.

Jack Miller

Franco Morbidelli put in a 1m58.831 as the day approached its third hour to go P3, splitting the two Suzuki riders.

Vinales then joined those riders in the 58s with a 1m58.893 to go fourth quickest, just behind Morbidelli but now in front of Rins and Pol Espargaro.

With just over half an hour to run for the day Fabio Quartararo decided to drop a quick one in and went top with a 1m58.572. He completed that lap on the 2020 Yamaha.

Dani Pedrosa

Only minutes later KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa went third quickest after recording the fastest ever lap of Sepang by the KTM RC16. Pol Espargaro ended the day in P8, also in the 58s.

Pedrosa’s time had come on a new rear tyre specification from Michelin that he was testing, and is claimed by the French rubber manufacturer to be worth a few tenths over the tyres that most riders used today.

Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez has been nursing his shoulder somewhat after recent surgery but lost the front today at the very fast turn three and crashed but is reportedly uninjured.  He finished today P9 and his mechanics will have a long night ahead of them.

With the top eight riders all in the 58s that signifies that most of the manufacturers have made significant steps forwards for 2020 already. All six manufacturers are in the top 11.

Danilo Petrucci

However, we need to mention that still nobody has threatened the 1m58.239 set at the Sepang Test last year by Danilo Petrucci (Link). Here in 2019 it was a Ducati 1-2-3-4 at the Sepang Test, and that entire quartet went faster than Quartaro lapped today. So far this week though out of the Desmosedici riders it is only Miller that has dipped into the 58s.

Sunday will be the final day of the test and a lot more riders will be keen to finish their evaluation workload and try to put in a really fast lap time to end the week on a high note. Many eyes will also be on Jorge Lorenzo tomorrow when he rides the YZR-M1 in his new test role with Yamaha.

2020 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Two Times

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sepang MotoGP Test – Day 1

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“It feels good after almost three months to be back on track. Today was just about getting used to being back on the MotoGP bike. We used last year’s version just to get a few laps in, and we set a really good lap time with the medium tyre at the beginning of the day. We’re hoping for better weather tomorrow so that we can work even more and I’m looking forward to see what my first impressions of the new bike are. I’m really happy with today, it’s always good to start quickest but it’s only the first day of the test – everybody starts with new bikes, it’s not easy for them. The 2019 bike is one I really know from last year, but of course is always better to be P1 than P10 and I can’t wait for tomorrow to start with the new bike.”

Fabio Quartararo

Franco Morbidelli – P2

“I feel good, it was a positive first day for us. We were immediately fast and made the right changes to the bike to get the right feeling. We managed 62 laps, which is a good amount for the first day. Some rain came and this slowed down the working process of the afternoon, but we did a good job in the morning and early part of the afternoon. Tomorrow we will try some other small things that we have on the programme to try but overall I am very happy. We are a little bit faster on the straight, so that is a positive and what we wanted. The behaviour of the bike remains the same though so it is still nice to ride and flowing, but we have a little bit more top speed. I’m happy with the work Yamaha has done and I’m happy with what they are supplying me.”

Franco Morbidelli

Alex Rins – P3

“Today was a really good day! I’m excited and happy to be back on my bike, I really missed it during the winter. Today I spent some time on the fairing area, and I tried some new variations of the package. I found a configuration I liked, so we’ve taken a step forward and I’m happy about that. Tomorrow we’ll work on the electronic area and the chassis. We’re using the same engine as in the tests at the end of last year, and the feeling is still very positive. We’ll continue to work!”

Alex Rins

Cal Crutchlow – P4

“It was a shock to the system to get back out there, but it was a good day to be back on the bike. I was very happy to be back working with the LCR Honda Castrol Team again, and it’s always good to see the boys again after a good winter break where I’ve been preparing well over in California. Now the work starts. We continue to try and improve the RC213V from last year; we had two 2020 models in the garage and one “sort-of-2019” spec machine which was a bit more half and half. We worked our way through the test programme, with a slight delay halfway through the day when we had to work on the bikes, which is completely normal. Unfortunately, when I returned to the track again it was raining and we could only get in another short stint right at the end of the day. Overall, it was nice to get back working with the crew again, but tomorrow will be a longer and tougher day when we’ll learn a lot more about what we’ve got.”

Cal Crutchlow

Jack Miller – P5

“I’m really satisfied with all the training I did during the winter, with the bike I immediately found a good feeling and I left with good sensations. There is certainly some setting and customisation work to be done but the first day there is good indications.”

Jack Miller

Maverick Vinales – P6

“We are working very hard. Honestly, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion already, because it’s only the first day. The feeling has been great, a 1’59s lap here is always really good for me. I had the feeling I expected on the bike. We need to keep going so we can try to understand many things, because we have a lot of things to test, especially tomorrow. On the third day I will concentrate a bit more on myself. On the second day I will be trying many parts, so it will be difficult to get a clear conclusion again. But the first day of training in the heat was good. I’m happy because I felt good on the bike straight away, which is always very positive. I rode fast, I had a good rhythm, and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales

Joan Mir – P9

“One of the things that we worked on today was my bike position, and this was something really important to do because I already feel better and more comfortable when riding, so that’s a positive. I also tried a new chassis and a new swingarm and worked towards confirming the engine. It’s important to find out what works well, and not so well, so we’ll use these days to try and get lots of information.”

Joan Mir

Valentino Rossi – P10

“It was a difficult day, especially because of the conditions. It rained, so we didn‘t finish our programme, but anyway we were able to do a little less than 50 laps. My time over one lap and my position aren‘t fantastic, but we worked well. We have the M1 2020, which is different, so we need to get to know it better. The first feeling is positive, but we have to work because some things are better, and some are worse. But I‘m happy about the first day. You always work on the chassis, the engine, and the electronics. The 2020 bike is a bit different to ride, so we need to get a better understanding. From a certain point of view, we have a margin for improvement, but on the other hand we are already not so bad and the feeling with the bike is quite positive.”

Valentino Rossi

Andrea Dovizioso – P11

“It has been a hard day. We have introduced a few new items, and we had to focus more on certain aspects of the bike setup. We hope to be able to use our time better tomorrow and to concentrate on the rest of the program. We would like to work on the new rear tyres because we think that this is a fundamental aspect. We are trying to improve the riding style and the bike setup because we believe that these will help us to take the right advantage from the new solutions brought by Michelin”.

Andrea Dovizioso

Marc Marquez – P12

“It is really important to be back on the bike and I’m happy to be back but unfortunately I felt a little worse than I was expecting. I started with good energy in the first run but I had to calm myself down a little bit to make sure we can finish the day. I just tried to find my rhythm and work on what I needed to. The plan stays the same, 35 laps today, 45 laps tomorrow and see on the final day. The important thing is that the shoulder was stable and in the afternoon the pain wasn’t worse, step by step we just have to be patient.”

Marc Marquez

Alex Marquez – P13

“I am happy with how today went. The shakedown test allowed us to get a base and helped a rookie like me to begin to understand a MotoGP bike at this circuit. Today we are still improving, and we made some steps with used tyres. The track is in a better condition than at the shakedown and having more riders on track lets me learn more things from those around us. We still have a lot of work to do, but the team are great and using their experience to give me new things to focus on each run. Every day we have been faster and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Alex Marquez

Danilo Petrucci – P14

“I am happy to be back on track. Today we didn’t focus on the lap time, but we worked on trying to rebuild a good feeling with the bike after this long break away from my Desmosedici GP. It had been difficult at the beginning, but in the afternoon, I think I was able to find the right path that will help me also improve in the next days. Today there were mixed weather conditions that made hard to understand our real potential: I always ran with used tyres and with the rain we couldn’t try the new items that we need to test. In general, it was a positive day, and it leaves me confident for tomorrow”.

Danilo Petrucci

Miguel Oliveira – P16

“Today started a bit up and down with quite a lot of test duties regarding the engine, but we were able to find a good feeling before the lunch break. For sure, we lost some time, but at this moment it’s not important for us to do the fastest lap time. We finished the day with good feelings about a change that we made on the electronic side. I’m quite happy with that and above all, my pace was pretty strong with used tyres, so I think we have much more room to improve there. Anyway, it was a positive day.”

Miguel Oliveira

Pecco Bagnaia – P17

“We are quite satisfied with the first day of work, we still have a lot to work on but the feeling is definitely good. It was a positive comeback after ending a fall last year, so I’m happy to be here again and have the opportunity to ride this bike that seems to have great potential.”

Pecco Bagnaia

Sylvain Guintoli – P18

“We’ve already done a lot of work in the days ahead of this test and made lots of selections for Alex and Joan to try. So today we continued, and we worked on things like the aerodynamic package. The weather wasn’t ideal as it was quite windy and also a bit wet, so it made it a bit trickier. But anyway, everything felt good and I managed to improve my personal best time here at Sepang so that was positive. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow!”

Johann Zarco – P19

“I was expecting better for me and to be little bit faster. I learnt a lot and I did a lot of laps. After some months, it has been very long time. I stayed calm and at the end of the day I did a very important step understanding my mistakes and how to ride better this Ducati bike. The are some points of huge potential. Step by step I will understand, I keep smiling because I’m living a good feeling. I don’t have any problem to have a bike from 2019 because it’s official and it’s a satellite team. My working plan for the reamining days is to understand more this bike and to be relaxed. If I do a good job I can be in the low 1:59.”

Johann Zarco

Iker Lecuona – P20

“Today has been quite difficult due to the conditions. After lunch it started to rain and when it stopped, it took quite long to dry up, so we lost a lot of time and the track surface wasn’t as good as before anymore. But in the morning, I managed to continue to learn and lower my lap time. I was working a lot together with the team, also with the setting of the bike. Overall, I feel good, I improved a lot, so I’m happy. Although the track conditions have not been ideal this afternoon, I could try something, which I liked, so we continue from there tomorrow.”

Iker Lecuona

Tito Rabat – P22

“This morning I was very happy, it was easy, we hadn’t changed any tyres and I really felt good. It’s still too early to draw conclusions, we’re on the first day. We went out for a couple of hours in the morning to test the bike. In the afternoon, after the rain, I was a little bit confused, it was a little bit harder and we didn’t ride too much. Tomorrow we will try to start well from the beginning and attack.”

Tito Rabat

Takaaki Nakagami – P23

“I think for everybody it’s a tough first day back, but the track conditions were quite good for a first day and you can see the lap times were quite fast. On my side it has been a bit of a struggle. I think it’s four months since I last rode at Motegi, which is quite a long time without riding a MotoGP bike so it’s been a hard first day. Physically it’s not the best situation yet, but I am so happy to jump on the bike again. We simply didn’t look at our position or lap times today, I’m was just happy to be back out on track. Of course, we need to improve our potential with the new bike, it’s the first time on the 2019 model for me. There are lots of things I have to understand, there’s quite a big difference between the ’18 and ’19 models and the character is not quite the same. My first impression is not negative though. I understand some people in the past might have said it wasn’t easy, but I think it’s just that the concept is different. What I feel is that it is a different bike, but I wouldn’t say it was negative. It’s just the first day and I need more laps to give proper feedback.”

Takaaki Nakagami

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team

“The riders spent the first two runs focused on getting back their feeling after more than two months of no riding. We have brought six bikes to this test to evaluate the improvements made between the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 testing. For the moment we have been able to confirm an improvement in top speed and potentially tyre life too. But there are other areas that need to be improved, which is to be expected at the start of the season. Tomorrow we will also test other new items that have already been tried by the testing team these last few days.”

Valentino Rossi

Sepang MotoGP Test Day One Times

2020 MotoGP Calendar
Date	Grand prix	Circuit
08 March	Qatar*	Losail International Circuit
22 March	Thailand	Chang International Circuit
05 April	Americas	Circuit of the Americas
19 April	Republica Argentina	Termas de Rio Hondo
03 May	Spain	Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May	France	Le Mans
31 May	Italy	Autodromo del Mugello
07 June	Catalunya	Barcelona – Catalunya
21 June	Germany	Sachsenring
28 June	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
12 July	Finland**	KymiRing
09 August	Czech Republic	Automotodrom Brno
16 August	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August	Great Britain	Silverstone
13 September	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
04 October	Aragón	MotorLand Aragón
18 October	Japan	Twin Ring Motegi
25 October	Australia	Phillip Island
01 November	Malaysia	Sepang International Circuit
15 November	Comunitat Valenciana	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
*Evening ** Subject to FIM Homologation

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sepang MotoGP Test

Petronas Sepang Racing Team’s riders were quick out of the blocks today as the opening day of what is a three-day MotoGP official test session at Sepang.

Two hours into the eight-hour practice session the SRT riders had both completed almost 30 laps and were 1-2 at the top of the timesheets. Quartararo leading on 1m58.945 from Morbidelli on 1m59.399.

Fabio Quartararo

Next best at this early stage of proceedings was Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, the 30-year-old setting a 1m59.427 on his fourth lap out of the box. Aleix though does have a small advantage over most of the other riders present as he had also rode the new RS-GP at the Malaysian venue earlier in the week.

At that two-hour juncture 12 riders, including rookie Alex Marquez, had dipped under the magic two-minute mark and all manufacturers had riders in that top dozen.

Just after the two-hour mark Alex Rins pushed Morbidelli back to third and Aleix Espargaro further back to fourth after clocking a 1m59.195 on his 24th lap of the day. Pol Espargaro on the KTM was fifth quickest at this stage of proceedings oin a 1m59.536.

Alex Rins

As the fourth hour of testing got underway Jack Miller wound up the Pramac Desmosedici to move into third spot on the timesheets with a 1m59.328, and was top Ducati.  Maverick Vinales moved up to fourth which pushed Morbidelli back to fifth and the Espargaro brothers back to sixth and seventh ahead of Valentino Rossi.

SRT Yamaha 1-2 at halfway mark

As the day approached the halfway point Morbidelli moved back up to second place with a 1m58.996 and Crutchlow moved up to P4 after slotting in a 1m59.234 to go top Honda, pushing Miller back to fifth in the process. With Marc Marquez recovering from shoulder surgery Crutchlow is the work horse for Honda this weekend with an extensive list of components to test.

Franco Morbidelli

Morbidelli had done the most laps of all the riders at the four-hour mark, 45 laps. Most of the Ducati riders seemed to be taking their time, most had done under 30 laps at that point with Dovi only completing 23 laps for a best of 1m59.771 to be 12th on the charts.

A brief rain storm then soaked the circuit so riders and teams too lunch and very little happened over the next couple of hours as riders waited for the track to dry.

Most of the field hit the track again for the final hour on a dry circuit but none of the top runners bettered their time from earlier in the day. Thus it is an SRT Yamaha 1-2 on day one of season 2020 ahead of Suzuki’s Alex Rins and LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow.

Jack Miller the leading Ducati in fifth place ahead of Maverick Vinales and the Espargaro brothers.

Jack Miller

Joan Mir in ninth and Valentino Rossi rounding out the top ten ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and the Marquez brothers.

Thus in the top ten we have four Yamahas, two Suzukis, and a single Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and KTM making it all six manufacturers securing a spot in the top ten.

Sepang MotoGP Test Day One Times

2020 MotoGP Calendar
Date	Grand prix	Circuit
08 March	Qatar*	Losail International Circuit
22 March	Thailand	Chang International Circuit
05 April	Americas	Circuit of the Americas
19 April	Republica Argentina	Termas de Rio Hondo
03 May	Spain	Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto
17 May	France	Le Mans
31 May	Italy	Autodromo del Mugello
07 June	Catalunya	Barcelona – Catalunya
21 June	Germany	Sachsenring
28 June	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
12 July	Finland**	KymiRing
09 August	Czech Republic	Automotodrom Brno
16 August	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
30 August	Great Britain	Silverstone
13 September	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
04 October	Aragón	MotorLand Aragón
18 October	Japan	Twin Ring Motegi
25 October	Australia	Phillip Island
01 November	Malaysia	Sepang International Circuit
15 November	Comunitat Valenciana	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
*Evening ** Subject to FIM Homologation

Source: MCNews.com.au