Tag Archives: #SepangTest

Riders and Team Managers reflect on #SepangTest

#SepangTest


Danilo PETRUCCI – P1

“Today we started off on the right foot: I was supposed to try two ‘time attacks’ but one attempt, done with a medium rear tyre, was enough. When I saw the lap time on the dashboard, I was really happy. After that, we resumed our work on some new items. Unfortunately, however, I crashed while I was trying a new fairing around midday. Given the fact that I was also experiencing some issues with blisters in my hands, we decided to stop a bit ahead of schedule to recover and make sure we’re at our best in the next tests in Qatar. Overall, it’s been a really positive test.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

Francesco BAGNAIA – P2

“I’m very happy with the work we’ve done. We’ve created a good base of settings that will help us to have a good start in Qatar. We still have to work on some electronic details but I have to admit that I’m really happy. The time attack was very good and the pace is not bad either. We will do the race simulation in Qatar”.

MotoGP Sepang Test Bagnaia
Francesco Bagnaia

Jack MILLER – P3

“Our speed is really good. I’m very happy about that. I’m not very happy with the race simulation but the temperature was really high and I had little feeling with the tyres. It’s a shame about the crash. I am especially sorry for the guys of my team who have worked very well these days”

MotoGP Sepang Test Miller
Jack Miller

Andrea DOVIZIOSO – P4

“All in all, this test has been positive. It was important to push to the limit again today because we only have another test before the season starts, and we managed to post a competitive time even on a flying lap after being really consistent in yesterday’s race simulation. Also, to see so many Ducati bikes at the front confirms that we have a good base. We also tried a new fairing, with positive feedback. It’s still early to draw conclusions, but I’m happy with the work done here and now we’ll look for more ways to improve ahead of Qatar.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso

Maverick VIÑALES – P5

“The test was really good. I actually missed one time attack in the morning which I planned to make in the afternoon, but finally it was so hot that the tyre was sliding a lot, so I couldn‘t improve my lap time from the morning. Anyway, I‘m happy because on the race simulation I felt really good. I was really tired, but I felt good on the bike. Day by day the bike was working pretty similar, as in the last test. You always get positives and negatives testing new items. Now we have to come to a conclusion to see if we should bring the new fairing to Qatar. I also made some laps behind our rivals, so I could compare how our bike is working, and it‘s not bad. There are just some small details left and that‘s the most important. Last year they were some steps ahead, and now we are closer.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales

Cal CRUTCHLOW – P6

“I’m happy at the end of the third day, not only with how the test has gone, but to be finished with it too! My ankle by the end was getting sore, hot, and swollen. I feel in good shape however, and the ankle feels good on the bike. It doesn’t bother me on there, it bothers me when I stop. I kept the length of the runs quite minimal today, because we didn’t need to go long – we were testing items rather than testing for race pace. I was really pleased with my pace all day. On the used tyres we were consistent and fast which is good. It’s good going into Qatar and especially after a three-month lay-off – to ride again and to be competitive with it. I should have gone faster in terms of overall lap time, but I crashed. It was completely my own fault, I went into turn two over-excited! I lost three-tenths in the first sector on my fastest lap, compared to a normal good lap. So, the next lap I pushed like a madman thinking I needed to go half a second faster than I had the previous lap. I had some chatter, tried to save it, and crashed. That was with the really soft, test tyre. On average I think you could take at least six-tenths off with that, so I’m confident we could have gone a lot quicker, and then we didn’t use that tyre again all day. I think the 2019 bike is definitely better, but my feeling is I just need to adjust it a bit more. I ride quite a neutral bike, but I haven’t found the perfect setting with the front end just yet. Overall HRC has done a great job with the package. I think it can be competitive for the championship, and it’s one I’m looking forward to riding this year”.

MotoGP Sepang Test Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow

Aleix ESPARGARO – P7

“On the first two days, our work focused on getting to know the new bike and lapping on used tyres with good results, as the pace in the race simulation yesterday confirms. This morning, we set the bike up to try a time attack and I am rather satisfied with our time. We improved over the three days and I must say that I found a good feeling with the new bike. I am able to be aggressive and I feel at ease in terms of ergonomics too. This was definitely a positive first test. We have margins for improvement, but I know that the guys at Aprilia will keep working hard.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro

Franco MORBIDELLI – P8

“The last day here at Sepang International Circuit has gone really well. We have managed to complete the programme we set out yesterday, which was to improve our pace and top speed. I wasn’t able to do a race simulation because we had a lot of things to get through but we will do that at the Qatar test. What I did manage to do for the first time was a good time attack. We also tried some different tyres, including the super soft, and gathered some useful data. We still have work to do because we want to be closer to the front but we are on the right lines and working hard to keep going in that way.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

Takaaki NAKAGAMI – P9

“It has been good, but a really hard three days because the hot conditions don’t make it easy to put in lots of laps. It’s been a very important test for us though, and we have made improvements every day. We finished in P9 overall, so I’m pleased to be inside the top ten again. The lap time is not so bad too, I’m really happy to be close to the 1’58 barrier, but I do feel I still can’t get the most out of one lap, whereas my race pace has improved significantly. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team have worked really hard this week to improve things for me all the time. We have good potential on the bike, I feel strong, so the aim is just to continue that at the Qatar Test and then see what we can do from there.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami

Valentino ROSSI – P10

“I’m half happy because some things worked well and we improved our performance, other things from which we expected a lot unfortunately didn’t bring us what we need. So, for me, it’s good, because it’s the first test and we improved some things, but we have a lot of work to do. The gap is quite big, so we need time. I’m happy about the atmosphere and especially about the ideas inside the garage, it looks like Yamaha are very much concentrated on improving, so this is important.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi

Marc MARQUEZ – P11

“Day three was very positive, especially with my physical condition – I’m feeling much better. Yesterday I was a little worried about riding today, but I woke up and felt better. We were able to try many things for Honda today and I felt really good on the bike, comfortable and consistent. Everything we had planned to do this test, we have done. Of course I would have liked to ride more but we had to take it a bit easy. Even so, I’m happy because I was riding easy, not in my riding style but I was able to ride more. I didn’t crash and we tried the most important things for the Repsol Honda Team, I am happy because of this.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

Alex RINS – P12

“Today was a very positive day, and so were the previous two days. We’ve tried a lot of things and we’ve developed the bike a bit more, so I feel our package is even better now. I was able to do a lot of laps in the 1:59 bracket. For sure we need to keep working and try a few other things in Qatar that we didn’t have a chance to check here, and the engineers will continue to work. I feel that the championship will be really interesting this year, there are a lot of riders close together, and a very high level.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Rins
Alex Rins

Joan MIR – P15

“Today’s been really good because during the first couple of days I was adjusting to the bike, trying to get better with it, and also trying a lot of new things and new parts. Today I made a good step and I had good pace, so that’s really nice. I feel I have improved every day so I’m really happy about how this test has gone. I’ve learned a lot, which I think is inevitable when you’re doing around 60 laps per day. I understand the bike better, as well as the tyres and various mechanical things too.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Mir
Joan Mir

Fabio QUARTARARO – P16

“Today was another positive day at the Sepang International Circuit. This morning we did a pretty good lap time, dipping inside 2’00, but our weak point remains that I am struggling to do a qualifying lap. Despite that I am very happy because on my first ever race simulation on a MotoGP bike I felt physically really good. To me that was another step forward – with the heat here and the track temperature at 60º it is very difficult – and we coped quite well. After the race simulation we went back over a couple of things and made a slight improvement at the end of the day. In Qatar we will have to work on braking and the first turn there will be a good place for that because it is really hard on the brakes. That will be our focus because in the fast corners we are in good shape.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Johann ZARCO – P17

“I tried this morning to improve further but I did not expect all the others to be going that fast! It was quite incredible. I’m pretty happy to be able to do many laps under two-minutes. We are happy with what we did, but we still have a lot of work. Overall I have improved my feeling and my control of the bike over five hard days. We will see what I can do in Losail. It will be interesting to see if we can adapt quicker in Qatar than we did here. The lap-time was better than I expected and we reached good points in our plan.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Johann Zarco
Johann Zarco

Pol ESPARGARO – P18

“We made an amazing rhythm today. On the first day we couldn’t, and then yesterday I was half a second slower than today. The pace was very, very nice and I was comfortable doing it. The fast lap was not what I expected – I found [Franco] Morbidelli in the way in the morning and could not improve – but this is a test and we go home with the knowledge we have done a good job. It is the first time we felt this big improvement from just one test. We have had five hot and hard days here but I think the whole team and factory did an amazing job: all the guys were super-focussed.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro

Miguel OLIVEIRA – P19

“The lap time was ok. It was not as fast as I expected because I couldn’t match the best configuration of the bike with the best tyres in the best moment, but in any case, I’m very close to the two KTM factory riders, closer than everybody expected. We have been really competitive with used tyres, which is good for the race. At the moment, I can see a clear step forward, so I think it’s about going to the Qatar test, taking the experiences from these three days and just trying to be another step better.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Oliveira
Miguel Oliveira

Andrea IANNONE – P21

“Even though it came after a course of antibiotics, we did two good days of work. Yesterday was especially important in terms of how many laps we turned and how we did them and because of how we began to make changes to the bike. This was my first test on this bike, and I can confirm that we have a lot of potential to explore. But the conditions here are hard even when you are at full fitness and, given the work we did and the fact that the test team was here, today we preferred to take a rest. We made the decision with the team, purely as a precaution. We’ll pick up where we left off in Qatar, hopefully at full fitness and certainly with much clearer ideas.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Andrea Iannone
Andrea Iannone

Hafizh SYAHRIN – P23

“We improved a lot compared to yesterday. The lap time is significantly faster than before, but still a bit far from the top. During this last day, I felt really good with the bike, but my physical condition was not ideal. After four full days of riding, the muscles in my arms were too hard and I was lacking some power. To be honest, I am a bit disappointed about myself for this, as the bike was truly great for this last day and I couldn’t fully use it. Anyway, I’ll try to do my best during the Qatar test before the start of the season, we are on a positive way and for sure we can be better.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Syahrin
Hafizh Syahrin

Sylvain GUINTOLI – P24

“We’ve done a lot of testing because we had a lot to do and the weather was good, without any rain, so we made the most of every moment. This meant we were able to complete our planned programme. I spent a lot of time on track and everything went well. This was a really important block of testing for the team, just before the season starts. I’m happy to have been able to give good feedback.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Guintoli
Sylvain Guintoli

Bradley SMITH – P25

“These were some very interesting tests. The guys at Aprilia improved the RS-GP and I think that at the end of this first outing, our level is decidedly encouraging. I’m pleased that what we did during the shakedown allowed Aleix to start from a good base. Seeing him lap at 1’59 brings great satisfaction for the entire team. I tried to give my best, conveying my sensations to the engineers, and I can’t wait to get back on the track in Qatar. First as a tester and then, on the race weekend, as a rider!”

MotoGP Sepang Test Smith
Bradley Smith

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director

“It has been a very positive and productive test, under extremely hot conditions. We had three days without problems, during which we could evaluate all the items that were prepared over the winter. Most of them gave positive results, improving the smoothness of the acceleration, the stability on braking and accordingly the turning. Our speed, pace, and consistency has been there for both riders throughout the entire test and this is very significant for us. Maverick was able to do an impressive race simulation. An important aspect is that both he and Vale are improving and are working in the same direction. Another significant aspect is that we deliberated on the engine specification. It will be important to get the same response in Qatar in two weeks‘ time, where for sure, based on this test, we’ll have another update available to us.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Maverick Vinales
Maverick Viñales

Wilco Zeelenberg – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Team Manager

“We have had a very positive test here at a special circuit for us, even more positive than we expected in terms of the lap times and the number of laps we have been able to complete. We have learnt some good and interesting things about the 2019 bikes – like I said, more than we expected. As for the riders, we can be very happy with Fabio’s [Quartararo] progress and with Franco [Morbidelli] we would have liked to finish a little higher up but considering the odd setback we have had over the test, to set a 1’59.1 today was quite incredible. Lap time aside, the way he is riding and what we are learning about the new YZR-M1 thanks to his feedback is another big positive. The next objective for the Qatar test will be to build on what we have learnt here. Obviously, Yamaha needed to try some different options at Sepang to define certain configurations before the season starts for real, so now we will look to confirm that we are going the right way at a different circuit.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager

“We have been testing so many things these days, from chassis to suspension to aerodynamics and we had three riders in the 1min 59s by the end. We could not really manage the super-fast single lap but on the longer runs people are quite happy and we are very consistent. We have a good feeling about the test. It was super-important. We worked many days and made steps that were very big. We took the time to make ‘basic’ work on our bikes where the focus is not always the lap-time. We will go to Doha now and hope to use this good information. A big thanks to all our five riders here in these demanding conditions: they worked through many ideas that came up in the factory during the winter and the guys in Austria have been pushing hard. We still need to fine-tune some things but we are going in the right direction.”


Sebastian Risse – KTM Technical Director

“All-in-all it was a long test for us and a lot of things have piled up in all areas of the bike over the winter. So it was an intense test, also with Tech3 structure here now also that allowed us to get even more information. I think we can be very happy with our progress and we made huge steps with our new riders in terms of getting confidence in the bike and setting and development. Looking at what we have done and the pace compared to previous years we are happy. The speed was quite incredible today and our positions are not quite what we were looking for. We know our competitors are strong and are developing their motorcycles quickly but we have to be even quicker! That was the challenge here. I think we did it…but we also have a long way to go. We will have to prepare our priorities well now for the last test and make sure we make another step forward in performance.”


Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“Overall this test in Sepang has been fantastic, a great feeling. We had the luck to be one of the concession teams. We did two days of shakedown test, two days rest and three days with the whole grid here. Clearly, I think it was important for us as a KTM team to go through a lot of laps because we’ve got so much to try. This is what we did. What I would like to point out is a big thank you to everybody inside the KTM factory for what they have done during the very short period we had since the last time we were on the bike end of November. The bike has changed really dramatically. Our riders feel so much more confidence, they can give a lot more accurate information. Clearly, I think both, Miguel and Hafizh have enjoyed and I assume, gave some really valuable comments and information to the KTM engineers. The fact we have five guys here, all of them pushing each other, all of them improving each single day, has been a very good sign. There is an incredible energy inside the whole orange group and we are proud to be part of that group. Just now, we can’t wait to be in Qatar, honestly, because if you look at Miguel for example; each single run, each single day has been better and better. Still there is a gap to the top guys, but I’m sure we can reduce that. We want to continue working, testing and improving. So, it was a great, great test. It was very tough for the organism of the riders, but also of every single team member. Anyway, we go home exhausted, but with a big smile on our face.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Hafizh Syahrin
Hafizh Syahrin

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“At the end of these three days we’re feeling happy about the work we’ve done. We tested a lot of things, and the riders have been busy working on the development of the bike. We’ve confirmed our 2019 package, and we compared several different items and components. Everything is a clearer now in terms of what works best. We’ll go to the Qatar test now, where we’ll put everything together with a sort of final package for the first race. Alex was very focused and fast, with a lot of good laps. And Joan was able to go for it on this final day, after putting everything together, and we feel good about his progression and work. Sylvain helped us a lot with selecting parts, so thank you to him and to all our staff for their hard work during the winter.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Joan Mir
Joan Mir

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“It was a very positive test, our four riders (Rins, Mir, Guintoli and Tsuda) did a great job. It helped us that the weather was very good, and during our six days in total here we completed a lot of useful things. We brought many new items here, so the main thing was to choose which ones we would use for the race, and we were able to make some important selections. We’re all very tired from this hard work, but we feel it has been very productive.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Alex Rins
Alex Rins

Combined Standings Days 1-2-3
Pos Rider Bike Time Diff Session
1 Danilo Petrucci Ducati 1:58.239 3
2 Francesco Bagnaia Ducati 1:58.302 0.063 3
3 Jack Miller Ducati 1:58.366 0.127 3
4 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1:58.538 0.299 3
5 Maverick Viñales Yamaha 1:58.644 0.405 3
6 Cal Crutchlow Honda 1:58.780 0.541 3
7 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia 1:59.022 0.783 3
8 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha 1:59.141 0.902 3
9 Takaaki Nakagami Honda 1:59.148 0.909 3
10 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1:59.155 0.916 3
11 Marc Marquez Honda 1:59.170 0.931 3
12 Alex Rins Suzuki 1:59.180 0.941 3
13 Stefan Bradl Honda 1:59.368 1.129 3
14 Tito Rabat Ducati 1:59.485 1.246 3
15 Joan Mir Suzuki 1:59.486 1.247 3
16 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha 1:59.497 1.258 3
17 Johann Zarco KTM 1:59.640 1.401 3
18 Pol Espargaro KTM 1:59.751 1.512 3
19 Miguel Oliveira KTM 1:59.949 1.710 3
20 Karel Abraham Ducati 2:00.378 2.139 3
21 Andrea Iannone Aprilia 2:00.510 2.271 2
22 Mika Kallio KTM 2:00.523 2.284 2
23 Hafizh Syahrin KTM 2:00.766 2.527 3
24 Yamaha Test 1 Yamaha 2:00.965 2.726 1
25 Sylvain Guintoli Suzuki 2:00.990 2.751 3
26 Bradley Smith Aprilia 2:00.995 2.756 3
27 Yamaha Test 2 Yamaha 2:01.243 3.004 3
28 Takuya Tsuda Suzuki 2:03.276 5.037 2

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Three Times

Pos Rider Team Fastest Lap  Gap
1 Petrucci, Danilo Mission Winnow Ducati 1:58.239 ///
2 Bagnaia, Francesco Alma Pramac Racing 1:58.302 0.063
3 Miller, Jack Alma Pramac Racing 1:58.366 0.127
4 Dovizioso, Andrea Mission Winnow Ducati 1:58.538 0.299
5 Viñales, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha 1:58.644 0.405
6 Crutchlow, Cal LCR Honda Castrol 1:58.780 0.541
7 Espargaro, Aleix Aprilia Racing Gresini 1:59.022 0.783
8 Morbidelli, Franco Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:59.141 0.902
9 Nakagami, Takaaki LCR Honda Idemitsu 1:59.148 0.909
10 Rossi, Valentino Monster Energy Yamaha 1:59.155 0.916
11 Marquez, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:59.170 0.931
12 Rins, Alex Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:59.180 0.941
13 Bradl, Stefan Honda Test Team 1:59.368 1.129
14 Rabat, Tito Reale Avintia Racing 1:59.485 1.246
15 Mir, Joan Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:59.486 1.247
16 Quartararo, Fabio Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:59.497 1.258
17 Zarco, Johann Red Bull KTM Racing 1:59.640 1.401
18 Espargaro, Pol Red Bull KTM Racing 1:59.751 1.512
19 Oliveira, Miguel KTM Tech 3 Racing 1:59.949 1.710
20 Abraham, Karel Reale Avintia Racing 2:00.378 2.139
21 Syahrin, Hafizh KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:00.766 2.527
22 Guintoli, Sylvain Suzuki Test Team 2:00.990 2.751
23 Smith, Bradley Aprilia Racing Team 2:00.995 2.756
24 Kallio, Mika Red Bull KTM Test Team 2:01.020 2.781
25 Test 2, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:01.243 3.004
26 Test 1, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:01.719 3.480
NC Iannone, Andrea Aprilia Racing Gresini N/A  N/A
NC Tsuda, Takuya Suzuki Test Team N/A  N/A

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Two Times

Pos Rider Team Fastest Lap  Gap
1 Viñales, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha 1:58.897 ///
2 Rins, Alex Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:59.424 0.527
3 Miller, Jack Alma Pramac Racing 1:59.517 0.620
4 Dovizioso, Andrea Mission Winnow Ducati 1:59.562 0.665
5 Crutchlow, Cal LCR Honda Castrol 1:59.566 0.669
6 Rossi, Valentino Monster Energy Yamaha 1:59.625 0.728
7 Rabat, Tito Reale Avintia Racing 1:59.664 0.767
8 Marquez, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:59.790 0.893
9 Petrucci, Danilo Mission Winnow Ducati 1:59.845 0.948
10 Nakagami, Takaaki LCR Honda Idemitsu 1:59.966 1.069
11 Zarco, Johann Red Bull KTM Racing 1:59.973 1.076
12 Bagnaia, Francesco Alma Pramac Racing 1:59.995 1.098
13 Espargaro, Aleix Aprilia Racing Gresini 2:00.101 1.204
14 Quartararo, Fabio Petronas Yamaha SRT 2:00.108 1.211
15 Morbidelli, Franco Petronas Yamaha SRT 2:00.151 1.254
16 Bradl, Stefan Honda Test Team 2:00.230 1.333
17 Espargaro, Pol Red Bull KTM Racing 2:00.305 1.408
18 Iannone, Andrea Aprilia Racing Gresini 2:00.510 1.613
19 Kallio, Mika Red Bull KTM test Team 2:00.523 1.626
20 Oliveira, Miguel KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:00.672 1.775
21 Mir, Joan Team Suzuki Ecstar 2:00.876 1.979
22 Abraham, Karel Reale Avintia Racing 2:01.245 2.348
23 Test 1, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:01.406 2.509
24 Guintoli, Sylvain Suzuki Test Team 2:01.654 2.757
25 Syahrin, Hafizh KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:01.859 2.962
26 Test 2, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:02.989 4.092
27 Tsuda, Takuya Suzuki Test Team 2:03.276 4.379

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day One Times

Pos Rider Team Fastest Lap Gap
1 Marquez, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:59.621
2 Rins, Alex Team Suzuki Ecstar 1:59.880 0.259
3 Viñales, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha 1:59.937 0.316
4 Rabat, Tito Reale Avintia Racing 1:59.983 0.362
5 Petrucci, Danilo Mission Winnow Ducati 2:00.051 0.430
6 Rossi, Valentino Monster Energy Yamaha 2:00.054 0.433
7 Nakagami, Takaaki LCR Honda Idemitsu 2:00.158 0.537
8 Dovizioso, Andrea Mission Winnow Ducati 2:00.197 0.576
9 Bradl, Stefan Honda Test Team 2:00.214 0.593
10 Espargaro, Pol Red Bull KTM  Racing 2:00.313 0.692
11 Miller, Jack Alma Pramac Racing 2:00.383 0.762
12 Morbidelli, Franco Petronas Yamaha SRT 2:00.460 0.839
13 Espargaro, Aleix Aprilia Racing Gresini 2:00.602 0.981
14 Crutchlow, Cal LCR Honda Castrol 2:00.681 1.060
15 Bagnaia, Francesco Alma Pramac Racing 2:00.694 1.073
16 Oliveira, Miguel KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:00.902 1.281
17 Test 1, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:00.965 1.344
18 Quartararo, Fabio Petronas Yamaha SRT 2:00.985 1.364
19 Kallio, Mika Red Bull KTM Test Team 2:01.054 1.433
20 Zarco, Johann Red Bull KTM  Racing 2:01.121 1.500
21 Iannone, Andrea Aprilia Racing Gresini 2:01.249 1.628
22 Guintoli, Sylvain Suzuki Test Team 2:01.286 1.665
23 Mir, Joan Team Suzuki Ecstar 2:01.432 1.811
24 Abraham, Karel Reale Avintia Racing 2:01.627 2.006
25 Test 2, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:01.736 2.115
26 Syahrin, Hafizh KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:01.853 2.232
NC Smith, Bradley Aprilia Racing Factory Team N/A N/A
NC Tsuda, Takuya Suzuki Test Team N/A N/A

Source: MCNews.com.au

#SepangTest Day 2 | Vinales catapults clear at the top

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Two

Vinales catapults clear at the top


Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) got within just 0.067 of Jorge Lorenzo’s fastest ever lap of Sepang on Day 2 of testing, with the 1:58.830 set by Lorenzo last season – although not an official lap record – now surely under threat on Day 3.

Viñales had been hovering in third for much of the latter part of the day and left his vie at record breaking late as the final few minutes saw time attacks light up the timesheets.

More than three tenths up before the final sector, the Spaniard eventually crossed the line 0.527 ahead of nearest rival Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), setting both a supreme lap and a serious benchmark.


Maverick Vinales – P1

“Honestly, we tried to work really hard today on the race pace. We were always using the spec for the race. I felt good and around midday we made good lap times especially during the race simulation when it was hot, without grip, so I’m actually really happy how we worked today. We made a good improvement on the bike, so we need to try to do this again tomorrow.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Maverick Vinales
Maverick Vinales

That built on a positive first day on the timesheets for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Valentino Rossi in sixth added to the good vibes. The veteran Italian did 51 laps and was only two tenths off second, although the distance to his teammate stretched out from there. The Iwata marque confirmed they have a busy agenda, with different winglets and chassis items on the menu. Happy with progress since November, Team Director Massimo Meregalli says the biggest focus from Sepang is the last part of the corner and specifically, acceleration.


Valentino Rossi – P6

“We continued to work because we had some other items to improve and also today was not so bad. We found something that improved the performance and I think we did a good job. At the end my pace was always quite strong. So, it was a quite positive second day and we still have something to test tomorrow. We will try to continue to work and we’ll see what our situation is like at the end of the three days.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli ended the day in P14 and P15 respectively – and the Frenchman had a 2019 bike as he made that key step forward. They both did 58 laps.

Fabio Quartararo – P14

“The second day here at Sepang International Circuit has been very positive. This morning we set some good lap times on the new tyres and made the most of the track conditions to make a time attack, which I was really happy with. This afternoon we tried to improve but it wasn’t possible. We worked a lot on the setting of the bike, especially under braking, where we managed to improve the feeling. This evening we will analyse the data and come back tomorrow to try and improve the lap time and make more progress under braking, which is the area we have most room to improve.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

Franco Morbidelli – P15

“Today we focused on improving grip and trying to set a good pace on used tyres. I am happy with the work we have done and with the progress we made on both tyre compounds. It was a shame to crash so early because we missed out on the coolest part of the day and the chance to make a good time attack. In general, we have improved the feeling from yesterday so I am happy. We are showing some good form in the test but we still have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow we will continue working, try to improve our performance and make more progress overall. We will keep pushing to the maximum.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli

Alex Rins was the man who lost his top spot to Viñales after seeming set to end the day fastest, but the Spaniard’s 1:59.424 was nevertheless an incredible laptime and he did 61 laps on Thursday.

Suzuki Team Manager Davide Brivio said it’s going well and they have different swingarms, new aerodynamics with both riders and some different combinations; engine mapping, clutch, “things like that” – as well as an exhaust to try on Day 2. The Italian said their focus is fitting together the “puzzle” correctly for the first race, and the timesheets seem to bode well for Rins despite the Hamamatsu factory losing their concessions in 2019. Rookie teammate Joan Mir ended the day in P21 after 64 laps.


Alex Rins – P2

“Today was a very positive day; we tried the new fairing, some new electronics settings, and it was all good. My rhythm and race pace were very good, even on used tyres. We were able to confirm a lot of things, we still need to improve a little bit, but nothing major. Overall, I’m very happy with how it’s all going, and with my lap times too.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Alex Rins
Alex Rins

On Rins’ tail was the fastest Ducati on Day 2 and once again it was an Independent Team rider – this time Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing).

The Australian was a late mover like those above him and was only a tenth off Rins by the end of play, putting in 49 laps.

Jack Miller – P3

“We have worked hard on the set up and tried many solutions. The feeling with the bike is very good and already with the used medium tyre I was able to lap very fast in high 1’59’’. It’s a shame about the crash: it’s the second one in two days at turn 9. Tomorrow I have to stop this bad tradition”.

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Jack Miller
Jack Miller

Just behind Miller came Andrea Dovizioso, who was the fastest Mission Winnow Ducati and looked set to top the day’s action until the late flurry of fast laps saw him pushed down to fourth. Initially the number 04 was working on frames, and Team Manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed that teammate Danilo Petrucci was focused on finding a better connection between the throttle and the rear tyre – working on the electronics and engine. Roles were then reversed, and Tardozzi also confirmed the Borgo Panigale factory also had some work on aero planned. That’s expected tomorrow. Today, it was two red machines in tandem as the two were on track together on some longer runs in the afternoon, with Petrucci saying he has “more to learn” than his teammate and ending the day in ninth.


Andrea Dovizioso – P4

“It’s been a really positive day, and I’m very happy with the way we’re working, which allowed us to gather plenty of interesting data. Today, we focused on some areas in which we struggled a bit in the past, finding good solutions. Instead of just riding alone, I also managed to do a couple of longer runs together with Danilo to bring the tyres to race distance, which helped us to better simulate what happens during a GP. We still have a few components to try tomorrow, development never stops and we’ll keep looking for more ways to improve our performance.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso

Danilo Petrucci – P9

“It’s been a very intense day from a physical standpoint, because we clocked a lot of laps and we even rode over the race distance in two consecutive runs during the hottest hours. I have to say we gathered a positive feedback, both from a technical and physical standpoint, and the team did an excellent job. A small setback prevented us from further improving our lap times, but the rankings are certainly not our priority at this point of the year. Compared with yesterday, we’ve been a lot more competitive with higher temperatures, which makes me really confident ahead of tomorrow.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci

Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) pipped Petrucci on his GP18 to end Thursday in P7, with Francesco Bagnaia fastest rookie in P12 for Alma Pramac Racing.

Pecco Bagnaia – P12

“It’s been a very good day. I worked much better than yesterday at the technical level and in the afternoon we made a big step forward. Tomorrow we will try to make a time attack and a race simulation but I think it is a positive test so far: lap after lap I feel to better understand the bike”.

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Pecco Bagnaia
Pecco Bagnaia

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) put in a good showing on Thursday to take fifth overall and end the day as fastest Honda. The Brit is returning from a badly broken ankle sustained at Phillip Island last season but managed 53 laps to end the session within just 0.004 of Dovizioso. He also suffered a crash; Rider OK.


Cal Crutchlow – P5

“Today was a positive day and the team worked very well. We tried the 2019 bike all day, and we had two of them in the garage which meant we could do back-to-back tests on a few things. It was always the plan, so it’s good to do that. I felt quite comfortable over the day and we are pleased with what HRC has brought us to the test and as a race bike for this season.  My physical condition is not too bad as regards my ankle. I have more pain at the end of the day and the ankle is swollen due to the heat, but in general I’ve felt good on the bike. I had a small crash at turn five, which was a strange one because I wasn’t pushing or doing anything different – it was a first lap out of the pits. Luckily, I was ok. We look forward to the last day tomorrow, where we will focus more on working on the setting, and we can try and get all the information we need to be ready for the start of the season.“

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow

Next up for Honda was eighth placed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who downed tools early once again and put in 37 laps on Day 2 – although some of those were a longer run in the afternoon. The team confirmed they’re on schedule despite the lighter lap load for the reigning Champion, too – with Marquez routinely having done over 90 laps per test day last season – and were working on the new bike, new engine and electronics, with a lot to get through including some different fairings.


Marc Marquez – P8

“Today we worked much the same as yesterday and tried a few new things, the most important ones for Honda. I started the day well but then the shoulder started to get a bit worse so we stopped to be able to run well again tomorrow. I can’t ride exactly how I’d want, normally I’m a rider who brakes very late and deep but I can’t do that at the moment and have to brake earlier and smoother. In regards to the bike, we’ve been working mostly on corner exit but sometimes at this circuit the grip can change a lot.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez

Crutchlow’s teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) took P10 after 60 laps, with Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) taking P16 after 59 laps.

Takaaki Nakagami – P10

“Second day done, and we finished in P10, and to be inside the top ten is a good thing for us. This is testing however, and the main thing is that we stay focused on our programme and planned testing schedule, which we are doing. We are working hard to improve the set-up of the bike. Yesterday we had a bit of a struggle with the braking stability, but finally today we found an improvement and a better feeling on the brakes.  On the other hand, we are still missing a bit of edge grip on the rear. Tomorrow we have to see if we can find a better balance on the bike, and then we can make a race simulation.  At the end of the day today we went into the 1’59s, and that was my target for the day so that is good. We will keep pushing tomorrow of course and let’s see what happens.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Nakagami
Takaaki Nakagami

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing saw some tables turned on Day 2 as Johann Zarco ended the day as fastest Austrian machine for the first time since his switch to the marque. He said he outstripped his expected progress for the day and it made him smile to dip below the 2 minute mark for the first time, and he ended the day in P11 after 58 laps. Teammate Pol Espargaro was P17 and just over three tenths off the Frenchman.

KTM test rider Mika Kallio was a couple of places back, and just pipped Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Miguel Oliveira.


Miguel Oliveira – P20

“It seems like we can improve our lap time every day a little bit. With the used tyres I was quite happy with my performance, also with the performance of the bike. It was only the last run, that we couldn’t improve the lap time, because we ran a different traction control setting, which was really something else and combined with the new tyre, it didn’t work. We had to learn, which direction to take and will finetune this area tomorrow to be able to go faster. I’m very motivated, plus the team is doing a great job, we understand the bike more and more. Today we were only missing the time attack, but I would say we are quite strong and on a good direction.”


Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin had a tougher day, outside the top twenty.

Hafizh Syahrin – P25

“To be honest, I’m still quite slow at the moment and far from the top, especially because Maverick (Viñales) improved in the end. But now I start to understand many things when I was on the track. Today I followed some others, while before I rode alone, trying to do my best to improve my lap time. When I followed some riders like my teammate Miguel and also Pol Espargaro and Mika Kallio, I tried to understand how they can do such a good turning. Now we found out where the point is and we’ll improve it for the last day tomorrow. I hope I can do something good. I keep my motivation and work hard and also try to give my best for my team.”


Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, meanwhile, had a race simulation fairly early on Day 2 for Aleix Espargaro as Andrea Iannone remained focused on adaptation. Bike balance, electronics and torque control were a focus for the Noale factory.

Espargaro ended the day in P13 after 54 laps, Iannone in P18 after 39.

Aleix Espargaro’ – P13

“Today I did a 20-lap race simulation and I am very satisfied, both with how I held up physically and with the performance of the RS-GP. I managed to lap in the first half of the long run at 2’00 and in the low 2’01s for the second half – a good pace that confirms our competitiveness with used tyres. I must be realistic and also consider that the track is in better conditions than those of the race, but I am still pleased with the performance. We are still lacking incisiveness when we have more grip on new tyres. It seems like the others are able to exploit it better on the flying lap.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro’

Andrea Iannone – P18

“Today we began to get to know the bike better, which is part of our growth path. There are some positive changes and some not so positive, so we’ll keep going without revolutionising the bike, but with the clear goal of constantly improving, lap by lap. We managed to find some advantages in performance with used tyres. I did my best lap precisely in these conditions and using the medium. I am pleased about that and I can confirm our potential, considering the fact that this is our first real test.”

MotoGP Sepang Test Day Andrea Iannone
Andrea Iannone

Romano Albesiano, Technical Manager, also confirmed that it’s not just the immediate future that Aprilia are working towards, with plans made to make some big changes in testing in order to set up some more radical development later in the season.


2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Two Times

Pos Rider Team Fastest lap  Gap
1 VIÑALES, Maverick Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:58.897 ///
2 RINS, Alex Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:59.424 0.527
3 MILLER, Jack Alma Pramac Racing 1:59.517 0.620
4 DOVIZIOSO, Andrea Mission Winnow Ducati 1:59.562 0.665
5 CRUTCHLOW, Cal LCR Honda CASTROL 1:59.566 0.669
6 ROSSI, Valentino Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:59.625 0.728
7 RABAT, Tito Reale Avintia Racing 1:59.664 0.767
8 MARQUEZ, Marc Repsol Honda Team 1:59.790 0.893
9 PETRUCCI, Danilo Mission Winnow Ducati 1:59.845 0.948
10 NAKAGAMI, Takaaki LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1:59.966 1.069
11 ZARCO, Johann Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:59.973 1.076
12 BAGNAIA, Francesco Alma Pramac Racing 1:59.995 1.098
13 ESPARGARO, Aleix Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2:00.101 1.204
14 QUARTARARO, Fabio Petronas Yamaha SRT 2:00.108 1.211
15 MORBIDELLI, Franco Petronas Yamaha SRT 2:00.151 1.254
16 BRADL, Stefan Honda Test Team 2:00.230 1.333
17 ESPARGARO, Pol Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 2:00.305 1.408
18 IANNONE, Andrea Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 2:00.510 1.613
19 KALLIO, Mika Red Bull KTM FactoryTest Team 2:00.523 1.626
20 OLIVEIRA, Miguel KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:00.672 1.775
21 MIR, Joan Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 2:00.876 1.979
22 ABRAHAM, Karel Reale Avintia Racing 2:01.245 2.348
23 TEST 1, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:01.406 2.509
24 GUINTOLI, Sylvain Suzuki Test Team 2:01.654 2.757
25 SYAHRIN, Hafizh KTM Tech 3 Racing 2:01.859 2.962
26 TEST 2, Yamaha Yamaha Test Team 2:02.989 4.092
27 TSUDA, Takuya Suzuki Test Team 2:03.276 4.379

Source: MCNews.com.au