Sepang MotoGP Test – Malaysia Day2 + Day3
I’ve got used to the heat a bit more after living in California the past few years but staying here in Malaysia is a whole load different as the heat is almost heavy. On the days leading up to the test it […]
I’ve got used to the heat a bit more after living in California the past few years but staying here in Malaysia is a whole load different as the heat is almost heavy.
On the days leading up to the test it was bucketing it down and also very humid. Now the sun is out, few clouds are in the sky and unless you are next to a fan or in an air-conditioning room, you are getting cooked.
Riding a motorcycle in the heat is exhausting stuff, wrestling a MotoGP bike around this technical and high speed circuit is demanding and after watching out on the 2nd half of the track yesterday, I walked the first part of the track today and watched corners from 1 to 5, got sun-burned and saw some amazing motorcyle action.
On the inside of turn 3, a fast downhill right hand corner, you are all but 3 feet away from riders as they flash past. Watching riders power out of the slow left corner before, accelerate hard, change direction and then glide through the corner is just awesome to watch. Hearing them get on the throttle and then seeing them slide to the edge of the track makes you wonder how they do it.
Pedrosa was on it all day today, he was fastest most of the day and looks confident and strong as does his Honda team-mate Stoner who just seems to have jumped on that HRC machine and found his grove.
Honda have an impressive line-up this season, a race winning machine and any one of 3 riders that can win, that would be easy apart from Yamaha and Ducati have their own ideas about winning.
Jorge Lorenzo rode like a champion last season, now the team is his, the team-mate wall is down and his new team-mate is a friendly, fast American called Ben Spies. The bikes a championship winner, the package is solid and they are both young and very motivated.
Then there is Rossi, who despite his shoulder injury and new motorcycle to get adjusted too, not only looks brilliant in the Ducati colors but also appears to be making good strides with the Italian machine.
OK, testing times may be slightly down but remember his shoulder is weak and he’s a lot of work to do to get that prototype Ducati dialed into his own Vale spec. The team around him is very strong, that MotoGP bike will just get better and better and when Valentino feels comfortable he’ll fly.
It seems that Rossi’s team-mate, American Nicky Hayden has a similar set-up the Italian super-star which will definitely help development and improve the bike at a faster pace and get them both closer to the front of the field.
It’s going to be an interesting season as others like Simoncelli look rapid and is now on a factory bike, Bautista is injury free and starting his 2nd season in MotoGP with Suzuki and even Capirossi had a smile back on his face and on a bike he’s won on before.
I feel very lucky to see all latest MotoGP developments but I am not going to see day 3 as I’m off on a motorcycle trip around Malaysia and at the same time test out some adventure gear by Alpinestars.
Seeing all these super-stars ride just makes me want to jump on a motorcycle and go riding so now I’m borrowing a BMW GS and heading off for a few days of 2 wheel travelling, Malaysian style.
Day 2 & 3 Test times below
For more go to: www.motogp.com
Day 2 Test Times
1. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.770s (39 laps)
2. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda Team 2m 1.434s (44 laps)
3. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 1.508s (60 laps)
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 2m 1.512s (48 laps)
5. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 1.522s (42 laps)
6. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 1.534s (58 laps)
7. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 1.563s (35 laps)
8. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2m 1.687s (63 laps)
9. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 1.722s (33 laps)
10. Hector Barbera ESP Aspar Team 2m 2.093s (45 laps)
11. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team 2m 2.379s (62 laps)
12. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing Team 2m 2.426s (50 laps)
13. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Team 2m 2.597s (42 laps)
14. Kosuke Akiyoshi JPN Honda Test Rider 2m 2.619s (47 laps)
15. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 3.032s (38 laps)
16. Loris Capirossi ITA Pramac Racing Team 2m 3.047s (56 laps)
17. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 2m 3.466s (47 laps)
18. Bike #T2 JPN Yamaha test Rider 2m 3.910s (51 laps)
19. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda MotoGP 2m 4.026s (58 laps)
20. Bike #T1 JPN Yamaha Test Rider 2m 4.142s (56 laps)
Day 3 Test Times
1. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 0.757s (42 laps)
2. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.811s (42 laps)
3. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 0.845s (46 laps)
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.945s (51 laps)
5. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 1.002s (60 laps)
6. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 2m 1.241s (44 laps)
7. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 1.353s (63 laps)
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team 2m 1.534s (60 laps)
9. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 1.651s (32 laps)
10. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Team 2m 1.842s (52 laps)
11. Hector Barbera ESP Aspar Team 2m 2.030s (42 laps)
12. Loris Capirossi ITA Pramac Racing Team 2m 2.057s (48 laps)
13. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing Team 2m 2.159s (57 laps)
14. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 2m 2.645s (29 laps)
15. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 2.717s (44 laps)
16. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda MotoGP 2m 2.916s (55 laps)
17. Bike #T1 JPN Yamaha Test Rider 2m 2.965s (41 laps)
18. Kosuke Akiyoshi JPN Honda Test Rider 2m 3.452s (3 laps)
19. Bike #T2 JPN Yamaha test Rider 2m 3.621s (32 laps)
20. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Suzuki Test Rider 2m 4.700s (46 laps)
Fastest day two lap:
Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda 2m 0.770s
Fastest day one lap:
Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda 2m 1.574s
2010 Malaysian Grand Prix (10th October):
Pole position:
Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha 2m 1.537s
Fastest race lap by manufacturer:
Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha 2m 2.117s
Andrea Dovizioso ITA Honda 2m 2.427s
Alvaro Bautista ESP Suzuki 2m 2.895s
Nicky Hayden USA Ducati 2m 3.062s
Fastest 2010 Sepang test lap:
Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha 2m 0.271s (Day 2, Test II)
