Andrea Dovizioso will use next week’s Sepang test in Malaysia to continue tweaking his riding technique to suit the new Yamaha YZR-M1 1000cc MotoGP bike.
The Italian spent his entire MotoGP career riding for Honda before he agreed a deal to partner British rider Cal Crutchlow in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad this year.
The former 125GP world champion impressed during the traditional Valencia test in November but he was hampered in the opening Sepang test earlier this month by a recovering right collarbone, which he broke in a motocross training accident in early January.
And the former Repsol Honda rider admits he still needs to work on changing his riding style to suit the YZR-M1.
He told MCN: “There is a big difference between Honda and Yamaha. They have very different characteristics. I have to try and push in the good points of the Yamaha like in the braking, entry and middle of the corner. And I have to change a lot because four years I was with Honda in MotoGP and there is only one way to ride that bike.
"At Honda you have to cut the line and you have to try and pick up the bike as quickly as you can. That is the best way to go fast with that bike. But that doesn’t work with Yamaha.
"With the Yamaha you can brake late, make really high speed in the middle of the corner, so I have to change everything. I have to change how to use the traction control and all these things but I was happy with the work we did in Sepang.
"I was also really happy with the lap time considering my physical condition. Casey (Stoner), Dani (Pedrosa), (Jorge) Lorenzo and (Ben) Spies went so fast but not so far from me given my condition.”
Dovizioso, who finished third in last year’s MotoGP world championship behind Stoner and Lorenzo, also believes the second Sepang test won’t crucial to understand who is going to be strong and competitive when the new season kicks off in Qatar on April 8.
The second Sepang test gets underway on February 28 and Dovizioso added: “I think the next time we are in Sepang it will be important to understand exactly the level in that track but only that track.
"In Jerez and Qatar with completely different characteristics we will then get a clearer idea of the level of the bike, but not now.”
source: MCN
