Lucio Cecchinello: "CRT run the risk of seeing something shameful"

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Just finished the Sepang test, Lucio Cecchinello, conducted this interview with our co- GPOne in which he talks about the results of its pilot, Stefan Bradl, and did not mince words in expressing his opinion about the new MotoGP class the CRT.

"We were quite surprised by these tests. Last year was very difficult for us, but now the gap to the leaders seems much smaller, manufacturers have supplied the same for all drivers and Bradl was very comfortable with the Honda MotoGP, rolling to a second of Stoner in the last test. Since it is still adapting his driving style to electronics, we are very satisfied, "said Cecchinello.

The German also suffered fewer problems with chatter that other Honda riders and they explained the Italian: "I think the chattering is caused by the characteristics of the new new tires, in an effort to make things safer, Bridgestone tires has with a softer shell, which gives riders the touch but can also cause vibrations The 1000 cc bikes were designed with old tires. In the previous test in Brno and Motegi, the RC213V did not have this problem. No But it also depends on the riding position and suspension settings. From this point of view of Stefan seems to suffer less than Stoner and Pedrosa, but we have to see what happens in other circuits. "

Turning to the economic, Lucio Dorna does not blame the current problems facing the premier class. "Since we control MotoGP, Dorna has done a good job from the standpoint of media and promotion, increasing the dissemination of the championship. Unfortunately, they did not have two major problems that have arisen in recent years : The ban on tobacco sponsorship and the global economic crisis. Many people thought, wrongly, that MotoGP would always have enough money and sponsors. "

Cecchinello more blame to the manufacturers' factories adopted a policy of transferring costs to the satellite teams, which are always seen as customers and partners. In 2004, it cost a million euros to rent a MotoGP and when the price increased to over three million euros in Dorna alarm went off, had to do something to reduce the price of entry into MotoGP. The new category is the result of a political confrontation between Dorna and manufacturers. are well received because increase the size of the grid, but I think it is only a transitional phase and not the future of MotoGP. are a way to tell the factories to be supplied bikes 10% or 20% more expensive than they cost the ART (the Aprilia CRT). And do not think the name is particularly appropriate CRT, I would call 'Evo Superbike.' "

"MotoGP is the top echelon of motor racing, which should only engage the best of the best, some of the CRT does not have the right profile to be in this tournament, not for lack of effort, but because they have neither the structure and technical resources. I would have done more thorough checks before accepting input, there must be some quality control. The ART of Aprilia have some sense, but other bikes are not. We run the risk of seeing something embarrassing in some circuits. "

source: motocuatro

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Guareschi: Rossi could go faster

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Vittoriano Guareschi didn't try to hide his dissatisfaction with Valentino Rossi being just 10th fastest at the end of Sepang testing, but he also knows that the Italian rider worked extremely hard over the last three days: "He completed an enormous workload - the Ducati team manager revealed - testing a large number of different setups and solutions.  It's normal that a rider wouldn't achieve maximum performance in this situation, when their priority isn't outright speed, unless they have a bit of luck."

The GP12 is still in its early stages of development, and Vittoriano believes there is plenty of room for improvement: "The fact that Valentino's performance was very similar to that of Hayden, who is only at 70% physically, shows that Rossi could have done more. If he was just concentrating on gaining confidence with the bike, he would definitely have been faster, but his priorities are elsewhere at the moment."

This meant that he wasn't overly surprised by Hector Barbera's 6th fastest time on the satellite bike: "The work carried out by Hector during this test has been completely different.  His bike was identical to the version he had one month ago, so he could concentrate fully on learning it better, adapting to it, and building confidence.  His best lap time was not outside of Valentino's range. The same thing applies to the other satellite riders who were faster than us."

Since Guareschi no longer performs any testing duties, some have been left to wonder if he should consider getting on the bike again: "Absolutely not - he responded quickly - right now test riders aren't what is needed.  Only the race riders can take this bike to the limit, lapping in those times and providing the right feedback."

Vittoriano is cautiously optimistic about the team's next outing: "Obviously we would prefer to be further up the order, but both riders liked the new electronics package that we had for this test.  We also had to perform a lot of necessary work.  We will head to Jerez with much clearer ideas, and Valentino will be free to concentrate on his riding, gaining confidence with the GP12. We will see how we perform there, and if we need to start worrying or not." 

source: GP One

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Nakamoto: Yamaha is stronger

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At the conclusion of the second Sepang MotoGP test session, Honda was once again atop the timesheets with both of their factory riders. That said, the manufacturer from Tokyo has seen their advantage slowly erode, especially with regard to their main rivals Yamaha, to the extent that HRC vice president Shuhei Nakamoto feels they no longer have the best bike on the grid.

"The M1 is very fast and represents a significant obstacle for us - the manager said - we aren't at the same level. The Honda is very powerful, but the Yamaha has great handling. As a package, they have the best bike at the moment."

Perhaps this is because of the chattering that Casey Stoner has lamented since the first Sepang test: "We have some other small issues to resolve, but chattering remains our main problem. It isn't so much a problem on the brakes as it is mid-corner. The frequency of the vibration changes significantly, depending on the shape and speed of the corner."

Since Honda didn't really have this problem last year, the culprit could be either the increase in minimum weight (from 153 to 157 Kg), the new Bridgestone tires, or some combination of both. "The rules change to raise the minimum weight has penalized us, also because it cost us more money in development, but I think it's mostly the tires that are causing the chatter. Bridgestone is working hard, and they have provided some new compounds at the test, but unfortunately the tire that gives us less chattering is the one with inferior performance."

Also causing concern was the race simulation carried out by Jorge Lorenzo, where the Spaniard lapped consistently under the 2'02 barrier. "Unfortunately we couldn't do any long runs because we lost the entire second day of testing, and we had many things left to try. We weren't sure exactly what happened with the engine, and the safety of our riders is the top priority. But on day 3 we didn't have to change anything, not even in terms of power output. We didn't change the mapping or any of the engine control software."

source: GP One

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video: Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa Action Sepang Test 2012

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video: Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa Action Sepang Test 2012





source: Youtube

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Hayden: Different problems to Rossi

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The second Sepang test proved a tough experience for the factory Ducati team, which wasn't able to build on an optimistic debut with the new GP12 a few weeks before.

Valentino Rossi certainly hoped for much better, but team-mate Nicky Hayden - who had struggled badly with his healing shoulder at the first test - was firstly just pleased to ride.

The American underwent surgery following the earlier test, but was able to put in an impressive number of laps over the three days this week.

Hayden was also the fastest Ducati rider - sixth and then fifth - on the first two rain-interrupted days but, like Rossi, dropped down the order on the all-dry final day (when the four Hondas returned).

While Rossi struggled with corner entry understeer on his way to tenth, eleventh-fastest Hayden was held back by chatter and corner exit performance.

“The bike feels better on braking and into the corner, and I like the feedback it gives me. Also, the lap times don't seem as affected when the track gets hot and greasy,” Hayden said of the GP12's strong points. “[Now] we need to work on some chatter and on corner exits.

“We've got quite a few ideas. This is the first real test for me with this bike. Of course we want to solve the chatter, but we have a lot of room for improvement. There are a lot of areas that we didn't get to try this week, due to the weather.

“I started using the new electronics on the first day - I think Rossi started using them the second day - and I liked those. Then Rossi has found a little bit different geometry, which I haven't even got to. I'm still working my way through more basic changes.

“The bike has different problems to last year I would say.”

Hayden, 1.1sec from former team-mate Casey Stoner (Honda), suffered a small fall at turn one on Thursday, but fortunately didn't re-damage his shoulder.

“Toward the end, I lost the front end in Turn 1 and crashed, but it was an easy one and I'm fine,” he confirmed. “I'm happy with how my shoulder is coming along. I hope that with three more weeks of recovering and rehab, it should be close to 100 per cent for Jerez.”

source: crash.net

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Work remains for the Ducati Team

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Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden declared the new electronics introduced at the second Official Test of the season at Sepang to be a breakthrough, though they are still searching for an ideal setup on the GP12.

The Ducati Team made progress with the new electronics package introduced at the second Test at the Malaysian circuit, with Rossi and Hayden satisfied with the results of development in that arena which helped to reduce their gap to the front considerably compared to the first test. However, they are still searching for an ideal setup and ended the day tenth and eleventh.

Rossi stayed on the track until the last minute to complete as much work as possible for the Ducati engineers, while Nicky Hayden continued testing into the afternoon despite still not being in perfect physical condition. On the American’s very last exit, he had a minor low-speed fall in Turn 1 that left him unharmed.

Valentino Rossi 2’01.550 (57 laps)

"One small positive note to the day is that we reduced the gap to the front a little bit. It was 1.2 seconds, and now it’s 1 second. It’s also nice that the new electronics work well, but it hurts being down on the timesheets compared to all the others. We tried a bunch of things to take a step forward from the first test, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it and we were actually worse. It was harder for me to ride well compared to three weeks ago, especially my corner speed. It’s true that this test was more difficult in terms of weather and track conditions, but it seemed to affect us more than the others. Honestly, I expected to do better than tenth. We were also unfortunate because at the best part of the day, when I did a 2'01.5 and we had some tyres to try to lower the time further, we had a problem with the fork that cost us some time. Maybe without that we would have cut another three or four tenths and been further up, but our pace is still about seven tenths back. We’re not pleased with how it went this time, but we have to try and work hard and see what happens at Jerez."

Nicky Hayden 2’01.609 (44 laps):

"Of course I would prefer to have been closer to the front, but it’s my first real test of the year. The bike feels better on braking and into the corner, and I like the feedback it gives me. Also, the lap times don’t seem as affected when the track gets hot and greasy. We need to work on some chatter and on corner exits. We have plenty of ideas, as there are a lot of things we didn’t get to try this week because of the weather. Toward the end, I lost the front end in Turn 1 and crashed, but it was an easy one and I’m fine. I’m happy with how my shoulder is coming along. I hope that with three more weeks of recovering and rehab, it should be close to 100 per cent for Jerez."

Filippo Preziosi (General Manager, Ducati Corse):

"It was sunny for the last day of the Sepang test, and after almost completely losing the first two days to rain, we had to concentrate a lot of work into a relatively short time. Clearly, situations like that make it more difficult to achieve maximum performance because the setup changes continuously. Today Valentino is tenth and Nicky is eleventh, and obviously we would prefer to be further up. Anyway, they both liked the new electronics package that we had for this test. We’ll keep working hard between now and the next test at Jerez, where we’ll try to put everything we have together and optimize

source: MotoGP Official

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Avintia Racing makes strides in Sepang

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Iván Silva and Yonny Hernández made important steps in the development of their Avintia Racing machine, improving lap times and making key improvements on the electronics and the chassis of the BQR-FTR.

Although rain interrupted the work the Avintia Racing team had planned for the three day Test, by the end of the final day the team was encouraged with the progress they made. The Avintia Racing bike now has a strong base upon which they will continue development at the upcoming test at Jerez ahead of Qatar GP.

Yonny Hernandez and Ivan Silva were able to make positive strides with both the electronics and the chassis of the BQR-FTR. Both riders agreed that important steps were made in solving engine problems they suffered in the previous test at the same circuit. Although many improvements still remain, the two lowered the times obtained at the first test and are optimistic for the future of the team.

Yonny Hernández:

"I’m happy because I’m back with the team and on the bike. At this test, I learned to work with the traction control and we advanced our position to the front. Unfortunately, the rain and some problems with the electronics on my bike slowed our progress a little, but at least the last day was productive and we were able to make progress with the set up. The tests ahead of the first GP of the season will be important to pull together the final bike with a chassis that will allow us to get the most out of the bike."

Iván Silva: 

"We worked primarily on the engine mapping and the traction control at this test. It was a shame about the rain on the first days limited the work we were able to do, but it was the same for everyone. The last day I focused on the chassis and although we still have problems with the front wheel we have a little more grip and can turn the bike easier. Now that the engine runs perfectly, the next test we’ll focus on getting the final bike to be more competitive."

Press release courtesy of Avintia Racing

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Positive progress for Dovizioso and Crutchlow in Malaysia

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A weather-hit MotoGP™ Test at the Sepang International Circuit ended in a positive fashion for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow on Thursday.

Torrential rain on the first and second day restricted the track time available to two riders, but both took advantage of the hot, dry conditions on the final day to carry out crucial development work on the new Yamaha YZR-M1 1000cc machine.

Dovizioso was on form, completing 54 laps on his way to setting a best time of 2’00.802, landing an outstanding third place on the final timesheets, 0.329s behind the lead time of Casey Stoner and the fastest non-factory rider.

Close to full fitness after breaking his right collarbone in early January, Dovizioso got through a packed testing schedule, which included experimenting with different riding positions to help him feel more comfortable on the YZR-M1. He successfully tested a revised Yamaha engine spec that improved corner entry, and on the final afternoon he completed a run of 15 laps to understand the endurance of Bridgestone's new softer tyres designed specifically for the 1000cc machines.

The second Sepang test was also a big success for British rider Crutchlow, who declared himself satisfied with the updated Yamaha engine made available in Sepang. The 26 year old set a personal best time of 2’00.986, which was just over 0.1s behind than Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo.

Andrea Dovizioso: 

"Despite the rain disrupting the first two days, this has been a really positive test and I am very happy. I did my first laps in the rain on the Yamaha and I had a very positive feeling. The engine was very smooth and I could manage the sliding but one very important area was my physical condition. My shoulder was much better than the first test here and this enabled me to understand the potential of the YZR-M1 machine much more. I am more confident on the bike and I’m happy with the lap time and the position. I like the new engine because it helps with the corner entry, and this was already a really strong point of the Yamaha. I did a long run of 15 laps today to understand about tyre wear. We have some work to do, but the potential of the bike is already at a very high level. Now I’m really looking forward to the next test in Jerez because it is a completely different track with different temperature and this will be good experience for me to understand the bike even more."

Cal Crutchlow: 

"I’m really happy because the weather obviously played a big part the first two days but we were able to get some dry track time today and make some good progress with the bike. I like the new engine from Yamaha and credit to them because they have been working hard and the improvement bodes well for the start of the season. I'm happy with my lap time because this is not my favourite track at all and I am fifth fastest and very close to the top three. A major positive too is that I am very consistent and this is something that I have improved from last year. This gives me a lot of encouragement and I'm really enjoying riding the 1000cc bike. I did a long run of 12 laps and the new tyres were sliding around quite a bit. It made it physically tiring and it looks like tyre management is going to be more important than ever. The bike is working well at Sepang but now I'm curious to see how it performs in Jerez. That's a completely different track and the weather will be much cooler, so this will give us another indication of the potential of the bike."

source: MotoGP Official

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Bautista: "We have taken a big step forward"

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After two days of inclement weather, conditions finally held out on the third and final day of testing at Sepang, allowing the teams to work without interruption.

Team San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista worked intensely despite a minor crash this morning in turn eight. The rider and crew are heading home feeling satisfied and confident before returning to duty at Jerez from 23 to 25 March for the final Test of the 2012 preseason.

Alvaro Bautista:

“I am satisfied because we were finally able to get a full day under our belt after being here for two days already and only managing to get out on track for the first morning. Obviously it was a tough day, because we had to pack everything in, so we started out first thing this morning and only took a short break at the hottest part of the day. We worked mainly on adapting to the 1000cc bike and even though I was tired by the end of the day, I was satisfied with our progress. Unfortunately I made a mistake on my first lap of one run when the tyres were still not up to temperature and ran wide onto the astroturf and then had a small crash. Luckily I wasn't hurt and we were able to continue working on the other bike, mainly with suspension settings, and putting together a decent rhythm. I am happy though because we have taken a big step forward and closed the gap to the top guys. We know we still have a long way to go but I am confident because the relationship with the team is great and I know we will make more progress in the next test at Jerez.”

Fausto Gresini:

“This has been an important test for us because Alvaro needed a lot of laps on the RC213V to get confident with the bike and above all learn the methods required to work on a Honda, which is different to what he was riding last year. He also needs more time on the 1000cc bike because he hasn’t had as many opportunities to ride as some of the other riders. We had some technical suspension updates to test, which we are pleased with, but we also need time and information to get the best out of them. Overall, it’s been a positive test because Alvaro knows that he can set a better lap time and he has improved since the last test, closing the gap to the fastest guys. It’s a shame about the crash because it set him back a little, but we are optimistic about the future.”

source: MotoGP Official

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Hayden: the GP12 can improve

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Even though factory Ducati rider Nicky Hayden was just 11th fastest on the final day of Sepang testing, he was still feeling positive about the new GP12.  Unlike the latest comments from his teammate Rossi, the American liked the feedback the bike provided, even on corner entry, where Valentino was less than enthused. 

"Of course I would prefer to have been closer to the front, but it's my first real test of the year - Hayden commented - The bike feels better on braking and into the corner, and I like the feedback it gives me. Also, the lap times don't seem as affected when the track gets hot and greasy. We need to work on some chatter and on corner exits. We have plenty of ideas, as there are a lot of things we didn't get to try this week because of the weather. There is still good potential to improve. Toward the end, I lost the front end in Turn 1 and crashed, but it was an easy one and I'm fine. I'm happy with how my shoulder is coming along. I hope that with three more weeks of recovering and rehab, it should be close to 100 per cent for Jerez."

After Rossi originally displayed great optimism during the first Sepang test, it seems that Hayden took over that role today: "Valentino was feeling very positive after the first test, while I was a little more cautious.  We aren't going to lose our heads; we just need more time."

source: GP One

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Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez Shows Improvement

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Although the rain has conditioned the work planned by the technicians and pilots Avintia Racing at the end of the last day-the only one that has been rolling in good condition-the feeling was positive in the face the next test that the team will perform at the Jerez circuit, due to the pre-IRTA Qatar GP.

Ivan Silva and Yonny Hernandez been able to advance in the development of the BCR-FTR, both in terms of engine and electronics and the chassis. Both drivers agree that it has taken a big step to take for solved the engine problems suffered in the previous test at this circuit and rate of positive tests with the traction control and drive electronics.

Although there are improvements to be made, especially in regard to the rebound of the front wheel, say they are in good line to achieve the targets set for the chassis. Both have reduced the times obtained in the first test performed on this same track a few weeks ago and are optimistic for future occasions. 

Yonny Hernandez (06/02/63): "I am happy because I returned to have contact with the team and the bike. I learned to work with the traction control and we have advanced in the set-up. Unfortunately, rain and electrical problems on my bike have hurt the pace of work but, fortunately, the last day was productive and we were able to shoot enough to make progress in the set-up. The training before the first GP of the season will be important to get "polish" the final details and manage to have a chassis that allows us to give the maximum. "

Ivan Silva (02/06/78): "We have worked mainly with maps of the engine and traction control. It was a shame that the rain of the first day we limited the planned work but, well, has been the case for everyone. On this last day I could focus on the chassis and although we still have problems with the front wheel, we have a little more grip and turn the bike a little better. Now that the engine runs perfectly, the next test we will focus work on getting some optimal cycle to be more competitive. "

source: motocuatro

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Valentino Rossi expected to do better at Sepang

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Ending up 10th and behind two satellite Yamaha riders, satellite Ducati rider Hector Barbera on the GP12 Zero and and two satellite Honda riders including a rookie is not what Valentino Rossi expected in this final day of testing at Sepang.

Despite a small improvement the Ducati rider was still one full second slower than the Honda machines and despite set-up being slightly easier than last year, the Doctor is still unable to find that important step forward and shorten the gap that separates him from the Honda and Yamaha machines. and if he doesn’t find that something special at the next official test session at Jerez later this month, his 2012 season is going to be a repeat of last year’s, a nightmare, and there will be no excuses this time.

Valentino Rossi - 2:01.550 (57 laps)

“One small positive note to the day is that we reduced the gap to the front a little bit. It was 1.2 seconds, and now it’s 1 second. It’s also nice that the new electronics work well, but it hurts being down on the timesheets compared to all the others. We tried a bunch of things in order to take a step forward from the first test, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it and were actually worse. It was harder for me to ride well compared to three weeks ago, especially my corner speed. It’s true that this test was more difficult in terms of weather and track conditions, but it seemed to affect us more than the others. Honestly, I expected to do better than tenth. We were also unfortunate because at the best part of the day, when I did a 2:01.5 and we had some tyres to try to lower the time further, we had a problem with the fork that cost us some time. Maybe without that we would have cut another three or four tenths and been further up, but our pace is still about seven tenths back. Honestly, that’s not a huge amount, but anyway we’re still behind. We’re not pleased with how it went this time, but we have to try and work hard and see what happens at Jerez, where the track is very different than this one, with much different weather and temperatures. We’ll see how we do there.”

source: twowheelsblog

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Edwards confirms himself as best CRT rider at Sepang

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Three weeks after the first Official Test at the Sepang International Circuit, Colin Edwards and NGM Mobile Forward Racing returned to confirm themselves as the best CRT team in Malaysia.

The weather conditions during the three days of testing were not as favorable as the first test at the beginning of February. However it was still an important test for the American rider in order to find continuity on the Suter-BMW as he completed a total of 78 laps with a final lap time of 2’03.681.

The work once more revolved around the electronics of the bike as well as on the development of the new Suter chassis. The chassis development has been a clear step forward, allowing Edwards to improve his best time at the first test by over a second.

Colin Edwards (2’03.681):

"To be honest, it was frustrating for two days and finally on the last day, we were working with the throttle connection and we found something. In that respect, it was a good test. In terms of the electronics I don’t think we will reach the final stage of development of the electronics until the last race in Valencia: we are going to be working on them the whole time. But as they say: "Rome wasn’t built in one day". It’s not a very quick process but at each test we keep improving, so that’s the key. We arrived with a new chassis and also a new spec engine. So from the first test to the second test to the third test, we’ve had basically had a new bike each time. This time we got what we would consider the 2012 spec. Yes, we do have a little bit of chatter but it’s much better than what it was and I believe we know how to fix it. For the next test in Jerez, I don’t have a main focus other than to make the entire package better. We need to come up with solutions quickly and efficiently and for that we need accurate information from our data…. we can’t afford right now to get off base".

Sergio Verbena – Technical Manger:

"We focused on the electronics and chassis. We tested the chassis with varying degrees of stiffness in order to solve the chatter problem and made some improvement in this area, but we have some more work ahead of us. In terms of the electronics we made significant progress in some areas (engine braking and traction control), but we still have a lot of work to do with exiting the corners, although we made a modification that allowed Colin to be 1.5 seconds faster. We are now at 3.2 seconds from Stoner, it’s not bad at all only after days of testing a circuit as long as Sepang!"

source: MotoGP Official

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Valentino Rossi 'very worried' after 'negative' test

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After an optimistic debut test on the all-new Desmosedici GP12, Valentino Rossi's 2012 MotoGP hopes took a serious knock at this week's Sepang return. 

Fifth fastest and 1.2sec from Honda's Casey Stoner after the first test, Rossi dropped to tenth place during this week's Malaysian visit. 

The only positive was that the gap to Stoner - again fastest - was cut to 1.0sec, but that was of little consolation to the seven-time MotoGP champion, preparing to start his second season at Ducati. 

“It has been quite negative,” said Rossi, talking in the Sepang paddock as storm clouds gathered overhead. “The only positive is that the distance to first place is a bit less, but unfortunately our position is a lot worse. 

“Being just behind the factory Hondas and Yamahas after the first test was positive, but everything we tried here - especially to fix our biggest problems - didn't work. 

“We are closer to the top, but now we also have the Monster Yamahas and satellite Hondas in front of us. We are very worried for this reason especially. 

“The new electronics worked well, and helped in the straight, but I'm too slow on corner entry and I cannot keep the right corner speed. I also have some movement in acceleration. 

“We are not very, very far - but 0.6sec in the pace is quite a lot.” 

Rossi explained that his biggest difficulty is understeer, which forces him to use the brakes too much, sapping his corner speed. 

But Rossi felt the GP12, which features Ducati's first aluminium twin-spar frame, was still an improvement over last year's troubled carbon fibre then part-aluminium 800cc machine, with which he took just one podium finish. 

“I think we have improved from last year because we had two or three moments today where for sure with last year's bike I would have crashed!” he smiled. “But it is not enough. 

“Now when we make changes the bike is quite precise and the answer from the bike is more normal, compared to last year, but unfortunately we don't fix nothing.” 

Rossi, who admitted there is no obvious solution, added: “Unfortunately with this bike I'm not able to go faster and faster, like the guys on the other bikes, and we have to understand why.” 

Despite Rossi's problems, Pramac Ducati rider Hector Barbera - riding the earlier 'Valencia-spec' satellite bike - put in a strong final day lap time to repeat his sixth place at the first test and closed the gap to Stoner from 1.322 to 0.768sec. 

Rossi's team-mate Nicky Hayden was a fraction behind the Italian in eleventh, having struggled with chatter. Hayden was more optimistic than Rossi, since his lack of track time at the first test means he still has plenty of ideas to work through. 

The third and final pre-season test will take place at Jerez, Spain from March 23-25. 

“Now we go to Jerez, another track and another temperature and try to understand where we are. And then we see,” said Rossi. 

source: crash.net

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Eye-opening race simulation for Lorenzo

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Jorge Lorenzo was one of the few riders to put in a longer, race-simulation, type run with the new 1000cc machines during this week's Sepang MotoGP test - and was surprised by the findings.

“It's been really tough physically, making the race simulation on the last day. But it was very important to see what happened,” began Lorenzo, speaking from the Factory Yamaha pits. 

“I saw that this year it will be really, really hard to keep a constant pace during the race. So the rider that can keep the tyres strong to the end of the race will have a strong season. 

“After three or four laps the rear tyre grip drops, and then it continues to drop steadily after that.

“I found the front tyre very soft so I also had some problems with braking. But anyway I could still keep a fairly constant pace and I'm quite satisfied. Now we will go through the data for everything.”

Yamaha's 2010 world champion finished the final Malaysian test fourth on the timesheets, behind Casey Stoner (Honda), Dani Pedrosa (Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Yamaha), but his main focus remains on race pace.

“This test was better than the first Sepang test, but we need to improve the race pace because the front is not perfect under braking, the rear grip drops too much and in general we must work on the acceleration,” he said. “We have some movement from the bike we want to solve.

“If we can improve the race pace by two or three tenths that would be perfect.”

The Spaniard, second to Stoner last season despite missing the final two races due to a finger injury, now has the major components of his 2012 M1 in place.

“The new chassis is not better, so we went back to the standard one, with the new engine and new electronics,” stated Lorenzo.

Like team-mate Ben Spies, Lorenzo suffered a fall midway through the final day.

“We are not sure, Bridgestone has to see, but I think that the rear tyre was a little worse than normal,” said Lorenzo. “It was a new tyre.”

While awaiting 'go faster' developments for his M1 to try at the third and final pre-season test, at Jerez, Lorenzo will also work on more low-tech solutions.

“Now I need to train very hard to be more prepared physically,” he said.

source: crash.net

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Barberá: "We need to refine the details, but I’m satisfied"

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The final day of testing in Malaysia ended on a strong positive note for the Pramac Racing rider thanks to improved weather conditions that allowed the team to work productively on Thursday.

Héctor Barberá completed the day as the fastest Ducati rider on track at Sepang with an excellent sixth fastest time of 2’01.231. The result was very encouraging for the Pramac Racing team, who appreciated being able to see how the times and the performance of their rider improved on par with the work being done in the box.

At this test, the team worked with both bikes, focusing on developing two types of set-up, chassis, suspension, electronics in search of the best possible mix for racing.

Today's result created a solid foundation which the team will build upon at the next Official MotoGP™ Test at Jerez on March 23rd.

Hector Barbera, Pramac Racing 

"I am very happy with this final day. The feeling with my Ducati is getting better every test and I'm beginning to understand how to use the throttle that has a very different response from the 800cc of last year. The behavior of the bike is quite good, but we still need to refine some details to improve race pace. I can only be very happy with the result today, thanks to an excellent understanding with the team. "

source: Pramac Racing Press Release via MotoGP Official.

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Strong finish for the Repsol Honda Team in Sepang

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The Repsol Honda team leaves the Sepang circuit satisfied with a job well done at the second Official MotoGP™ pre-season Test of 2012.

Casey Stoner set the fastest time of the day with a flying lap of 2'00.473 and team mate Dani Pedrosa recorded the second fastest time with a lap of 2'00.648, just 0.175 from Stoner.

Despite missing yesterday, the two Repsol Honda riders were able to complete their testing program planned for Malaysia. Stoner and Pedrosa spent the test working on their RC213V chassis' to reduce chatter and both reported a slight improvement

The next test for the Repsol pair will be at the Jerez circuit at the end of March where they will fine tune their machines in preparation for the first race in Qatar on April 8.

Casey Stoner:

"Again we've been unable to profit from the full three days of the test here in Sepang, the first day we only managed about 16 laps before the rain came and then yesterday we weren't able to get out at all. So today it's been good to have some nice weather, get out on track and find some different solutions on the bike. We've been trying a few different things with electronics to have the engine character the same way we like it. We've also tried shortening the wheelbase to reduce chatter and we've been successful in decreasing it slightly, but at the moment we're unable to eliminate it completely, so we still have quite a lot of work to do. The chassis balance feels good as does the traction on the bike, it's turning well but we really need to get rid of the chatter. Overall we are happy with the bike".

Dani Pedrosa:

"In general we've been working a lot on the chassis at this test, to find the best compromise. We tried different set ups and we are leaving quite happy with the results. This is a very specific track, so it's important to have clear ideas for the future. We also made some progress with the braking and the chassis feels a little better because we have a less chatter compared to the first test. We need to keep improving it on entry and mid corner, but I think that we can expect improvements when we work more with the engine and the electronics, which we will do at the Jerez test. Today I also used a different screen to be more comfortable on the straight which felt better".

source: MotoGP Official

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Bradl Concludes Sepang Test Session with the Ninth Fastest Time

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The third and final day of testing at Sepang was held in hot and dry conditions with all riders out on track upon opening, including all four Hondas, with Stoner rising to the top of the classification on 2’00.473.  

The premier class riders put their new bikes through their paces at the 5.548km track and in his third MotoGP test on the LCR Honda RC213V, Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl finished with the ninth 

fastest time. The young German, who had one “day off” yesterday together with his Honda colleagues, put in 54 laps with a best time of 2’01.492 in preparation for the forthcoming season. Bradl and his squad will be back on track in Spain (Jerez) for the last pre-season testing session on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of March.   

Bradl – 9th: “Yesterday we sat out the second day of testing so today was a tough day for me and the guys. After 54 laps I feel a bit tired as the temperature was very high today but I am leaving Malaysia with a good feeling and a good base set up for the future. I am pretty satisfied about my laptime and the gap to the front is acceptable: if we continue with this progresses I am sure that positive results will arrive soon.”   

source: LCR Official

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Successful second Sepang Test for Yamaha

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The second outing for Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies proved to be a great success as the riders worked through a number of updates including chassis, electronics and set up in both wet and dry conditions.

Both Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies suffered crashes in the morning on the final day but were unhurt. Lorenzo spent the final afternoon engaged in a race simulation run, pleased with the results that demonstrated he could deliver consistent fast laps over an extended period around the 2’01 second mark. Lorenzo ended the test in fourth position, 0.404 seconds behind Casey Stoner, while Spies leaves Sepang in confident mood having bonded well with the 1000cc bike in both wet and dry conditions, taking his first ever wet laps of the circuit yesterday afternoon. The Texan wrapped up the test in eighth place, 0.959 seconds from first.

Jorge Lorenzo

"Well, this afternoon was one of the hardest race simulations of my career because the 1000 is more tiring to ride and the rear tyre seems to drop a lot after three or four laps. After this the feeling stays the same but it’s very different to last year, it’s almost like racing in the rain trying to control the rear in the corner exits and acceleration. I managed to finish the simulation with a good pace so all in all it has been a very positive test, thank you to Yamaha for their hard work."

Ben Spies

"Today was good, we unfortunately had a small crash but we learned a lot and got to test some new electronic settings which were a big improvement. We also tried some different shock settings which were a big step forward. It’s a shame we crashed but we know from this test that the bike has great potential so we can go to Jerez with confidence."

source: MotoGP Official

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Stoner sets the mark as Sepang Test comes to a close

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The second Official MotoGP™ Test of 2012 in Malaysia came to a close with the reigning World Champion again top of the timesheets, closely followed by team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Andrea Dovizioso.

The third and final day of the second pre-season MotoGP™ Test at the Sepang International Circuit concluded on Thursday with Casey Stoner leading the times. The Repsol Honda rider posted a 2’00.473 in the morning; an effort that registered the best time of the entire Test though was 0.8s off his best effort from the first pre-season Test at the same track.

Dani Pedrosa trailed his team-mate by 0.175s as the Spanish rider focused his efforts on chassis modifications to improve stability under braking and reduce front end chatter. Andrea Dovizioso was three tenths from Stoner with a time of 2’00.802 on his Tech 3 machine as the Italian continues to make big strides on the Yamaha.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo was fourth quickest and ended his day with a race simulation that revealed the more powerful 1000cc bikes will require careful tyre management. The 2012 World Champion reported that the new soft Bridgestones lost their grip early in the simulation making braking more difficult due to sliding. The Spaniard also reported that the electronics improvements made during this test made corner entry easier and smoothed out the YZR-M1 overall.

Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies ended his day early, completing 28 laps with a best time of 2’01.432 set before a crash in the early afternoon. The American walked away from the fall unhurt though did not re-enter the track in the afternoon and his time from the morning placed him eighth in the line-up. Spies posted to Twitter that he was happy with the electronic improvements though he and his team "haven't pushed the bike to its limit yet".

Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) climbed to fifth position by the end of the day with a best lap 2’00.986, half a second off the leading time of Stoner and 0.245s ahead of the quickest Ducati in the field, the Pramac Racing GP12 of Héctor Barberá.

Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda Gresini ) recovered from a crash in the morning to post a time of 2’01.275, over a second quicker than his time set on Tuesday, placing him seventh . The Spaniard told motogp.com at the end of the day: "This morning I had a hard time riding, it’s clear that I lack kilometers on the bike and yesterday we didn’t ride, plus I had a silly fall today but then picked up speed and reached a good pace."

Newcomer Stefan Bradl finished the day in ninth and 1.019 of the top time set by Stoner, with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden following in 11th and 12th respectively. The Ducati Team pair have work to do, with Rossi reporting that the outstanding issues are corner entry and riding position and that the riding position geometry was better at the first Sepang Test. Progress made with the traction control, however, has reportedly been good.

Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing ) wrapped up the second Test in 13th position with a best time of 2’03.681, three seconds ahead of Avintia Racings’s Yonny Hernandez and Ivan Silva.

source: MotoGP Official

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