To accompany today’s riders quotes, we’ve got a batch of pics from today’s MotoGP test in Sepang, some official and some from Motoblog who has its own blogger who’s reporting directly from Malaysia.
Valentino Rossi – 1st 2′01″411 Laps: 54“Today was very important because this year we have just six days of testing in which to set the bike, so we can not waste any time.
This first day was very positive, we tried the new bike for 2010, with a different chassis and a new engine, which can do more kilometres, and it is quite fast.
Yamaha has worked very well over the winter.
Now we need to spend time on setting some electronics and other things.
This is only the start but it seems we’re already in good shape.
”Casey Stoner – 2nd 2′01″902 Laps: 42 laps“This first day was a bit difficult to understand: we started off with a setting that was quite good and that allowed us to make reasonably good lap times.
We thought we would improve as the day went on but we had a few problems with chatter.
We tried a lot of different combinations trying to make the bike feel a little bit better but we couldn’t really get an improvement.
To be honest it was difficult to work out why because the track conditions were particularly difficult — it was so hot that it was actually hard to understand if you were make an improvement on the bike or not.
In any case I’m really happy with the new engine, I think that with the other one we would have struggled more.
Now the bike in general feel very good, very balanced and I’m happy with it.
Hopefully the weather will be a little cooler tomorrow so that we can understand better if the changes we try are the right ones”.
Colin Edwards – 3rd 2’01”932 Laps: 48 “After I blew off a few cobwebs this morning I’ve got to say t he bike worked really great and I’ve got to say a big thanks to Yamaha.
They have impressed me because we knew it was a big challenge to achieve a high level of performance while also getting more durability out of the engine for the new rules.
And they have done that and I’m really happy, so I’m already excited about the new season.
The engine seems much better off the bottom.
Last year I’d open the throttle and nothing really happened, but this year there’s a response when you push.
I never even touched the bike today, I just got on it and rode it and it felt really natural and I could do what I wanted with the bike.
It accelerated how I wanted, I could hold a line how I wanted and I was riding round talking to myself inside my helmet saying ?how much fun is this?’ When the bike does what you ask, it’s pretty easy.
It was a great way to start what hopefully is going to be another successful year with Herve Poncharal and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.
”Jorge Lorenzo – 5th 2′02″165 Laps: 57“After such a long break I found it quite hard to find my rhythm on the bike today – motocross bikes are not the same as the new M1! It was quite a difficult start to the day but little by little i started to feel more comfortable and to improve my pace.
This afternoon, when it was a bit warmer, i began to improve my timeseven more and get closer to the first rider, so in the end I was quite happy with our work.
Yamaha have brought some good things for us; the bike is not completely different to the old one but the small details make it easier to ride and this is important.
Today was my first day of riding with my new team manager, Wilco Zeelenberg, and I feel good with him.
He is an ex rider and so we were able to share a lot of information and he was able to give me some good advice.
” Andrea Dovizioso – 6th 2′02″630 Laps: 52 “This is a very important test and it’s good to be back on the bike after such a long winter break.
This was a positive first day and I’m happy with the updated machine that Honda has brought here.
We have a lot of work to do before we’re ready and many things that need to be tested, so today’s lap times are not indicative of our potential.
The work that Honda has done on the electronics has made a big improvement, and also the feeling from the chassis is better.
We’re concentrating on improving a pace that we can maintain throughout the race, and that’s what we’ll continue with tomorrow.
There’s plenty still to test but this first session has been important to confirm we’re heading in the right direction.
”Nicky Hayden – 7th 2′02″792 Laps: 59 laps“Overall the day was positive, sure it went quite fast actually and at the end of the day when we were ready to do some more laps the rain came and cut it a little bit short.
It would be nice to have the chance to do some more laps.
But overall the bike was feeling quite good.
We made a couple of little tweaks that helped us but we struggle a lot for edge chatter.
There’s not much testing before the start of the season so we’ve got to move fast: day one is in the bag, we have established a good starting point and we go from here.
”Dani Pedrosa – 8th 2′02″866 Laps: 51 laps“This was a normal first day of testing for us.
It’s been a long time since we last rode the bike and so it took some time to get used to the speed once again and work back into the rhythm – this is natural.
We weren’t looking for lap times or high performance and we spent a lot of the day working on the Ohlins suspension because this is a major change for us this season compared to last.
The feeling from my left wrist where I had a screw removed in December was good, so this is positive.
Generally, I took it carefully today and we have plenty of places where we can make further improvements – starting tomorrow.
”Mika Kallio – 9th 2′02″987 Laps: 70“It is always nice to come back on the track but like this it was really difficult: I passed from -20 degrees of Finland to the almost 40 degrees here in Malaysia.
Today was really hard and now I need a long night of rest to feel better tomorrow.
The situation on the track is good; the bike has significantly improved from last season thanks to the best delivery of the new engine prepared by Ducati.
We are confident that in this direction we can have a good season.
”Héctor Barberá – 10th 2′03″ 030 Laps: 59“At the start I was riding it like a 250.
I had adapted to the bike in the last test but it was difficult to get a feel for it again over the first ten laps.
Then we started to make changes to the set-up and I progressively got better in my riding.
I thought it would be easier to ride at Sepang because it is a long and wide circuit but it turned out to be the opposite because everything happens so fast.
We have improved step by step and I felt very comfortable by the end so I think we’re on the right lines.
I’m really happy because for the first day we’ve done a fabulous job.
Just when I was riding my best it start to rain but we still have all day tomorrow.
We didn’t want to try too much today so we limited ourselves to six to eight lap runs yet even so I feel really fatigued because of the heat.
It’s also a long time since I have ridden but I’m not worried about that because I feel I’m in good shape and my winter training programme is going to plan.
”Ben Spies – 12th 2’03”142 Laps: 55 “I tried as hard as I could for the first day but I’ve got a little bit of jetlag and I wasn’t at 100 per cent.
Despite that though the new bike is really good.
I got behind a couple of people and the engine performance was really good and that is a real positive.
I’m still working on my mid-corner speed and trusting the Bridgestone tyres and today was still a good day even if I’d like to have been a bit further up the timesheets.
My times aren’t far off on a track that these guys know like the back of their hand, so I know there is plenty more to come from me.
My guy’s asked me what I need to work on for tomorrow and right now it’s just me.
There’s a good half-a-second just in myself.
I’ve got a lot to learn and it takes time.
I’ve already been getting a lot of help and advice from Colin about the track and that is great for me and for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team that we are working together like that.
”Aleix Espargarò – 11th 2′03″133 Laps: 54“Help, here is incredibly hot.
We have succeeded in achieving an acceptable chronometric result anyway as we have worked well today.
First impressions on this year bike is very good: when coming out of the turns the bike is less aggressive, it seems that there is not enough power, but instead the bike is as fast as last year which is really good.
It is an excellent step forward.
Now it’s our turn to find the best way to ride the bike and improve our lap times.
”Randy de Puniet – 13th 2′03″456 Laps: 62 “It was a hard day for us.
The first impression was not so positive because the feeling of the bike was quite nervous.
Then with the team we have worked a lot on the set up of the machine so that I could be more comfortable on the bike.
Around 4.
00 pm we made a long run, and the feeling of the bike improved so I’m confident for tomorrow”.
Marco Simoncelli – 15th 2′03″563 Laps: 54“It hasn’t gone at all bad today, nor has it been brilliant, but as first days go I’m quite satisfied.
We tested several things trying to work out in which direction to go in and now we need to look at what we found.
You could say that we’ve got a few ideas but they’re all a bit muddled up, but joking aside, I’m sure that by analysing the data we’ll be able to put the pieces together and tomorrow we’ll be able to work in the right direction.
I also need to understand this bike a bit more to give the right kind of feedback.
With the 250 it was easier to get results after just a few modifications but with the MotoGP bike it’s harder to find the right settings.
One positive thing is that compared to the bike I tested previously the rear traction has improved, but it’s a bit harder for me on the front because I’m finding it tough to work out its limits.
In any case, I’m confident about tomorrow and I’m sure that we will do much better.
”Marco Melandri – 16th 2′03″609 Laps: 50 “Today was difficult for us and I think the only reason is that we lost a lot of time by starting off with a completely wrong setting.
We worked all day in one direction and things were just getting worse, however as we worked our way backwards we realised that we were completely going the wrong way.
Unfortunately when we finally started to work in another direction it began to rain so I was only able to do a single lap, but the feeling was instantly better.
On a positive note we haven’t used too many tyres up today so we’ll have more to use tomorrow, as well as a much clearer idea of which way we need to work.
At the end of the day I’m satisfied.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the bike is quite different from the one we tested at Valencia last year, and I continued in the way we had with the bike at that test, but it’s clear we need to go another way.
It’s a shame to have lost time, but we’ll make it up tomorrow.
”Hiroshi Aoyama – 17th 2′03″651 Laps: 66 “It was a difficult day for me.
I didn’t find the feeling with the bike and I struggled a lot especially in braking.
Compared to the bike we tested here in December, this is a different machine so I need to know the bike, get used to it and work at the set up to improve my feeling with the bike.
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