Ángel Nieto Team MotoGP - Sepang Test 3

2018-01-30 14:45
MotoGP riders complete first preseason session feeling optimistic about the year ahead
The Ducati GP18 has made a sensational start to the MotoGP preseason with Jorge Lorenzo guiding it to the fastest ever two-wheeled lap of Sepang today in a time of 1'58.830. The Spaniard moved ahead of early pacesetter Dani Pedrosa, who was fastest on the opening day but second fastest today, with Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller completing the top five as four manufacturers featured within the top ten. Testing for the premier class continues from 16-18 February at the Buriram circuit in Thailand, which will host a round of the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in October this year.

Álvaro Bautista concluded the Sepang test with a best time of 2'00.205 after a total of 155 laps over the three days. The Spaniard admitted his first impressions of the bike were not the best but underlined that this is his first outing on the Ducati GP17 after being unable to ride it at Valencia. Bautista and his technical staff have been working hard to solve rear grip issues, which they will continue at the next preseason session in Thailand. His team-mate Karel Abraham is also reflecting positively on the outing in Malaysia, where he has evaluated his Ducati GP16 as “quite different” to the machine he rode last season, picking out the gearbox and improved cornering capabilities as the biggest changes.


15th Álvaro Bautista 2:00.205 (57 laps): "My first impression at this test perhaps wasn't the best but we have to take into account this is my first time on this bike, because I didn't get to ride it at Valencia. Also, we still only have one bike so hopefully we can get the second one soon because with just one if you have a crash or a problem you end up spending a lot of time stuck in the pit box. It's also a fact that on the first day we lost a lot of time to the rain and then I crashed. In total we have managed two days of tests and now I feel good with the front end but we are lacking rear grip, which means I can't get into or out of the corners quickly. We have worked hard, tested a lot of things and found some that could help us. It is not perfect but we are getting to know it and together with the team we are working out what it needs. It has been a positive test and even though we have work to do we leave Sepang feeling pretty happy."


19th Karel Abraham 2:00.574 (48 laps): "We had a very difficult day and a half to start off with here but overall our reflections at the end of the test are positive. The bike is quite different to what we had last year: the gearbox is better and the bike behaves differently in turning, it holds the line better. There are many more differences but these are the two main ones and now we have a lot more work to do to adapt to it and make sure we are competitive for the first race of the season."

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