Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Begins Final Preseason Test in Qatar
. By Bikeland Staff
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team took to the Losail International Circuit today for the final official preseason three-day test of 2015. Riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi continued to work on perfecting the set-up of their Yamaha YZR-M1s before the first race to be held at the same track in two weeks time.
The first day of testing started off slowly, with most of the teams opting to wait out the afternoon until the temperatures cooled, so conditions were closer to those of the traditional night race of Losail.
Jorge Lorenzo had a challenging start to the test, with a lack of grip on the slippery track slowing him down. Having waited until after 6pm local time before heading out, he rode a 1’57.351s lap and moved up to seventh place in the provisional session standings. He improved his times throughout the session and finished the day in sixth place on the timing sheets with a best time of 1’55.828s, +0.563s off the front.
Teammate Rossi also experienced some difficulties. An unlucky crash at turn eight on his third lap lost him one of his three sets of tyres for today’s session. Despite this misfortune, the uninjured nine-time World Champion soon got back on his way and rode his YZR-M1 to provisional tenth place with a lap of 1’57.557s. He later improved his time to seventh quickest with a 1’55.938s lap. The two remaining sets of tyres were not enough for him to take part in the time attack at the end of today’s session and as the pace of the field quickened he dropped one place, ending the day in eighth place, + 0.673 off the front.
Jorge Lorenzo
99 Jorge Lorenzo
6th / 1'55.828 / laps
“It’s been very difficult to get onto the pace today. We don’t exactly know what happened, but it looks like we need much more grip on the rear when we enter the corners. I think we are still very far from our limit. The track is not very grippy, especially on the entry of the corners and also the curbs are very slippery and bumpy, so the track conditions are a bit strange compared to last year"
Profile Profile
46 Valentino Rossi
8th / 1'55.938 / laps
“At the end today it was not so bad. I had a quite good pace, we worked a little bit on the bike and we improved the setting. Unfortunately I had a crash at the beginning of the session. Fortunately I was not injured, but I did have one less tyre so I had to work the whole day with two sets and I was not able to do the time attack at the end. The feeling is quite good for the first day, the lap times are not so bad and it looks like this year’s battle will be very hard because all the bikes and the riders are very strong. Tomorrow we have to continue to work on the bike. We don’t have a lot of new things, but we’ll work on the balance and the setting and will try to improve the lap time.”
Profile Profile
Valentino Rossi
Team Director Massimo Meregalli Massimo Meregalli
Team Director
“The plan today was to work on the settings for both Jorge and Vale and also to work on the braking to keep closing the gap to our competitors. Jorge worked hard with his crew from the beginning but was still looking for a comfortable pace and set up at the end of the session. Unfortunately Vale had a strange crash after just three laps going into turn eight and so we lost one set of tyres and some valuable time. Fortunately he was uninjured which is the most important thing. We are not completely satisfied at the end of today with our position but as always will work on solutions both tonight and in the morning to be ready to make improvements and step closer to the front.”
TEST TIMES Results
1. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Ducati Team 1'55.265
2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 1'55.363
3. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'55.554
4. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Team Suzuki MotoGP 1'55.698
5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 1'55.813
6. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1'55.828
7. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) CWM LCR Honda 1'55.837
8. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1'55.938
9. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1'55.954
10. Scott Redding (GBR) Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 1'56.112
11. Maverick Viñales (SPA) Team Suzuki MotoGP 1'56.130
12. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Pramac Racing 1'56.132
13. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Pramac Racing 1'56.301
14. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 1'56.615
15. Karel Abraham (CZE) AB Motoracing 1'56.638
16. Mike Di Meglio (FRA) Avintia Racing 1'56.719
17. Nicky Hayden (USA) Drive M7 Aspar 1'57.099
18. Stefan Bradl (GER) Forward Racing 1'57.146
19. Jack Miller (AUS) CWM LCR Honda 1'57.228
20. Loris Baz (FRA) Forward Racing 1'57.376
21. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing 1'57.405
22. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Drive M7 Aspar 1'57.500
23. Michele Pirro (ITA) Pramac Racing 1'57.664
24. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Octo IodaRacing Team 1'58.026
25. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1'58.459
26. Marco Melandri (ITA) Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1'58.990
Full standings Results
CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Technical Informations
Circuit Losail
Location Doha, Qatar
Length (m) 5380
Width (m) 12
Turns 16
Turns righ 10
Turns left 6
Pole position left
Grand Prix of Qatar
Record Lap
Time 1'55.153
Rider C.Stoner
Bike Ducati
Year 2008
Best Lap
Time 1'53.927
Rider J.Lorenzo
Bike Yamaha
Year 2008
2014 Results
1st M.Marquez (Honda): 42'40.561
2nd V.Rossi ( Yamaha): +00.259
3rd D.Pedrosa (Honda): +3.370