2017 MotoGP Test at Sepang, Day 1 Results
The sole rider to claim a MotoGP title with Ducati (2007), Casey Stoner, was quickest Monday during the first day of 2017 MotoGP testing at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
The two-time MotoGP Champion and official Ducati Team test rider completed 32 laps before rain began, and topped the time sheets with a 1:59.680 aboard the Desmodesdici GP17. The only other rider to break the 2:00 barrier during the Sepang MotoGP test was Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso, who after 29 laps put in a best of 1:59.797.
Claiming third quickest on the first day of a three-day MotoGP test was newly signed Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 pilot Maverick Vinales; the Spaniard posted a 2:00.128.
“Today was positive and the best thing about it was that we got a lot of dry track time,” Casey Stoner says. “It’s been hanging in the balance really with the weather because the track takes so long to dry and if it rains at all within twelve hours, you’re going to get very little track time.
“It’s great that we got out there straightaway this morning and started putting in some good laps, reconfirming what we felt earlier in the week. We got a lot of comparisons done today so it was really good to get a feeling and direction with the bike. We still have a lot more work to do, it was disappointing that it rained but hopefully on Wednesday when we come back on track we can pick up where we left off and move this bike further forward, especially in the chassis area.”
New Ducati Team pilot Jorge Lorenzo, rode a 2016 Desmosedici, finishing the day down in 17th with a best of 2:01.349. The three-time MotoGP Champion, who switched to Ducati after nine years with Yamaha, says he needs additional time to adapt to the Ducati.
“At this circuit I noticed a bigger difference between my Ducati and the bike that I have ridden for the last nine years. Now we have to do two things to be quicker: the first is to gradually adapt the bike to the way I like it, and the second and more important, is to know how to do that and understand how to be quicker,” Jorge Lorenzo says.
“I still need some more time for that, more than I hoped for, but in any case it’s still too early to come to conclusions. It’s only a question of time and laps on the track, so we will work in this direction. The important thing is that the other Ducati bikes were very quick, and this means that the bike has a lot of potential.”
Another impressive Ducati rider was Pull&Bear Aspar Team’s Alvaro Bautista, who competes on a Ducati for the first time of his career. The Spaniard finished fourth overall with a 2:00.134, and was followed by Team Suzuki Excstar’s Andrea Iannone (2:00.490) and LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow (2:00.570). The fastest rookie of the day was Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Jonas Folger, who finished seventh with a best of 2:00.643.
Vinales’ teammate Valentino Rossi ended the opening day of the Sepang MotoGP test a second behind Stoner in eighth. The nine-time World Champion posted a best time of 2:00.694.
“The first feeling wasn’t so bad, because in this session we finally have the ‘real’ two bikes that we will use during the championship and they are better than the first prototype that we tested in November, from many points of view,” Valentino Rossi says.
“Unfortunately, it was a difficult day today. This morning I woke up with a very bad headache and until 12 o‘clock I wasn’t in good shape. After that we were able to do some laps and the feeling was good. In the afternoon we had to finish the work but it started to rain, so we have to wait and hope that in the next two days we will have good track conditions. We will try some new things tomorrow. Today we worked on the engine and the electronics and found some good stuff.”
Rounding out the top 10 were the reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez on the Repsol Honda RC213V (2:00.737) and Avintia Racing Ducati’s Hector Barbera (2:00.737).
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith got to work on the newest OEM to join MotoGP, KTM. Espargaro posted a 2:01.338 and Smith a 2:03.033. l chassis – in different conditions.
Day 2 of 2017 Sepang MotoGP testing begins at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
2017 MotoGP Test, Sepang Day 1 Results:
1. STONER, Casey – Ducati Test Team – 1:59.681
2. DOVIZIOSO, Andrea – Ducati Team – 1:59.796 +0.115
3. VIÑALES, Maverick – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – 2:00.128 +0.447
4. BAUTISTA, Alvaro – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – 2:00.134 +0.453
5. IANNONE, Andrea – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 2:00.490 +0.809
6. CRUTCHLOW, Cal – LCR Honda – 2:00.570 +0.889
7. FOLGER, Jonas – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – 2:00.643 +0.962
8. ROSSI, Valentino – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – 2:00.695 +1.014
9. MARQUEZ, Marc – Repsol Honda Team – 2:00.737 +1.056
10. BARBERA, Hector – Avintia Racing – 2:00.744 +1.063
11. PETRUCCI, Danilo – OCTO Pramac Yakhnich – 2:00.850 +1.169
12. REDDING, Scott – OCTO Pramac Yakhnich – 2:00.852 +1.171
13. PEDROSA, Dani – Repsol Honda Team – 2:00.970 +1.289
14. ZARCO, Johann – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – 2:01.224 +1.543
15. ESPARGARO, Aleix – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 2:01.271 +1.590
16. ESPARGARO, Pol – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 2:01.338 +1.657
17. LORENZO, Jorge – Ducati Team – 2:01.350 +1.669
18. BAZ, Loris – Avintia Racing – 2:01.351 +1.670
19. TSUDA, Takuya – Suzuki Test Team – 2:01.812 +2.131
20. RINS, Alex – Team SUZUKI ECSTAR – 2:01.889 +2.208
21. ABRAHAM, Karel – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – 2:01.926 +2.245
22. MILLER, Jack – Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS – 2:01.942 +2.261
23. NOZANE, Kohta – Yamaha Factory Racing – 2:02.187 +2.506
24. NAKASUGA, Katsuyuki – Yamaha Factory Racing – 2:02.290 +2.609
25. RABAT, Tito – Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS – 2:02.315 +2.634
26. LOWES, Sam – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – 2:02.942 +3.261
27. SMITH, Bradley – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 2:03.034 +3.353