The Spaniard set the baseline lap time of 1:29.871 at the 2.83-mile flat circuit just outside of Buriram. During Sunday’s final day of Thailand MotoGP testing, a Yamaha and two Honda pilots followed Pedrosa:
Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3, (-0.086)
Cal Crutchlow (-0.283)
Marc Marquez (-0.362)
In total, Pedrosa completed 271 laps during the test, he and his teammate, the reigning MotoGP Champion Marquez, working with the latest engine configuration, new aerodynamics, new chassis settings, and some Michelin tires. Both riders also practices race simulation to prep for round 15, which gets underway in October at the Thailand circuit.Yamaha’s Johann Zarco“We leave Thailand with positive feelings. The test was quite tough as the temperatures were high, and we worked really hard over the three days,” Dani Pedrosa says.“In the end we didn’t have many tires left, so we had to carefully manage the planning of our work. We worked on many aspects of the bike’s setup, and step-by-step we improved our speed and pace. Among other things, today we tested a carbon swing arm that’s a new area for us to work on, so we’re still in the process of learning and of finding the feeling. I“I’m very happy with the job my team is doing at the track, and with what the engineers are doing back in Japan. They’re really helping us to improve, and this is good and gives us confidence. Hopefully we’ll be able to continue this trend at the final test in Qatar, which will be very interesting as conditions will be different.”Honda’s Cal CrutchlowAs for Marquez, he suffered a small crash on the third and final day of Thailand MotoGP testing, but was able to finish the day fourth, just ahead of the top Suzuki pilot – Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins.The top Ducati time Sunday went to Alma Pramac Racing Ducati’s Jack Miller, the Australian finishing 0.409 of a second behind Pedrosa.Rounding out the top 10 were Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso; LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami; Reale Avintia Racing Ducati’s Tito Rabat; and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi.Ducati’s Andrea DoviziosoAs for the other Ducati Team rider, five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, the Spaniard who led the Sepang MotoGP test finished 16th fastest while comparing the GP17 and GP18 prototypes.The riders now have a two-week break before the final test of the 2018 MotoGP season at Losail International Circuit in Qatar; testing gets underway March 1.
Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory + Steve ’Stavros’ Parrish
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
Our first segment features the new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. Senior Editor Nic de Sena brings us his report on the flagship version of Aprilia’s upright middleweight machine. He gives us insight into whether it’s worth spending the extra money on the Factory version, and also of course, whether this sporting Aprilia is really the motorcycle for you.
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The next guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—one of the most iconic sportbikes ever. Check it out in person at your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In this segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with (arguably) one of the most interesting Suzuki race riders of all time. the iconic RG500 alongside teammate double World Champion Barry Sheene. The two were almost as famous for their exploits off-track, as for their success on it. Those were the days! Steve also raced the Isle of Man TT for about ten years where he won 13 Silver Replicas, and got a podium finish. His insight into that particular brand of mayhem are fascinating.
But there’s waaay more to Steve Parrish than his motorcycle racing. He is also the most successful Semi-Truck racer ever, and, little known piece of useless trivia—he’s my birthday twin: 24th February. He is a natural entertainer and you can’t miss his recounting of the world’s most entertaining—and arguably terrifying—double-decker bus ride ever. If any of you were actually on that hell-ride then we’d love to hear from you!
