Photo: motogp.com
Marc Marquez continued to improve during the third day of the Sepang 2 official MotoGP test and ended the session with the best lap time. A blistering 1:59.115 lap made him the man to beat in Malaysia today, even though his performance is still under the best time in the first Sepang test earlier this month. However, with the first day outings hampered by rain and only two days of testing left, the very hot weather was also among the conditions which led to less than spectacular results.
Still, the third outing on the Malaysian track was not without surprises. Seeing Jorge Lorenzo getting more familiar with his 2015-spec Yamaha YZR-M1 and ending the day in the second position 0.322 slower than Marquez was not exactly surprising, but his 1:59.437 lap time was indeed better than his best lap at Sepang 1. And this was not all…
Another pleasant surprise was seeing Andrea Iannone riding his Ducati Desmosedici GP15 into the 4th-fastest position of the day, also under the 2-minute mark and 0.607s slower than Marquez. This is a confirmation of Gigi Dall’Igna’s bike-building skills and brings a new hope for Borgo Panigale. Iannone’s team mate Andrea Dovizioso posted a 2:00.468 lap time, only good for the 10th position of the day.
Valentino Rossi was only 5th today, still trying to find the best setup for his bike in the long run. Satellite Yamaha rider Bradley Smith climbed to the sixth position and got the better of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. Avintia Racing and Hector Barbera found a way to make the open-spec Ducati GP14.2 to work better, and clawed the best position among the Open bikes. Suzuki and Aleix Espargaro have also showed a good pace and consistency, ending day three at Sepang in the 9th position.
Maverick Vinales climbed to the 14th position with his Suzuki GSX-RR, while Scott Redding was 16th on his Estrella Galicia 0,0 marc VDS satellite Honda. Aprilia is still struggling to make the bikes more competitive, with Bautista and Melandri 19th and 27th, respectively.
The top five riders in the Sepang 2 test were Marquez, Lorenzo, Crutchlow, Iannone and Rossi. Judging by how the two tests went, 2015 seems to be one more interesting championship, with Ducati’s riders and Cal Crutchlow being most likely to make the battle at the top of the pack really saucy.
Crutchlow sets an early fastest lap under the 2-minute mark
Cal Cructhlow seems to finally get hold of his all-new CWM LCR Honda and manages to adapt his riding style to be a tad more aggressive to suit the machine. This led him to set a best lap early in the morning session, also under the 2-minute bar, putting pressure on the shoulders of his rivals. If the Manx rider will improve his understanding of the satellite Honda, we are most likely going to see him battling for victories once more. His third position at the end of day three is definitely one of the best moments he’s had in the last year or so.Another pleasant surprise was seeing Andrea Iannone riding his Ducati Desmosedici GP15 into the 4th-fastest position of the day, also under the 2-minute mark and 0.607s slower than Marquez. This is a confirmation of Gigi Dall’Igna’s bike-building skills and brings a new hope for Borgo Panigale. Iannone’s team mate Andrea Dovizioso posted a 2:00.468 lap time, only good for the 10th position of the day.
Valentino Rossi was only 5th today, still trying to find the best setup for his bike in the long run. Satellite Yamaha rider Bradley Smith climbed to the sixth position and got the better of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa. Avintia Racing and Hector Barbera found a way to make the open-spec Ducati GP14.2 to work better, and clawed the best position among the Open bikes. Suzuki and Aleix Espargaro have also showed a good pace and consistency, ending day three at Sepang in the 9th position.
Maverick Vinales climbed to the 14th position with his Suzuki GSX-RR, while Scott Redding was 16th on his Estrella Galicia 0,0 marc VDS satellite Honda. Aprilia is still struggling to make the bikes more competitive, with Bautista and Melandri 19th and 27th, respectively.
The top five riders in the Sepang 2 test were Marquez, Lorenzo, Crutchlow, Iannone and Rossi. Judging by how the two tests went, 2015 seems to be one more interesting championship, with Ducati’s riders and Cal Crutchlow being most likely to make the battle at the top of the pack really saucy.
Google News