#SepangTest

Danilo PETRUCCI – P1

“Today we started off on the right foot: I was supposed to try two ‘time attacks’ but one attempt, done with a medium rear tyre, was enough. When I saw the lap time on the dashboard, I was really happy. After that, we resumed our work on some new items. Unfortunately, however, I crashed while I was trying a new fairing around midday. Given the fact that I was also experiencing some issues with blisters in my hands, we decided to stop a bit ahead of schedule to recover and make sure we’re at our best in the next tests in Qatar. Overall, it’s been a really positive test.”

Francesco BAGNAIA – P2

“I’m very happy with the work we’ve done. We’ve created a good base of settings that will help us to have a good start in Qatar. We still have to work on some electronic details but I have to admit that I’m really happy. The time attack was very good and the pace is not bad either. We will do the race simulation in Qatar”.

Jack MILLER – P3

“Our speed is really good. I’m very happy about that. I’m not very happy with the race simulation but the temperature was really high and I had little feeling with the tyres. It’s a shame about the crash. I am especially sorry for the guys of my team who have worked very well these days”

Andrea DOVIZIOSO – P4

“All in all, this test has been positive. It was important to push to the limit again today because we only have another test before the season starts, and we managed to post a competitive time even on a flying lap after being really consistent in yesterday’s race simulation. Also, to see so many Ducati bikes at the front confirms that we have a good base. We also tried a new fairing, with positive feedback. It’s still early to draw conclusions, but I’m happy with the work done here and now we’ll look for more ways to improve ahead of Qatar.”

Maverick VIÑALES – P5

“The test was really good. I actually missed one time attack in the morning which I planned to make in the afternoon, but finally it was so hot that the tyre was sliding a lot, so I couldn‘t improve my lap time from the morning. Anyway, I‘m happy because on the race simulation I felt really good. I was really tired, but I felt good on the bike. Day by day the bike was working pretty similar, as in the last test. You always get positives and negatives testing new items. Now we have to come to a conclusion to see if we should bring the new fairing to Qatar. I also made some laps behind our rivals, so I could compare how our bike is working, and it‘s not bad. There are just some small details left and that‘s the most important. Last year they were some steps ahead, and now we are closer.”

Cal CRUTCHLOW – P6

“I’m happy at the end of the third day, not only with how the test has gone, but to be finished with it too! My ankle by the end was getting sore, hot, and swollen. I feel in good shape however, and the ankle feels good on the bike. It doesn’t bother me on there, it bothers me when I stop. I kept the length of the runs quite minimal today, because we didn’t need to go long – we were testing items rather than testing for race pace. I was really pleased with my pace all day. On the used tyres we were consistent and fast which is good. It’s good going into Qatar and especially after a three-month lay-off – to ride again and to be competitive with it. I should have gone faster in terms of overall lap time, but I crashed. It was completely my own fault, I went into turn two over-excited! I lost three-tenths in the first sector on my fastest lap, compared to a normal good lap. So, the next lap I pushed like a madman thinking I needed to go half a second faster than I had the previous lap. I had some chatter, tried to save it, and crashed. That was with the really soft, test tyre. On average I think you could take at least six-tenths off with that, so I’m confident we could have gone a lot quicker, and then we didn’t use that tyre again all day. I think the 2019 bike is definitely better, but my feeling is I just need to adjust it a bit more. I ride quite a neutral bike, but I haven’t found the perfect setting with the front end just yet. Overall HRC has done a great job with the package. I think it can be competitive for the championship, and it’s one I’m looking forward to riding this year”.

Aleix ESPARGARO – P7

“On the first two days, our work focused on getting to know the new bike and lapping on used tyres with good results, as the pace in the race simulation yesterday confirms. This morning, we set the bike up to try a time attack and I am rather satisfied with our time. We improved over the three days and I must say that I found a good feeling with the new bike. I am able to be aggressive and I feel at ease in terms of ergonomics too. This was definitely a positive first test. We have margins for improvement, but I know that the guys at Aprilia will keep working hard.”

Franco MORBIDELLI – P8

“The last day here at Sepang International Circuit has gone really well. We have managed to complete the programme we set out yesterday, which was to improve our pace and top speed. I wasn’t able to do a race simulation because we had a lot of things to get through but we will do that at the Qatar test. What I did manage to do for the first time was a good time attack. We also tried some different tyres, including the super soft, and gathered some useful data. We still have work to do because we want to be closer to the front but we are on the right lines and working hard to keep going in that way.”

Takaaki NAKAGAMI – P9

“It has been good, but a really hard three days because the hot conditions don’t make it easy to put in lots of laps. It’s been a very important test for us though, and we have made improvements every day. We finished in P9 overall, so I’m pleased to be inside the top ten again. The lap time is not so bad too, I’m really happy to be close to the 1’58 barrier, but I do feel I still can’t get the most out of one lap, whereas my race pace has improved significantly. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team have worked really hard this week to improve things for me all the time. We have good potential on the bike, I feel strong, so the aim is just to continue that at the Qatar Test and then see what we can do from there.”

Valentino ROSSI – P10

“I’m half happy because some things worked well and we improved our performance, other things from which we expected a lot unfortunately didn’t bring us what we need. So, for me, it’s good, because it’s the first test and we improved some things, but we have a lot of work to do. The gap is quite big, so we need time. I’m happy about the atmosphere and especially about the ideas inside the garage, it looks like Yamaha are very much concentrated on improving, so this is important.”

Marc MARQUEZ – P11

“Day three was very positive, especially with my physical condition – I’m feeling much better. Yesterday I was a little worried about riding today, but I woke up and felt better. We were able to try many things for Honda today and I felt really good on the bike, comfortable and consistent. Everything we had planned to do this test, we have done. Of course I would have liked to ride more but we had to take it a bit easy. Even so, I’m happy because I was riding easy, not in my riding style but I was able to ride more. I didn’t crash and we tried the most important things for the Repsol Honda Team, I am happy because of this.”

Alex RINS – P12

“Today was a very positive day, and so were the previous two days. We’ve tried a lot of things and we’ve developed the bike a bit more, so I feel our package is even better now. I was able to do a lot of laps in the 1:59 bracket. For sure we need to keep working and try a few other things in Qatar that we didn’t have a chance to check here, and the engineers will continue to work. I feel that the championship will be really interesting this year, there are a lot of riders close together, and a very high level.”

Joan MIR – P15

“Today’s been really good because during the first couple of days I was adjusting to the bike, trying to get better with it, and also trying a lot of new things and new parts. Today I made a good step and I had good pace, so that’s really nice. I feel I have improved every day so I’m really happy about how this test has gone. I’ve learned a lot, which I think is inevitable when you’re doing around 60 laps per day. I understand the bike better, as well as the tyres and various mechanical things too.”

Fabio QUARTARARO – P16

“Today was another positive day at the Sepang International Circuit. This morning we did a pretty good lap time, dipping inside 2’00, but our weak point remains that I am struggling to do a qualifying lap. Despite that I am very happy because on my first ever race simulation on a MotoGP bike I felt physically really good. To me that was another step forward – with the heat here and the track temperature at 60º it is very difficult – and we coped quite well. After the race simulation we went back over a couple of things and made a slight improvement at the end of the day. In Qatar we will have to work on braking and the first turn there will be a good place for that because it is really hard on the brakes. That will be our focus because in the fast corners we are in good shape.”

Johann ZARCO – P17

“I tried this morning to improve further but I did not expect all the others to be going that fast! It was quite incredible. I’m pretty happy to be able to do many laps under two-minutes. We are happy with what we did, but we still have a lot of work. Overall I have improved my feeling and my control of the bike over five hard days. We will see what I can do in Losail. It will be interesting to see if we can adapt quicker in Qatar than we did here. The lap-time was better than I expected and we reached good points in our plan.”

Pol ESPARGARO – P18

“We made an amazing rhythm today. On the first day we couldn’t, and then yesterday I was half a second slower than today. The pace was very, very nice and I was comfortable doing it. The fast lap was not what I expected – I found [Franco] Morbidelli in the way in the morning and could not improve – but this is a test and we go home with the knowledge we have done a good job. It is the first time we felt this big improvement from just one test. We have had five hot and hard days here but I think the whole team and factory did an amazing job: all the guys were super-focussed.”

Miguel OLIVEIRA – P19

“The lap time was ok. It was not as fast as I expected because I couldn’t match the best configuration of the bike with the best tyres in the best moment, but in any case, I’m very close to the two KTM factory riders, closer than everybody expected. We have been really competitive with used tyres, which is good for the race. At the moment, I can see a clear step forward, so I think it’s about going to the Qatar test, taking the experiences from these three days and just trying to be another step better.”

Andrea IANNONE – P21

“Even though it came after a course of antibiotics, we did two good days of work. Yesterday was especially important in terms of how many laps we turned and how we did them and because of how we began to make changes to the bike. This was my first test on this bike, and I can confirm that we have a lot of potential to explore. But the conditions here are hard even when you are at full fitness and, given the work we did and the fact that the test team was here, today we preferred to take a rest. We made the decision with the team, purely as a precaution. We’ll pick up where we left off in Qatar, hopefully at full fitness and certainly with much clearer ideas.”

Hafizh SYAHRIN – P23

“We improved a lot compared to yesterday. The lap time is significantly faster than before, but still a bit far from the top. During this last day, I felt really good with the bike, but my physical condition was not ideal. After four full days of riding, the muscles in my arms were too hard and I was lacking some power. To be honest, I am a bit disappointed about myself for this, as the bike was truly great for this last day and I couldn’t fully use it. Anyway, I’ll try to do my best during the Qatar test before the start of the season, we are on a positive way and for sure we can be better.”

Sylvain GUINTOLI – P24

“We’ve done a lot of testing because we had a lot to do and the weather was good, without any rain, so we made the most of every moment. This meant we were able to complete our planned programme. I spent a lot of time on track and everything went well. This was a really important block of testing for the team, just before the season starts. I’m happy to have been able to give good feedback.”

Bradley SMITH – P25

“These were some very interesting tests. The guys at Aprilia improved the RS-GP and I think that at the end of this first outing, our level is decidedly encouraging. I’m pleased that what we did during the shakedown allowed Aleix to start from a good base. Seeing him lap at 1’59 brings great satisfaction for the entire team. I tried to give my best, conveying my sensations to the engineers, and I can’t wait to get back on the track in Qatar. First as a tester and then, on the race weekend, as a rider!”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director

“It has been a very positive and productive test, under extremely hot conditions. We had three days without problems, during which we could evaluate all the items that were prepared over the winter. Most of them gave positive results, improving the smoothness of the acceleration, the stability on braking and accordingly the turning. Our speed, pace, and consistency has been there for both riders throughout the entire test and this is very significant for us. Maverick was able to do an impressive race simulation. An important aspect is that both he and Vale are improving and are working in the same direction. Another significant aspect is that we deliberated on the engine specification. It will be important to get the same response in Qatar in two weeks‘ time, where for sure, based on this test, we’ll have another update available to us.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Team Manager

“We have had a very positive test here at a special circuit for us, even more positive than we expected in terms of the lap times and the number of laps we have been able to complete. We have learnt some good and interesting things about the 2019 bikes – like I said, more than we expected. As for the riders, we can be very happy with Fabio’s [Quartararo] progress and with Franco [Morbidelli] we would have liked to finish a little higher up but considering the odd setback we have had over the test, to set a 1’59.1 today was quite incredible. Lap time aside, the way he is riding and what we are learning about the new YZR-M1 thanks to his feedback is another big positive. The next objective for the Qatar test will be to build on what we have learnt here. Obviously, Yamaha needed to try some different options at Sepang to define certain configurations before the season starts for real, so now we will look to confirm that we are going the right way at a different circuit.”

Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager

“We have been testing so many things these days, from chassis to suspension to aerodynamics and we had three riders in the 1min 59s by the end. We could not really manage the super-fast single lap but on the longer runs people are quite happy and we are very consistent. We have a good feeling about the test. It was super-important. We worked many days and made steps that were very big. We took the time to make ‘basic’ work on our bikes where the focus is not always the lap-time. We will go to Doha now and hope to use this good information. A big thanks to all our five riders here in these demanding conditions: they worked through many ideas that came up in the factory during the winter and the guys in Austria have been pushing hard. We still need to fine-tune some things but we are going in the right direction.”

Sebastian Risse – KTM Technical Director

“All-in-all it was a long test for us and a lot of things have piled up in all areas of the bike over the winter. So it was an intense test, also with Tech3 structure here now also that allowed us to get even more information. I think we can be very happy with our progress and we made huge steps with our new riders in terms of getting confidence in the bike and setting and development. Looking at what we have done and the pace compared to previous years we are happy. The speed was quite incredible today and our positions are not quite what we were looking for. We know our competitors are strong and are developing their motorcycles quickly but we have to be even quicker! That was the challenge here. I think we did it…but we also have a long way to go. We will have to prepare our priorities well now for the last test and make sure we make another step forward in performance.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“Overall this test in Sepang has been fantastic, a great feeling. We had the luck to be one of the concession teams. We did two days of shakedown test, two days rest and three days with the whole grid here. Clearly, I think it was important for us as a KTM team to go through a lot of laps because we’ve got so much to try. This is what we did. What I would like to point out is a big thank you to everybody inside the KTM factory for what they have done during the very short period we had since the last time we were on the bike end of November. The bike has changed really dramatically. Our riders feel so much more confidence, they can give a lot more accurate information. Clearly, I think both, Miguel and Hafizh have enjoyed and I assume, gave some really valuable comments and information to the KTM engineers. The fact we have five guys here, all of them pushing each other, all of them improving each single day, has been a very good sign. There is an incredible energy inside the whole orange group and we are proud to be part of that group. Just now, we can’t wait to be in Qatar, honestly, because if you look at Miguel for example; each single run, each single day has been better and better. Still there is a gap to the top guys, but I’m sure we can reduce that. We want to continue working, testing and improving. So, it was a great, great test. It was very tough for the organism of the riders, but also of every single team member. Anyway, we go home exhausted, but with a big smile on our face.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“At the end of these three days we’re feeling happy about the work we’ve done. We tested a lot of things, and the riders have been busy working on the development of the bike. We’ve confirmed our 2019 package, and we compared several different items and components. Everything is a clearer now in terms of what works best. We’ll go to the Qatar test now, where we’ll put everything together with a sort of final package for the first race. Alex was very focused and fast, with a lot of good laps. And Joan was able to go for it on this final day, after putting everything together, and we feel good about his progression and work. Sylvain helped us a lot with selecting parts, so thank you to him and to all our staff for their hard work during the winter.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“It was a very positive test, our four riders (Rins, Mir, Guintoli and Tsuda) did a great job. It helped us that the weather was very good, and during our six days in total here we completed a lot of useful things. We brought many new items here, so the main thing was to choose which ones we would use for the race, and we were able to make some important selections. We’re all very tired from this hard work, but we feel it has been very productive.”

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Three Times

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day Two Times

2019 MotoGP Sepang Test Day One Times

Source: MCNews.com.au