Valentino Rossi led the way for the second day running in Sepang today, concluding the first test of the year on top of the standings. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was also on the pace today, finishing the test third fastest behind Casey Stoner.
Rain this morning meant the track did not fully dry out until lunchtime and it was after one o'clock before Rossi left the garage on his 2010 YZR-M1. The World Champion, who turns 31 in ten days time, completed 32 laps and set a best time of 2'00.925, only half a second slower than the record pole time for the track, which he set last year. Lorenzo put in a few laps in the late morning but the track was still wet in places and so he, too, waited until after lunch to really get started. The 22-year-old made a big improvement from yesterday and felt much more comfortable on the bike, finishing third fastest in a time of 2'01.680 after 60 laps.
Valentino Rossi - Position: 1st Time: 2'00.925 Laps: 32
"After yesterday this second day has been very good as well, even though we lost a few hours to the rain, and the end we were still able to finish all our work. We worked on the new bike to find a better setting and I was happy to be the fastest overall - even though this is just testing this is important for me! At the next test we will have a few more new things but we're already happy because we're fast and strong. There is room to improve of course; Sepang is always a good track for the Yamaha so we will have to wait until Qatar to get a better understanding of our level, but we have made a great start."
Casey Stoner, second fastest overall, was satisfied with the set-up work done with the new bike over the two days in Malaysia and with his physical condition, following what was a very demanding session due to the intense heat and humidity. Hayden, eighth fastest, would have been happier if it hadn’t started to rain just as he was preparing to fit new slick tyres but he was pleased to have at least improved on his best time from yesterday and to have set a consistent pace.
Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd fastest, 2’01.320 (44 laps)
“We are quite happy with the test. Today didn’t start really well because of the rain and the wet track, which set us back a few hours, but when it finally did dry out we were able to make some progress. We have definitely improved the set-up of the bike, trying some different things with the swingarm. The lap times are still not where we want them to be and we have to work on taking another couple of tenths off on hard tyres, but to be consistently doing 2’01.9 or 2’02.0 laps is a decent pace. Considering that we are using a different engine to the one we’ve had for the last three years and some other new parts that we still need to get the best out of we certainly can’t be unhappy with where we’re at. There is work to do but we have two more test sessions before the season starts for real. In general I am really pleased with how it’s gone.”
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 3rd Time: 2'01.680 Laps: 60
"I felt much better today and I was able to be fast straight away. It wasn't a big problem yesterday, it's just that after such a long break I forget how to ride a little bit! I need a bit of time, but it was much better today. I'm happy about my performance and about my feeling with the new bike. Yamaha have made good improvements without changing the best parts of the bike and this is the best way. They have made some good modifications to the chassis and the engine and this has already improved our pace. We don't have many days on the bike until the start of the season so we will make the most of the time here next month to continue our good work."
Spies focused his efforts on continuing to adapt his riding style to the YZR-M1 machine. The American made significant progress with his braking style and managed to slice close to a second off his best lap time set yesterday with a time of 2.02.266 in his 31-lap stint.
Edwards, who was third quickest yesterday, finished seventh fastest with a best time of 2.02.479. That was just 0.2s slower than Spies as the 35-year-old evaluated several different chassis and swingarm setting options.
Dani Pedrosa improved his time from yesterday by more than a second and finished the day in fourth place overall - a respectable performance as he gets to grips with the 2010 Honda RC212V on Ohlins suspension ahead of the coming season. The Spaniard also took advantage of the rain in the morning to get his first taste of the new machine and enhanced electronic package on a wet track.
His Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso also made advances today, joining Pedrosa on the damp track at the outset, before winding up the pace as things dried out. The Italian shaved 0.4s off his time from yesterday as he and his crew continued the detailed testing programme designed to dial in the settings for this year’s factory machine. Dovizioso focused on suspension set-up predominantly, reporting that the electronics have improved many areas of the RC212V’s dynamic performance.
Official lap times
V. Rossi Fiat Yamaha 2:00.925
C. Stoner Marlboro Ducati 2:01.320
J. Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha 2:01.680
D. Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 2:01.822
B. Spies Yamaha Tech3 2:02.266
A. Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 2:02.272
C. Edwards Yamaha Tech3 2:02.479
N. Hayden Marlboro Ducati 2:02.493
A. Espargaro Pramac Ducati 2:02.647
L. Capirossi Rizla Suzuki 2:02.763
M. Melandri San Carlo Honda 2:02.810
H. Barbera Aspar MotoGP team 2:03.032
R. De Puniet LRC Honda 2:03.043
H. Aoyama Interwetten Honda 2:03.195
M. Simoncelli San Carlo Honda 2:03.245
A. Bautista Rizla Suzuki 2.03.274
M. Kallio Pramac Ducati 2:03.359