Press releases from the MotoGP teams and Bridgestone after the first day of practice at the Sepang International Circuit:
Crutchlow makes flying start to flyaway triple-header in Sepang
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow made a fantastic start to the Malaysian MotoGP weekend today, the British rider setting the third fastest time on the opening day of practice at the physically demanding Sepang International Circuit.
Sixth fastest in typically hot and humid conditions in this morning’s opening 45-minute session, Crutchlow was almost a second faster in FP2 to surge up the rankings into the top three behind Spanish duo Dani Pedrosa and World Championship leader Marc Marquez.
Crutchlow had struggled this morning with pain in the swollen right arm he first damaged at Silverstone recently, but happily he was able to ride in much less discomfort in FP2 and the improvement in his physical condition was reflected in his pace.
The 27-year-old posted a personal best time of 2.01.423 that secured him a top three slot by 0.115s ahead of factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi on a track offering excellent grip levels, despite heavy rain falling in between sessions.
Teammate Bradley Smith was also able to enjoy a positive start to arguably the toughest spell of the World Championship campaign, with this weekend’s Sepang race closely followed by back-to-back trips to Australia and Japan.
The rookie finished inside the top 10 in both 45-minute practice sessions and a best lap of 2.02.551 placed him 10th on the combined timesheets.
Smith dedicated much of his time on track today to further adapting to a new smoother braking technique he first began experimenting with at the previous round at the Motorland Aragon track in Spain.
He also concentrated on his consistency on worn tyres and was satisfied with progress made ahead of planned significant set-up tweaks to evaluate tomorrow in advance of Sunday’s 20-lap race.
Cal Crutchlow 2.01.423 – 35 laps:
“It was very difficult this morning to ride at my maximum level because I had some problems with the right arm I first injured during the recent British Grand Prix. I already know I need surgery at the end of the season but until now the big impact my arm took at Silverstone has only given me bad swelling but no pain. This morning instead it hurt me a lot and couldn’t use the arm that well. Fortunately the afternoon session was much better and on my final run of the day we made a positive step and I am pleased to finish inside the top three. I was immediately faster the first time I put in a new tyre because for most of FP2 we worked on the set-up of the bike with worn tyres I’d also used this morning.”
Bradley Smith 10th 2.02.551 – 36 laps:
“After testing twice at Sepang in the winter I was looking forward to coming back here to understand how much progress I have made in my rookie season. It is nice to be riding on a track where I’ve got previous experience of riding the YZR-M1 and although I wasn’t able to lap as fast as I did in February, my consistency has improved a lot and that is a positive point. I did a lot of 2.02 laps and I am happy with my pace, but we will look at making some more drastic changes tomorrow to take another step into the 2.01s. I did some good times on old tyres and that gives me confidence that I will be strong in the race on Sunday.”
Pedrosa fastest with Marquez second on first day in Malaysia
The Malaysian Grand Prix got underway in mixed conditions today, as Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa laid down the marker with a blisteringly fast time in this afternoon's FP2 session. Teammate, and Championship leader, Marc Marquez finished the day in second place.
2012 race winner Dani was already fastest in the morning, but in the afternoon he improved his time by 0.675s with a lap time of 2'00.554 (just 0.22 off Lorenzo's record pole time in 2012) on lap 12 of 17. This was all the more impressive considering there was a torrential downpour in-between the sessions, washing away the rubber from the track. Teammate Marc, also second in FP1 this morning, shaved half a second off his morning lap time with 2.01.087 on lap 8 of 17.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Marco Simoncelli this weekend, as it marks the second anniversary of the HRC rider's premature passing during the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2011, he will be forever missed.
Dani Pedrosa 1st 2'00.554
“Today went well; we had two good practice sessions and were able to ride in dry conditions in both the morning and afternoon. In the second session it looked like the track was going to be wet after a brief rain shower in-between FP1 and FP2, but it dried out quickly and we were able to continue working on our setups. When sitting on the bike I have quite a lot of pain, as the seat is very hard, so we shall see if a few more anti-inflammatories can help to alleviate the issue. We might also add a small cushion underneath my leathers, in order to absorb the bumps that we get when riding"
Marc Marquez 2nd 2'01.087
“We came here before in pre-season, when I had barely ridden a MotoGP bike so it was interesting to compare things again so many laps and miles later! I felt comfortable and this is important when trying to be more consistent every lap. On the single lap we are half a second off Dani who was very fast, as he always is at Sepang, but our pace in general isn't too far off. We have to push hard because if he can do it, that means that the Honda is capable of those times. I was hoping to be more consistent but I had some problems with braking, which we were able to solve in the opening practice session. We still need to improve a few things, but I have realised that we are already fast, straight out of the box"
BAUTISTA ON PACE DESPITE CRASH
Alvaro Bautista enjoyed mixed fortunes in the two opening free practice sessions at Sepang but overall it was a positive first day for the Spanish rider at the Malaysian Grand Prix. After setting a strong pace in the morning Bautista was improving his set-up and performance in the afternoon until a crash midway through the session put a halt to his progress. His team-mate Bryan Staring endured a difficult first day and has plenty of work to do to improve tomorrow.
Alvaro Bautista (5th 2’ 01” 659) “We have worked well from this morning through to the afternoon to improve the grip, which initially wasn't allowing me to push as hard as I wanted. We have made constant progress and I am sure we could have dropped the lap time even more if I didn't crash midway through the session. Unfortunately we didn't have time to put the same setting into the second bike so the feeling wasn't the same, but anyway I am sure we can take another step tomorrow and be even more competitive.”
Bryan Staring (22nd 2’ 06” 538) “A day to forget. I have struggled a lot here and never managed to get a good feeling. We have problems and we need to sit down and analyse the data to see if we can what is causing them so that we can try to turn the situation around tomorrow.”
Fausto Gresini “We have made a good start here even though the crash set us back. I think the lap times today show that we are continuing to improve and I expect that trend to continue tomorrow so for the moment I am satisfied. Bryan is having problems at this track so he needs to have a close look at the data with the technicians and do whatever it takes to improve.”
Triple-Header Action Kicks Off in Sepang
The first of the three overseas triple-header weekend’s kicked off today in Sepang with the first two free practice sessions for the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi made solid improvements over the two practice sessions to wrap up the day in fourth in the combined times. The Italian made a 0.5 second improvement over the two sessions and finished 0.115 seconds behind Cal Crutchlow in third.
Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo had a tougher first day in Sepang. The Mallorcan struggled to find an optimum set up for the Malaysian circuit with mid-corner grip issues affecting his final times. He completed the first day in fifth overall, 0.085 seconds behind his teammate Rossi.
Valentino Rossi
4th / 2'01.538 / 18 laps
“For me personally, especially this afternoon, it was a good practice because we improved the setting of the bike a lot. We improved with the new tyre and with the old tyre I can stay with a good pace so I feel better on the bike. For sure we have to improve, but this afternoon I feel good. It seems our competitors are a little faster than us but I will try 100% because in the last races Jorge is always there fighting at the front. It will be hard but we have to concentrate on the bike. We are not very far but we have a small gap to recover.”
Jorge Lorenzo
5th / 2'01.623 / 14 laps
“We are investigating what happened today because I didn't have confidence in the middle of the corners and also with acceleration. I had a lot of spinning and the bike is very aggressive so we have to see what we can change for tomorrow to try to get back a good feeling with the bike again.”
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“A difficult first practice for us here in Sepang, we struggled a bit to find grip. We need to find out what is going on through the data; we don't have an answer yet. We need to try to get it on the table before tomorrow morning so we can make the next step in the third practice.”
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director
“Today didn't go as we wanted and as we expected. Anyway, we got a lot of data that we can study and for sure we will use it to improve a set up that is now not perfect. We are pretty confident that with the data and the rider comments we can analyse the issues and put together a different set up that will enable Jorge and Vale to get a better consistent pace and speed.”
First day of action ends at the Sepang International Circuit
As always the weather was the protagonist as the 15th round of the MotoGP World Championship got underway at the Sepang International Circuit today, with a 76% humidity level that turned into persistent rain during the break between the day’s two free practice sessions.
The typical Malaysian heat, however, allowed FP2 to go ahead in dry conditions as the asphalt reached 39° C degrees (102.2° F) . Andrea Iannone concluded this first day of the challenging Malaysian Grand Prix in 12th position and with a best time of 2’02.819, over seven tenths of a second faster than his FP1 mark.
Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team
“We knew that this track was hard for us, we are suffering from the lack of grip and I’m also struggling under braking. The bike moves around too much at the rear and when I try to enter the turn it slides a lot, it loses grip, and I almost go in sideways. From an analysis of my lap, I can see I lose a lot in the first and last turn, while in T2 and T3 we go much better. For sure it’s not enough and now we’ll see how can we improve for tomorrow. The heat does not help either, and it’s more difficult than usual, but it’s not a problem.”
Day one complete at Sepang International Circuit
The first two free-practice sessions for the MotoGP World Championship’s 15th round took place in challenging weather conditions, with air temperature reaching 28º C (82º F) and humidity climbing to 76%.
After Yonny Hernandez spent the morning session familiarizing himself with the circuit and the Desmosedici GP13 (which is still new to the Colombian, who is riding in substitution for Texan Ben Spies), he ended the day with a best time of 2.03.780. The time was over a second faster than his best from FP1, and it put him in 15th position in the provisional standings.
There are still some small changes to be made to the bike by the Ignite Pramac Racing Team technicians in hopes of increasing Yonny’s confidence for qualifying tomorrow.
Yonny Hernandez – Ignite Pramac Racing Team
“Today was harder than at Aragon. It required more effort to manage the quick changes of direction, and I struggled to get used to braking. Tomorrow we can definitely improve because we’re thinking about a small change to the fork, which should help me. I'm sure I’ll slowly get used to the bike, as even today the feeling improved and I feel more comfortable. I need to do some more laps on this track, which I don’t really know well, and which isn’t one of the easiest. It’s also very hot, but I'm fine”
ESPARGARÓ SETS HIS BEST LAP ON ART AT SEPANG WITH 2'02.610
POWER ELECTRONICS rider eleventh fastest despite chatter issues that also hold back Randy De Puniet in sixteenth
A three-week intercontinental triple-header for the MotoGP World Championship got underway today with the first day of free practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. Despite a typical lunchtime thunderstorm that interrupted a day of intense heat both the morning and afternoon sessions took place in dry conditions, giving Dani Pedrosa the opportunity to make up for his frustration at Aragón two weeks ago with a dominant display that saw him close to pole record time (2'00.554 compared to 2'00.334 – Jorge Lorenzo 2012) and half a second clear of his closest rival.
The POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar team made a positive start to the weekend despite both riders complaining of chatter issues. The bumpy Sepang surface had already caused them problems during preseason testing but both Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet worked hard, Aleix finishing the day as the top CRT in eleventh place overall with Randy in sixteenth. Both riders set their best effort in the afternoon session, the Spaniard's being the best ever lap of this track by an ART machine with a time of 2'02.610.
11th Aleix Espargaró 2.02.610 (25 laps): “Today has been pretty productive. We have finished not too far from the fastest lap of the day and only a second off fifth place. We had some chatter issues here during the winter tests and they returned today but we worked hard to reduce them as much as possible. Our strong point here is our corner speed and especially our corner entry so we are trying to make the most of it. The chatter problem limits this but we're doing our best and we have set our best ever lap around Sepang on the ART so that is positive.”
16th Randy De Puniet 2.03.922 (30 laps): “We had some problems with the engine braking this morning but luckily we fixed it by the end of the session. In the afternoon we had some chatter on the front and on the rear, which made it difficult for me to brake late and maintain my corner speed. It has confused us a little but we will get back to work tomorrow and try to improve.”
Edwards and Corti work on grip and electronics at Sepang
The 15th round of the world championship takes the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team to the Sepang International Circuit for the Shell Advance Malaysia Grand Prix. Both Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti show to be fast with their FTR – Kawasaki bikes.
During the morning session the Texan rider was the fastest CRT on track, managing to be 11th at the end of the session leaving one of the factory bikes right behind him. Teammate Claudio Corti struggled today in finding both the front and rear grip and believes that he needs to work on finding the right balance.
The America and Italian rider were only able to equal their morning lap times but not improve them due to the poor track conditions after the early afternoon rain. The Edwards will focus on finding the ideal electronics setting while Claudio will focus on finding the grip that he is missing.
Colin Edwards
“Today was pretty good. We came with the setting we used in the last few weekends. We kind of know where we went wrong at the last race, it was our rear setting so we decided to go back to what we know and it worked straight out of the box. Our biggest issue now is electronics; we have obviously developed a lot since the last time we tested here so we have to figure out what has really been working. At the moment we seem to be struggling a little bit on getting the traction control to work in conjunction with getting some drive off the corner. We have to play around with some parameters but all in all it was a good day. We had the chance to test all the tires and got a lot of information. It should be a good weekend, looking forward to tomorrow.”
Claudio Corti
“This morning session went relatively well for me but the afternoon session didn’t go as well, after the rain the track conditions got worse. The modifications done to the bike for the second session didn’t wrong as we expected them to, preventing me from improving my morning lap times. We have to keep working on our setting because at the moment we are lacking both front and rear grip. We have to find the right compromise between grip and bike balance. We need to take a step back and rethink our strategy for tomorrow.”
Sergio Verbena
“We started off well this first day at Sepang, it is not one of our favorite tracks and during the winter tests we struggled a lot here. This morning went well for us, proving that the hard work done all throughout this season has allowed us to develop the bike since we were last here. Colin was fist CRT this morning, finishing the session in 11th place, finishing ahead of a factory bike with very good lap times. He was able to equal his morning lap times but did not improve them due to the less than ideal track conditions after the rain that came down between FP1 and FP2. Claudio encountered some difficulty but with good lap times. We have some work ahead of us tonight in order to alleviate the grip problem in time for tomorrow. We have almost come to a decision on the race tire. Tomorrow we will focus on finding the rear grip that seems to be the main problem for both riders. “
BRADL TARGETS A BRAKING IMPROVEMENT FOR DAY TWO AT SEPANG CIRCUIT
Sepang, 11 October: the premier class riders escaped the typical tropical rain that did fall at the Sepang circuit on first day of practices but LCR racer Stefan Bradl unexpectedly suffered on braking, placing his RC213V on the 7th position (2’01.727) at the end of the combined sessions. The German, who is a veteran of the Malaysian circuit by now, intends to reduce the gap to the front by tomorrow adjusting the package of his Honda machine.
“Today it was a tough first day for us because we have struggled too much on braking. We arrived here with a completely different set-up compared to the one that we experienced in February. But this how it works and you improve the bike during the season but now we are suffering too much on braking and I went wide a few times so far. The grip itself is okay and we mainly have to focus on our braking stability and braking areas but the rest seems to be okay. The gap to the front guys is still recoverable so this will be our main target for tomorrow”.
Hayden, Dovizioso eighth and ninth on day one at Sepang
As expected, the first day of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit was marked by unpredictable weather, but the first two free-practice sessions saw the MotoGP riders lapping in dry conditions.
Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso were both pleased to finish the day in the top ten in the combined times, as they know that should rain strike tomorrow morning’s session, today’s times could well determine who transfers directly into Q2. Nonetheless, both Ducati Team riders hope to reduce their gaps to the leaders.
Nicky Hayden - Ducati Team, 8th (2:02.373)
“Things went pretty well this morning, but we fell further behind as the day went on. The biggest problem is that I have a lot of chatter, especially from the front and in the fast corners, which makes it very difficult to carry corner speed. That’s a normal problem we had here during testing, so it’s not something we didn’t expect, but we need to try to do something to improve it.”
Andrea Dovizioso - Ducati Team, 9th (2:02.487)
“It was important to make it into the top ten, and it’s good that I managed it while doing an entire session with one tyre, unlike most of the others. The gap to the front is bigger, but that’s normal; there isn’t much grip here and the tyre wears a lot, which hurts us a bit more. The Sepang track is very particular. When it dries, even if there are some wet patches, you can set good times, like Pedrosa did. Sure, the tyres don’t work so well and they wear a bit more, but you can still go fast.”
Pedrosa close to record pace on opening day of Malaysian MotoGP™ action
Round 15: Malaysian MotoGP™ - Free Practice One & Two
Sepang International Circuit, Friday 11 October 2013
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium (Symmetric) & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main) & Soft (Alternative)
Weather: FP1 - Dry. Ambient 29-30°C; Track 37-41°C (Bridgestone measurement)
FP2 - Dry. Ambient 30-30°C; Track 41-44°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa set a sizzling time of 2’00.554 in this afternoon’s Free Practice 2 session to finish half a second clear of his closest rival in the first day of practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.
Pedrosa’s time was just two-tenths of a second off the qualifying lap record, the Spaniard topping the opening day ahead of teammate Marc Marquez who was second quickest with a personal best time of 2’01.087. Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow was the closest rider to the Honda duo, his lap time of 2’01.423 slotting him in at third in the overall classification. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was the quickest of the CRT today, setting a time 2.056 seconds off Pedrosa’s benchmark to finish eleventh on the timesheets.
Dry track conditions greeted riders in both sessions today despite a heavy downpour around midday, with a peak track temperature of 44°C recorded during FP2. At the start of Free Practice One all riders headed out on soft slick options front and rear to gauge the track condition, with two riders assessing the hard compound front slick later on in the morning session. In the second session of the day tyre choice was more varied, with five riders trying the harder rear slick options, while both the soft and hard front slicks were also used. The softer front and rear slick options were preferred by riders today, with almost every rider setting their quickest time on this tyre combination.
Similar weather conditions to today with the chance of rain are forecast for tomorrow. The final ranked practice session, FP3, starts at 0955 local time (GMT +8) before qualifying gets underway from 1410.
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Today was a good start to the race weekend and thankfully the heavy rain earlier didn’t disrupt the afternoon session. Softer slick options were preferred by the riders today, though the reasons for this preference were different for the front and rear tyres. The moderate track temperatures meant few riders felt the need to evaluate the harder rear slick options, while for the front, most riders felt that the softer front slick offered better bump absorption in the braking zones, which at this circuit feature quite heavy undulations. Considering we are already near record qualifying pace on the opening day here at Sepang, I expect we will see some more lap records set over the weekend.”
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