Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team) has already launched the glove for the 2013 course by leading the time table until noon in the Official Test that started today in Sepang. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) and Dani Pedrosa are on their heels.
The threat of rain has not materialized and from the first hour a large group of pilots has come out onto the Malaysian track. At 10:30, all the bikes in the premier class were already rolling, including the two Honda test drivers and the two Yamaha test drivers.
Uploaded to his RC213V for the third time, Marc Márquez has already accumulated an important number of laps (42) during the morning while still adapting to the MotoGP ™ saddle. An apparently satisfactory process since at 15:00 (local time) was in first position on the timesheet with a time of 2: 01.357. His teammate Dani Pedrosa was in third position to only 3 tenths.
Yamaha, which has brought to this first test of the year a new chassis and a new engine with which it hopes to get a better acceleration in the exit of the curves, has seen how the Valentino Rossi returnee was quickly among the fastest. Half a day, the multiple Italian champion was 2nd to little more than two tenths Marquez. His teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who has added 30 spins in this first part of the day, has provisionally placed in fourth position with a record less than two tenths of Rossi.
Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) who is shooting with an RC213V with the same specifications as the HRC that he had in Valencia last year, has set the fifth fastest time in a day dedicated to working with electronics and suspension. The German plans to focus later on the Nissin brakes, the only component that differs from factory frames. Bradl precedes Álvaro Bautista (Go & Fun Honda Gresini), who continues to focus on the search for the best set-up of the Showa suspensions.
Cal Crutchlow (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), which also has new chassis and Yamaha engine, has been seventh ahead of HRC tester Kosuke Akiyoshi and Yamaha tester Katsuyuki Nakasuga. Nicky Hayden has started his new campaign with the Ducati Team signing the 10th fastest time in this first part of the session, ahead of Yamaha test driver Wataru Yoshikawa.
The debutant Bradley Smith (Yamaha Tech 3) continues to take the pulse of his MotoGP mount and half a day was in 12th position, about 2.3 seconds from Marquez and ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and the duo of Power Electronics Aspar Team, Aleix Espargaró and Randy De Puniet.
Ben Spies (Ignite Pramac Racing Team) has been given a break after a few hours of activity on the track during the morning. The Texans still suffer some physical discomfort due to the injury that occurred in the ligament of the right shoulder after a fall occurred in this same scenario, during the Grand Prix held last October. Spies is provisionally in 16th position and ahead of his teammate, Andrea Iannone.
Behind them take Takumi Takahashi, HRC test driver, followed by Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing), Yonny Hernandez (Paul Bird Motorsport), Hiroshi Aoyama (Avintia Blusens) and Claudio Corti (NGM Mobile Forward Racing). The session has also seen the premiere of Bryan Staring (Go & Fun Honda Gresini). The Czech Lukas Pesek (Came IodaRacing Project) will alternate with his teammate Danilo Petrucci to the handlebar of the only unit that currently has the team with the new electronic control unit Magneti Marelli. Hector Barberá (Avintia Blusens), Michael Laverty (Paul Bird Motorsport) and Colin Edwards (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) complete the group.
Motogp.com
The Repsol Honda team has a great start
The Repsol Honda team has started the 2013 preseason in the best possible way, with Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez finishing the first day in first and third position, respectively.
After a long winter break, Pedrosa and Márquez were willing to go out on track with their Repsol Honda RC213V and start their test program. The rain forecasts have not been fulfilled and the pilots present in the first tests of 2013 have been able to enjoy a full day of tests in the Sepang International Circuit, where yesterday the team members placed a bouquet of flowers next to the memorial plaque in memory of Marco Simoncelli.
The two pilots have dedicated the day following the planned plan of tests, working with the Honda engine and preparing the strict norm that in 2013 limits to five the number of engines available during the season.
The best times of the day have been exchanged between several riders, but it was finally Pedrosa who scored the best record, stopping the clock in 2.01.157, in the penultimate of the 49 laps he has done. Márquez, who has come to lead the time table at lunchtime, has finished the day at just 44 thousandths of his teammate, scoring a time of 2.01.201 on the 60th of the 62 he has completed.
Dani Pedrosa:
“It is the first day of training after the winter break, we have been three months without driving and the sensations on this first day of return to activity have been positive. The track was in good condition and when it was not very hot, we were able to complete quite a few laps at a good pace. From Valencia, in the November test, I did not get on the bike, so today it was a first contact to recover the pace. Today we have not gone into details of the configuration, but in the next two days we will move forward. ”
Marc Márquez:
“The truth is that I am very happy with how the first day went, because you always have those nerves after being two months stopped. I thought it would cost me a little more, but from the first laps I felt very comfortable on the bike. We have gained confidence from the start, although it is clear that it can be improved. ”
“The result we have achieved today, I think now is not a reference, because we are all trying new things. I simply concentrated on getting a good set-up and feeling comfortable with the bike. I tried to make a good time, so that the training makes sense. ”
Motogp.com
