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SIC looks to excite experienced and new fans alike with launch of the 2015 F1 PETRONAS Malaysia GP
Kuala Lumpur, 11 Feb 2015: The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) today unveiled its programme for the upcoming 2015 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix™ taking place from 27 to 29 March 2015. Launched by the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur Datuk Seri Ahmad PhesalTalib, the programme aims to make the second round of the 2015 FIA Formula 1 World Championship a wholesome family affair this year. Also present were SIC Chairman Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, PETRONAS Senior General Manager for Group Strategic Communications Liz Kamaruddin and SIC CEO Dato’ RazlanRazali.“In conjunction with the Malaysia Year of Festival 2015, we were inspired to make the F1 Grand Prix programme one that celebrates the position of the race as an event that is firmly embedded in the public consciousness. After 17 years, we firmly believe that many Malaysians look forward to the race, even if they only watch it at home or enjoy photo opportunities during our annual F1 Grand Prix roadshow. Indeed, we are focusing on the family-theme to draw them out of the living room into the high-octane atmosphere of the circuit itself. F1 fans no longer need to choose between quality family time on a weekend and watching the race. They can now enjoy an outing with their family and friends to Sepang on race weekend itself. The earlier start time of the race at 3pm, plus the earlier end for the after-race concert combined with affordable tickets further contribute to making the event attractive for all ages,” said Tan Sri Mokhzani.

This year’s programme – themed‘Experience F1 Like Never Before’ transforms the circuit and the grounds into a huge entertainment space dubbed the ‘F1 Carnival’. It features family and child-friendly activities to encourage families to make the race their weekend outing. The carnival event happening within SIC’s premises during race weekend amplifies the family fiesta atmosphere, with many entertainment and off-track activities – expanding the F1 experience beyond the race. The carnival will have something for all members of the family, including a fun fair with games, amusement rides and other carnival-style attractions, and a food and beverage festival. While the children enjoy the kids and tween zone featuring a role play pit mock up, water obstacles and cool zone, men and women who enjoy adrenaline activities or shopping can spend time karting and drifting at the X-track or shop at the F1 Village.

“As title sponsor, PETRONAS has played a significant role in putting Malaysia on the world Formula 1 map and attracting fans from across the globe, while contributing to the socio-economic development of the nation,” said PETRONAS Senior General Manager, Group Strategic Communications, Liz Kamaruddin.

PETRONAS had over the years worked together with SIC, the local authorities and other partners to promote the Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix™ through a range of activities. The activities aim to bring Formula 1 closer to the people and to make the Malaysian leg of the Formula 1™ race a success.

Liz added that last year’s Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix™ saw the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team top the podium, a position it maintained through 16 of 19 races over the 2014 World Formula One Championship season.

“The achievement could not have come at a more significant time as we enter our 20^th year of involvement in Formula 1 – a journey that has taken us beyond branding and into new business frontiers as well as extensive product research and development, taking our products from track to road,” continued Liz.

The launch event featured the unveiling of a new winner’s trophy* for the 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix™, crafted by Royal Selangor. It is the eighth trophy designed for the event by Royal Selangor since the race was first organised in 1999, and maintains the bold contemporary look of its predecessors.

Promotional activities for the 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix™ are in full swing – from international promotions to domestic F1 Grand Prix roadshows featuring the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team car – the F1 W06 Hybrid. In addition, the popular SIC Zoomers Roadshow is scheduled to visit at least 20 key venues around the country bringing great ticket promotions and exciting prizes. Locations will include popular malls and hypermarkets in line with the family theme.

This year, SIC’s exclusive Malaysia Grand Prix Gala 2015 will showcase The Jacksons as its main act, and this time, fans will be able to purchase tickets to watch the performance at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 26 March 2015. Race week will feature local support races including the Malaysia Championship Series (formerly known as Malaysian Super Series), autograph sessions with drivers, a public pit walk experience, the stunning opening ceremony performance and much more.

Fans of local motorsports will be thrilled with two support races – Round 1 of the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) will be taking place from 27 to 29 March 2015 and the Malaysia leg of the TCR International Series on 29 March 2015. The MCS race was formerly part of the highly popular Malaysia Super Series Championship for Cars and Bikes, and will be held across 5 rounds this year – from March to November. Meanwhile, the TCR International Series, formerly the TC3 touring car series, is flagging off the first of its 2015 calendar’s 12 legs in Sepang. The exciting new series aims to restore the ‘Touring Car Pyramid’ concept of cars that can compete at national, regional and international levels.

Commenting on the F1 engines, Tan Sri Mokhzani added: “It is also interesting to note that the quieter F1 turbo hybrid engine introduced last year is contributing to a more kid-friendly F1 race. The lower noise levels appear to be more conducive in attractive families, particularly those with younger children, to watch the race at the circuit. I have noticed that the younger children are more comfortable watching the race. Many of them used to find the noise level upsetting and did not enjoy their F1 experience. I think in the longer term, this can help in growing a new generation of F1 fans, and this is what SIC wants – being the race organisers.”

The race weekend will close on a high in Sepang with the after-race concert on 29 March 2015 headlined by iconic rock musician Lenny Kravitz. For the first time ever, all F1 Grand Prix ticket holders will be able to enjoy the concert at no extra charge. Additionally, ticketholders will get to enjoy selected activities and the F1 Carnival at no cost, plus be rewarded with One Ticket Unlimited benefits featuring discounts and promotions from various retail outlets and brands in Kuala Lumpur.

Ticket prices begin from RM80 – with tickets ranging from RM340 to RM1,770 for seats in the Main Grandstand, RM440 for the Tower, RM280 to RM660 for Grandstands F and K1, and RM80 to RM160 for Hillstand tickets.

The F1 tickets can be purchased:
- online at SIC’s website
- at the Sepang International Circuit ticket booth on the Ground Floor of the NU Sentral mall in the KL Sentral area
- from a ticket agent – just check the location from SIC’s website – http://www.sepangcircuit.com/Ticketing-@-Overview.aspx
- by calling the SIC TICKET HOTLINE at 03-8778 2222
eom/Malaysian GP release

Caption
From left to right – Chen Tien Yue, Executive Director of Royal Selangor Marketing, Tan Sri Mokhzani Tun Mahathir, Chairman of Sepang International Circuit, YBhg. Datuk Seri Haji Ahmad Phesal bin Haji Talib, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Cik Liz Kamaruddin, PETRONAS Group Senior General Manager for Strategic Communications, Dato’ Razlan Razali, Chief Executive Officer of Sepang International Circuit, and En Rizan Ismail, Head of Brand Management, Group Strategic Communications Department PETRONAS unveiling the trophy for the 2015 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix™.
February 11, 2015

Marquez sets quickest ever lap at Sepang to top first official Moto GP test

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Hard. Rear: Soft(Symmetric), Medium (Asymmetric) and Hard (Symmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard

Weather: Dry. Ambient 29-32°C; Track 34-53°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Sepang, 6 Feb 2015: Current World Champion Marc Marquez emphatically underlined his title credentials for the upcoming season by setting a scorching time of 1’58.867 at the first MotoGP™ group test of 2015 at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

According to a Bridgestone Press Release here on Friday, in cool conditions on the morning of the final day, Repsol Honda’s Marquez was the first ever rider to lap the Sepang circuit in the 1’58 bracket to ultimately set a time 0.139 seconds quicker than his teammate Dani Pedrosa, who was second quickest in Malaysia. Third quickest overall was Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone, with the Italian rider relishing his graduation to the factory Ducati team with lap time of 1’59.388, over 1.3 seconds quicker than his best time in last year’s opening group test.

Thirty riders – including a total of five test riders from Aprilia, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha – took part in the first group test of 2015, completing a total of 4429 laps (24,550 kilometres) on Bridgestone tyres. The gap in lap time from the quickest to slowest rider at the first Sepang test was 7.323 seconds.

Fine and dry conditions presented themselves during the three days of the test, with a peak track temperature of 53°C recorded on the afternoon of the second day. Track conditions were usual for Sepang, with only moderate grip levels and certain sections of the circuit being quite bumpy, but the combination of fine weather, the latest MotoGP machinery and Bridgestone’s 2015 specification tyres resulted in the test being run at record pace. The slightly cooler conditions on the morning of the final day allowed the riders to extract maximum performance from their tyres, with the top seven riders on the timesheets able to set times in the 1’59 bracket.

All front and rear slick compound choices were utilised by riders over the three days and Bridgestone will now analyse the data acquired to incorporate into their tyre development programme for the 2015 season. Bridgestone will be back in Sepang for the second MotoGP™ official test which will take place from February 23-25.

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“This was a successful first group test and I am happy with the feedback we received from the riders on our 2015 specification tyres. Our technical objectives for this test were to give the riders some newly developed tyres based on our learnings from last year, while also ensuring that we provided a softer rear tyre allocation to cope with the increased performance of the current Open-class machines. I am happy to say that we achieved all our objectives, and despite track conditions not being ideal, the pace set over the three days was very impressive. We now look forward to continuing our good work at Sepang in a few weeks’ time.”

Sepang I MotoGP™ Group Test – combined lap times

Pos	Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Gap	Total laps
1	Marc MARQUEZ	Repsol Honda Team	1’58.867		181
2	Dani PEDROSA	Repsol Honda Team	1’59.006	0.139	138
3	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati Team	1’59.388	0.521	160
4	Valentino ROSSI	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	1’59.401	0.534	169
5	Jorge LORENZO	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	1’59.624	0.757	166
6	Pol ESPARGARO	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1’59.851	0.984	162
7	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati Team	1’59.874	1.007	128
8	Stefan BRADL	Forward Racing Team	2’00.294	1.427	156
9	Bradley SMITH	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	2’00.384	1.517	153
10	Aleix ESPARGARO	Team Suzuki MotoGP	2’00.486	1.619	137
11	Cal CRUTCHLOW	CWM LCR Honda	2’00.536	1.669	190
12	Maverick VIÑALES	Team Suzuki MotoGP	2’00.964	2.097	176
13	Danilo PETRUCCI	Pramac Racing	2’00.970	2.103	153
14	Hiroshi AOYAMA	HRC	2’01.029	2.162	176
15	Hector BARBERA	Avintia Racing	2’01.183	2.316	154
16	Michele PIRRO	Pramac Racing	2’01.232	2.365	150
17	Scott REDDING	Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS	2’01.263	2.396	182
18	Nicky HAYDEN	Drive M7 Aspar	2’01.508	2.641	144
19	Loris BAZ	Forward Racing Team	2’01.624	2.757	156
20	Jack MILLER	CWM LCR Honda	2’01.895	3.028	166
21	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	2’01.924	3.057	157
22	Mike DI MEGLIO	Avintia Racing	2’02.128	3.261	149
23	Karel ABRAHAM	AB Motoracing	2’02.297	3.43	140
24	Eugene LAVERTY	Drive M7 Aspar	2’02.334	3.467	149
25	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	Yamaha Factory Test Team	2’02.363	3.496	109
26	Takumi TAKAHASHI	HRC	2’03.113	4.246	201
27	Alex DE ANGELIS	Octo Ioda Racing Team	2’03.399	4.532	125
28	Marco MELANDRI	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	2’03.641	4.774	156
29	Takuya TSUDA	Team Suzuki MotoGP	2’05.478	6.611	18
30	Michael LAVERTY	Aprilia Test Team	2’06.190	7.323	28

eom/david/Bridgestone release

February 6, 2015

Raikkonen puts Ferrari back on top as Jerez test ends

Jerez, 4 Feb 2015: Kimi Raikkonen put Ferrari back on top of the timsheets as Formula One’s first pre-season test of 2015 came to a close at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.

The Finn’s best time of 1:20.841 came late in the day, on a soft tyre run, after he had spent most of the day heading the field on medium and hard tyres. His late flourish was also the fastest time of the test, a tenth of a second quicker than that set by team-mate Sebastian Vettel on day two of the four-day outing.

Yesterday, Sauber’s Felipe Nasr broke Ferrari’s grip on the top of the timesheets yesterday and today team-mate Marcus Ericsson kept the Swiss team at the top end of the order with a best time of 1:22.019, again set on soft tyres.

Lewis Hamilton set the day’s third fastest time with a lap of 1:22.172, 1.3s down on Raikkonen’s best. Perhaps more importantly his 117 laps took Mercedes test total to an enormous 516. The defending champion’s total for the day was set despite a morning spin that left his W06 stranded at the chicane.

An earlier stoppage was caused by Red Bull Racing Daniil Kvyat. Forty-five minutes into the session he stopped on track with the team later diagnosing an ERS problem that restricted the Russian to the garage for the rest of the morning.

He eventually returned to the fray just before 1pm and ran faultlessly thereafter, racking up 64 laps for the team’s biggest single-day total of the test.

“Once we’d sorted the issue the car ran perfectly all afternoon and we were able to get through the key elements of the programme we had mapped out,” said Head of race Engineering Guillaume Rocquelin. “This week has all been about establishing reliability and while we’ve had a few niggles the car is pretty much where we want it to be. We focused on medium and long runs all week and Dany was able to do more of that work this afternoon. We did lose track time over the four days and that’s always frustrating, as you inevitably have to scratch some things off the ‘to do’ list, but the major items were covered so I would say we’re leaving Jerez in pretty decent shape.”

Despite the positive spin, it’s been a tricky week for the Milton Keynes outfit, with their day two running being disrupted by a broken front wing and day three being compromised by the need to change a power unit.

McLaren also had a difficult final day. The team made early progress with the MP4-30, with Jenson Button posting 35 laps, but its running was cut short by a fuel pump issue. Button’s morning running had also been disrupted by an oil system problem.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a few issues this week – all of which have been pretty small – but cumulatively they meant we were stuck in the garage for quite some time,” said the team’s Engineering Director Matt Morris. “Still, our prime objective coming away from this test was to ascertain that the main car architecture worked, and we’ve done that.

“Today, we had a couple of stoppages, but we were still able to get on with our aero progamme – obtaining correlation data for the guys back at the factory, just so we can check that everything’s working as we expected.”

Honda’s Yasuhisa Arai added: “Of course, we’d anticipated there would be issues – this is a test, after all – but the difficulties we faced here were more than we’d expected, so we weren’t able to get the running time we’d ideally wanted. Nonetheless, Fernando and Jenson’s feedback has been positive and comprehensive – they’ve given us some very good information.”

Elsewhere, Max Verstappen had a busy final outing of the week, putting 97 laps on Toro Rosso’s STR10.

“It was good to run STR10 in anger and after overcoming some niggling problems on the first two days, we managed to do some really high mileage on the final two,” said Toro Rosso Technical Director James Key. “That was useful, because it meant both our drivers managed to complete a full and comprehensive programme. Our focus has been entirely on reliability, while allowing the drivers to experience every aspect of the job. We haven’t done any work on performance so far and we will not do that until the end of the month, therefore we are not looking at our lap times for now. The important topics are reliability, consistency and driver work, to tune the car to their requirements and give them as much preparation time as possible.”

Romain Grosjean got a first taste of Lotus E23 but his running was cut short after 53 laps with a power unit problem.

Jerez Test – Day Four
1 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1: 20.841s 106
2 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:22.019s 1.178s 112
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:22.172s 1.331s 117
4 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:22.553s 1.712s 97
5 Felipe Massa Williams 1:23.116s 2.275s 73
6 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:23.802s 2.961s 53
7 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1:23.975s 3.134s 64
8 Jenson Button McLaren 1:27.660s 6.819s 35\

eom/FIA press release/david

February 5, 2015
Honda, Yamaha Stars Dominate First Official Test for 2015 in Sepang
Sepang (KL), 4 Feb 2015: The first MotoGP official testing for 2015 got underway at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) today with the star riders from the Repsol Honda and Movistar Yamaha dominating the fastest times.

Commencing at 10am this morning under clear bright skies, two-time defending champion Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa of Repsol Honda and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi took turns leading the timesheet which featured 30 riders. The field included three test riders – Katsuyuki Nakasuga for Yamaha, Michael Laverty of Aprilia and Takuya Tsuda for Suzuki.

Britain’s Scott Redding, who rides a Honda machine for Team Estrella Galicia 0.0 Marc VDS, was first on the track when the lights turned green at the pit lane exit. It was not long before the others followed him.

As at 2pm and some four hours into the first day of testing, it was the nine-time world champion, Rossi who led the way with his best lap time 2 minutes 0.380 seconds. He completed more than 20 laps around the 5,548-meter track.

Rossi’s teammate and former MotoGP world champion, Jorge Lorenzo, stepped up the pace and clocked the second fastest time in the afternoon with his best of 2 minutes 0.521 seconds.

Marquez clocked 2 minutes 0.930 seconds in the afternoon but as the day progressed, the Spaniard began to improve and eventually clocked the fastest time of the day with his best lap time of 2:00.262, pushing Rossi and Lorenzo down a rung. Marquez went on to complete a grueling 63 laps today.

Not surprisingly, after two months off their racing bikes, the riders’ lap times were significantly below Sepang’s best of 1 minute 59.533 seconds that was recorded by Marquez at last year’s pre-season testing.

That unofficial fastest lap time by Marquez, could be under threat on the second and third day of testing, provided the weather conditions remain good.

The official test session today saw the return of Aprilia and Suzuki into the MotoGP World Championship, which will open at Losail International Circuit in Qatar on March 29. Sepang will host the penultimate round from October 23 to 25.

Aprilia have signed up Italian Marco Melandri and Mike di Meglio of France while Team Suzuki MotoGP will be counting on Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, both from Spain, to lead their challenge.

Sepang will host a second three-day official test session for the MotoGP from February 23 to 25 with a third session scheduled from March 14 to 17 at Losail in Qatar.

In conjunction with the test sessions in Sepang, fans are welcomed to see their idols in action from the Main Grandstand and use the opportunity to purchase time-limited, earlybird discount tickets for both the 2015 MotoGP race as well as that for the eni FIM Superbike World Championship Malaysian Round, the latter which is scheduled from July 31 to August 2.

For the MotoGP race in October, limited Premier Roving tickets, which allow access to all spectator seating areas, are being offered at only RM250 under the current earlybird promotion whilst earlybird Main Grandstand, K1 and F tickets are only RM150, RM70 and RM50 respectively.

For the Superbike race, the Main Grandstand earlybird tickets are priced at RM100 while that for K1 Grandstand is offered at only RM60.

TODAY’S TOP FIVE FASTEST RIDERS
1. 1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) 2:00.262
2. 2. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) 2:00.380
3. 3. Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) 2:00.521
4. 4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) 2:00.617
5. 5. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) 2:00745.
Ends /SIC press release/david

A Sepang International Circuit image of Winter testing 2015. Marc Marquez is seen.
February 4, 2015
Sauber’s Brazilian driver, Felipe Nasr, sets the pace: Day 3 of Jerez testing

Brazilian quickest on soft tyres as Rosberg posts 151 laps. McLaren enjoy productive morning before hitting more trouble.

Felipe Nasr tops timesheets on 3rd day of testing at Jerez. A Sauber Motorsport image

Jerez (Spain), 3 Feb 2015: Sauber’s Felipe Nasr went quickest on day three of Formula One’s first pre-season test, the Brazilian finishing two tenths clear of Kimi Raikkonen, who was making his first appearance of 2015 for Ferrari.

Brazilian Nasr set a best lap of 1:21.545 on soft tyres to eclipse the previous best of Raikkonen, who had recorded his best time on medium tyres.

On a day when early morning rain left the track greasy and of little real value for the first two hours of the session, Nasr racked up an impressive 108 laps in the process but it was Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg who once again put in the biggest total. On day one of the test the German posted a huge total of 157 laps and he almost matched the tally today with 151 laps of the 4.4km circuit. The Rosberg’s morning outing also included a race sim. By just after midday he had already posted a total of 76 laps.

The 2014 title runner-up’s day was not without problems however. Just before 1pm his Mercedes W06 suffered an engine shutdown and the red flag appeared. The problem didn’t halt Rosberg for long and by 2pm he was circulating again, eventually ending the day with the third fastest laps, a 1:21.982 to finish just under half a second adrift of Nasr.

Rosberg’s wasn’t the only technical issue of the day. Following a difficult day yesterday in which it was forced to run without a front wing following an off from Daniil Kvyat early in the session, there was more frustration for Red Bull Racing today, as after just five lap in the morning a power unit issue forced Daniel Ricciardo back to the garage where the team had to change the Renault powerplant.

Ricciardo finally got back out in the afternoon and put together a number of longer runs, which he said had given him a better feeling for the car.

“Although we were limited with running today the last hour was good, we got some long runs together and that was encouraging,” he said. “I was happy to do some 10-15 lap runs as that’s always where you get a better understanding of the car. Every lap we do we understand something more about the car or the driveablility of the Renault power unit. So it was a decent afternoon.”

In the morning Honda-powered McLaren enjoyed its best period of the test so far, with Fernando Alonso putting in 32 laps, more than two and a half times the total number of laps achieved over the first two days.

However, at lunchtime the team confirmed that a water pressure problem had been discovered and that the MP4-30 would not be running in the afternoon.

At Williams, Felipe Massa made his first appearance behind the wheel of the FW37 and the Brazilian made it through 71 largely untroubled laps to eventually finish fourth on the timesheet.

Behind him Pastor Maldonado was back behind the wheel of the Lotus E23. A telemetry problem kept the Venezuelan in the garage for some time in the morning but he eventually put 96 laps on the board only for a mechanical failure to halt him in the final minutes of the session.

Carlos Sainz Jr put in the second highest lap total of the day with 136 tours in the STR10, the Spaniard enjoying a much more profitable outing than his first day in which a series of mechanical niggles interrupted his running.

Jerez Test – Day Three
1 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:21.545s 108
2 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:21.750s 0.205s 92
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m21.982s 0.437s 151
4 Felipe Massa Williams 1:22.276s 0.731s 71
5 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:22.713s 1.168s 96
6 Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso 1:23.187s 1.642s 136
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:23.901s 2.356s 48
8 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:35.553s 14.008s 32

February 3, 2015
Vettel keeps Ferrari on top on day two in Jerez

German sets the pace ahead of Sauber’s Felipe Nasr as McLaren and Red Bull Racing struggle.

Hamilton on Day 2 of Jerez test on Feb 2, Vettel (not in pic) set the fastest time on the day. 2015. A Mercedes AMG Petronas image

Jerez (Spain), 2 Feb 2015: Sebastian Vettel kept Ferrari at the top of the timesheets in Jerez today, lowering his day one benchmark by almost two seconds and logging more than 80 laps as Ferrari continued to look strong on day of pre-season testing ahead of the 2015 Formula One campaign.

Vettel was fast out of the blocks, setting a test best time of 1:21.926 an hour into the session to climb to the top of the top of the timesheet. And there he stayed. The German continued to improve and soon after posted a lap of 1:20.984, which would remain the day’s fastest time.

Second place on the timesheet went to another Ferrari-powered maching, with new Sauber signing Felipe Nasr getting to within nine tenths of Vettel’s benchmark. The Brazilian driver also competed 88 laps for the Swiss outfit.

After a slow start to the first morning of testing yesterday Williams were on track early on day two and after posting 73 laps on Sunday afternoon Valtteri Bottas added another 61 to his tally on day two, ending the day with the third fastest time, a lap of 1:22.319.

On day one of the test Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg reminded rivals of just why Mercedes are still the team to beat by delivering 157 trouble free laps of the Curcuit de Jerez. Lewis Hamilton didn’t get near that total as an afternoon water leak on his car cut short his running, but his 91 laps still represented the day’s largest total. He finished the session in fourth spot with a time of 1:22.490, 1.5s adrift of Vettel’s best time.

At Toro Rosso, 17-year-old Max Verstappen took from Carlos Sainz Jr at the wheel of the STR10 and Formula One’s youngest driver logged a decent total of 73 laps to finish fifth on the timesheet.

After missing the first day due to the late arrival of its new car, Lotus completed the build of the E23 overnight and after a cautious start Pastor Maldonado was able to complete 41 laps, the Venezuelan running progressively faster throughout the day. A drive-train issue in the afternoon ending his outing, however.

He was followed on the timesheet by McLaren’s Jenson Button who matched team-mate Fernando Alonso’s day one total of six laps. With the team still exploring the functionality of its Honda power unit, Button only managed one tikmed lap, some 33 seconds off the pace.

After a solid start yesterday, Red Bull Racing hit problems early on day two. New recruit Daniil Kvyat suffered a minor off right at the start of the team’s running and damaged the front wing of his RB11. With no replacement wing at the circuit the team was restricted to single-lap untimed runs as they worked through systems checks. Kvyat put in 18 slow laps all day and failed to set a time.

A late rain shower disrupted the final half an hour of the session and only Verstappen, Vettel, Nasr and Button tested the wet conditions before the session ended.

Formula One Testing, Jerez – Day Two
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m20.984s 88
2 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1m21.867s 0.883s 89
3 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m22.319s 1.335s 61
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m22.490s 1.506s 91
5 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1m24.167s 3.183s 73
6 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1m25.802s 4.818s 41
7 Jenson Button McLaren 1m54.655s 33.671s 6
8 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull No Time 18

February 3, 2015

Bridgestone prepares for the first Moto GP group test of 2015

Sepang, 3 Feb 2015: Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium & Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium (Asymmetric) & Medium (Symmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard

The riders contesting this year’s MotoGP™ World Championship will get their first taste of Bridgestone’s 2015 specification tyres at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit from February 4-6, as the world’s largest tyre maker embarks on its seventh season as the official tyre supplier to the series.

Like last year, the MotoGP regulations for 2015 provide concessions on rear tyre choice for manufacturers, depending on their class of entry, Factory or Open, and their recent record in dry races. Open class entrants, and Factory class manufacturers that did not win a race in dry conditions in the previous season, will have access to rear slick compounds that are one step softer than Factory class entrants that did record a win in dry conditions last year.

The table below details the rear slick tyre allocation available to each team for pre-season testing and races during the 2015 season.

Harder rear slick allocation	Softer rear slick allocation
CWM LCR Honda (Cal Crutchlow) Estrella Galicia Marc VDS Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Repsol Honda Team	Avintia Racing Cardion AB Motoracing CWM LCR Honda (Jack Miller) Drive M7 Aspar Ducati Team Factory Aprilia Gresini Forward Racing Octo IodaRacing Team Pramac Racing Team Suzuki MotoGP

For the first Sepang test, the softer rear slick allocation comprises the soft symmetric and medium asymmetric rear slick, while the harder rear slick allocation is the asymmetric medium and symmetric medium compound rears. The front options for all riders at Sepang will be the medium compound in addition to the new hard compound front slick which was first introduced at last October’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Bridgestone will use the data acquired in pre-season testing to modify its tyre allocation for the 2015 season to increase safety, usability and performance.

Twenty-five riders from eleven countries will contest the 2015 MotoGP™ World Championship; the highest number of riders since Bridgestone entered the premier class as a tyre supplier in 2002. In addition to supporting the group tests, Bridgestone Motorsport engineers will support all teams in their pre-season testing programmes before the championship gets underway at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit from March 26.

Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“Just like the MotoGP manufacturers and teams, Bridgestone has been busy over the winter break as we’ve been developing new tyres for the riders to evaluate during the pre-season tests. In recent seasons we’ve focused on delivering tyres which are safer, more ‘user friendly’ and with superior levels of performance. In 2015 we will further build on these qualities to deliver our greatest ever racing tyres to the MotoGP World Championship. The Sepang tests are the first chance each season for MotoGP fans to see the riders out on track and, with the return of Aprilia and Suzuki to the series, as well as a host of talented riders entering the championship, I expect that the 2015 pre-season testing will be closely followed by racing fans around the world.”

Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Sepang is the traditional venue for the first two MotoGP pre-season tests, and given that weather is warm and mostly dry and the layout features a wide variety of corners, it really is an ideal place to evaluate tyres. It is evident from the Valencia test last year that the performance of the Open class machines in 2015 will be considerably greater than last year, and the tyre allocation we’ve brought to Sepang reflects this. Testing at a demanding circuit like Sepang will provide an even better indication of the respective performance levels of the 2015 Factory and Open class bikes, and the data we acquire here will help steer our development for the upcoming season. As always, our main priority for tyre development is enhancing the safety of the riders, however, I expect that the riders will find that our 2015 specification tyres also give better performance. I believe that this year’s MotoGP season will be the fastest yet.”

eom/david/A Bridgestone Motorsport News

File photo of 2014 Moto GP World Champion Marc Marquez aboard the Repsol Honda Team RC213V at the Japanese Grand Prix. A Bridgestone Motorsport image.

Release

February 3, 2015

Vettel fastest on Day 1 at Jerez test; Sauber’s Felipe Nasr 2nd with Bottas 3rd

Jerez (Spain) 2 Feb 2014: Sebastian Vettel: “ Sebastian Vettel It’s too soon to give a verdict on the true level of this car, especially as we can’t make a comparison with the other teams, who can be running different programmes. However, I’d say we have a good basis to work from. We did a lot of running, even in the rain, when we tried the new intermediate tyres, which worked well, getting up to temperature despite the cold: that’s a definite step forward. The applause in the garage at the end of the session? Well, everyone was happy we’d even managed to run in the wet with nothing bad happening. The boys have got enough to do in the garage

as it is…”.

James Allison: “ James Allison A bit like yesterday, in that even if we did a good number of laps, you can never claim to have done enough kilometres. However, I agree with Sebastian on the fact that, for the moment, we have a good basis”.

Other driver quotes:

Lewis Hamilton
That was a satisfying day. We did a lot of laps and I got a feel for the car quite quickly. We’re in the first days of testing so it never feels that great as the car is at the worst it will be all season. But it feels the same as it did last year which is a good thing. A little more downforce maybe but otherwise it handles exactly the same. The balance obviously wasn’t perfect as we’re not working on setup yet, so it could be a lot better. But the priority right now is to put in the laps, not set fast times, and there were lots of positives today. We got good mileage and hopefully we’ll get even more in the next two days. Testing isn’t the exciting part as a driver – I live to go racing. But this is where you build your foundations for the year and we’re all working hard to understand the car. Everything from drivability to tyres you have to learn now to stand you in good stead for the season. You can’t get excited at this point as there’s a long way to go before Melbourne but there’s a really good energy in the team. Everybody is feeling positive and working hard but we’re basing nothing on last year. We start again with the same aim as everyone else – to win. I can’t wait to get to that first race.

Pastor Maldonado:
“It was fantastic to get behind the wheel for the first ever lap of this exciting new car. Even though it’s early days we achieved a lot today. It was already exciting to feel the potential of the car and I can’t wait to get back in the car tomorrow. We did stop running early, but then it started to rain so everyone else came in too so it was not a big drama. The car certainly looks fantastic and I know we have a lot of potential for the season ahead.”

Valtteri Bottas: We have had another good day. We managed to get through all of our programme and it was only the final run that we were compromised due to the rain. The morning was dedicated to obtaining aero data, then this afternoon we focused on the longer runs, making set-up changes and analysing the results. We are learning all the time and at the moment I am really pleased with what I have felt when in the car.

Felpe Nasr:
“It was a great day. I was able to complete a lot of laps, and I was happy with everything I saw. I was getting used to the systems, the procedures and the characteristics of the car. It was definitely a good start to understand where we are now. It was important for me to get used to this new environment, but after such a long day, with both dry and wet conditions, I was able to adapt to all the situations. Now we can start working on the details.”

Max Vertstappen (Car 33)

“In the morning we had some difficulties in warming up the brakes, but we fixed that very quickly. After that, we managed to do some long runs that helped me to learn about the new car straight away. In the afternoon it rained a bit, but it was useful for me to experience the intermediate tyres. It feels good to finally start working for the upcoming season and I’m happy with my first test day here in Jerez.”

eom

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February 3, 2015
Mahindra Racing opens Italy Development Centre; Ties up with Aspar Team; 9 bikes in Moto3

Mumbai, 2 Feb 2015: Mahindra Racing, India’s only constructor in World Championship motorcycle racing, reaffirmed on Monday, its commitment to the MotoGP series and predicted that it is set for a best-ever season in the Moto3 title race.

The announcements were made at a special event at Gateway House, the Mahindra Group’s historic former headquarters in Mumbai, where Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, welcomed Carmelo Ezpeleta (CEO of MotoGP rights-holder Dorna Sports) and Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez (CEO of the Aspar Team).

Asper is the new racing partner of Mahindra team.

Mahindra explained that Mahindra Racing, serves an important role within the Mahindra Group.

“We are still at a relatively early phase of our journey in motorsport, but the technological challenge and learning that we achieve through our racing programmes are of major importance to the whole Group. The international footprint and high-profile of MotoGP helps us build the Mahindra brand globally. We are also strengthening our technical skills with the opening of a new development centre in Italy. This becomes part of our neural network of innovation along with other R&D facilities in India, Korea and the US.”

SP Shukla, Chairman of Mahindra Racing and Mahindra Group President, Group Strategy, Defense Sector, and Chief Brand Officer, outlined a number of changes made by Mahindra Racing as it matures as a constructor in the ultra-competitive Moto3 class.

“The 2015 Moto3 grid will feature four teams and nine Mahindra MGP3O machines, one more than last season,” he explained. “However, the main change is that we shall not run our own team, instead we have bolstered our line-up of partner teams with the important addition of the Aspar Team. Jorge Martinez – known as Aspar – is a legend of the sport having achieved multiple World Championships as a rider first and then as a team owner. Working closely with Jorge’s team should help us to develop and deliver even better results in 2015,” said Shukla.

Under the new structure, the Aspar Team will concentrate on running the team and developing the riders, while Mahindra Racing will focus on developing a winning bike and better supporting its customer teams. To help with that process Mahindra Racing has recently opened a new European technical base at Besozzo near Varese in Northern Italy.

VIP visitor Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sport, was delighted to be in India and explained the importance of Mahindra’s MotoGP involvement to a growing Indian audience. “We have definitely seen a surge of interest in MotoGP from India since Mahindra joined the series in 2011. I have been very impressed by what I have seen so far from Mahindra. The Mahindra bike challenges at the front of Moto3 and many teams and riders have been interested in working with Mahindra. I think the changes put in place for 2015 should make Mahindra even more successful and that can only be good for MotoGP in India.

India is an economic powerhouse in the world economy and a very important growth market for the sport of MotoGP. I know that I am not alone among international sports rights holders looking for growth in India. However, I do feel the ingredients are all right for us: India has a huge two-wheeler market; in Mahindra we have an Indian constructor competing successfully in the sport; and we have a fantastic product – anyone who watches MotoGP with its mix of drama, excitement, speed and characters can very easily become hooked. We won’t just rely on those ingredients, however, and are working very hard on improving our TV distribution.

“We are also continuing to work on bringing a MotoGP race to India. And judging by what I have seen of the motorcycle riders on Mumbai’s roads today, I am sure there is also a future Indian World Champion out there somewhere!”

Joining the VIPs on stage was MotoGP Hall of Fame inductee Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, whose successful Aspar Team becomes Mahindra Racing’s partner team in the World Championship during the 2015 season. Martinez won four World Championships as a rider in the 1980s before founding his own team in 1992 and securing a further four World Championships as a team owner.

The highly-experienced Spaniard was full of praise for his new technical partner. “Straight after the end of last season we started testing with Mahindra and the whole team was immediately very pleased,” he explained. “The riders found a good feeling with the bike and were able to record some very good lap times almost immediately. The bike is quick, agile and reliable and we have quickly established a very good technical and personal relationship with the Mahindra engineering team.

“I have been involved in the MotoGP series for a long time, but I am feeling very enthused and excited by this new partnership and the season ahead. We have three talented young riders in the World Championship and some exciting new prospects in the Spanish Championship, and I am confident that, together with Mahindra, we’ll enjoy a lot of success on-track.”

It was left to Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia to sum up the prospects for Mahindra Racing in 2015: “We had one podium in 2013 and three last year, including a second place. Clearly we are looking to go one better this year. I believe that we have put together a package capable of winning races and regularly finishing on the podium. We have a great deal of young riding talent aboard Mahindra machinery in Moto3 and an extremely experienced addition to our line-up of teams in Team Aspar. It’s an exciting year and I am confident that our new structure and on-going hard work will pay dividends.”

eom/A Mahindra Racing press release

February 2, 2015
New Williams Mercedes FW37 unveiled ahead of Jerez test

2015 Williams FW37. A Williams Martini Racing image

Jerez (Spain), 1 Feb 2015: The new Williams Mercedes FW37 was unveiled today ahead of the first pre-season test in Jerez, Spain. The F1 grid will once again be adorned with the red and blue stripes that have grown to be so iconic in motorsport as WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING will be looking to build on their successful 2014 campaign where the team achieved nine podium finishes and finished third in the Constructors’ Championship.

The team showed strong development throughout last season and aim to continue this as the regulations show minimal changes for the new season ahead. There are however a few differences between the FW37 and its predecessor.

The new rules will see changes to the front nose box and bulkhead of the car, a move away from the rule that saw so many different variations of nose throughout the 2014 season.

Commenting on the new FW37, Team Principal and Founder, Sir Frank Williams, said: “After such a strong season in 2014 we are looking to continue the move back towards the front of the grid. The move from ninth to third was a tough challenge, but ultimately every step up from now on will be even harder. I am confident that we have the appropriate personnel and talent in this team to make those steps.

‘We have an experienced driver line-up, with both drivers finishing on the podium throughout last year and hungry for more success in 2015, new commercial partners to add to the continued support from our already impressive roster, and have a technical team that is amongst the best on the grid.

“I am looking forward to seeing the car in testing and assessing how other teams have fared over the winter in comparison to us. We should, once again, have a very exciting season ahead of us which will hopefully bring more success to Williams.”

Felipe Massa added: “The momentum we carry from last year has been very encouraging, the team has changed so much from 12 months ago and it is clear to see everyone is heading in a good direction. The development rate of the FW36 was one of the most exciting elements to the car, the team worked exceptionally hard throughout the year to make sure that we had a faster car at each race, and I look forward to a similarly impressive car this year. I am excited to be continuing to work with Valtteri, a driver with so much talent who has so much to offer both the team and me as his teammate.”

Valtteri Bottas: “Coming into a season after third position in the Constructors’ Championship carries the weight of a lot of expectation. Other teams and our fans are expecting a performance like last year, and all the personnel at Williams have been working tirelessly to make sure this is not only achievable but the benchmark for improvement. For much of last year we had the second fastest car, and this year we plan to take every opportunity to challenge at the front. After my first podium in 2014 I hope to continue developing as a driver as I aim for my first win. I look forward to working closely with Felipe again this year as we strengthen our relationship to extract the most from the car.”

Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal, concluded: “The team learnt and developed a lot in 2014 and this has made us a better team and well prepared for the challenges that face us as we head into a new season. We are all eager to see where we are in comparison to our rivals. We have worked hard over the past six months to get this car ready, but it is in no way the final product, we have a lot of work to do throughout the season as we push for constant improvements in performance. I am incredibly confident in the team around me and the line-up we have that 2015 can make it another successful and exciting year for Williams Martini Racing, and now can’t wait to get back on track.”

The launch marks the start of the 2015 season for Williams Martini Racing as a four-day test in Jerez gets underway before moving to Barcelona for a further eight days of testing. The season officially gets under way at the first race in Melbourne, Australia, on 15 March.

-ends-

February 1, 2015