INDIA in F1

Tag: Jorge Lorenzo

  • Jorge Lorenzo sets fastest two-wheeled circuit lap at Sepang: MotoGP first test ends

    Jorge Lorenzo sets fastest two-wheeled circuit lap at Sepang: MotoGP first test ends

    Jorge Lorenzo of Ducati tops on the third day of the first MotoGP Test at Sepang on Tuesday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan

    MotoGP riders complete first preseason session feeling optimistic about the year ahead
    The Ducati GP18 has made a sensational start to the MotoGP preseason with Jorge Lorenzo guiding it to the fastest ever two-wheeled lap of Sepang today in a time of 1’58.830. The Spaniard moved ahead of early pacesetter Dani Pedrosa, who was fastest on the opening day but second fastest today, with Cal Crutchlow, Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller completing the top five as four manufacturers featured within the top ten. Testing for the premier class continues from 16-18 February at the Buriram circuit in Thailand, which will host a round of the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in October this year, according to a Angel Nieto Team MotoGP release.
    The Repsol Honda Team adds that it concluded a positive first test of 2018 in Malaysia, with Dani Pedrosa second-fastest with a best lap time of 1’59.009” and reigning World Champion Marc Marquez just over 3 tenths of a second behind him in seventh place, with a best lap of 1’59.382”.
    Third Day’s Report:

    Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) decimated the competition on the third and final day of the #SepangTest, setting the fastest ever lap around the Malaysian venue with a 1:58.830. His closest challenger was Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa – the fastest man on Day 1 of the test – who was just over a tenth and a half behind his compatriot. The number 26 is also the holder of the pole lap record. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took P3, only half a tenth behind the RC213V of Pedrosa ahead of him.

    It was a day without the rain that had affected Sunday and Monday’s action, and Lorenzo put in 48 laps overall, topping the timesheets on Lap 21. The Spaniard had also crashed earlier, but then went out and set his best effort. The 1:58.830 lap will not count as the official record due it having been set outside a race weekend, but it is the quickest recorded lap on two wheels. The previous best belonged to Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and was set during testing in 2015. Lorenzo said there were marked improvements in the GP18 when compared to last year’s machine.

    Pedrosa did 58 laps and similarly set his quickest lap early, on Lap 9. Only 0.009 away from breaking into the 1:58 bracket, the ‘Little Samurai’ was the quickest Honda of the test. He was working with one bike in the garage sporting Honda’s new aero fairing and one without, whereas teammate Marc Marquez opted to go aero-fairing free on Day 3, saying the innovation needs bigger setup changes to be evaluated. The reigning Champion ended the third day in seventh and got through a long workload of 75 laps; his best a 1:59.382 after opting to forego a timeattack lap.

    Behind Crutchlow in third – the Brit another who did a lot of laps, completing 65 – was the second Ducati Team rider of Andrea Dovizioso. ‘DesmoDovi’, like teammate Lorenzo, took a tumble but escaped unscathed. The Italian ended the day just over a tenth off the top three, and completed 51 laps. Just behind him was another impressive performance for another Borgo Panigale machine; that of Alma Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller. Switching from Honda, the Australian proved his adaptation once again with a 1:59.346 as his best after 36 laps – completing the top five despite proving the first crasher of the day.

    Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was the rider who broke the Ducati and Honda stranglehold on the timesheets first, going sixth quickest but only 0.002 off Miller and the top five. Rins, who struggled with injury in 2017, has had a rapid start to his sophomore season and put in another half century of laps at Sepang. Teammate Andrea Iannone, after suffering a number of technical issues in testing so far, was twelfth fastest but managed an increased 62 laps for the Hamamatsu factory as they aim to reset after a more difficult 2017.

    The top Yamaha was nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, with the ‘Doctor’ slotting into eighth and one of the late improvers. A 1:59.449 on Lap 52 of 54 saw him just pip Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Johann Zarco in the last few minutes of track action, after the number 46 had been second fastest on Day 2. Teammate Maverick Viñales – fastest on Monday – was P18 on the third and final day, but is within the top six overall with his previous best. Both Yamaha riders had their new aero-packages on track, and Independent Team rider Zarco also tried the fairing on Tuesday.

    Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) made it both Pramac machines in the top ten on Day 3 as he ended Tuesday 0.017 seconds off Zarco. ‘Petrux’ was also the fourth Independent Team rider within that quickest ten, and just pipped fellow Independent Ducati rider Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) to the honour. Rabat was a crasher on Day 3, but was unhurt. He did 35 laps and was just 0.019 off Petrucci in an incredibly tight midfield on the timesheets. The next quickest Independent Team Ducati was Angel Nieto Team’s Alvaro Bautista, who was P15.

    Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) led the charge for the Noale factory in P13, and put in his quickest lap on his final exit – the last rider in the 1:59s on Day 3. One of Aprilia’s key focuses has been increasing their horsepower and reconfirming their work over the winter with Espargaro and Scott Redding. Redding continued his adaptation with another 56 laps in the bank.

    Meanwhile, at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, it was test rider Mika Kallio leading the way on the timesheets for the Austrian factory. They debuted a new aero package, and Kallio did a best of 2:00.464. Bradley Smith did a 2:00.969, with Pol Espargaro sitting Tuesday out following his big crash on Monday. The Spaniard has no fractures but the crash, at Turn 4, was a fast one.

    Of the four rookies, it was Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) who was the quickest once again on Day 3. The Japanese rider was fourteenth quickest overall with a 2:00.71, tantalisingly close to the 1:59 bracket. Reigning Moto2™ Champion Franco Morbidelli was around half a second off that and second fastest of the new riders in the field – but the number 21 was 0.021 ahead of Viñales for an impressive scalp. Xavier Simeon (Reale Avintia Racing) was a further three tenths back, with Tom Lüthi (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) the final rookie on the timesheets. It is, however, the Swiss rider’s first test on his new machine, having been sidelined for Valencia due to injury. He crashed at Turn 4 in a slow incident, but picked the bike up and continued.

    That’s a wrap on the first action of the year, but MotoGP™ will be back before you know it – getting a first taste of Buriram in Thailand ahead of the 2018 debut of the Thailand GP. The test there begins on the 16th February.

    Sepang Day 3

    Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Time/Gap
    1 LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Ducati Team 1:58.830
    2 PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.179
    3 CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda 0.222
    4 DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team 0.339
    5 MILLER Jack 43 AUS Alma Pramac Racing 0.516
    6 RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.518
    7 MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 0.552
    8 ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 0.619
    9 ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 0.681
    10 PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Alma Pramac Racing 0.698
    11 RABAT Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing 0.717
    12 IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 0.785
    13 ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1.132
    14 NAKAGAMI Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda 1.241
    15 BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Angel Nieto Team 1.375
    16 KALLIO Mika 36 FIN KTM Test Team 1.634
    17 MORBIDELLI Franco 21 ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1.696
    18 VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1.717
    19 ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Angel Nieto Team 1.744
    20 SIMEON Xavier 10 BEL Reale Avintia Racing 1.954
    21 REDDING Scott 45 GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

     
  • Dovi second in the MotoGP official test Day 1; Lorenzo third

    Dovi second in the MotoGP official test Day 1; Lorenzo third

    Dovi on Sunday. A Ducati image
    Day 1 of official MotoGP testing concludes at Sepang with Dovizioso second and Lorenzo third on their Desmosedici GP18 bikes
    The first day of official testing at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, taking place from today until 30 January, concluded a couple of hours ago.

    The track conditions, which were damp due to the rain that fell overnight until the early afternoon, significantly reduced the useful track time for the MotoGP riders.

    Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo were in any case able to get the best out of the afternoon to carry out back-to-back tests between the 2018 and 2017 versions of the Desmosedici GP.

    Towards the end of the session both factory Ducati riders fitted a soft rear tyre on their GP18 machines to set their quickest times.

    Andrea Dovizioso ended the day in second place with a best lap of 1’59.770 while Jorge Lorenzo was right behind in third with a time of 1’59.802.

    Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’59.770 (35 laps)
    “I’m very satisfied with the first day of testing and the feeling with the Desmosedici GP18: the new bike gives me some good sensations, especially when I come off the brakes and turn it into the corner. It’s still too early to give a definitive opinion, but I’m happy with how we have begun this test. Let’s hope that the weather in the next couple of days allows us to carry out the work schedule and the back-to-back tests we have planned.”

    Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’59.802 (38 laps)
    “The feeling with the new bike was good right from the start and the first test of 2018 began positively. The GP18 is much closer to my riding style and it turns better on the gas in mid-corner. We set a really great time on what is the first day of testing on a particular circuit like Sepang, and to see four Ducatis in the top 5 is another positive sign for sure. I have the feeling we are on the right path, even though of course we still have to improve several aspects.”

    eom
  • Repsol Honda Team’s 2018 season starts with first official test at Sepang

    Repsol Honda Team’s 2018 season starts with first official test at Sepang

    Marquez (left) and Lorenzo before the first test at Sepang 27jan2018 Image by Repsol Honda

    The MotoGP winter testing season officially kicks off tomorrow at the Sepang International Circuit, with the first three-day session of the year, 28-30 January.

    The Malaysian track is a tradition for MotoGP’s annual opening of business, but this year Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, and their MotoGP colleagues will also have the chance to ride at a new entry on the 2018 calendar, Buriram Circuit, in Thailand, which will host a 16-18 February test and, in October, round 15 of the Championship.

    Following the Thai test, the Repsol Honda Team will move to Indonesia for the team’s official unveiling on 20 February.

    The final stint of winter testing will be held at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit on 1-3 March before the season starts at the same track on 18 March.

    Marc Marquez said: After two months away from the circuits, I’m eager to ride my bike again. I’ve been working hard during the winter period to arrive at the Sepang Test at 100%, and I’ve also been thinking about what we can do to improve our performance from last year. We’re ready to make every effort and to work hard to have the chance to fight for the title again. We have to try to be as quick as last year but to crash less! Every season is a new story, no matter if you’ve won four, two, or zero World Championships—every rider starts on 0 points.”

    Dani Pedrosa said: “We’re looking forward to this new season with high expectations. At the beginning, everything is always a bit hectic, as we’re involved in presentations, photo sessions, and commitments with our sponsors—all while also carrying out intense training on and off the bike to prepare as well as possible, both physically and mentally. Now I’m excited and eager to get on my bike again in Sepang. We know that Honda has worked hard during the winter to improve the machine, and we’ll give our best to take full advantage of the winter testing season in order to be ready for the beginning of the Championship.”

    eom/Posted by Sumitra MB

  • MotoGP stars play badminton against Olympians before Malaysian GP

    Pre-Event pitches MotoGP against Olympians as a game of badminton fires up the engines for the Malaysian GP

    Ahead of the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, points leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo faced a different kind of rivalry – on the badminton court. Teamed up with Olympic Silver Medalists Yap Kim Hock and Rashid Sidek at the Velodrom National Malaysia in Nilai, the two went head to head to see who would win the first competition of the weekend.

    “It’s quite difficult to play,” smiled Marquez, who went into the event as a rookie. “It was the first time I’ve played and it’s hard to understand the speed of the shuttlecock. I was sweating a little bit!”

    Marquez was up to speed fairly quickly, however, and was able to pull out a lead – with Lorenzo playing through the pain barrier after his crash at Phillip Island.

    “I tried but I knew it would be difficult,” said the Ducati rider, who suffered a big crash in practice for the Australian GP. “I still have some pain in my shoulder and ankle so it wasn’t easy, but we had fun with Marc and the professional players. It was a good experience…similar to tennis but a bit different!”

    After the first few games, MotoGP™ Legend Mick Doohan made a wildcard appearance near the end as he tagged in to replace the Majorcan. “It’s not easy,” explained the Australian in the aftermath. “Initially, I thought it was going to be and the first few hits were ok…but then I lost the game! But it was a fun little event and I’ve never tried it before, so it was fun.”

    Marquez was similarly happy to have taken part, and on the eve of the first race weekend on the calendar at which he could take the title, says it can be useful to switch off from the world of two wheels for a while: “It’s good to have this kind of event. It helps you to forget about motorbikes a little bit and forget about the race weekend!”

    But not forget about competition, and it was the number 93 who took the win – something he’ll be looking to repeat this weekend as the title fight hits boiling point at Sepang International Circuit.

    Lorenzo is looking forward to getting back on track, with the venue more suited to the Ducati. “It’s a very different track,” explains the Majorcan. “Hard braking and slow corners, unlike Phillip Island. It’s much wider as a track…it should be better for our bike. Phillip Island was a difficult weekend so we just hope to have a better race.”

    Marquez’ mentality remains the same ahead of the weekend despite the opportunity he has to take the title, with the focus on pushing and staying calm under pressure.

    “We will try to give 100%, focus and have a similar mentality as in other races,” affirms the reigning Champion. “Now we have a good advantage we need to be calm and finish the race. From Friday my mentality is the same – start pushing 100% and check how our level is on Sunday.”

    That Sunday sees lights out at 15:00 local time (GMT +8).

    eom/MotoGP press release