Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales ended the third and final day of MotoGP testing in Buriram, Thailand, securing 10th and 12th place respectively in today’s rankings.
Using his time from yesterday as a benchmark, Rossi had a clear target whilst completing his testing schedule. He tried some tyre specs, evaluated various settings and worked on the electronics, so by the end of the day his pace was noticeably quicker on the final run.
The Italian completed 70 laps in total and wrapped up the third day of testing in tenth place, posting a best time of 1’30.511s on lap 69, 0.730s off the front. This result put him in 12th position in the combined timesheets.
Viñales started the session again as soon as the green light at the end of pit lane went on. He was eager to try out the new setting he found yesterday, as well as making some final decisions on the engine and the chassis. However, he was unable to find the same feeling he had the day before.
Though he was unable to beat his time from yesterday, the Spaniard went the extra mile to provide feedback, completing 69 laps in total. His best effort, a 1’30.590s set on lap 66, put him in 12th place in today’s testing results, 0.809s from the top. His best Day-2 time, a 1’30.274s, earned him eighth place in the combined Day 1-2-3 standings.
Valentino Rossi
Position: 10th – Time: 1’30.511 – Laps: 70
“I think that we improved today. I rode a 1’30.5s, but unfortunately I made a mistake at the end of a really good lap, else I could have done a 1’30.2s, and we’re all very close. Like last year, it’s difficult to understand where we stand. A lot of people were strong in Malaysia and here they struggled, and also the opposite. We have to improve, because we didn’t make much progress compared to last year, especially when it comes to the electronics. We have a lot of work to do and at this moment we have to get through it – but that’s today, maybe in Qatar it will be better.”
Maverick Viñales
Position: 12th – Time: 1’30.590 – Laps: 69
“It’s been a difficult test, like it was in Malaysia. We are working hard trying to figure out what the problem is – right now mostly on braking, but we have to improve in all areas. We have to continue working, trying to find out how to improve. The race days are coming up fast and we only have the three days in Qatar left. I will keep working and I will be 100% ready, and when the bike is ready I will push.”
Massimo Meregalli
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director
“Instead of focusing on the time attack, we rode many laps with used tyres and tried to make them run properly. We tried many solutions, some were good, some didn’t work. At the end, we came a few hours short, because we wanted to do a hot lap, but couldn’t fit that in anymore. However, we still got a lot of things done here. It was fundamental for us to decide on the engine and chassis at this test, and the package has been confirmed. Now we will need to keep working on the electronics, because there’s still room for improvement there. In Qatar we have three more days of testing and we’ll put in a lot of effort, and work as much as we can to solve it.”
Zarco and Syahrin Leave Thailand with Excellent Impressions
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 pair concluded the Buriram test in outstanding fashion today, as Johann Zarco topped the time sheets for the majority of the day, while Hafizh Syahrin showed a sensational achievement during his first ever MotoGP test.
Johann Zarco performed in incredible form, smashed the lap record around midday with a best time of 1’29.867 and finished the three days at the Chang International Circuit as the fastest Yamaha rider. In progressing run by run, Hafizh Syahrin was able to conclude his first premier class experience just 1.756 seconds off the top and even outperformed multiple World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.
In just one week the MotoGP World Championship is back on track for the final pre-season test in Qatar. Therefore, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team aims to announce their second permanent rider for the 2018 season in the coming days.
Johann Zarco
Position: 2nd – Time: 1’29.867 – Laps: 47
“We had a really great third day, good tyres to use and it was planned to try to do a better lap time today, so we fully achieved our goals. I stopped early today, because we did a lot of work and have enough information on this new track. I’m happy, that I was able to control the bike better and better with each lap and I have truly an amazing feeling. I understand the tyres, found out what happens, when we undertake changes on the bike. Everything is good, I’m satisfied and sure we can prepare the first race in October here well, even if we will have different tyres. Compared to Malaysia I finished the test here in Thailand with a very high pace, which is a fantastic sign for Qatar.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 21st – Time: 1’31.537 – Laps: 47
“I’m very pleased about the last day. We stopped at lunch time, because we did work really hard and I still have to get used to the demands of a MotoGP machine, as it was the first time for me here. I improved every day and with each run I did. In the last session, we made a huge step forward and this was my target, because yesterday it was not bad, but I was sure, that I can do even more. Overall, I’m very happy and I hope I can see the team again soon. We already had a good feeling with the bike! I want to thank the entire Monster Yamaha Tech3 team for all the information they gave me and also Johann, who helped me a lot to improve. Of course, I also want to thank Herve, Yamaha, Monster and everybody involved for this opportunity and I really hope we can continue this amazing adventure.”
