The Monster Yamaha Tech3 duo concluded a productive day of testing today at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Apart from trying the tyre allocation Michelin brought to Catalunya in order to meet the requirements of the new asphalted track, Johann Zarco was working on his basic setting for the race weekend in Montmeló, which will take place in three weeks’ time. Yet, the fast Frenchman was the best independent rider and set the second fastest time of the day, just 0.277 seconds behind the top.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Hafizh Syahrin did his first laps with the Yamaha YZR-M1 at the 4.627-kilometer layout. Like his teammate, the MotoGP rookie tested the new tyres, but was also experimenting with a new front fairing, whereby he delivered a fastest lap of 1’40.435 minutes to complete the one-day test in 16th position, missing out on the top 10 by only 0.274 seconds.
Johann Zarco
Position: 2nd – Time: 1’39.251 – Laps: 84
“I’m pretty happy to have these two last corners back, because for the motorcycles it feels a lot better. Plus, the new surface was really good. Today we put a lot of rubber on it, because many riders did many laps and you could feel that the track got better and better each time. Even with the hot temperature, the feeling was good. They worked well and we also did some great work with the team, trying to prepare ourselves for the Catalunya Grand Prix and at the same time we could collect some useful information to prepare Mugello. We mainly had to test tyres, to give information to Michelin in order to find out, which allocation we can use for the race here and for us, there was nothing too special on the bike, we just tried to find the best balance to enjoy riding.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 16th – Time: 1’40.435 – Laps: 68
“Compared to last year, the new asphalt is a huge step and I’m really happy with it. I was here for the first time on the GP bike and I already have a lot of confidence. We tried some settings on the bike, I tried to improve on my riding again and we made a step forward, with regards to the next race as well. We have a good pace, especially to come back here in three weeks for the race and I feel ready for the next round, too. The day was truly good, apart from a small crash in the afternoon, which didn’t have any consequences. I was quite quick in gaining back my confidence after this and can’t wait for Mugello now.”
