As expected, the first day of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit was marked by unpredictable weather, but the first two free-practice sessions saw the MotoGP riders lapping in dry conditions.
Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso were both pleased to finish the day in the top ten in the combined times, as they know that should rain strike tomorrow morning’s session, today’s times could well determine who transfers directly into Q2. Nonetheless, both Ducati Team riders hope to reduce their gaps to the leaders.
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 8th (2:02.373)
“Things went pretty well this morning, but we fell further behind as the day went on. The biggest problem is that I have a lot of chatter, especially from the front and in the fast corners, which makes it very difficult to carry corner speed. That’s a normal problem we had here during testing, so it’s not something we didn’t expect, but we need to try to do something to improve it.”
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th (2:02.487)
“It was important to make it into the top ten, and it’s good that I managed it while doing an entire session with one tyre, unlike most of the others. The gap to the front is bigger, but that’s normal; there isn’t much grip here and the tyre wears a lot, which hurts us a bit more. The Sepang track is very particular. When it dries, even if there are some wet patches, you can set good times, like Pedrosa did. Sure, the tyres don’t work so well and they wear a bit more, but you can still go fast.”
