Rossi Continues Form as Storm Disrupts First Day of Second Sepang Test

Rossi on form

After two weeks of analyzing data, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have returned to the Sepang International Circuit for the start of the second official three-day pre-season test. Despite the difficult track and weather conditions the teammates were able to finish today’s session in first and fifth respectively.

Rossi was up for the challenge of repeating his strong ride of two weeks ago. He needed little time to get back into the swing of things and was quick to take over the top spot from his teammate at the start of the eight-hour long session. As the temperature started rising the pace of the field picked up, but the Doctor was quick to respond and cruised back to the top the leader board with an impressive 2’00.414s lap, which kept him sitting on top for the rest of the session.

Teammate Lorenzo had a more challenging start to the second Sepang test. Though he briefly topped the leaderboard with a 2’02.099s lap, he struggled to find the good setup for the slippery asphalt. The Spaniard was pleased with his YZR-M1’s gearbox update and made the most of the available testing time by putting in a total of 51 laps. During his multiple stints he worked on improving the setting and set a best time of 2’01.162s, putting him in fifth place just +0.748s behind Rossi.

Both riders took a break in the afternoon until the worst of the heat passed before returning to the track, but the dry track conditions weren’t to last. Rain flags signaling an approaching thunderstorm were raised and soon the fickle Malaysian weather struck the Sepang circuit.

Not wanting to let the last precious hour of testing time go to waste, Rossi and Lorenzo decided to brave the pouring rain to test their wet setup until, with 30 minutes remaining, the red lights came on, ending the session.

The change in weather meant Rossi and Lorenzo were unable to improve their times and they finished in first and fifth place respectively.

Top-10 Test Results – Day One
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:00.414
2. Dani Pedrosa (SPA), Repsol Honda Team, 2:00.543
3. Pol Espargaro (SPA), Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:00.876
4. Aleix Espargaro (SPA), Team Suzuki MotoGP, 2:01.055
5. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA), Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 2:01.162
6. Marc Marquez (SPA), Repsol Honda Team, 2:01.190
7. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), CWM LCR Honda, 2:01.222
8. Bradley Smith (GBR), Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 2:01.241
9. Maverick Vinales (SPA), Team Suzuki MotoGP, 2:01.317
10. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati Team, 2:01.355