Lorenzo Leads The Way as Final Pre-Season Test Begins at Jerez
Valentino Rossi’s first day in the official 2013 colors of the Factory team were similar to Lorenzo’s, the Italian working on his wet set up. Rossi was able to find a good pace but ended the session needing to reduce rear tire wear in the wet to last race distance at a fats pace.
Jorge Lorenzo, 1st; Best lap time 1'47.423 – 39 Laps
“We stayed on the track the whole day in the wet conditions and it was good to see how the bike performed. We improved a little bit but then the rear tire dropped so we have to calm the bike down a little bit in the acceleration. We are quite good in the wet here in Jerez. It’s the first time we are in these conditions so it’s important to understand what our levels. It’s important to be competitive in this situation. We proved when the track was drying up that we could keep the performance of the rear tire over distance, it doesn't matter how fast you are in one lap, if you can’t keep the level over the whole race you cannot win."
Dani Pedrosa 2nd 1'48.474
“Today was the first day of testing here in Jerez and we were able to try various things in the wet. We had some very productive laps, as the asphalt was very wet. Sometimes there isn't enough water on the track and the conditions aren't adequate. The feeling with the bike is very positive, because after so many days riding in the dry it was good to go out in the wet. Let's see if in the coming days we have more luck and can ride more in the dry, in order to try out the last few things before the season starts"
Marc Marquez 3rd 1'48.524
"Today was a very important day for us, because we tried out the bike in the wet. In Malaysia we only did four laps in the wet and it wasn't as wet as it was here. We've made steady improvement in these conditions. I was very rigid on the bike at the start, but improved and realized it is very important to be smooth. Also, I notice wet tires wear quite quickly at this track. This is something I have to learn how to manage, because they can catch you out. I also learnt that traction control in the wet is much more important than in the dry. We still have a lot to improve. We have a good fast lap, but need to improve on used tires and on our own consistency"
Day One Test Times:
1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory (YZR-M1) 1m 47.423s (Lap 24/39)
2. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1m 48.474s (23/30)
3. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1m 48.524s (29/38)
4. Andrea Iannone ITA Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 48.984s (27/27)
5. Michele Pirro ITA Ducati Test Rider (GP13) 1m 49.292s (39/48)
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Factory (YZR-M1) 1m 49.443s (25/36)
7. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 49.643s (20/20)
8. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 49.692s (10/19)
9. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 49.790s (27/33)
10. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP13) 1m 50.266s (21/22)
11. Ben Spies USA Pramac Racing (GP13) 1m 50.957s (18/18)
12. Yonny Hernandez COL Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT) 1m 51.269s (25/31)
13. Alvaro Bautista ESP Honda Gresini (RC213V) 2m 51.277s (27/31)
14. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB (ART CRT) 1m 51.333s (26/26)
15. Claudio Corti ITA Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 52.034s (31/35)
16. Bradley Smith GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 52.047s (14/14)
17. Danilo Petrucci ITA IodaRacing (Suter-BMW CRT)* 1m 52.180s (11/18)
18. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 52.291s (13/17)
19. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN Avintia (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 52.676s (50/56)
20. Colin Edwards USA Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 1m 53.992s (12/17)
21. Bryan Staring AUS Honda Gresini (FTR-Honda CRT) 1m 56.119s (31/37)
22. Lukas Pesek CZE IodaRacing (Suter-BMW CRT)* 1m 56.413s (17/17)
23. Michael Laverty GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM CRT)* 1m 56.931s (12/12)
* Control ECU.