Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi remains concerned with the pace of the Repsol Hondas after three days of MotoGP testing at Sepang after a race simulation showed both Marquez and Pedrosa still have an advantage.
Rossi set his best ever laptime at the Malysian circuit with a 1’59.401, which was half a second slower than Marquez’ incredible 1’58.867, but he said the Hondas still have a small advantage over a race distance.
“Today was a good day, we make a good job especially because we test everything, we decide what we have to use to continue development. I am very happy because 1’59.4 is my best ever lap at Sepang in all my career and I was already three-tenths faster than last year,” said The Doctor, speaking at Sepang.
“Compared to yesterday, we improve a lot the setting of the bike and also about the pace I am not so bad. We try a simulation but not at the 100 per cent of performance but we try some different parts of the bike - swingarm, mapping for acceleration and engine brake but anyway the first test is positive except for the speed of the Hondas. They are both faster than us with the fresh tyre and in the pace. Pedrosa did a better simulation, his was the best.
“Today was 15 degrees less temperature than the race and my pace was a second or 0.8s faster but we suffer a bit with the tyre. It is true from the first lap to the last I don’t go a lot more slow but we have to work. We are a little bit behind but not so bad.
“We modify the bike compared to yesterday and fix the chattering so I was a lot faster than yesterday. Is true that in the simulation, personally, we try something for understand in the long run that I don’t like a lot so maybe I can do a little better.”
