Britain’s Scott Redding is confident fast laptimes will come with consistent track temperatures at this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP test and says he will know quickly if his setup work at Sepang has been beneficial.
The 22-year-old Estrella Galicia Marc VDS rider made significant progress during the two earlier tests in Sepang. Losail is a track he likes and one at which he has gone well in both junior classes in the past, to unlock more of the secrets to a fast lap aboard the factory Honda RC213V.
“The track conditions were a limiting factor in Sepang, because they changed as the temperature rose throughout the day. It meant that it was difficult to judge progress from the lap time, because the track conditions were actually the biggest variable, not the set up or my riding style,” said the Quedgeley man.
“In Qatar the situation will be different, with fairly consistent track conditions across the day – or night, as we’ll be testing under floodlights – so the lap time will show clearly whether changes to set up or my riding style have had a positive or negative effect.
“Qatar is a very different track to Sepang, so we know we’ll have to make some changes to the set up, which gives Chris Pike, my Chief Mechanic, the chance to learn a bit more about the bike.
“From my side I still need to work a bit on my riding style if I’m going to get the most from the bike. I’m looking forward to the test and I’m not too concerned about lap times, as I’m confident that they will come.”
