Andrea Dovizioso - Photo Credit: MotoGP.com
Andrea Dovizioso set the fastest time at the post-race Catalunya but it was a mixed day for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 with Cal Crutchlow crashing heavily. Dovizioso picked up where he left off on Sunday where he took his first podium of the season and put in a 1:41.997 to outpace Ben Spies.
The Italian was running a new electronics package and also tried out an upgraded specification engine later in the day. He thought the initial signs were good from the updates and is excited to see how the bike will fare next time out at Silverstone.
“Today was very positive and despite missing a bit of time while the track dried this morning, we were able to work through our schedule. Finishing fastest means we have shown once again our potential and I am now starting to feel really confident and comfortable with the YZR-M1. Yamaha gave us a new engine to try and I was able to give my impressions of it and help with some comments for future development. The most positive point of the day was the electronics package. It doesn’t help for a single lap but it makes the life of the tyre significantly better and that is really important for us. We made another step forward with the set-up of the bike compared to the race and now I am looking forward to the Aragon test. This track has not been the best for me so I am curious to check my level on the Yamaha there. I am looking forward to confirming the results of the race and the test here in Catalunya.”
Crutchlow's day got off to the worst possible start when he lost control on a damp patch approaching turn four. Fortunately the Briton was uninjured despite the high-speed nature of the crash and he returned to the track in the afternoon. Crutchlow eventually set a time good enough for seventh and is now looking forward to getting a better understanding of the team's updates at Aragon later this week.
“Today certainly could have got off to a better start and the crash made it quite tough. We had a lot of work to do but I crashed on only my second lap. It was my fault because we knew there was likely to be some water under the bridge at Turn 4 after the overnight rain. The problem is you can’t see the wet patch and as soon as I touched the brakes I crashed. It was a very fast crash and I’ve lost some skin on my right leg and back. Luckily though I am fine and I was able to go back out and build up my confidence again. Losing one bike made it difficult because it meant we had to put all the new parts we had on one bike, so I wasn’t sure exactly where the improvements were. If we had two bikes it would have made it easier to understand specifically what felt better. But I was able to work a lot on used tyres and my pace at the end of the day was pleasing. I wasn’t going to push too hard and risk another crash so I’m sure I could be higher than seventh. Now I’m looking forward to Aragon where hopefully I can get a better understanding for the new parts Yamaha delivered here.”
