MotoGP

Lorenzo Cuts Short Race Run In Sepang Heat

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Jorge Lorenzo admits he was forced to cut short his race simulation after conditions proved too tough for both rider and machine at Sepang yesterday. The Spaniard described the heats as the toughest he’d ever ridden in but feels Yamaha did collect enough important data before calling it a day.

“Well today I got the best lap time in Sepang ever for me, two tenths faster than the first test. The track was in worse condition than before so the bike has improved quite a bit. Also we made a lot of laps in the 2’00 time. At 3:30pm we tried a race simulation in the highest temperature I’ve ever ridden here in Sepang; it was really difficult to keep a good lap time and pace, the bike felt not so good with so much temperature. I decided to stop as I wasn’t feeling confident in braking. Everyone did a simulation at this time of day so I think they all had problems also. In general I think it’s been a very positive test and our engineers have collected enough information and data to make further improvements for the next test in Qatar and especially for the first race of the season, at the end of March. I look forward to getting on board my M1 in two weeks while in the meantime I will keep on working and training hard, as usual, for the best possible start of the season.”

Lorenzo was second quickest behind Marc Marquez with teammate Valentino Rossi in fifth and the Italian is now eagerly anticipating the final pre-season test in Qatar next month to assess where Yamaha sit in the competitive order.

“At the end it has been a positive test. I’m not very happy about my position and my lap time as I wasn’t able to make a good lap, I always had traffic and didn’t have the right moment to push. I think I could have been faster and in the top three. We continued to work with the gearbox and settings and we worked with the used tyres, where we still have to improve with the new bike. Now it will be very interesting to understand our level in another track as the balance between manufacturers can change there. I’m very curious about Qatar and how competitive we are for the first race.”

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