The MotoGP field partook in a one-day test today, only 24 hours after the Brno round of the championship. The FIAT Yamaha team used the opportunity to test a variety of new features. Race winner Jorge Lorenzo continued his relentless pace to top the timesheets, over half a second ahead of second placed man Casey Stoner, as evaluated Yamaha’s new engine upgrade and also a new suspension set for his YZR-M1. The championship leader also took to the track for a few laps on the 2011 prototype YZR-M1, also being tested by Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Ben Spies.
Speaking after the test, Lorenzo was in an upbeat mood, “This was an important and interesting test for us, both for the rest of the season and looking towards next year. We had a lot to do but unfortunately the rain forced us to stop early. As well as the 'new’ prototype machine for next year we also tried an engine upgrade and a new Ohlins suspension, but it’s too early to know if they will be better for our M1, which is already very competitive. We got quite a lot of information though so hopefully it will help the engineers to improve things even more.”
Fellow FIAT Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi was not allowed to test any of next year’s bike, due to his move to Ducati. However, the Italian used the test in an attempt to figure out his distinct lack of pace in yesterday’s race. After fiddling with various settings, Rossi moved to 4th on the timesheets, and also had a chance to test the new engine upgrade.
After the test, it was evident that Rossi was in a better mood compared to 24 hours ago, “I’m happier today because we worked hard to understand what happened during yesterday’s race and at the end we have a clearer picture. We worked a lot on the setting and we found out some things, which we hope will be useful over the rest of the season and help us to have some more good races. I tried a new engine for the 2010 bike and it’s not so different but there are some small things about it which I think can help; I hope we can use it soon.”
