Alvaro Bautista was delighted after finishing a strong week for Go & Fun Honda Gresini with the fifth fastest time on Thursday at Sepang. The Spaniard was just a tenth of a second shy of the two factory Yamahas and is adamant he has a motorcycle to challenge nearer the front this year based on pre-season so far.
“I am delighted. Things couldn’t have gone much better than they did today. This has been an extremely useful and positive test for us. Now we know we have the tools to fight at the front but more importantly we have gained an understanding of the changes we need to make in order to make swift improvements to the set-up. My feeling with the bike was really good today. There were already some positive signs yesterday and we were able to confirm them today. I can’t wait to get back on track because I am having a lot of fun with this bike at the moment.”
Teammate Bryan Staring continued his programme with the team’s CRT FTR-Honda machine and despite ending as the slowest rider in the field, left Malaysia in high spirits.
“It has been another important test for me. I feel more confident on the bike and I have learnt a lot about how to ride it and understand it, as well as getting a feeling for how the team works. They have been a great help to me and I am sure that in future we will be able to take bigger steps. I am going home feeling satisfied and looking forward to my future in MotoGP.”
