Stefan Bradl has high hopes for the upcoming season after making a bright start to his 2015 campaign with Forward Racing at Sepang. The German was eighth fastest at the end of the week and admitted that the result had far exceeded his expectations before arriving in Malaysia. With a second test in Kuala Lumpur taking place in two weeks’ time, Bradl is excited to discover what he and the team are capable of.
“We can be really pleased of the work done here in Sepang. Every day I improved my lap time and I ended up in the Top 10, very close of the fastest guys. This is a great result considering the few laps I had under the belt with the Forward Yamaha bike. I adapted well to the bike and I acquired the right confidence to start pushing a bit more. The overall feeling is positive and in the second scheduled test I will continue to work on the setting and electronics to decrease my lap time. The potential of the Forward Yamaha bike is really good, I can’t wait to get back on track for the second round of test.”
Teammate Loris Baz had his fair share of issues at the start of the week but the French rookie was pleased with his rate of progress and is already setting ambitious targets for the second test.
“This one in Sepang was my first real test. Last year in Valencia and Jerez I had a first approach to the Forward Yamaha bike, but it is only here that I really started to understand it. At the start of this three-day test the feeling was not optimal and I was not happy of my riding position, but we worked hard to find solutions. Overall I was able to improve by more than two seconds from the first day and this is an important starting point for the next test. I had to slightly change my riding style because being heavier and taller than the other riders puts a lot more weight on the back, but now I am satisfied with the results. We must find the right balance and setting to push harder and to be able to close the gap with fastest Open bikes. I´m really looking forward to get back on the track in two weeks.”
