MotoGP

Rossi only “half happy” with Sepang Test Results

1 Mins read
Valentino Rossi not completely satisfied with Sepang Test Results
Valentino Rossi wasn't completely satisfied with his Sepang Test (Credit: Monster Energy Yamaha)

Valentino Rossi says he is only “half happy” with his results at the three-day Sepang Test, despite finding some  improvements with his 2019 Yamaha M1 machine.

The Italian ended the third and final day of the test in 10th spot, spending the majority of the day working on the stability in braking and the smoothness of the acceleration.

The 39-year-old’s fastest lap-time (a 1:59.155 on lap nine) was almost half-a-second quicker than his best time from day two, however the overall pace of the field also improved. Six riders would end the day underneath the existing circuit record.

In the closing stages of the session Rossi would try to climb up the timing sheets, but the nine-time champion was unable to make any progress.

Speaking about the Sepang test, Rossi admitted that the team still have plenty of work to do:

“I’m half happy because some things worked well and we improved our performance, other things from which we expected a lot unfortunately didn’t bring us what we need. So, for me, it’s good, because it’s the first test and we improved some things, but we have a lot of work to do.

“The gap is quite big, so we need time. I’m happy about the atmosphere and especially about the ideas inside the garage, it looks like Yamaha are very much concentrated on improving, so this is important.”

Yamaha’s engineers will now assess the data from the Sepang test, ahead of the final pre-season test at Qatar towards the end of the month (February 23-25).

This will be the final opportunity for Rossi to test his 2019 machine before the season opener, at the same circuit, on March 10.

Avatar photo
590 posts

About author
Josh is a Sports Journalism graduate and has been a member of the TCF team since 2015. Between 2015 and 2018, Josh focused primarily on British Superbikes and Road Racing events such as the Isle of Man TT. At the beginning of the 2019 season he became the MotoGP Reporter.
Articles
Related posts
MotoGPNASCAR Cup Series

Trackhouse Racing Team entering MotoGP in 2024

1 Mins read
NASCAR Cup Series team Trackhouse Racing will become a MotoGP team in 2024 as they partner with Aprilia to field bikes for Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez.
DakarMotoGP

Marc Marquez shoots down running Dakar Rally on bike

3 Mins read
As much as MotoGP great Marc Márquez likes the Dakar Rally, he has no interest in racing it on a bike. While it has its own challenges, he did not necessarily rule out a run on four wheels.
MotoGPSportscars

MotoGP star Rossi announced as BMW M Motorsports driver for 2023

2 Mins read
BMW M Motorsport has announced the MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi as a works driver for 2023