“I’m really happy and honored to have the possibility to have Hafizh Syahrin with us for the test in Buriram," adds Team Principal Herve Poncharal. "As everybody knows, since Jonas Folger decided that he couldn’t race in 2018, we’ve been looking for who could be the right replacement rider. Following the Sepang test, we had many meetings and it has been decided that Hafizh Syahrin would be a very good choice for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team. Right now, it is only three days, but I am more than convinced that Hafizh is going to show us what he can do. He is young, only 23 years old, has already done some podiums in the Moto2 class, which is not
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Comparing Sepang: what changed in 2018
The GP17, however, was a positive change for two riders, both of whom switch manufacturer: Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) and Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing). Rabat made the biggest leap as he gets acclimatized to life on a Ducati, a stunning 2 and a half seconds quicker in the Sepang test this year. And Miller’s impressive performance since switching to Ducati continued, with the Australian making a gain of a full second. Scott Redding, however, moving to Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, lost out slightly – but teammate Aleix Espargaro, now in his second year on Noale factory machinery, gained two tenths. Source link
Smith: “I think we’ve done a good job for the engineers”
“Day 1 and Day 2 seemed to go very well,” begins the Brit. “Unfortunately with my teammate getting injured it meant I had to do all the work on Tuesday so it was a very busy day. So I had to sacrifice going for a laptime a little bit, and work more for the project. But I’m pleased with the first three days, we learned a lot and I got up to speed quickly, which made me happy. Tuesday was one of those tricky days where the track conditions weren’t quite as good, but I think in general we managed to get through most of the test program and we’ve done a good job for the engineers.” Source link
Throwback…Monday! Rossi sports 1996 replica lid at Sepang
Way back when, there was a young rider from Tavullia just starting his career. Getting ready to take on the world, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) would go on to fight that fight and win it nine times…so far, at least. But even back then, the Italian had some distinctive signs of the personality he would become – including the sun and moon logos he still wears today. They were the basis of his 1996 helmet, and the ‘Doctor’ went back to basics at testing on Monday as he showed off an updated version of that very same lid. Source link
2018 Team Presentation: Team Suzuki Ecstar
Shinichi Sahara, the Hamamatsu factory’s Project Leader, echoes that positivity. “Last season was not the best for Suzuki interests because of different circumstances, even though we were able to finish the year with some good results in the Top 5,” says Sahara-san. “We struggled in some areas last season, especially with the engine, but we worked really hard to overcome this issue and finally with some new adjustments we were able to concentrate on other matters, such as the chassis, to find out how to improve. It was not easy considering we were blocked by the engine regulations. Fortunately, this season is about to start and we can have a different package and we think that we will be more
Valentino Rossi claims 2017 MotoGP™ Fan World Championship
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) has added another title to his CV, with the Italian proclaimed Champion in the 2017 MotoGP™ Fan World Championship. Taken to the crown by American fan Derek Wisner, from California, the rider from Tavullia was never far off the top throughout the 2017 season as Wisner put in a sustained effort and more than 400 hours of game time to take the win. The runner up in 2017 was Porjate Subphanlie of Indonesia, who represented Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez, with Laurent Girard of New Caledonia taking Jorge Lorenzo to third in his debut season aboard the Ducati. Source link
Back with a bang: the wait for the #SepangTest is over
Fastest, fastest, fastest, fastest – that was Maverick Viñales’ CV during preseason last year as he got on the Movistar Yamaha for the first time. And the Spaniard won the first two races, too, before then going on to finish the season in third overall. After a winter of keen development for Yamaha – including a private test at Sepang in November - will Viñales come out the blocks swinging once more? And if he does, what does that tell us about the season as a whole? Source link