MotoGP : Valentino Rossi impressive on day1 at Sepang

After more than two months of waiting, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales began the first of three 2018 pre-season Official IRTA tests yesterday. The riders got a first feel for their 2018 bikes in both wet and dry conditions at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. They finished in 6th and 13th place respectively in yesterday session times.

Valentino Rossi seemed enjoying the 2016 chasis remaining at top on board most of the session time.
“We worked in a good way. The chassis is an evolution of 2016 and I like it a lot, because I can ride more easily,” explains the nine-time World Champion. “We’ve concentrated in other areas like the engine – we had two different engines to focus on acceleration, and on the straight we are quite fast. We worked on the electronics a lot to improve acceleration and tyre degradation. From what I understood after the November test, with the 2016 base it makes the bike better to ride for me. After this you can improve in other areas but the important thing is that. When I push, the laptime is there and I feel good, and with laptimes it’s good too.”
’Im happy, because in November we did a good job. We got a better understanding, after the confusion we had during the 2017 season. Today’s chassis is a new chassis, it’s an evolution that’s based on the 2016 bike. When I ride with this chassis I feel better: my riding is more natural, I feel the front of the bike better, and when I push I have a good speed. After, we also concentrated on other areas. We tried two different engines to improve the acceleration and they are not so bad, also the top speed is quite good. We need to work on the electronics, especially to save the rear tyre, but the first impression is positive.

Team Director Massimo Meregalli -
"The first day is done, and we are pleased with the start we've made. The first test in Sepang is always important, because you want to set the tone right for the rest of the season. I knew Vale and Maverick were extremely curious to see how their 2018 YZR-M1s would perform, compared to what they tried during the tests in Valencia and Sepang at the end of last year. We were able to get in a lot of laps and had a positive day. The main focus today was to confirm our findings from November. Vale and Maverick mainly worked on the electronics and also tried two engine specifications with good feedback. Our first impression of the tyre wear has been positive too. It's very encouraging to see both riders feel comfortable on the bike already. We are looking forward to keep on working over the next two days and make further steps, if the weather allows it".