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As promised in my previous coverage three weeks ago, here I am, back at Sepang to witness the final MotoGP test session.Rossi had dominated both official pre-season tests previously, with a best lap of 2’00.271 shattering his 2009 qualifying pole position on the Malaysian track by 0.247s seconds.Looking at the test times, Ducati and Yamaha teams are expected to continue their recent run of success in MotoGP this season. And for the first time ever since its debut, the Yamaha YZR-M1 finally tops all test sessions at Sepang.With Rossi now possibly having the best bike in MotoGP, are we going to witness a repeat of Honda supremacy years ago? Perhaps the stage is all set for Rossi to win. However, with Stoner onboard the Ducati I suppose it’s not as straightforward this time around.
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After a confident first test session weeks ago, Valentino Rossi was in no rush to get back on the bike. The World Champion was actually the last rider to appear on track. After the test, Rossi had this to say about the day,
“We started well today and we’re already very fast, so we’re quite happy about this. We’ve confirmed that the work we did at the last test was good and it’s clear we’re in good shape at this track,”
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“We worked on two or three different settings and today we’ve more or less made a decision about the right way to go with balance, suspension etc so this is good progress. We also tried some new electronic maps to try to improve acceleration, but we need to do more work on this again tomorrow. It’s good to be fast at this stage and now we’re really just waiting to go to another track, to see how this new M1 will perform there.”
Mika Kallio ended the test 8th on the first day dropping to 14th on the final day. He mentioned that the bike handled very well, however he has yet to find the maximum confidence level to push.
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This is the Yamaha M1 up and close.
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With two crashes history here at Sepang and poor times recorded at the two tests, it looks like Marco is having a hard time adjusting. With Rossi now refusing to tip him off, the man from Italy must up the ante if he is going to compete with the best.
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The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 is looking great as they recorded 4th and 5th fastest on final day.
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San Carlo Honda Gresini ride with new livery. Melandri expect the team to bounce back after a disappointing day.
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Repsol Honda registered 7th and 8th…Plenty to do for the team if they want to catch Rossi in Qatar.
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Hayden was really happy to improve a lot and finally manage to lap the track in 2 min mark. Only four riders were lapping in the 2 min mark at the test.
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Hector Barbera of Aspar Team registered 14th on the first day and 13th on the final day.
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Loris Capirossi believes the team is in a reasonable position. The colder climate in Europe might help them to close the gap to Rossi and Stoner.
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Rossi and Hector Barbera negotiate the final turn. In the background is the picturesque Petronas Tower.
Malauys
Pedrosa is hoping that Doha will bring him luck. Well I wish the same to him and to wrap up, it has been interesting journey for me and with some insights into the opening season that I hope will spark some discussions among the fans around the world.
