2013/2/12.   After the first official test in Malaysia, here is the video with highlights from the final day, where all the MotoGP riders are shown in action. 
     The video starts with the fastest riders, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, whose crashed bike is shown. Additionally, Cal Crutchlow, Stefan Bradl, Alvaro Bautista, Bradley Smith, Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, who looks puzzled after the last results in Sepang. 
      Following, a video with a brief interview of the two Repsol Honda riders.






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2013/2/7.    Repsol Honda Team¢s Dani Pedrosa heads into the two-week break as the man to beat after ending the final day of the Sepang test on top, as riders across the field dropped their laps times once more. 

Pedrosa¢s rookie teammate Marc Márquez gave everyone a scare in the morning as he crashed in the final turn at speed, although he walked away unscathed and could continue his work on his second bike. 

He stated that he tried to turn in despite missing his braking marker and lost the front.

A record lap set by Spaniard Pedrosa of 2:00¢100 was not beaten all day, as Yamaha Factory Racing¢s Jorge Lorenzo ended just over three tenths off, himself focussing on a race simulation later in the day. 

His Italian teammate Valentino Rossi also showed that he could get below the 2:01 mark, leaving it until just before lunch to post his fastest time that saw him end the day in third behind his teammate. 

Spaniard Márquez, despite going quicker again today, was this time unable to finish in the top three as he put in a lengthy run at the end, yet stayed a close fourth, challenged by the impressive Cal Crutchlow, the last rider below the 2:01 mark, on his 2012 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine. 

The Brit said afterwards he hoped to receive some of the upgrades the factory team is testing, as he feels there is some more speed to be found. 

LCR Honda MotoGP¢s Stefan Bradl just missed out on that feat with a time of 2.01¢003, although the German looked on good form as he went quicker once more on his RC213V. 

Go & Fun Honda Gresini¢s Spaniard Álvaro Bautista improved over yesterday¢s time, getting more dialled in to the bike¢s geometry and Showa suspension, with British Tech 3 rookie Bradley Smith continuing his steep, but progressive, learning curve in eighth. 

Smith also undertook a race simulation early in the day before setting his best time. 

The Ducati Team will be buoyed by progress, with US rider Nicky Hayden gaining over a second over the three days, as he ended the day in ninth, with Italian teammate Andrea Dovizioso less than a hundredth behind.




2013/2/6. On the second day of MotoGP™ testing in Sepang, which was narrowly cut short by rain, it was Repsol Honda Team¢s Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha Factory Racing¢s Jorge Lorenzo that led an ever-improving grid. 

Whilst the two Spanish front runners were edging ever closer to Lorenzo¢s record set last year, with Pedrosa posting a 2.00¢549, just 0.019s ahead of his compatriot, it was the mid-section and back-end of the group that showed the greatest improvements, with the likes of Monster Yamaha Tech 3¢s rookie Brit, Bradley Smith, improving by 1.5s over yesterday to come eighth and Ducati Team finding well over half a second more. 

But the main contenders remained the same as yesterday, with Pedrosa and his rookie teammate Marc Márquez, who placed third, working on the RC213V¢s electronics package and weight balance, whist both putting in impressive times. 

Marquez didn¢t crash. His leather suit elbow protection had been dragging for some time at day one tests in Sepang of the rooky rider…



And it was the same story for Yamaha once more, as Italian Valentino Rossi continued his form from yesterday, improving his time as well, though not making ground on the top three. 

Lorenzo and Rossi continued to evaluate the 2013 M1, in a bid to decide which parts are an improvement over last year¢s title-winning machine. 

Behind Rossi in fifth, Tech 3¢s British hopeful Cal Crutchlow once again proved he is continuing where he left off last year, finishing just over seven tenths off the top working on corner enrty. 

LCR Honda MotoGP¢s Stefan Bradl had a less than ideal day evaluating his new machine, after doing fewer laps due to feeling unwell in the morning. 

He finished one position lower than yesterday, albeit still managing to keep Go & Fun Honda Gresini¢s Álvaro Bautista at bay in seventh, as he continues on his quest for the best Showa suspension set-up and bike geometry. 

Tech 3¢s Bradley Smith ultimately came in just over 1.3s below Pedrosa, with Ducati¢s American Nicky Hayden and Italian Andrea Dovizioso in tow, as the pair managed to significantly improve their pace from yesterday.  

The test was dry until the final hour, after which rain stopped proceedings for the day. Track time will resume tomorrow morning at 10am local time.

    

Comments: It¢s the second day where the rooky Marquez proves his talent, lapping faster than Bradl and slightly slower than Pedrosa, the bike is about the same. However other riders were also fast enough from their first year at the MotoGP, they were not consistent though. Actually they crashed a lot. Thus Marquez needs to show the exact amount of maturity this year if he wants to charge for the podium of the 2013 Championship. 

It will be a mistake if Rossi is judged solely by his laptimes. Usually he is more competitive during the race. Its very good for him and the sport though that he is actually happy with his bike. Some serious doses of spectacle and tension are expected this year in MotoGP racing.




2013/2/5.      The first day of MotoGP™ testing was a close-fought affair with the top seven riders within almost eight tenths of each other, while the top three of Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and rookie Marc Márquez were less than four hundredths apart, with Valentino Rossi showing he has not lost his pace. 

     As teams set out to put in track time to bed in their new or upgraded bikes they were fortunate with the weather as the forecast rain did not appear, giving riders a full day¢s worth of running. And it was Repsol Honda Team¢s Pedrosa who put his RC213V top with a 2:01¢157 late in the day as he set out to test the latest evolution of the bike, in particular focussing on longevity of the engine. 

    Yamaha Factory Racing¢s Lorenzo, who holds the record for the fastest lap at the circuit from 2012 with a 2.00¢334, had a final push with his new Yamaha, featuring a different chassis and upgraded engine, and got within 0.008 seconds of his compatriot.

     Yamaha and fans alike got their first real glimpse of Valentino Rossi back on the Japanese machine, with the Italian not disappointing with a time just over four-tenths off Pedrosa in fourth. He stated he was “very happy” with the Yamaha, sighting that he felt comfortable from the first lap. 

     However, the story of the day was arguably Pedrosa¢s teammate Marc Márquez, who was only 0.036s slower than Lorenzo, putting himself third, and increasing his credentials as one of the favourites this year. It does however look like LCR Honda MotoGP¢s German Stefan Bradl, who is running a RC213V with the same spec as the HRC team in Valencia last year, will also have a say this year, after ending the day in fifth, just two tenths off Rossi. He was working on a raft of things from traction control, to suspension and brakes. 

     Behind him was Monster Yamaha Tech 3¢s Brit, Cal Crutchlow, who improved steadily across the day, on board his 2012 machine. And rounding out the top seven was Go & Fun Honda Gresini¢s Álvaro Bautista, who continued his quest to find the best set-up with his Showa suspension, finishing 0.824s off the top. 

     Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga and HRC test rider Kosuke Akiyoshi put in good performances to make the top ten, in front of Ducati Team¢s American Nicky Hayden, who kicked off the team¢s new era by finishing tenth, over two seconds off Pedrosa. 



Results at 14:00


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