MotoGP – Phillip Island Test Day 2, Rossi simulates a race

Valentino Rossi, like his MotoGP colleagues, simulated a race today on the 2nd day of testing at Phillip Island. The Pesaro driver achieved a time of 1'30,22 completing 91 laps in total and was also the victim of a strange accident. A bird actually slipped into his airbox as he exited the pit lane with his Yamaha M1. Rossi will continue testing tomorrow too.

Valentino Rossi (1'30,22, 91 laps)

“I hit a bird coming out of the pit lane and it went straight into my airbox; he got stuck there and I must have lost him on the track because when I got back to the pits there were only a few feathers. I really want to say that I feel very sorry for that poor guy! Today we worked a lot and also did a race simulation and I am very happy with the result. I did some fast laps and improved compared to the October race. We still need to make some changes to the chassis set-up because not everything is perfect yet and tomorrow we will focus on this. Some other riders managed to do some very fast laps today, under 1'30. I didn't succeed, but I hope we will with tomorrow's changes. We will see! The news of the day is the possible cancellation of the Rio Grand Prix. I would be disappointed if we actually didn't have to race there because last year I wasn't able to finish the race and I would have liked to leave that circuit on a positive note.”

Davide Brivio, Team Manager of Team Gauloises Yamaha

“Today both our drivers did a race simulation and lots of laps. We have done a lot of work for Michelin which is one of the most important aspects at the moment. Tomorrow we will finish the work program for this test, but we are already satisfied with the work done. However, it's nice to know that I'll be back on track in just two weeks to continue with the pre-season work.”

Gauloises Racing