MotoGP: Sepang Test Day 1, Valentino Rossi, “Michelin and electronics have improved”

MotoGP Sepang Day 1 Yamaha Movistar test – Valentino Rossi set the second fastest time on the first day of MotoGP testing in Sepang. The Yamaha rider from Pesaro completed 55 laps with a personal best lap of 2:01.717. The 9-time world champion was positively surprised by the progress in electronics and tyres, he has the say.

“The gap with Lorenzo is too big, but it's also true that he was stronger than everyone else, so he had a better pace. On the other hand, my position isn't that bad and we worked a lot on the bike. It's only the first day and the calculations are done at the end and we have a lot of things to do. I'm quite happy because the electronics work quite well. We are not at the same level as last year, but the bike rides well and above all the Michelin front tire has improved a lot, so the feeling when riding the bike is more similar to last year – said Valentino Rossi – These are the two important questions. We had three bikes available, but we only did a few laps with one. The other two were in 2016 configuration and I did my quick lap on the one that is most similar to the 2015 model, but only because I didn't have time to work on the other. This test will help us understand which path to follow and tomorrow we will try to understand better."

Photos: Alex Farinelli