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HONDA RACING INFORMATION
ZitatAlles anzeigenMOTOGP TEST JEREZ. 23.3.2013.
Day one of three day test.
WET WEATHER AT DAY ONE OF JEREZ TEST HAMPERS PROGRESS FOR MOTOGP RIDERS
The opening day of the three day MotoGP test at Jerez, Spain was almost a washout with 2.5 cm of rain falling on the 4.423 km circuit throughout the day. The four Honda RC213V riders present for the test achieved little in either development terms or lap times.
The fastest of the four was Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa who was second fastest man on the day his best time of 1m 48.474s was over 11 seconds slower than the circuit lap record he set in the 2010 grand prix at the circuit and 1.051s behind fastest man of today Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha.
Pedrosa testing a range of wet weather set up options for the RC213V and was satisfied with the data gained and after just 30 laps and with two hours remaining called a halt to the opening session of the three day test.
Marc Marquez, Pedrosa's Repsol Honda team mate was third fastest a mere 0.050s further adrift of the best time of the day. The wet conditions worked to the benefit of MotoGP Rookie Marquez who has just four wet weather laps at the slippery Sepang circuit on the RC213V as a guideline. Reigning Moto2 World Champion Marquez has much to learn about racing in the senior grand prix category, particularly controlling the massive power output of the 1000cc Honda RC213V factory machine. He worked on experimenting with traction control on a wet surface and the effect of tyre degradation in wet track conditions.
LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl ended the opening day in ninth place and relatively pleased with his days work having made progress on wet weather chassis settings. The young German ran a long simulation test but it lasted just 14 laps before a crash terminated the run. Stefan touched a lethally slippery white line triggering a long slide that ended with a crash in a gravel trap.
Alvaro Bautista, Fun&Go Honda Gresini, was 13th on his RC213V was disappointed at the end of the day spent trying to improve feeling from the RCV in wet conditions but tyre degradation was rapid and he was frustrated with the results.
Australian Bryan Staring, riding the Fun&Go Honda Gresini CRT machine was in 21st place but enjoyed a positive day. Staring is in the uneviable position of developing a new machine while testing at a track he has little experience of. On day one he improved his braking and general overall feeling with the new machine but needs dry track time to make really telling progress.
Honda rider quotes.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 2nd. 1m 48.474s.
"Today was the first day of testing here in Jerez and we were able to try various things in the wet. We had some very productive laps, as the asphalt was very wet. Sometimes there isn't enough water on the track and the conditions aren't adequate. The feeling with the bike is very positive, because after so many days riding in the dry it was good to go out in the wet. Let's see if in the coming days we have more luck and can ride more in the dry, in order to try out the last few things before the season starts."Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda: 3rd. 1m 48.524s.
"Today was a very important day for us, because we tried out the bike in the wet. In Malaysia we only did four laps in the wet and it wasn't as wet as it was here. We've made steady improvement in these conditions. I was very rigid on the bike at the start, but improved and realised it is very important to be smooth. Also, I notice wet tyres wear quite quickly at this track. This is something I have to learn how to manage, because they can catch you out. I also learnt that traction control in the wet is much more important than in the dry. We still have a lot to improve. We have a good fast lap, but need to improve on used tyres and on our own consistency."Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda: 9th. 1m 49.790s.
"Unfortunately it was raining the whole day but we tried to proceed with our job. We made 33 laps but at the beginning of the day we struggled a bit with the chassis but fixed that after two runs. I felt comfortable in the wet, and on new tyres. We made a 14 lap long run with acceptable lap times considering the slippery surface. But at the end of the run I touched the white line and had a big slide crashing in the gravel. It was my basically mistake but in these conditions it can happen. Luckily I'm unhurt and hope to have dry track time tomorrow."Alvaro Bautista, Fun&Go Honda Gresini: 13th. 1m 51.271s.
" Today has been a very strange day and we have hardly been able to get any work done. The rain was heavy at times and at other times not so much and it didn't help because the track conditions were not consistent. We tried some thing with the aim of improving our feeling in the wet but it wasn't easy and the tyre performance dropped off quite quickly. We just have to wait now and hope that the conditions are better tomorrow so that we can complete the programme we have for this test."Bryan Staring, Fun&Go Honda Gresini: 21st. 1m 56.119s.
"The conditions weren't the best today but I am happy because the bike didn't feel too different to the dry. With every lap I was able to improve my braking and my overall feeling, so it has been a positive day for us because I have already said a few times we need laps on the bike in any condition. Obviously there are some things we need to test in dry conditions so hopefully the weather will improve tomorrow."