Fresh from yesterday’s GP Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Movistar Yamaha riders were back on track today to complete a test at the Montmelò circuit.
Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi took time to test a new Akrapovic exhaust and a new Bridgestone hard front tire for use in Sepang. There was also an opportunity to test a new engine spec for 2015 M1 and work on some small set up changes to overcome acceleration issues suffered by Jorge in yesterday’s race.
The team will now move to Aragon for a further one day private test on Wednesday.
Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro undertook a detailed test program to both finish inside the top 4 today at the Catalunya circuit and achieved highly confidence boosting results for future MotoGP races.
Bradley Smith performed a colossal 75 laps around the 4727 metre Catalunya circuit to clearly illustrate his competitive intentions for the rest of the season by snaring a superb 2nd place. The British rider meticulously investigated various aspects of his Yamaha YZR-M1 and devoted his testing time to thoroughly explore suspension, geometry as well as engine braking settings during the test. Smith completed the session with an impressive time of 1.41,224 set on lap 74 which left him a blink of an eye behind the leading bike of Marc Marquez with a gap of only 0.040. Additionally his lap was quicker than his qualifying time by almost three tenths of a second. The 23-year-old rider's rigid test program which concluded positively, allowed him and his Monster Yamaha Tech3 to obtain valuable information as well as set him in a good light for the next GP at Assen where he intends to confidently battle for a 5th placed finish.
Furthermore, Pol Espargaro completed the test day in a superb 4th position. The Spaniard embarked on testing various aspects of his Yamaha YZR-M1 as he proceeded to further strengthen his knowledge during his impressive rookie season. He set about thoroughly testing electronics, traction control and engine braking as well as experimenting with the setting of the bike in order to improve grip, specifically in fast corners and under hot conditions akin to those at the circuit today. The reigning Moto2 World Champion's tireless efforts saw him setting a best time of 1.41,640, set on lap 45 out of 60 which was quicker than his qualifying time by 0.037 of a second and only one tenth of a second behind multiple world champion Jorge Lorenzo in 3rd place. His successful day sees him poised to competitively compete at the top of his game for round 8 of the 2014 MotoGP world championship at the Iveco Daily Dutch TT.
Source: www.yamaha-racing.com
