Repsol YPF

The return of the MotoGP riders to the tracks for three days after the winter break, at the Malaysian track of Sepang, for the first test session of 2012 has ended. The result was very positive, and the two Repsol Honda Team riders will go home very satisfied. Casey Stoner was the only rider to get under two minutes for a lap, in spite of missing the first day with back problems. His teammate, Dani Pedrosa, leaves Sepang being the third fastest and pleased with the work that is being done.

Casey only needed two laps to break the Malaysian track`s two minute barrier. The Australian Repsol Honda Team rider set the reference with a best lap of 1 minute 59.607 seconds. His time was not bettered over the rest of the day as he concentrated on setting up his new Honda RC213V, basically working on the suspension and the new Bridgestone tyres.

Dani Pedrosa, on the other hand ended with the third fastest time of the day, his fastest time being a 2. 256 set on his third lap. The Repsol rider concentrated his work on braking and the electronics, so as to control the power on the new 1000 better.

With these tests over the HRC engineers will now go back to Japan to mull over the comments made by the two riders and continue to work on the development of the bike. All of them will return to Sepang on 28th February for the second pre-season test sessions which will also last three days. After this both Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will travel to Tokyo, for the presentation of the team riders that HRC makes every year before the start of the season.

Dani Pedrosa // 3rd at 0.649 secs. 24 laps, 133 km.
"Three days of practice in Malaysia make you really tired. This morning I woke with some stiffness and with aching all over, but once I had warmed up I felt a bit better. Whatever, it was worth it for the general test we did on the bike, - engine, chassis and tyres. This was the most complete.test we have done on the 1000 and we have some good information for analysis and to make the adjustments that will be needed for the next test. As I said yesterday what we have to do most work on is the stability when braking and we are also working on the electronics so that we can control the power and grip better. We still have the chattering, I know that this is very complicated to fix, but I am sure that Honda is working on this. In general it was a good test for us and we will return in three weeks with some new ideas. The bike is more physical, you notice the higher level of power when accelerating and the speed when braking, it is also heavier, but well… I will carry on with my physical training so as to be fitter for the second test".

Casey Stoner // 1st - 1:59.607, 18 laps, 100 km.
"This was a good general test; unfortunately we were only able to ride on two of the three days, but the weather was good and we could do everything we planned. Losing the first day did not really affect us too much; we were able to test everything that we had programmed and I think that the track conditions were not too good on Tuesday either, because the times were not so fast. I still do not have my back in perfect conditions, but the bike is going well. We reduced the chattering a bit and we tried some slight modifications on the rear shock-absorber, among other things. For the moment things are going quite positively. We will just have to wait to see what we receive for the next test sessions and see if we can improve a bit more. Now I just want to get home to see Adriana and wait for the birth of our baby".

2/2/2012

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> The Repsol Honda Team leads the second day of practice
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