Testing Continues for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP in Qatar
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05/03/2018
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team continue testing in Qatar ahead of the first round of the 2018 MotoGP season.
Today the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team completed the second of the three test days at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Both riders continued to prepare for the 2018 racing season and ended the day in 7th and 11th place respectively.
Viñales mentioned he was going to put in hard work throughout the Qatar MotoGP Official Test and he kept his word, completing 52 laps in total on Day 2.
The Spaniard used today's session to make some improvements to the settings of his YZR-M1 to gain further corner stability and better the overall lap time. Though he suffered from a lack of grip, he wrapped up the second day with a best lap of 1'55.051s, set on lap 51, for seventh position, 0.465s from first.
Maverick Viñales
Position: 7th - Time: 1'55.051 - Laps: 52
"For me it was a positive day, we tried many things. Compared to yesterday we lost a bit of grip. It's the same feeling we had at every test: we have to work more and even harder. We improved our rhythm, but during the time attack I didn't feel as good as I did yesterday, so I couldn't improve a lot. But I think we have things clearer for tomorrow, so we are going to try to do at least one long run with a full tank, to see how the bike is working. For tomorrow we're also going to focus on improving the feeling with the rear and improve the consistency of the bike."
Massimo Meregalli
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP - Team Director
"The second day of testing is over and we got a lot of work done, trying quite a few things. The riders didn't have the same feeling as they had on Day 1. They suffered from a lack of grip, so this compromised their results during their time attack efforts. Nevertheless, both riders seem to be able to carry a consistent pace. We still have work to do tomorrow, because there are still areas where we want to improve. Tomorrow we also want to do some longer runs, to focus on the bikes' handling with a full tank and better the tyre life."
Report and Images from Yamaha
