MotoGP: Test Results & Photos from Day 3 at Sepang

Day Three of testing at Sepang has concluded, leaving many on the factory prototype-side of the garage pleased with their week’s work. Once again, Honda is setting the pace, as Casey Stoner sent a message to the rest of the paddock as he smashed the lap record at Sepang aboard his Honda RC213V. A full half-second faster than his nearest competitor, Stoner is an Aussie on a mission already in the season.

“I’m still not feeling great with my back, but the bike is ok, so we’ve made progress in reducing the chatter a little more and trying a few different things, some small settings on the shock that we haven’t tried before amongst other points,” said Stoner. “So far it’s been pretty positive, we’ll just have to wait and see what we have for the next test and hopefully improve a little more. Now I’m looking forward to getting home to Switzerland to see Adriana and await the arrival of our baby!”

While Casey was busy with his usual tricks, the Ducati Corse camp seemed to be making progress with the team’s factory Ducati Desmosedici GP12. With Thursday cut short by a rain storm, Valentino Rossi and his crew were happy with where the GP12 is headed in its development. However for teammate Nicky Hayden, the week has been frustrating. Because of his still broken shoulder, the American has only been able to complete a handful of laps at Sepang, leaving the rest of the testing duty to Ducati test rider Franco Battaini.

“The two Hondas and the two Yamahas are still ahead of us, but we consider this test to be a starting point,” explained Rossi. “The most positive things we’ve achieved are that the front now lets me ride a little more as I’m able, that the bike reacts well to changes and that we have very clear ideas on what’s still missing….We have to keep improving, so we’re not getting too excited, but I’m pleased with how things have gone so far.”

With Jorge Lorenzo splitting the two Honda riders today, Yamaha Racing is still very much in the hunt for a good start to the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Both Lorenzo and teammate Ben Spies have looked strong at Sepang, though both agreed throughout the week that the electronics on the Yamaha YZR-M1 need further development. With almost a month before MotoGP returns again to Sepang to test again, the tuning fork squad has plenty of time to work on their 0’s and 1’s.

“I’m really, really satisfied, I have improved on my best record here in Sepang,” said Lorenzo. “We tried a lot of things; some have been a lot better, especially one major improvement. We also know where we have to improve in the future. The electronics are not perfect yet, we still need to make it smoother but the bike has so much potential we are very optimistic. The Yamaha engineers have worked really hard so they have done a good job. I made my best time today at midday which is the hardest time with the conditions so it was pretty good. Let’s see what we can do when we come back.”

Test Results from Day 3 at Sepang, Malaysia:

Ducati Corse Testing at Sepang – Day 3

Yamaha Racing Testing at Sepang – Day 3

HRC Testing at Sepang – Day 3

Source: MotoGP; Photos: Ducati, HRC, & Yamaha