Bad weather affects first day of Phillip Island test
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Bad weather affects first day of Phillip Island test
[Image: repsolhondahdr.jpg]

Day one of the test at Phillip Island was affected by poor weather conditions, with intermittent light rainfall and strong winds, and maximum air and track temperatures of 23° C and 30° C, respectively.

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa was the first rider to take to the track this morning, just over an hour into the session, with his teammate Marc Marquez—who celebrates his 23rd birthday today—following immediately afterward. Both riders were aiming to sort out the Michelin wet and intermediate spec tyres, which they had not tested before, and their electronics’ rain settings.

The day allowed a few laps in full-wet conditions, during which the riders received some positive feedback, both from the bike settings and the rain tyres. Marc managed to make one lap on the intermediates spec tyre, with which he set his best time. The track improved slightly toward the end of the session, but there were only few minutes with almost totally dry track and both Repsol Honda riders decided not to go out.

The Repsol Honda riders’ best efforts for the day were 1’35.354 on lap 18 of 20 for Marc on intermediate tyres, and 1’40.138 on lap 15 of 15 for Dani on wet tyres. Testing will continue for two more days.

[Image: marquezinrainatPI.jpg]

[Image: pedrosainrainatPI.jpg]

Marc Marquez - 1’35.354 20 Laps

“This first day in Australia went well, but the weather made things difficult. We tried wet tyres on the first two runs today and I felt quite comfortable, with plenty of rear grip. It was also important to test the electronics in these conditions, because it was the first time we had a chance to use them in the wet, and they worked well. I did some laps on the intermediate tyre. Anyway, it's hard to know when you should use them. It's a pity because it was difficult to gather data; the conditions were constantly changing between wet and drying out, due to the intermittent rain and wind. At the end of the day it improved a little, but we decided not to go out again because the weather forecast is better for tomorrow.”

Dani Pedrosa - 1’40.138 15 Laps

“Today it rained almost all day—especially in the morning—and when I saw that the track was completely wet I decided to go out, because at this track you usually don’t have these conditions, due to the strong wind that always dries the asphalt quickly. The feeling was good and it was a positive run, because I did a few laps in these different conditions to test the bike, electronics and tyres at the same time. Everything was different from what we had before, so we have to go step-by-step. I would have liked to put in more laps in the wet, but eventually part of the circuit dried out and the track was neither fully dry nor fully wet. Some riders went out on slicks, but it was still raining a little and the conditions weren’t easy, so we preferred to stay in the garage. Instead, we’ll go back out again tomorrow to check everything if the weather improves.”


1 - PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 1'31.764
2  - VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.719
3  - SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 0.826
4  - REDDING Scott 45 GBR Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 1.100
5  - CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda Honda 1.184
6  - ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1.324
7  - ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1.362
8  - HERNANDEZ Yonny 68 COL Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati 2.077
9   - MILLER Jack 43 AUS Marc VDS Racing Team Honda 2.228
10 - IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 2.228
11 - RABAT Tito 53 SPA Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 3.509
12 - MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 3.590
13 - ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 3.820
14 - LAVERTY Eugene 50 IRE Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati 3.915
15 - TSUDA Takuya 22 JPN Suzuki Test Team Suzuki 4.402
16 - LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 8.061
17 - PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 8.374
18 - DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team Ducati [/align]
17-02-2016, 12:10 PM
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