First MotoGP testday in Buriram
16.02.2018
Today the 2018 grid of MotoGP riders took to the track for the first time at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram for three days of testing in preparation for the inaugural Thailand Grand Prix, which is scheduled for the 7th October.
The two Ducati Team riders were able to lap constantly throughout the day, testing various set-up solutions on their Desmosedici GP18 machines and they also did a few runs with a new aerodynamic package late in the afternoon.
Andrea Dovizioso was up amongst the leaders right from the early morning and he finished the day in fourth place with a best time of 1’30.945 out of a total of 60 laps, while Jorge Lorenzo (64 laps) finished today’s session in tenth place, with a time of 1’31.246.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’30.945 (60 laps)
“The Buriram track is very unusual and it wasn’t easy to get used to its layout. There are three corners which are virtually hairpins and then the rest is quite a pretty straightforward run. It’s quite a slow track for our bike, but it’s always interesting to try new circuits. I’m happy with the feeling with the bike, we went well right from the start and then we focussed on doing different tests, especially with the new fairings, but tomorrow we should be able to get some more detailed feedback about these new components.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’31.246 (64 laps)
“Today I had a bit of difficulty on this track and I wasn’t really able to be very quick. In the next two days we will have to find a way to improve the feeling with the bike, so that I can push really hard. At the end of the day we tried a new aerodynamic package, but it’s too early to draw conclusions, especially because we are still quite far off the potential that we can express on this circuit.”
| Pos. | Name | Bike | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1:30,797 min |
| 2. | Alex Rins | Suzuki | +0,012 |
| 3. | Marc Márquez | Honda | 0,115 |
| 4. | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | +0,148 |
| 5. | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | +0,163 |
| 6. | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | +0,206 |
| 7. | Jack Miller | Ducati | +0,247 |
| 8. | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | +0,392 |
| 9. | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | +0,438 |
| 10. | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | +0,449 |
| 11. | Maverick Viñales | Yamaha | +0,497 |
| 12. | Johann Zarco | Yamaha | +0,508 |
| 13. | Tito Rabat | Ducati | +0,726 |
| 14. | Álvaro Bautista | Ducati | +0,728 |
| 15. | Aleix Espargaró | Aprilia | +0,865 |
| 16. | Scott Redding | Aprilia | +0,888 |
| 17. | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda | +0,895 |
| 18. | Karel Abraham | Ducati | +0,901 |
| 19. | Franco Morbidelli | Honda | +0,932 |
| 20. | Bradley Smith | KTM | +0,944 |
| 21. | Tom Lüthi | Honda | +1,919 |
| 22. | Xavier Siméon | Ducati | +1,923 |
| 23. | Mika Kallio | KTM | +1,952 |
| 24. | Hafizh Syahrin | Yamaha | +2,368 |
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