By David Emmett |
Now that the first test of 2011 for the MotoGP class at Sepang is over, we can put all of the times together. Below are two tables: one with the best time for each rider from the test, and another with the times for all three days, plus the improvements in their times during the test.
Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Combined | Diff | Diff Previous |
1 | 58 | Marco Simoncelli | Honda | 2:00.757 | ||
2 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 2:00.770 | 0.013 | 0.013 |
3 | 27 | Casey Stoner | Honda | 2:00.811 | 0.054 | 0.041 |
4 | 1 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 2:00.845 | 0.088 | 0.034 |
5 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Honda | 2:00.945 | 0.188 | 0.100 |
6 | 11 | Ben Spies | Yamaha | 2:01.002 | 0.245 | 0.057 |
7 | 7 | Hiroshi Aoyama | Honda | 2:01.353 | 0.596 | 0.351 |
8 | 69 | Nicky Hayden | Ducati | 2:01.534 | 0.777 | 0.181 |
9 | 5 | Colin Edwards | Yamaha | 2:01.651 | 0.894 | 0.117 |
10 | 19 | Alvaro Bautista | Suzuki | 2:01.687 | 0.930 | 0.036 |
11 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Ducati | 2:01.842 | 1.085 | 0.155 |
12 | 40 | Hector Barbera | Ducati | 2:02.030 | 1.273 | 0.188 |
13 | 65 | Loris Capirossi | Ducati | 2:02.057 | 1.300 | 0.027 |
14 | 14 | Randy de Puniet | Ducati | 2:02.159 | 1.402 | 0.102 |
15 | 300 | Kousuki Akiyoshi | Honda | 2:02.619 | 1.862 | 0.460 |
16 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Ducati | 2:02.645 | 1.888 | 0.026 |
17 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Yamaha | 2:02.717 | 1.960 | 0.072 |
18 | 24 | Toni Elias | Honda | 2:02.916 | 2.159 | 0.199 |
19 | 100 | T1 | Yamaha | 2:02.965 | 2.208 | 0.049 |
20 | 200 | T2 | Yamaha | 2:03.621 | 2.864 | 0.656 |
21 | 19 | Nobu Aoki | Suzuki | 2:04.700 | 3.943 | 1.079 |
Times from all three days. Improvement is the difference between the best time and the worst time. For most riders, that's day 1 to day 3, except for Pedrosa, who set his best time on day 2, and Akiyoshi, who also set his best time on day 2, and Bautista, who was ill on day 3. Fastest time set is in bold.
Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Improvement |
1 | 58 | Marco Simoncelli | Honda | 2:02.295 | 2:01.522 | 2:00.757 | 1.538 |
2 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 2:02.024 | 2:00.770 | 2:01.241 | 1.254 |
3 | 27 | Casey Stoner | Honda | 2:01.574 | 2:01.434 | 2:00.811 | 0.763 |
4 | 1 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 2:01.977 | 2:01.563 | 2:00.845 | 1.132 |
5 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Honda | 2:02.507 | 2:01.512 | 2:00.945 | 1.562 |
6 | 11 | Ben Spies | Yamaha | 2:02.332 | 2:01.508 | 2:01.002 | 1.330 |
7 | 7 | Hiroshi Aoyama | Honda | 2:02.483 | 2:01.534 | 2:01.353 | 1.130 |
8 | 69 | Nicky Hayden | Ducati | 2:03.508 | 2:02.379 | 2:01.534 | 1.974 |
9 | 5 | Colin Edwards | Yamaha | 2:02.514 | 2:01.722 | 2:01.651 | 0.863 |
10 | 19 | Alvaro Bautista | Suzuki | 2:02.422 | 2:01.687 | 0.735 | |
11 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Ducati | 2:03.365 | 2:02.597 | 2:01.842 | 1.523 |
12 | 40 | Hector Barbera | Ducati | 2:03.767 | 2:02.093 | 2:02.030 | 1.737 |
13 | 65 | Loris Capirossi | Ducati | 2:03.695 | 2:03.047 | 2:02.057 | 1.638 |
14 | 14 | Randy de Puniet | Ducati | 2:03.152 | 2:02.426 | 2:02.159 | 0.993 |
15 | 300 | Kousuki Akiyoshi | Honda | 2:03.224 | 2:02.619 | 2:03.452 | 0.833 |
16 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Ducati | 2:04.470 | 2:03.466 | 2:02.645 | 1.825 |
17 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Yamaha | 2:04.009 | 2:03.032 | 2:02.717 | 1.292 |
18 | 24 | Toni Elias | Honda | 2:04.238 | 2:04.026 | 2:02.916 | 1.322 |
19 | 100 | T1 | Yamaha | 2:04.717 | 2:04.142 | 2:02.965 | 1.752 |
20 | 200 | T2 | Yamaha | 2:05.235 | 2:03.910 | 2:03.621 | 1.614 |
21 | 19 | Nobu Aoki | Suzuki | 2:04.700 |
2011
Comments
Wow, Honda and SuperSic
Honda has never looked so good in the winter since who knows when, and suddenly Supersic just decided to mix it with the Aliens in testing.
It's looking very promising!
engine allocation
To have *all* the Hondas running this well, this early, is a good sign for a different start than last year. I am shocked at the variety of riders - stature & styles - who have been consistently fast on the 212V. Nice work Honda.
Since there is no limit on engines for testing (right?), I'll be interested to see Honda's reliability through the season. Did they perhaps "drill one too many holes" in something?
Just Remember
Just remember, that in pre season testing last year Rossi was fastest in all but 1 test (I think) but when the season started things were very different...
In reply to Just Remember by trismantis
Very true.
But it still indicated how strong Yamaha were for the season.
In reply to Just Remember by trismantis
Not really.
The season started with Rossi winning the first race, and Lorenzo was injured. Then, after that, Rossi was injured and Lorenzo was fully fit. And, so the season went...
Casey was first in the final
Casey was first in the final test last year and Ducati had a terrible season.
I am slightly surprised when all things are equal that the two Alien honda riders couldn't makes themselves stand out. I am sure there is something to it but can't put my finger on..
Although considering his condition I thought Rossi had a productive test. However it's worth taking into account that he is very good at this track(no one got near his yam test time from last year) and with Hayden having a quiet show it does look as though ducati are along way from a competitive base setting. I am continually baffled that after 3 years of it not working Preziosi hasn't had the presence of mind to try something else.. I am of course secretly hopeful that such tests are going on as we speak.. Ducati do not need a CF frame to set them apart from the rest.
Get fit quickly Vale and roll on the next test.
In reply to Casey was first in the final by Hugelean
In regards to the Honda
In regards to the Honda aliens not standing out, my personal view is that it seems that the last 2 days the best time was set at the start while Casey is lapping relatively slowly. I get the feeling that his testing pattern is to get everything out of the way in the morning before going for a blast with everything he learnt at the end of the day. And for the past 2 days he has been the only rider to consistently improve his morning time at the end of the day.
I suspect he at least could post a standout morning time above Sic if he needed to. So to me it seems he is just concentrating on getting to grips with every aspect of the bike.
Of course that's just my theory to match my reading of the times and may in no way match reality :-)
I forgot, congrats to Simo,
I forgot, congrats to Simo, Spies and Aoyama and Bautista, who all stepped up brilliantly. Apologies if I missed anyone.
Biggest mover
Good on Karel Abraham.At the other end of the spectrum,minus,Alvaro,Casey went from very fast to,well,still very fast,but one may have expected more.
However,being new to the bike,I expect HRC will be working feverishly with his data sheets.Biggest improvement overall amongst manufacturers'...Ducati.
This is a good thing.Maybe they all trashed the wings.
On another issue,given Toni's hopeless showing,is Moto 2 a good feeder for 2012 ?
Probably is.Karel is proving the other side of the argument.
In reply to Biggest mover by PIT BULL
Nope, it's Hayden
Nicky gained almost 2 seconds.
Concerning Stoner, true he gained little but this is because he was very fast straight out of the box and it's not a real concern since he ends the test with the 3rd time and more importantly only 5 hundredths from the best.
I thought Vale said it hurt
I thought Vale said it hurt to get into the :02s, then he goes and puts it into the :01s. Wonder how much that hurt? Hope he doesn't do his recovery more harm than good.
Full Honda podiums anyone?
Could we expect some Honda packed podiums? I know Lorenzo and Spies are there in the mix, but looks like Honda has the chance to grab the top three places on some races during this year. A full Repsol Honda podium would be a nice reward for the great effort during the off season.
It is also great to see a "satellite" rider leading the pack. I´m sure first team riders aren´t that thrilled about that, but every rider should have a bike capable of fighting. Nice going Simoncelli!
In reply to Full Honda podiums anyone? by Ciccio
"Satellite" rider...
I agree that it is also awesome to see Marco leading the pack. Technically though he isn't a true satellite rider. Yes, the team he's on is a Satellite sponsor, however, Simoncelli's contract is with HRC and his bike is a full factory effort just as all the repsol bikes are.
Hayden
Looks like Hayden made the overall biggest improvement, unfortunately the Ducs still seem a ways off.
Lets go Elias!!!!
In reply to Hayden by Ducatisti83
Nick by a tenth or so
I won't argue with the fact Ducatisti83,but given their respective backgrounds in GP etc, I hand it to the rookie. Cal, given he's nursing the same injury as Rossi is also doing a fine job.
Ducati are way off,but made some serious advancements overall today.
Sadly,for me as a Ducatista,I don't see them being a serious threat for riders or manufacturers' title this year.
Karel got immense flack for even being part of the 2011 GP season. Daddy's clout etc. It will be great to see him rise through the ranks. Valentino had the same advantages years back.
In reply to Nick by a tenth or so by PIT BULL
Does daddy Abraham sleep in the back seat too?
Come on.....
"Valentino had the same advantages years back"..what?
Abraham did nothing in his career to EARN his ride in the bigs. Rossi won Championships & probably has had full sponsorship (well earned) since mopeds.
Lets not delude ourselves that looking at an 18th bike on the starting grid demonstrates a healthy MotoGP...it doesn't. What is necessary is a field of the BEST 22 riders in the world..not hopeless rich grid fillers who hopefully won't be rolling chicanes & effect the final outcome or worse.
Biggest gain...
...over the course of three days was Hayden. If he can make similar gains in a few weeks it will bode well for the off-season changes made to the Ducati which will lend more optimism for VR as his shoulder improves. Elias just missed the embarrassment of being slower than one of the test riders. I'm sure he'll adjust after a few more outings but not a good start for him and the LCR team...
Ducati
They seem to have lots to be happy for considering no other factory has as much new stuff on their bike to fine tune. I'm not sure any other rider in the field could have extracted more from the three days of testing than Nick because attitude is a strong factor in development work.
You're expected to be on top if you ride the Yam or Hon, to me it's just dull but good for Marco, good thing it doesn't pay any points toward a trophy, the real work is just ahead.
In reply to Ducati by bmerdude62
Ducati
showed great promise since all the riders improved a lot and more important, the first Ducati is much closer to the top time that on first day (1"578 on day 1 compared with 0"777 on day 3).
It's too early to dismiss Ducati, so far Ducati has never been a consistent threat outside of Stoner, satellite riders mostly at the back of the pack, this is not changing yet but they have a good trend going on.
Yet, Stoner without Ducati is doing way better than Ducati without Stoner, for the moment at least.
In reply to Ducati by frenchie
True it's too early
... to dismiss Ducati, what I see as a really bad sign are the times of Hayden. He should know his way round the Duke and he's still 8/10 off. I would be worried in his place.
Some lap time comparison of Nicky in Sepang:
QP 2010: 2:01.637
Test 1 2011: 2:01.534
So in 3 days of tuning he gained 1/10 sec compared to last year's qualifying.
Compare this with JLo:
QP 2010: 2:01.537
Test 1 2011: 2:00.845
Jorge pulled 7/10 of a second.
Or with Stoner:
QP 2010: 2:02.023
Test 1 2011: 2:00.811
That's 1.2 seconds.
So unless they improve by some 6 or 8/10 until March they wont be competing for victory. Maybe they need even more if Honda's got the bikes for their 2 aliens in perfect trim.
In reply to Ducati by bmerdude62
This is a great post above,
This is a great post above, yes Ducati more than any other bike has changed. Although Nick has been there for two years the bike resembles little what it was from the previous two. A huge departure from the Ducati status quo. This evolution will only increase as the next test and start of the season approach. So, all thing considered, 7 tenths off the fastest (granted this is a large gap still) and gaining nearly two seconds from day 1 to 3 is quite respectable for Ducati even if they wont admit it. Or at least Nick wont, he'll tell you he should have been at the top already. So hats of to him, Vale, and the whole Ducati team. They are only going to get stronger as the bike comes in further. Honda and Yamaha will also make some more tenths for sure but you have to assume already they are close to the limit as their bikes are very similar to last years. Only so far you can go with same technology, same fundamentals. Was a huge gamble for Ducati to scrap the whole thing and start over. But I think this will prove to be the right move. Italians resemble Americans in their passions, exuberence and nature to risk everything to gain everything attitude. How is this not admirable? That is why this team will work so well with each other.....well untill Nick is on the box more than Vale ;) then we may see the wall again, but I doubt it. Also, great to see the satellite bikes in the mix. Great job San Carlo!
Two great posts...
:)
But I would also notice Suzuki improvement (from last year) as a total surprise and I would consider that Honda and Yamaha can still improve... particularly newer guys like Ben and Sic. It's not their first year ... but only the second in MotoGP so I believe there is room for growth even there!
And as usual hat off to Nick a true professional rider. Nick & Vale are one of the best couple you can have to develop a bike. If not 11 that should be very promising for 12.
In reply to Two great posts... by briga
Honda could well improve too
Pedrosa is still lacking strength in his shoulder due to his double fractured collarbone and this is only Stoner second outing on the Honda.
He still has lots of stuff to discover on his RCV, compared to all the other Honda riders (except Elias) that were already riding Honda last season.
I love it!...
Man those Hondas (and their riders) are fast. Yamaha and Ducati have definetly got some work to do.
I just hope all riders stay (and get) healthy all year. This is really shaping up to be a real barn burner for us fans.
Go Spies!
LCR
Poor LCR Honda's gotta miss having DePuniet. :(
In reply to LCR by layback
and
... they're not alone missing Random on the Honda.
a surprise
I don't think anyone thought this result.
Moto2 = career ender?
DeAngelis and Elias both went to Moto2, both returned to MotoGP at the bottom of the time sheets. I understand DeAngelis was in cruisin caretaker mode b/c he was under strict orders not to crash, but he did finish behind Hayden who was also under no-crash orders. Elias looks quite poor as well.
If more Moto2 riders re/join MotoGP as bike markers, it's going to raise serious questions about Moto2's viability as a feeder class. If no one believes that Moto2 is a proper feeder class, it will fail no matter how good the racing is.
In reply to Moto2 = career ender? by phoenix1
Not naive examples
The first examples will likely be Simon and Marquez. If the standard 125-250-MotoGP process is to be measured against 125-Moto2-MotoGP there will have to be riders that hadn't ridden 250s or a MotoGP bike.
What's interesting about the
What's interesting about the times above for me are the ducatis. Casey has made a huge improvement but I suspect a lot of which is because he has changed brands. He had four years on the duke and yet Rossis time from this test was plenty faster than Caseys 2010 QP. They may be behind the competition , they always have been outside of 2007.(Casey has been solid last alien these past two seasons, despite a few good races)
However they have clearly made significant progress already.
Rossi is not trying to go as fast as Casey at the tracks the duke works at he is trying to get the bike to be competitive at every track, with I suspect a solid base setting. There is more going on at Ducati and we will not know how much for a while yet... I suspect whilst there will be improvements,(the duke has always gone OK at Qatar) after the next sepang test it may well give a good indication how the bike is doing as both dukes struggled there last year. whether they have gone in the right direction.
Having said that it is not beyond Rossi to keep his cards close and have his team mate play along..