Riders thoughts from a redbull website.
Thai takeaways: what the riders thought of MotoGP's new track
© Alma Pramac Racing
10h agoWritten by Matthew Clayton
Marquez, Rossi, Pedrosa, Miller and more talk about the newest circuit to join the MotoGP calendar in Buriram.
Pedrosa topped the times after three days of testing
© MOTOGP.COM
It's been a while since we had a completely new circuit join theMotoGPcalendar – theRed Bull RinginAustriare-joined the world championship in 2016, while theTermas de Rio Hondocircuit inArgentinacame on stream two years earlier.
So it was with much anticipation (and plenty of cold water) that MotoGP arrived in steaming hotThailandlast week for a three-day test at theChang International Circuit, located atBuriram, a little over 400 kilometres northeast of the country's capital,Bangkok.
The 4.6km track, which has played host to World Superbikes for the past three years, will hold its first world championship Grands Prix in October this year, meaning riders and teams were keen to bank as much knowledge as they could over three days of running, and to familiarise themselves with the 12-turn layout. "I've adapted to it pretty quickly, and the circuit itself is very fast," said Alma Pramac Ducati'sJack Millerafter the second day of the test, adding "it’s a little bit like Austria, minus the elevation changes." We're presuming he meant minus snow-capped mountains, lush green fields and a giant bull statue, as well …
MORE:Jack Miller talks testing, 2018 and life at Ducati
The comparisons between Austria and Buriram are valid – the Thailand circuit is 300m longer, has two more corners and is just as wide (12m) as the Red Bull Ring – but while Austria has been Ducati territory for the past two seasons, Buriram was all about Honda, factory riderDani Pedrosasetting the fastest time of the test (a lap of 1min 29.781secs on the final day), and becoming the third Honda to top the timesheets afterCal Crutchlowled day one, and Pedrosa's teammate and reigning world championMarc Marquezset the day two benchmark.
Pre-season testing times should be taken with a grain of salt – who would have thought Ducati'sJorge Lorenzowould struggle so much after dominating the Malaysian test just two weeks previously? – butthe timesheets can tell usthatJohann Zarcois plainly the fastest man on a Yamaha, factory Yamaha ridersValentino RossiandMaverick Vinaleshave a lot of head-scratching to do between now and the final test in Qatar in a fortnight's time, and Miller and Ducati appear to be the perfect marriage, the Aussie backing up his strong showing at Sepang by finishing sixth overall – and the fastest Ducati rider – in Buriram.
MORE:What we learned from the Malaysia MotoGP test
That's what the stopwatch says, but what did the riders themselves think of the new circuit? Here's what they had to say, and where they finished after three days of sweltering action in front of grandstands that were routinely packed, the locals showing their love for all things two wheels before racing starts in earnest in eight months' time.
Dani Pedrosa
Repsol Honda Team (1:29.781, 1st overall)
"The circuit is quite narrow, so it’s important to use the right lines and carry speed. We’re working to find the best balance in order to be quick in both the fast sectors and the more twisty ones."
Marc Marquez
Repsol Honda Team (+0.188secs, 3rd)
Marquez celebrated his 25th birthday in style on day two
© MOTOGP.COM
"Regarding the track layout, it seemed quite fast to me when I lapped it on a scooter yesterday, but today riding my bike, I realised it was slower that I was expecting, with many second- or third-gear corners. Still, there are some hard acceleration and braking points, and it will probably be challenging to manage tyre life, so we’ll work on that as well."
Jack Miller
Alma Pramac Racing (+0.404secs, 6th)
Miller was the fastest Ducati rider across the test
© ALMA PRAMAC RACING
"The layout of the circuit is fascinating. I expected it to be more dirty, especially in the morning, but I had the feeling of having a good grip right away. It's a fast track and it's nice to race here. To do the best lap time you have to be patient and you have to give up a bit in braking to get the acceleration, especially on the Ducati. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that at the moment. But being patient isn’t one of my strong points …"
Andrea Dovizioso
Ducati Team (+0.411secs, 7th)
Dovizioso was a constant in the top 10
© MOTOGP.COM
"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."
Maverick Vinales
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (+0.493secs, 8th)
"I like the track a lot, it fits my riding style quite well with these flowing corners."
Danilo Petrucci
Alma Pramac Racing (+0.586secs, 9th)
"I liked the track right away. We were expecting to find a circuit with a lot of aggressive braking but many curves turned out to be fast."
MORE:6 MotoGP storylines we're predicting for 2018
Tito Rabat
Reale Avintia Racing (+0.695secs, 11th)
"I like the circuit and I had a lot of fun. It has several parts that reminded me of Qatar, others of Texas… it has some long straights and the asphalt is okay, although at the beginning of the day it was a little bit dirty. But the first impression was very good."
Valentino Rossi
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (+0.730secs, 12th)
Rossi and Yamaha were left disappointed after Thailand
© MOTOGP.COM
"First of all, the feeling with the track is not too bad, I expect worse, but first of all the track is in a good condition. It's clean and the asphalt has good grip. This is very important. And also the layout. I remembered [this track to be] more similar to Austria, so I was very worried. But when you ride maybe it is more similar to Argentina. It's good to ride, you have a good feeling, you enjoy. The track is not very difficult but anyway it's fun. Technically it's quite easy, but it's not boring."
Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini (+0.920secs, 14th)
Espargaro showed signs of progress for Aprilia
© MOTOGP.COM
"To be honest, the track surprised me. I had more fun than I thought I would. The first part is not particularly interesting with all the straights connected by braking sections, but overall it is a nice track."
Alvaro Bautista
Angel Nieto Team (+1.102secs, 17th)
"It's a track that has a couple of good points like Turn 4, where you go into it very fast and you have to go down a couple of gears and enter quickly. The circuit reminds me a little of Austria; it's varied and fun. I thought it looked easier, on paper, but riding a MotoGP bike complicates everything a bit more. The last two sectors are critical; they are narrow and you have to clearly choose the line because otherwise you can lose a lot of time.
