This is still testing. I know making a meal of the handful of laps these guys complete every six weeks in the winter is kind of our thing, but doesn't anyone else think we're making too much of this? Nobody is sandbagging. With such limited testing and the new engine regulations, these guys can't afford to play games. These tests are about learning as much as possible about this year's evolutions of M1s, GP10s, RC212Vs and GSVRs. Because if they don't get it sorted now, they'll spend three-quarters of a season playing catch-up (see Nicky Hayden 2009).
To be honest, I think with the engine restrictions, this winter's testing should give us the most accurate picture of what the season could look like in ages. I don't think there's been an off-season with such an emphasis on race pace since the switch to four-strokes. Everyone is curious about reliability, so there should be a lot of guys running multiple race distances over the course of these few days to find out what sort of reliability they can expect. In theory, we should be looking at times that will reflect the true order.
Obviously my opinion is based in theory and in reality there has likely been a lot of engineering work and testing engines on benches to begin to understand their reliability, but I don't think I'm too far off.
