Phillip Island Test 2017

Thanks for posting the times.

Glad to see Miller in 8th.

Must have been a great day down there.

Rossi's back upto 5th - 1:30.306

Marquez has done 1.29.497 near .500 in front of Vinales in 2nd

Probably starting his run on fresh rubber. 10 laps in still pounding away constant <1:30.1 laps. :O

Images can apparently be found here (quick look seems ok) - https://twitter.com/search?f=images&vertical=default&q=#austest&src=typd

RESULTS - MotoGP Phillip Island Test, Day 1
1. (93) Marc Marquez (Honda) 1m29.497s
2. (46) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.186s
3. (29) Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) +0.429s
4. (25) Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) +0.492s
5. (35) Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +0.568s
6. (9) Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) +0.765s
7. (26) Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.784s
8. (4) Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) +0.913s
9. (43) Jack Miller (Honda) +0.929s
10. (94) Jonas Folger (Yamaha) +1.081s
11. (99) Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) +1.134s
12. (19) Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) +1.273s
13. (8) Hector Barbera (Ducati) +1.274s
14. (41) Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +1.305s
15. (5) Johann Zarco (Yamaha) +1.37s
16. (17) Karel Abraham (Ducati) +1.682s
17. (44) Pol Espargaro (KTM) +1.703s
18. (76) Loris Baz (Ducati) +1.752s
19. (42) Alex Rins (Suzuki) +1.935s
20. (45) Scott Redding (Ducati) +2.258s
21. (22) Sam Lowes (Aprilia) +2.81s
22. (38) Bradley Smith (KTM) +3.193s

Gaz said:

RESULTS - MotoGP Phillip Island Test, Day 1
1. (93) Marc Marquez (Honda) 1m29.497s
2. (46) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) +0.186s
3. (29) Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) +0.429s
4. (25) Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) +0.492s
5. (35) Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +0.568s
6. (9) Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) +0.765s
7. (26) Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +0.784s
8. (4) Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) +0.913s
9. (43) Jack Miller (Honda) +0.929s
10. (94) Jonas Folger (Yamaha) +1.081s
11. (99) Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati) +1.134s
12. (19) Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) +1.273s
13. (8) Hector Barbera (Ducati) +1.274s
14. (41) Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +1.305s
15. (5) Johann Zarco (Yamaha) +1.37s
16. (17) Karel Abraham (Ducati) +1.682s
17. (44) Pol Espargaro (KTM) +1.703s
18. (76) Loris Baz (Ducati) +1.752s
19. (42) Alex Rins (Suzuki) +1.935s
20. (45) Scott Redding (Ducati) +2.258s
21. (22) Sam Lowes (Aprilia) +2.81s
22. (38) Bradley Smith (KTM) +3.193s

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Whoa! Good to see Iannone get in front of the hype machine for 3rd quickest of the day!

Heres the telemetry for the closed traffic test ......


https://traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au/

Red on three intersections leading from the circuit


Actually looks like a good time to go to PI!!!





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Definitely shaping up to be an interesting season. Especially if Iannone can keep the shiny side up.

Rossi is more concerned about Marquez than anyone else. His post-test comments are very interesting, in particular with regards to the tire wear. I don't disagree with his feeling that Honda/MM were downplaying their bike at Sepang. I thought while there were definitely some issues with the bike there, the issues were being heavily overstated for sandbagging purposes. I don't think the 2017 RC213V is going to be the equivalent of the 2014 bike, but it should be good enough for MM to win the world title this year. Anyway, here's the news story regarding Rossi's take on MM today:

Marc Marquez is currently the 2017 MotoGP favourite because Honda has superior long-run pace to Yamaha, reckons Valentino Rossi.

Though Honda had an ostensibly troubled first test at Sepang a fortnight ago and did not top the timesheets until the opening day of this week's Phillip Island running on Wednesday, Rossi is adamant Marquez has looked the man to beat throughout testing.

Rossi believes Marquez's speed on old tyres is more significant than the headline times his new Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales has been setting.

"Vinales was very strong in Valencia and Sepang but if you check the times deeply Marquez was faster in Valencia [in November], in Malaysia and today," said Rossi. "So I think that he's the man to beat.

"On pace he's always very constant and they work very much for the race with used tyres. I think he's the reference."

Asked if he thought Marquez's downbeat comments about the Honda were deliberate understatement, Rossi suggested the reigning champion was trying to lure his rivals into complacency.

"He's making an understatement," said Rossi.

"You always try to say a little bit less or make it more negative because you always want to be the surprise in Qatar.

"Seriously, I already know that he's the fastest."

Used tyre pace

Rossi ended the first day of testing in Australia second to Marquez, which he felt was a reasonable result after a tough start to the day.

"We started quite badly this morning and suffered a bit too much," he said. "I didn't have a good feeling with the bike and every time I tried to push I didn't feel good.

"In the break we checked the data and the team worked well to improve the bike a lot and in the afternoon I was more competitive.

"At the end with the new tyre I did a good lap and second is OK. 1m29.6s for the first day is not so bad."

However, Rossi believes Yamaha's long-run pace is still a weakness.

"We have a lot of work to do especially for pace with used tyres," he said.

"We have to work on the bike because first of all we still don't understand it 100% to find maximum potential.

Vinales, who was fourth quickest behind his Suzuki replacement Andrea Iannone, agreed with Rossi that Yamaha needed to be better at looking after its Michelins over a race distance.

"For sure I want to try to get more from the tyre life," he said.

"Here it gets used really, really fast. We're going to try tomorrow to improve that area."

Marquez pace proves he's "man to beat" - Rossi

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BarryMachine said:

Actually looks like a good time to go to PI!!!





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Oh I'm sure you will find a reason not to....

As others have said, I believe MM is sandbagging, and if Vinales keeps up his form it will be an interesting season. My hopes for Lorenzo are waning a bit but I'd be happy if he was in the top 5 early on in the season.

POS # RIDER NAME GAP
1 25 M. VIÑALES 01:28.8
2 93 M. MARQUEZ 0.463
3 35 C. CRUTCHLOW 0.48
4 41 A. ESPARGARO 0.656
5 94 J. FOLGER 0.819
6 46 V. ROSSI 0.828
7 29 A. IANNONE 1.101
8 43 J. MILLER 1.11
9 4 A. DOVIZIOSO 1.146
10 19 A. BAUTISTA 1.245
11 17 K. ABRAHAM 1.296
12 5 J. ZARCO 1.358
13 9 D. PETRUCCI 1.361
14 42 A. RINS 1.379
15 8 H. BARBERA 1.507
16 99 J. LORENZO 1.621
17 44 P. ESPARGARO 1.799
18 76 L. BAZ 2.133
19 45 S. REDDING 2.413
20 38 B. SMITH 3.27
21 22 S. LOWES 3.306
NC 26 D. PEDROSA

Final Test Times for Day 2.

1. = Maverick Viñales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 28.847s [Lap 21/80]
2. = Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 29.309s +0.462s [20/107]
3. = Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 1m 29.325s +0.478s [28/80]
4. = Alvaro Bautista ESP Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 29.411s +0.564s [42/86]
5. = Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 29.483s +0.636s [32/55]
6. = Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 1m 29.501s +0.654s [18/69]
7. = Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 29.664s +0.817s [29/65]
8. = Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1m 29.674s +0.827s [18/70]
9. = Alex Rins ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 1m 29.802s +0.955s [68/80]
10. = Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1m 29.838s +0.991s [36/83]
11. = Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 1m 29.880s +1.033s [84/88]
12. = Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1m 29.947s +1.100s [19/72]
13. = Karel Abraham CZE Aspar MotoGP Team (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 30.142s +1.295s [20/73]
14. ^ Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 30.150s +1.303s [64/65]
15. ˅ Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 1m 30.197s +1.350s [32/64]
16. ^ Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1m 30.245s +1.398s [38/40]
17. ˅ Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 30.352s +1.505s [18/62]
18. = Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 1m 30.435s +1.588s [83/90]
19. = Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 30.645s +1.798s [24/59]
20. = Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 1m 30.852s +2.005s [34/53]
21. = Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP)* 1m 30.895s +2.048s [34/64]
22. = Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 1m 31.704s +2.857s [35/81]

This is shaping up to be a long season for Lorenzo. Has to make you think, how much of Lorenzo's success can be chalked up to the bike and how much to talent. Especially considering how much better the other riders are doing on different versions of the same bike.

Little Walter said:

This is shaping up to be a long season for Lorenzo. Has to make you think, how much of Lorenzo's success can be chalked up to the bike and how much to talent. Especially considering how much better the other riders are doing on different versions of the same bike.

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My thoughts somewhere around the time he signed with Ducati were that he pretty much ...... himself over by signing there, and that he would not win a race for Ducati. After the Valencia test, I thought perhaps there was more likelihood to success than I had originally been anticipating as he was certainly throwing up competitive times there. Since then, it's looked like he's regressed while everyone else has taken a step forward. At this point it's probably fair to say he will not have the success he had at Yamaha with Ducati. There's another factor in play that may have more to do with his results to date; Michelin tires. They were highly inconsistent last season, and I'm not sure yet what this season's situation is going to be with them. If they continue providing a ton of rear grip, and still have the poor front tire, it's going to be another long season for him.

JPSLotus said:

My thoughts somewhere around the time he signed with Ducati were that he pretty much ...... himself over by signing there, and that he would not win a race for Ducati. After the Valencia test, I thought perhaps there was more likelihood to success than I had originally been anticipating as he was certainly throwing up competitive times there. Since then, it's looked like he's regressed while everyone else has taken a step forward. At this point it's probably fair to say he will not have the success he had at Yamaha with Ducati. There's another factor in play that may have more to do with his results to date; Michelin tires. They were highly inconsistent last season, and I'm not sure yet what this season's situation is going to be with them. If they continue providing a ton of rear grip, and still have the poor front tire, it's going to be another long season for him.

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I was going to say pretty much the same thing. I don't know that it was always thus, but in latter years Jorge seems to have become very dependent on specific tyre characteristics, and if the Michelins were problematic for him on the Yamaha last year they are unlikely to be less so on the Ducati. I am not sure he is capable of altering his riding style too much at this stage in his career. I still think Jorge on a Yamaha shod with high edge grip tyres would have been the best chance of giving MM a contest this year. We will have to see whether the Michelins suit the Yamahas with their current riders this year anyway, because some of Valentino's uncharacteristic DNFs last year seemed to be down to problems with the Michelins as well.

Folger is the one who has really surprised me in this test. (EDIT And Aleix Espargaro).

Phillip Island MotoGP Test: Lorenzo still searching for magic formula
Five days into the 2017 preseason and Jorge Lorenzo was still searching for that illusive set-up change that would bring him greater comfort in all aspects of his riding, as he ended the day a disappointing 15th fastest.

The Majorcan lowered his personal best lap time by close to half a second on Thursday at Phillip Island but nevertheless found his Ducati GP17 to be 1.350s off Maverick Viñales' fastest pace of the day.

Improvements were coming, he said that evening, but just not at the rate he was expecting. Lorenzo found his corner speed to be well below the level expected, while how he enters turns and applies the throttle on their exit is still proving problematic.

Having assessed the data of fourth fastest Alvaro Bautista – finding a new lease of speed aboard Ducati's year-old GP16 - Lorenzo could see his corner speed lagging well behind that of his countryman. “Something isn't right,” he mused.


“Well, I think we just gain a little bit at the end of the straight at this moment! We lose in most of the track, maybe 95 percent of the track, mainly in the corner speed.

“The corner speed, to stop the bike and in the braking, releasing the brake, the bike is difficult to turn. In some areas also the engine is a little bit too nervous. We're improving little-by-little.

“More little than more than what we expected. But the most important thing is that we are every day faster and we did much more times in 1m 30s. Yesterday I just did five laps in 30s.

“Today most laps were in 30s. One was very close to 29. So let's see tomorrow, improving the bike, adapting myself a little bit more to the bike, if we can stay most laps in the 29s and low 30s.

“For sure, something is still not right and we didn't discover. We need to discover something to enter faster in the corners, to open more throttle and generally go faster in the corner speed.

“Probably we don't have the bike to carry the best corner speed but at this moment Bautista at this moment is much faster than me in the corners and we have to understand what is going on.”

Both Lorenzo and new team-mate Andrea Dovizioso identified the Ducati to be lacking with regards to turning capabilities, something that is magnified by Phillip Island's succession of high-speed turns.

“Normally, all the Ducatis we are struggling a little bit in the middle of the corners to turn the bike. [There was] A small improvement today in all of the areas but for the moment there is no big step.

“We have very little time – just four practices before the Qatar race [weekend]. For the new regulations we could just test 2016 [bike] just in Valencia. This for sure doesn't help. Anyway, this is the situation we have and with what we have we have to do the maximum, no?”

All of this may have been easier to stomach had Viñales, Lorenzo's replacement at Movistar Yamaha, not shown such an explosive turn of pace. The 22-year old ended the day close to half a second clear of Marc Marquez, the next best rider.

Even Lorenzo, a five-time world champion, expressed his surprise at just how quickly Viñales has taken to Yamaha's M1. “Well, it's surprising,” he admitted.

“Even knowing that he's very, very fast and very aggressive and very young. I think it's a surprise for everyone that he's so, so quick. This is the truth.”

Read more at MotoGP News - Phillip Island MotoGP Test: Lorenzo still searching for magic formula

michaelm said:

I was going to say pretty much the same thing. I don't know that it was always thus, but in latter years Jorge seems to have become very dependent on specific tyre characteristics, and if the Michelins were problematic for him on the Yamaha last year they are unlikely to be less so on the Ducati. I am not sure he is capable of altering his riding style too much at this stage in his career. I still think Jorge on a Yamaha shod with high edge grip tyres would have been the best chance of giving MM a contest this year. We will have to see whether the Michelins suit the Yamahas with their current riders this year anyway, because some of Valentino's uncharacteristic DNFs last year seemed to be down to problems with the Michelins as well.

Folger is the one who has really surprised me in this test. (EDIT And Aleix Espargaro).

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While I understand Lorenzo didn't want to stay in the environment he was in at Yamaha with Rossi, he may have been better sucking it up and just going with it till Rossi is gone. Granted, a somewhat hostile work environment is never ideal, and having been in that situation, I do understand his motivation to leave. However, unlike your normal work environments, this is a sport where success is determined by more than just skill. Yamaha provided for his style the best overall package. It was just going to be whether the Michelin tires were suited for his style this year or not.

Reading his comments in Vudu's post about it being difficult to get the bike direction changed means that the GP17 isn't terribly different from the GP16 in that regards. You have to be a bit more physical with the bike to get the performance out of it, hence why Dovizioso and formerly Iannone showed how much promise the bike had as both aren't the ride-on-rails type that Lorenzo is. Of course Dovizioso has noted the same issue with turning...which in turn (no pun intended) has me thinking that getting that bike turned in mid-corner relies a lot on wrenching the throttle to induce slide to get the direction changed much more quickly...a Stoner trademark. So no surprise Casey was so fast at Sepang since while having different kinds of corners, he was always phenomenal and sliding the bike to get directional changes. Going to Phillip Island, you have to be willing to slide the bike to get through most of the corners at high speed. The key to unlocking that bike seems to still be centered around a rider being willing to get physical with the bike within reason. I believe the only rider who can win a world title on the current Desmosedici is Marc Marquez as he has all of the necessary traits to ride that bike to a title. Unless Stoner wants to come out of retirement (which he won't) Ducati is going to have to hope they find a MM-like rider, or try to get MM himself to jump from Honda. The latter may be possible if he bags two more titles in '17 and '18. He might want to try his hand with the Ducati, and if he does, he will be successful on the bike.

michaelm said:

I was going to say pretty much the same thing. I don't know that it was always thus, but in latter years Jorge seems to have become very dependent on specific tyre characteristics, and if the Michelins were problematic for him on the Yamaha last year they are unlikely to be less so on the Ducati. I am not sure he is capable of altering his riding style too much at this stage in his career. I still think Jorge on a Yamaha shod with high edge grip tyres would have been the best chance of giving MM a contest this year. We will have to see whether the Michelins suit the Yamahas with their current riders this year anyway, because some of Valentino's uncharacteristic DNFs last year seemed to be down to problems with the Michelins as well.

Folger is the one who has really surprised me in this test. (EDIT And Aleix Espargaro).

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JLo isn't adapting to either the Michelin or the Ducati as fast as a he needs, and in my view having Stoner as a test rider isnt going to help JLo at all. Ducati need to dump Stoner, and only listen to JLo's needs (aka make the ducati into a yamaha) in order for JLo to have any chance of getting near a podium let alone a win in the next 2 years....

Also, Stoner as test rider is not going to help Lorenzo at all....it may actually hurt JLo's chances of finding a right direction and actually frustrate him further....

I think if he doesnt win or come close to winning in the next 2 years he will look at retiring at end of his contract...

MigsAngel said:

JLo isn't adapting to either the Michelin or the Ducati as fast as a he needs, and in my view having Stoner as a test rider isnt going to help JLo at all. Ducati need to dump Stoner, and only listen to JLo's needs (aka make the ducati into a yamaha) in order for JLo to have any chance of getting near a podium let alone a win in the next 2 years....

Also, Stoner as test rider is not going to help Lorenzo at all....it may actually hurt JLo's chances of finding a right direction and actually frustrate him further....

I think if he doesnt win or come close to winning in the next 2 years he will look at retiring at end of his contract...

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Lorenzo is not going to retire. Most likely if he doesn't re-up at Ducati, he'll be back at Yamaha in 2019, or if VR retires and sets up a satellite team, you may see him on that M1.

Stoner is hardly the issue here IMO, and he makes for a convenient scapegoat. The problem remains that Ducati cannot make a chassis that is more in line with either Yamaha or Suzuki, and is currently more in line with the RC213V chassis...hence my belief Marquez is the only rider on the grid that has the skill to win not just races, but a world title for Ducati. It is also possible that the GP18 will be the bike that gets the handling squared away as it was never going to be realistic to expect the GP17 to be built with Lorenzo's preferences taken fully into account given he wasn't able to ride the GP16 till the season ended. Possibility exists for a B spec chassis to show up later in the season.