PETRONAS YAMAHA SEPANG RACING TEAM M MAKE DEBUT IN VALENCIA TEST
PETALING JAYA: It was a day to remember for the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team in Valencia, Spain where the Malaysian outfit took its first steps in the Moto GP World Championship with Italian Franco Morbidelli and Frenchman Fabio Quartararo.
Morbidelli, the newly crowned Rookie of the Year, was right on pace from the start in the 2019 pre-season testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit.
The 2017 Moto2 world champion adapted quickly to the Yamaha bike from the opening laps, clocking the sixth fastest time of the opening day (1:32.085) after a total of 40 laps.
Quartararo enjoyed his first 38 laps on board a Moto GP bike, a special experience for the French rookie.
With a best effort of 1:33.850, the 19-year-old improved each time he went out onto the track to finish the day in 23rd position.
Morbidelli and Quartararo, however, were limited to two and half hours of action due to the rain.
“It has been a great first day, I felt good with the bike as soon as I got in it and the connection with the team is really good. I managed to get some solid laps in this after- noon,” said Morbidelli.
“I have more time to find in my riding as I get to know the bike and understand its strengths and weaknesses to get the most out of this test.”
Sepang International Circuit (SIC), will for the first time, have a team in all three classes of the world championship.
Malaysia’s Khairul Idham Pawi will be the new signing in Moto2 while Japan’s Ayumu Sasaki and Britain’s John McPhee will front the Moto3 team.
“This is a historic moment for
Malaysian motorsports and especially for SIC.
“We have come a long way to establish our own team in Moto GP, and we are very excited to see this project come to fruition.
“To be the only Asian-owned team on the grid gives us great pride.”
Malaysian rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah was also taking his time to adapt to the KTM bike.
The KTM satellite team rider finished 24th with 1:34.233 in the rain-interrupted session.
“We were not able to do many
laps today, because this morning the track was still wet and many riders were waiting. I did 20 laps and we planned to continue, but the rain came nearly two hours before the official end of the test, so we had no chance to do more laps on a dry track.
“At the moment, I have the feeling the bike is quite good in handling and more powerful, but obviously we need to change some things to adapt to my riding,” said Hafizh, who concluded his rookie Moto GP season in 16th spot with 46 points.