Less than two weeks after the 2007 season ended at the Grand Prix of Valencia, the Repsol Honda Team resumed work today as a three-day MotoGP test session began at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia
Nicky Hayden initially took to the track on his 2007-spec RC212V to carry out engine evaluation work, with the intention of riding the new-for-2008 RC212V in the afternoon. However, rain shortly after lunch gave Hayden the chance to continue analysis of the engine settings in wet conditions, with the tests on the 2008 machine postponed until tomorrow.
The 2006 World Champion had a slow-speed fall in slippery conditions at the start of the day but was unhurt and completed 56 laps at the 5.548km (3.447-mile) circuit.
The test continues at Sepang for two more days. With further developments to the new machine in the pipeline before the final test of the year in Jerez at the end of November, Dani Pedrosa and his crew elected not to ride in Sepang, having completed the first stages of testing during two days following the Grand Prix of Valencia. The Spaniard will rejoin the factory Honda squad at the Jerez test beginning on November 27.
Nicky Hayden Fastest lap: 2m 04.164s – 56 laps
“We planned to take the new machine out after lunch until the rain prevented that. The new bike is the same as at Valencia except we planned to run some different engine settings to modify the power curve. Everything didn’t exactly get off to a good start today and crashing on the fifth lap of a three-day test isn’t so smart. I was going pretty slow and I’m OK but it was very bright and I didn’t notice the damp patches on the track. I was just about to get off the brakes when I went down. It’s the oldest excuse in the book to say, ‘There must have been something on the track’, but with three guys going down in the same place so early… That kinda put us on the back foot but the boys fixed the bike and we got in some decent laps. With the track being damp in the morning and the rain coming after lunch we didn’t get a whole lot done, but we’ll come back ready for a full day’s work tomorrow”.
