The Repsol Honda Team has returned today, Thursday, along with the rest of the MotoGP teams that will compete in the 2009 season of the MotoGP World Championship, at the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia. As is becoming usual year after year around these dates, the teams in the top category have started the final phase of pre-season training before the World Championship kicks off in Qatar on 12 April.
Today, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso have ridden their first kilometres of the year on their Honda RC212Vs on the Malaysian circuit. The two Repsol Honda Team riders have made their first contact after resting over the long winter break. Pedrosa and Dovizioso have not got back on their bikes since mid-December, at the Jerez Circuit.
The Spanish rider in the Repsol Honda Team, who now sports the number 3 on his Honda, has made the most of the first day to get back into the pace and start working with the tyres that Bridgestone will supply all the riders in the top category. His team mate, Dovizioso, preferred to spend the morning improving his position on his official Honda, to then concentrate on fine tuning the chassis and the tyres.
Pedrosa has completed a total of 44 laps of the Malaysian circuit, clocking up his best time in lap 33. His team mate, Dovizioso, has registered the sixth best time in lap 44, of the 50 he laps he has completed today.
Tomorrow, Friday, the MotoGP riders will continue with the second of the three training sessions scheduled in Sepang.
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
“Today we came back on track after two months break since the last test in Jerez. It was important to get back the feeling with the bike and resume the rhythm. After such a long time, I really looked forward to go back riding my bike. The priority at the moment is to adapt the bike to Bridgestone tyres, so we worked on the setting in order to get the best match between machine and tyres. Our target during these three days of testing is also to improve every single aspect of the bike in preparation of the season.”
Andrea Dovizioso >> Audio
“I’m very happy to be back in action. I was looking forward to ride my bike, and I particularly enjoy this place, I love the Sepang circuit and the hot temperatures that we find here. This morning we worked a lot on my position on the bike, testing different solutions, as I was still not comfortable enough. Finally we found a good solution and a good feeling with the bike, so in the afternoon we could continue to work on the chassis and concentrate more on the set up to adapt the machine to the Bridgestone tyres. This is a very important element at the moment, in fact the tyres are consistent and have a lot of potential but we aren’t using all the potential at the moment. This is a good feeling because we know that there is space for improvement”.
