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The first ever night-time MotoGP test got
underway at the Losail International Circuit
in Qatar this evening, ahead of the opening
race of the season and the inaugural night
race in just over a week’s time. |
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The first ever night-time MotoGP test got
underway at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this
evening, ahead of the opening race of the season and the
inaugural night race in just over a week’s time. The circuit
is lit by 1000 floodlights at varying heights, making it as
light as day and covering an area equivalent to 70 football
pitches.
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi, who won the
race here two years ago, was unfazed by the unusual
conditions however and it was soon business as usual for the
Italian, who finished the night’s work in ninth place.
One of the main aims of the first night’s testing for Rossi
was to work with Bridgestone to find the best tyres to suit
the conditions, which are of course considerably cooler than
during the daytime tests and races of the past four years.
He also worked on general set-up as the team try to maximise
the final hours of pre-season track time as the clock ticks
down towards the first race. Rossi completed 82 laps overall
and posted a best lap of 1’56.749, whilst team-mate Jorge
Lorenzo was second fastest with a lap of 1'56.019.
Valentino Rossi (Position: 9th; Time: 1:56.749;
Laps: 82)
“There was a lot
of curiosity about this night test and I have to say that I
am quite satisfied. I think they have made a great job with
the lights and you can ride quite normally, as if it’s day.
The visibility is quite good so there is no danger for us;
it’s really no more difficult than riding in the day. Maybe
it would be better to move this night race to a period when
the temperature is a little bit higher however, because at
the moment it’s very cold here! Today we have worked a lot
on the bike set-up, but we were not so fast and we are still
missing some grip in acceleration. We tested several
different tyres and settings, but I am still sliding a bit
when I open the throttle and the front is going a bit wide.
We know that this track doesn’t have the best grip, but
other riders are going faster, so we must do better. We have
a couple of ideas for tomorrow and I am sure we will be able
to improve.”
Davide Brivio (Team Manager)
“As far as the
light is concerned, after one hour testing things seemed to
be normal. We got used to the new conditions very quickly
and everything worked well. The lights are not a problem,
but the temperature is! Maybe it would be better to ride in
Qatar when the temperature by night is a little bit higher.
The track temperature is equal to the air temperature - low!
At the time of the race it was only 15°, so it is a limiting
situation concerning tyre performance. As far as the bike is
concerned, we still have some work to do to increase our
performance here and we especially need to improve the
setting in order to make the tyres work better in the low
temperatures. Tomorrow we will be testing new settings and
materials from Bridgestone and we will try to be faster than
we were today.”
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