Álvaro and his fellow MotoGP riders have completed another busy day in the hot Malaysian conditions at the Sepang circuit. Throughout the day Álvaro stayed in a similar position as yesterday, but shaved off almost a second of his fastest laptime from Tuesday and closed the gap to the front slightly.

After completing 46 laps in total he finished the day in 8th position, moving up the order one place, with a best time of 2.01’933. With that he was just over a second behind fastest man Casey Stoner, but very close to 6th position.

Pos	Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap	Laps
1	Casey Stoner		2:00.895	-	-	29
2	Ben Spies		2:01.052	+0.157	+0.157	37
3	Jorge Lorenzo		2:01.068	+0.016	+0.173	40
4	Dani Pedrosa		2:01.508	+0.440	+0.613	35
5	Cal Crutchlow		2:01.565	+0.057	+0.670	42
6	Hector Barbera		2:01.788	+0.223	+0.893	50
7	Valentino Rossi		2:01.886	+0.098	+0.991	44
8	Alvaro Bautista		2:01.933	+0.047	+1.038	46
9	Andrea Dovizioso		2:02.160	+0.227	+1.265	42
10	Nicky Hayden		2:02.354	+0.194	+1.459	41
11	Stefan Bradl		2:02.414	+0.060	+1.519	41
12	Karel Abraham		2:02.598	+0.184	+1.703	66
13	Katsuyuki Nakasuga		2:02.941	+0.343	+2.046	40
14	Franco Battaini		2:04.311	+1.370	+3.416	38
15	Colin Edwards		2:05.603	+1.292	+4.708	37
16	Ivan Silva		2:10.297	+4.694	+9.402	16
17	Jordi Torres		2:11.893	+1.596	+10.998	2
18	Robertino Pietri		2:12.546	+0.653	+11.651	5

 

Results table: motogp.com

As the preseason testing for the 2012 championship finally began at Sepang today, here are a few photos of Álvaro and his new 1000cc Honda RC213V out on track for the first time.

Photo Copyright: Honda Pro Images, Gresini Racing

The 2012 MotoGP season officially got underway today with the first day of preseason testing at Sepang. There was a melancholy feel to the day following the tragic events of October and the memory of Marco Simoncelli remains in the hearts of all those present, as it will for many years to come.

Shortly before lunchtime Alvaro Bautista took to the circuit on board the Honda RC213V for a shakedown that became more and more encouraging as the laps went by. By the end of the session he had completed 45 circulations of the Malaysian track, with some impressive lap times and a positive early feel for the Honda RC213V.

Alvaro Bautista (2’ 02” 869 – 45 laps) “This was my first day on the RC213V and I am very pleased with it because I instantly felt comfortable riding a ‘thousand’. Obviously after a three-month break from racing it is not easy to get back out there because you have to reset your mind and body to the task and rediscover your pace. We have worked on adapting the bike to my riding style and I have just tried to get confident without worrying about lap times at this early stage. I am satisfied because I am working well with the team and everybody is putting in a lot of effort. Over the next two days we will work on general set-up and the electronics but I am already feeling positive because we are not too far off the fastest times and we haven’t started pushing yet.”

Source: Gresini Racing

It’s been a good first day on the 1000cc Honda for Álvaro. After a rainshow during the night proceedings started a bit later than expected and the MotoGP riders only went out on track after 11.00 local time. Álvaro made a quick start, finishing the first session before the lunch break in fourth position with a time of 2.04’110 seconds, but having only done seven laps so far.

Except for Dani Pedrosa he was the busiest rider on track, completing 45 laps throughout the day and he improved his laptime considerably in the afternoon, closing in to the fastest rider Lorenzo until under a second. But ultimately he didn’t improve enough anymore in the latter stages of the second session and finished the day in ninth position with a laptime of 2.02’869 seconds, 1,212 seconds behind quickest man Lorenzo.

The Yamahas had a very strong first day overall, taking over three of the first four positions with only Dani Pedrosa breaking their dominance with the second-fastest laptime. However, hot favourite Casey Stoner did not get out on track all day after pulling a muscle and re-injuring his back before even getting on the bike. He’s expected to join the test tomorrow after receiving extensive physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory medicine.

Final results Day 1

Pos	Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Prev. Gap	Lead. Gap	Laps
1	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha Factory Racing	2:01.657	-	-	30
2	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	2:02.003	+0.346	+0.346	48
3	Cal Crutchlow	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	2:02.221	+0.218	+0.564	32
4	Ben Spies	Yamaha Factory Racing	2:02.234	+0.013	+0.577	28
5	Valentino Rossi	Ducati Team	2:02.392	+0.158	+0.735	43
6	Andrea Dovizioso	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	2:02.751	+0.359	+1.094	20
7	Hector Barbera	Pramac Racing Team	2:02.773	+0.022	+1.116	41
8	Katsuyuki Nakasuga	Yamaha Factory	2:02.829	+0.056	+1.172	32
9	Alvaro Bautista	San Carlo Honda Gresini	2:02.869	+0.040	+1.212	45
10	Nicky Hayden	Ducati Team	2:03.151	+0.282	+1.494	33
11	Stefan Bradl	LCR Honda	2:03.668	+0.517	+2.011	44
12	Karel Abraham	Cardion AB Motoracing	2:03.781	+0.113	+2.124	45
13	Franco Bataini	Ducati Team	2:04.986	+1.205	+3.329	35
14	Casey Stoner	Repsol Honda Team	2:07.163	+2.177	+5.506	4
15	Colin Edwards	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	2:08.240	+1.077	+6.583	21
16	Jordi Torres	Avintia Racing	2:10.671	+2.431	+9.014	42
17	Ivan Silva	Avintia Racing	2:11.267	+0.596	+9.610	12

Results Table: motogp.com

Rizla Suzuki has completed the second pre-season test with Álvaro Bautista taking almost half-of-a-second off his best ever time at the Malaysian circuit.

Bautista recorded a fastest time of 2’01.194 from his 34 laps around the 5,548m Sepang track to give him eighth place overall on the timesheets. Despite a slow front end crash at turn nine earlier in the day – that Bautista walked away from uninjured – Suzuki’s Spanish star was able to continue with the comprehensive test schedule, despite still suffering with the after effects of yesterday’s headache that caused him to require clinical treatment.

Bautista was able to try some new Bridgestone tyres today as well as a number of geometry settings and refine some of the earlier settings that he tried during the first two days of the test. Honda’s Casey Stoner finished the test as the quickest rider as he became the first person to lap the Sepang circuit in a sub two minute time.

Suzuki’s engineers now have two weeks to work on the data from this test before the final pre-season test of 2011 takes place at Qatar. The first race on the 2011 calendar will be held under floodlights on Sunday 20th March also at Losail in Qatar.

Álvaro Bautista: “I felt a little better this morning, especially after the Clinica guys gave me a special vitamin drip. On my first run I made my best Sepang time so far, but actually I made a couple of mistakes and it really should have been a 2.00 something, after that everybody was using older tyres and the track is getting hotter so it gets less easy to make similar times, but I was happy to be able to make mid 2.01’s on old tyres. The test wasn’t the best on my side, because my condition wasn’t great and I didn’t make the long run today – sorry to Suzuki’s engineers about that – but we have improved the bike in areas that I really believe will help us in different conditions. The Suzuki is now stable, has good feeling and it’s fast – I hope we have the same feeling in the colder conditions of Qatar – now I just want to race!”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“A little bit of a strange test but at least we got some clear results! Thanks also to Nobu and the factory engineers for their efforts; they got through a lot of very detailed work that will help us in the future. Álvaro is maybe a little disappointed in his ultimate pace, but eighth overall on the sheets is really nothing to complain about given that we all know the difference between Álvaro ‘the rider’ and Álvaro ‘the racer’. The team has been working very well and very calmly, and it now feels like time to race. The competition this year and the depth of field is absolutely brutal, we hope that Rizla Suzuki and Álvaro is part of the fight!”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

The final day of testing at Sepang saw more of the same with Honda dominating the proceedings yet again and Casey Stoner ending the session on top with teammate Dani Pedrosa right behind. Both riders were able to break through the 2 minute barrier and post the fastest laptimes ever on this circuit. Third and fourth position were also taken over by the two other factory Hondas of Simoncelli and Dovizioso, making it another Honda clean sweep. The Yamahas of Spies, Edwards and Lorenzo were next, showing some strength, but still not enough to reach Honda’s obvious power in these early stages of the year, illustrated by the fact that only the factory Honda riders were able to stay within a second of Stoners laptime.

But right behind the fast Hondas and Yamahas was Alvaro in a great 8th place, finishing the test with his personal best laptime ever posted on the Sepang circuit and a gap of 1.529 seconds to Casey Stoner.

Thunderstorms were coming close to the track in the final hour of the session, but held off long enough for most riders to conclude their work regardless.

The next and final preseason test for MotoGP will take place in Qatar ahead of the first race of the season.

Final Laptimes Day 3

1. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda Team 1m 59.665s (37)
2. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 1m 59.803s (38)
3. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 0.163s (46)
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.541s (45)
5. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 0.678s (32)
6. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 0.966s (29)
7. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 1.003s (48)
8. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2m 1.194s (34)
9. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 1.328s (48)
10. Hector Barbera ESP Aspar Team 2m 1.346s (21)
11. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Team 2m 1.469s (59)
12. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team 2m 1.469s (71)
13. Loris Capirossi ITA Pramac Racing Team 2m 1.493s (39)
14. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 2.034s (50)
15. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing Team 2m 2.155s (42)
16. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda MotoGP 2m 2.410s (57)
17. Bike #T1 JPN Yamaha Test Rider 2m 2.457s (40)
18. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 2m 2.506s (55)
19. Bike #T2 JPN Yamaha test Rider 2m 3.016s (13)

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista made good progress but lost a large amount of test time at Malaysia today due to a severe headache that sidelined the Spanish star.

Bautista (P10, 2’02.035, 35 laps), had already begun today’s wide-ranging programme and had tested new Marchesini wheels, Ohlins rear shock damping specs, and electronic mapping strategies before the pain and dizziness made it unsafe to test further. He received attention at the Clinica Mobile and rested for a few hours. Thereafter, he was able to continue with the day’s testing and to set his fastest time of the day – which was 0.2 seconds better than yesterday’s best.

Nobuatsu Aoki was again on hand to continue with his own test programme at the 5,548m Sepang circuit. He completed another 46 laps to give yet more data for Suzuki to use as it prepares for the new season. Honda’s Casey Stoner was again the quickest rider at the test.

Bautista will be hoping to be back to full fitness tomorrow as the pre-season test schedule reaches its final third. The last day at Sepang will give the teams only three more days testing – with the final two at Qatar in two weeks’ time – before the 2011 MotoGP season kicks off on Sunday 20th March, also at Qatar.

Álvaro Bautista: “It seems like at this moment the bike has better durability than the rider! This has been bad luck to get sick at two consecutive tests – I feel very drained but I am confident that I will be ok tomorrow after maybe 12 hours sleep! But there was also some positive points today – we tested a new rear swing-arm which improved the rear grip by a reasonable step and also a new engine map which helped the bike punch off the corner better. My best lap was with race distance already completed on the tyres, so for sure I can go quicker with new tyres but today my condition was not the best for a ‘qualifying’ style lap. I’m frustrated but happy – we have improved the Suzuki quite a lot since the end of 2010.”

Source: Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

The second day at Sepang was again a solo show for the Repsol Honda riders with Casey Stoner taking over top spot from Dani Pedrosa in the last minute of the session. Fellow Repsol rider Andrea Dovizioso joins them right behind in third. With both Gresini Honda riders also showing fast pace in 6th and 7th, only the factory Yamahas were able to squeeze in between.

Alvaro finished the day in 11th place after missing out on a good portion of the day feeling unwell. He set an early fast lap in the morning which was faster than his best laptime from the first day and placed him 9th fastest, but then retreated to the Suzuki motorhome to rest before going out again for a few more laps in the late afternoon where he was not able to improve on his early laptime. According to reporters at track he had not been able to sleep at the hotel after he’d woken up with a severe headache at night and the missing rest made him feel very uneasy on the bike. We hope with a good night’s sleep he’ll be back to full fitness for the final day of testing tomorrow.

Incidentally Alvaro was not the only rider with health problems today. Valentino Rossi didn’t go out on track at all as he had a high fever and after consulting with the Clinica Mobile went directly back to the hotel for the day. Cal Crutchlow is also still recovering from food poisoning which he had caught on the flight out to Malaysia. We’re wishing all riders a quick recovery.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Laptime Laps
1. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.171s (43)
2. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.229s (41)
3. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 2m 0.531s (46)
4. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 0.824s (54)
5. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 2m 0.931s (45)
6. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 1.033s (52)
7. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 2m 1.439s (64)
8. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 1.738s (44)
9. Bike #T2 JPN Yamaha test Rider 2m 1.792s (23)
10. Hector Barbera ESP Aspar Team 2m 1.909s (64)
11. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2m 2.035s (35)
12. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team 2m 2.208s (44)
13. Bike #T1 JPN Yamaha Test Rider 2m 2.596s (54)
14. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing Team 2m 2.604s (35)
15. Loris Capirossi ITA Pramac Racing Team 2m 2.624s (40)
16. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 2m 2.676s (36)
17. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda MotoGP 2m 2.941s (60)
18. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2m 2.984s (40)
19. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Suzuki Test Rider 2m 4.582s (46)