Sepang Valentino Rossi three days of testing

Roberto Magni By Foto ReD Photographic Agency - MotoGP First day of Official test IRTA 2020
Today, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team got back into action after the winter break. Valentino Rossi rode 48 laps , ending the first day of the Sepang MotoGP Official Test in sixth and tenth place.
Sepang (Malaysia), 7th February 2020

Having presented this year“™s line-up at the Sepang track yesterday, the team was in high spirits. They commenced their 2020 testing programme with three bikes for each rider. Eager to be back aboard his YZR-M1 again after the winter break, Rossi also had a good day at the office. He quickly got into the swing of things in the morning before moving on to improving the settings of the YZR-M1 in the afternoon. He rode 48 laps over the course of eight hours of high-temperature and occasionally rainy testing, and set a best lap of 1“™59.569s, taking tenth place, 0.624s from the top.

Valentino Rossi Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider It was a difficult day, especially because of the conditions. It rained, so we didn“™t finish our programme, but anyway we were able to do a little less than 50 laps. My time over one lap and my position aren“™t fantastic, but we worked well. We have the M1 2020, which is different, so we need to get to know it better. The first feeling is positive, but we have to work because some things are better, and some are worse. But I“™m happy about the first day. You always work on the chassis, the engine, and the electronics. The 2020 bike is a bit different to ride, so we need to get a better understanding. From a certain point of view, we have a margin for improvement, but on the other hand we are already not so bad and the feeling with the bike is quite positive.

MotoGP Second day of Official test IRTA 2020 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP“™ Valentino Rossi were back in action today at the Sepang International Circuit for the second of the three track days that mark the start of the 2020 MotoGP testing season. They continued to work through a number of different testing materials, taking sixth and tenth place respectively in today“™s timesheets. Rossi was also eager to get back aboard the new 2020 YZR-M1, to get to know it better and further improve its performance level. And he did. He improved 0.4s on his best time of the day before, setting a 1“™59.116s on lap 38 out of 60. Knowing the setting was heading in the right direction, he focused on working down the items on his testing to-do list later in the afternoon and ended the day in 10th place, 0.544s from first.

Valentino Rossi Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider Everybody is very strong, very fast as always. We are not so far from the top. The second day was better than the first day because we worked a lot on the new bike. We need some more experience and some more kilometres, but today we already found something good, especially for the grip, and the pace with the race tyre is positive. For me, the bike has better potential than last year, but we need to work because also the other manufacturers are making steps, and like I said before, they are very strong. So, we need to continue to work hard, but it looks like we“™re heading in the right direction.

MotoGP Third day of Official test IRTA 2020 The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team have wrapped up the first official IRTA test of the 2020 season today at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Riders Valentino Rossi spent the three days working through a number of testing items and confirmed the positive 2020 YZR-M1 development. Sepang (Malaysia), 9th February 2020 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team“™s Valentino Rossi have completed the three-day testing programme at the Sepang International Circuit today, concluding it in 5th and 16th place in the combined standings and with positive feedback.

Rossi was a man on a mission today, working hard to give all the testing items a try before leaving the Sepang track. The decision to focus on the 2020 items evaluation meant he wouldn“™t be able to put in a race simulation but it resulted in the gain of valuable data and feedback. His schedule also allowed him to put in a time attack which he made good use of. He earned himself fifth place in the Day-3 and combined standings with a fastest time of 1

Valentino Rossi Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider We are happy with these three days. Today was a good day because I did a very good lap time in the time attack. It“™s the first time for me to be in the 1“™58s, so this is positive, also because we are in P5 and very close to the top. We worked a lot, also on the pace, and we tried different things. Some were good, others weren“™t. We have to work hard because everybody is so fast, but the test was positive.“™58.541s, 0.192s from first, on today“™s lap 10 of 51.