Moto GP

Danilo Petrucci tops rain hit first day at Phillip Island

Posted:

Wednesday, February 17th, 2016

5:40 PM

Victoria's Phillip Island lived up to it's unpredictable weather reputation today as MotoGP testing got underway amongest Intermittent showers that saw most teams sitting under cover until the final hour.

Riders were greeted with overcast skies and a wet track as they entered the circuit this morning. This saw a slow start to proceedings with Repsol Honda Team‰Ûªs Dani Pedrosa the first to head out on wet tyres. Fellow Honda riders Tito Rabat and Cal Crutchlow soon followed.

Both of the Repsol Honda riders had the latest 2016 ‰Û÷evo‰Ûª engine while Crutchlow and Rabat were equipped with a 2015 engine and 2016 engine with a similar spec to that which the factory team tested in Valencia at the end of 2015. The rain meant that no major tests for any manufacturer could take place, but did allow teams and riders to further their understanding of how the Michelin tyres and Magneti Marelli software work in the wet.

Valentino Rossi, who turned 37 the day before the test, ventured out with the 2016 bike featuring the fuel tank in the rear. Meanwhile his Movistar Yamaha MotoGP teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, completed 22 laps in the wet, the most wet laps of any rider. As the first day of testing approached the midway point, the rain eased and allowed Marc Marquez to venture out on the new intermediate tyre. Marquez, who celebrated his birthday on the opening day of the test, led the majority of the session with a 1‰Ûª35.354 as only 11 riders had chosen to lap in the wet.

Dani Pedrosa cut a lonely figure in the cold bleakness of Phillip Island. Photo: Repsol

Hope was offered as the final two hours began, the track beginning to dry and a flurry of riders heading out as a brief dry window opened in the closing hour. Times quickly dropped as the Octo Pramac Yakhnich pair of Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding fitted slicks, the pair sitting 1-2 until the closing stages of the session. On and off showers continued after the initial dry spell with riders able to head back out on track with just 20 minutes remaining for one final dry run.

"I'm happy to be so competitive," Petrucci said. "We are very confident and it is nice to start the season with these good feelings. My fastest crono? I hope to do it again even when it will count, but it's always nice to finish a day of work in first place. It was a difficult day due to the rain.

"In the morning we could have run in the wet but the conditions were not the greatest. We did only a few laps (12) but I'm pretty happy because we produced data to study. Basically we earned two runs to understand which direction to go with the bike. Many things have changed since last year. There is much work to do and to finish in front gives you a boost".

Maverick ViÌ±ales and Bradley Smith would be amongst the biggest improvers in the final 20 minutes, the pair pulling themselves into the top three and within a second of Petrucci‰Ûªs best time. Petrucci‰Ûªs time of 1‰Ûª31.764 would be the best of the day, but over two second‰Ûªs off Marquez‰Ûªs fastest race lap of 2015, a 1‰Ûª29.280. Meanwhile his teammate, Scott Redding, was fourth and 1.100s behind but completed a total of 41 laps, the most of any rider.

Today was pretty much a wasted day. We waited around a lot, but there wasn‰Ûªt really much we could do with the weather situation. We kept going out with the rain tyre but then the track would dry up too much.: Cal Crutchlow

Both Crutchlow and Rossi, who had done the majority of their laps in the wet and missed the first dry window, entered the circuit in the closing minutes to improve to fifth and sixth. Pol Espargaro was another to benefit from improved track conditions as he set a 1‰Ûª33.126, placing him seventh. The trio were the only other riders within two seconds of Petrucci, the Italian having now led two days of testing in 2016.

Australia‰Ûªs Jack Miller was back and riding his Marc VDS Racing Team Honda for the first time since breaking his right leg. The young Townsville native and his team had aimed to do just 25 laps a day in order to assess the condition of his still healing leg, but conditions reduced his lap count to just six on Wednesday. He was still able to set a time of 1‰Ûª33.992 for the ninth fastest time of the day, putting him just behind Yonny Hernandez on the Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati GP14.2. The Colombian beat both factory Ducati riders with Iannone in tenth.

Iannone had attempted to go out earlier in the day during an initial dry spell, but rain quickly ended his lap. Andrea Dovizioso had been on track but did not register a time. Neither of the Avintia Racing Ducati riders decided to circulate in the uncertain conditions.

In 11th was Tito Rabat, the lone rookie in the MotoGP‰ã¢ World Championship setting his fastest time, a 1‰Ûª35.273, on his 28th lap and leading Marc Marquez. In 12th, Marquez did not improve on his 1‰Ûª35.354 from earlier in the day. With just two laps on track, Aleix Espargaro closed the first day of testing in Phillip Island in 13th, just ahead of Eugene Laverty.

Suzuki test rider, Takuya Tsuda, also benefitted from the dry window and ended 15th. Tsuda and Hiroshi Aoyama were at Phillip Island before the beginning of the official test as part of the Suzuki and Honda test teams with Tsuda testing the fully seamless gearbox for Suzuki. Suzuki aim to give both Espargaro and ViÌ±ales the fully seamless gearbox in Qatar while both the factory riders aim to get the full potential out of their new engine. Dry track is needed for this however.

2015 MotoGP‰ã¢ World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo ended 16th ahead of Dani Pedrosa as neither rider improved upon their wet weather times.

Fortunately testing resumes tomorrow on the 18th of February at 09:45 AM Local Time. The forecast is for early showers with a clearing day, this should leave teams a nice afternoon of clear running in good conditions.

Main Photo: Danilo Petrucci got out of the pits and set the fastest time
Credit: Octo Pramac Yakhnich

MotoGP Test Phillip Island Day 1
01. Danilo Petrucci Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Ducati GP15) 1'31.764s
02. Maverick Vinales Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1'32.483s +0.719s
03. Bradley Smith Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1'32.590s +0.826s
04. Scott Redding Octo Pramac Yakhnich (Ducati GP15) 1'32.864s +1.100s
05. Cal Crutchlow LCR Honda (RC213V) 1'32.948s +1.184s
06. Valentino Rossi Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1'33.088s +1.324s
07. Pol Espargaro Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1'33.126s +1.362s
08. Yonny Hernandez Aspar MotoGP Team (Ducati GP14.2) 1'33.841s +2.077s
09. Jack Miller Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1'33.992s +2.228s
10. Andrea Iannone Ducati Team (Ducati GP15/16) 1'34.049s +2.285s
11. Tito Rabat Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 1'35.273s +3.509s
12. Marc Marquez Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1'35.354s +3.590s
13. Aleix Espargaro Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 1'35.584s +3.820s
14. Eugene Laverty Aspar MotoGP Team (Ducati GP14.2) 1'35.679s +3.915s
15. Takuya Tsuda Suzuki Test Rider (GSX-RR) 1'36.166s +4.402s
16. Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 1'39.825s +8.061s
17. Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 1'40.138s +8.374s