Ducati Monster Forum

 Best times of Day 1:

Pos    No         Rider                                       Time       Diff   Diff previous
1    93    Marc Marquez        Honda RC213V        2:00.286         
2    46    Valentino Rossi       Yamaha M1           2:00.804    0.518    0.518
3    26    Dani Pedrosa         Honda RC213V         2:00.906    0.620    0.102
4    99    Jorge Lorenzo        Yamaha M1              2:01.082    0.796    0.176
5    19    Alvaro Bautista       Honda RC213V          2:01.240    0.954    0.158
6    6     Stefan Bradl          Honda RC213V              2:01.320    1.034    0.080
7    41    Aleix Espargaro      Yamaha FTR Open         2:01.419    1.133    0.099
8    29    Andrea Iannone     Ducati GP14                   2:01.538    1.252    0.119
9    41    Pol Espargaro        Yamaha M1                   2:01.634    1.348    0.096
10    38    Bradley Smith      Yamaha M1                    2:01.876    1.590    0.242
11    5    Colin Edwards       Yamaha FTR Open              2:02.483    2.197    0.607
12    4    Andrea Dovizioso    Ducati GP14                   2:02.497    2.211    0.014
13    51    Michele Pirro         Ducati GP14 Test              2:02.552    2.266    0.055
14    35    Cal Crutchlow       Ducati GP14                   2:02.860    2.574    0.308
15    68    Yonny Hernandez    Ducati GP13 Open         2:02.891    2.605    0.031
16    89    Katsuyuki Nakasuga    Yamaha M1 Test         2:03.126    2.840    0.235
17    69    Nicky Hayden           Honda RCV1000R Open    2:03.319    3.033    0.193
18    7    Hiroshi Aoyama           Honda RCV1000R Open    2:03.328    3.042    0.009
19    14    Randy De Puniet       Suzuki Test                   2:03.893    3.607    0.565
20    72    Kosuke Akiyoshi       Honda RC213V Test           2:04.267    3.981    0.374
21    45    Scott Redding        Honda RCV1000R Open        2:04.431    4.145    0.164
22    8    Hector Barbera        Avintia Kawasaki                 2:04.922    4.636    0.491
23    63    Mike Di Meglio        Avintia Kawasaki                 2:05.825    5.539    0.903
24    23    Broc Parkes        PBM Aprilia                          2:05.889    5.603    0.064
25    70    Michael Laverty    PBM Aprilia                          2:06.070    5.784    0.181
26    17    Karel Abraham    Honda RCV1000R Open             2:06.755    6.469    0.685

I would like to feel encouraged seeing Val among the other 3 aliens, but I'm not sure how much effort the Turd and Jorghey are putting into it. I simply hope that this year's M1 is a more middle ground to last year's Jorge focused M1.

I want to see Aleix on a factory bike already... He's tearing it up on lesser bikes.

And I love that the open yammies are so up spec... I think honda will be forced to increase the spec of theirs in response and seeing competition on those bikes is going to make some great racing I think. A series where the privateer bikes are the last years factory bikes would be pretty amazing.

It's official.  The Duc broke Nicky.

Anyone wanna take best on long it is before Honda starts leasing its factory gearbox to the Open bikes?

It's pretty obvious that the "customer" Yammies are very close to the factory. I doubt Honda will provide the tranny. They might give them some extra horses.

I thought the customer Yammies were pretty different, i.e., they're not on a Yamaha chassis?  I can't remember.  They changed the rules too many damn times last year and I'm confuzzled. 

IIRC the customer Yammies are factory chassis, but cust supplied wheels, fairings, etc.

Yes, last I saw it was described as factory chassis and swingarm, IIRC 2013 Satellite spec.


From what I've seen so far, the Open Honda has a horsepower problem.
This goes along with what I've seen in the past regarding wire valve springs vs. pneumatic, lift is lower and duration is longer so the wire springs will live.

So early to tell anything but I really think this is going to be a great season in MotoGP

Awesome to see someone like Pol come up to the big boys club and get great results right off the bat.

These "open" class bikes are really going to make the show better and put a lot more pressure on Ducati to turn their shit around.

Aleix Espargaro  :o

Why is he not on a factory bike?!?!?!

Here's the timing and scoring from Day 2:

Marquez
GAAAAAAAAP
Honda
Yamaha
Ducati
Honda Open
Misc

Yawwwwwn

I think that Honda is going to have some pretty pissed off teams unless some updates come down the line.

Day Three Update...

Times at the end of the third and final day of testing at Sepang:

Pos No   Rider Time Diff Diff previous
1 93 Marc Marquez Honda RC213V 1:59.533     
2 46 Valentino Rossi Yamaha M1 1:59.727 0.194 0.194
3 99 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha M1 1:59.866 0.333 0.139
4 41 Aleix Espargaro Yamaha FTR Open 1:59.998 0.465 0.132
5 6 Stefan Bradl Honda RC213V 2:00.112 0.579 0.114
6 26 Dani Pedrosa Honda RC213V 2:00.223 0.690 0.111
7 4 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati GP14 2:00.370 0.837 0.147
8 41 Pol Espargaro Yamaha M1 2:00.655 1.122 0.285
9 29 Andrea Iannone Ducati GP14 2:00.725 1.192 0.070
10 19 Alvaro Bautista Honda RC213V 2:00.788 1.255 0.063
11 38 Bradley Smith Yamaha M1 2:00.896 1.363 0.108
12 35 Cal Crutchlow Ducati GP14 2:01.057 1.524 0.161
13 69 Nicky Hayden Honda RCV1000R Open 2:01.514 1.981 0.457
14 5 Colin Edwards Yamaha FTR Open 2:01.731 2.198 0.217
15 51 Michele Pirro Ducati GP14 Test 2:01.782 2.249 0.051
16 7 Hiroshi Aoyama Honda RCV1000R Open 2:02.383 2.850 0.601
17 14 Randy De Puniet Suzuki Test 2:02.486 2.953 0.103
18 68 Yonny Hernandez Ducati GP13 Open 2:02.556 3.023 0.070
19 72 Kosuke Akiyoshi Honda RC213V Test 2:02.619 3.086 0.063
20 89 Katsuyuki Nakasuga Yamaha M1 Test 2:02.788 3.255 0.169
21 45 Scott Redding Honda RCV1000R Open 2:02.833 3.300 0.045
22 70 Michael Laverty PBM Aprilia 2:03.187 3.654 0.354
23 8 Hector Barbera Avintia Kawasaki 2:03.204 3.671 0.017
24 23 Broc Parkes PBM Aprilia 2:03.402 3.869 0.198
25 63 Mike Di Meglio Avintia Kawasaki 2:04.516 4.983 1.114
26 9 Nobuatsu Aoki Suzuki Test 2:05.686 6.153 1.170
27 17 Karel Abraham Honda RCV1000R Open 2:05.974 6.441 0.288

BTW...it is nice to see from the times that Nicky is adapting to the RCV and helping get that dialed in, especially knowing that they are pretty much starting from square 1...

AWESOME to see the FTR Yammy package pinning out laps that are seemingly competitive....be nice to see what happens to them in terms of race distance in comparo to the factory or even satelite machines...

everyone is shaking the cobwebs out a bit it looks like, but it is nice to see Rossi at least marginally looking like he might be competitive this year...

I think Crazy Joe might be giving Cal and Dovi a run for their money this year...

Maybe not. Doubt that. Nicky has always been a good solid rider. Not really an alien but usually close to them given a good machine. In final testing he's ahead of every other FTR except Espargaro. It'll be good to watch the Yamaha & Honda FTR's fight it out.

BTW -- Crutchlow isn't exactly threatening either.   ;D

And thus begins the downward spiral of Crutchlow.  I'd be curious to see what Vale and Jorge could do with 4 more liters of fuel like Aleix.  Yam chassis, engine, and more horsepower.  Is there an incentive to staying a "factory" team any longer?  More engines that can be changed during the year, more fuel, more power, factory chassis, and spec ecu.  I'd like to see the gloves come off and everyone go "open."

Looks like the Suzuki still has a lot of work to do.

It's going to take a while for Crutchlow to get a handle on the Ducati.  At which point, he'll reliably be able to give Dovi a run for this money in 8th place.  <sigh>

I'd love to see everybody go "open" as well.

I guess it all boils down to the electronics. So much so that HRC has threatened to leave MotoGP over a mandatory spec ECU  [roll]

Marquez broke Stoner's record? I want Stoner to come back and spank him in the worst way possible  [bacon]

This motomatters post makes a good point about the FTR yam:

http://motomatters.com/analysis/2014/02/06/2014_motogp_sepang_1_day_3_round_up_marq.html (http://motomatters.com/analysis/2014/02/06/2014_motogp_sepang_1_day_3_round_up_marq.html)

"But clearly, a lot of the difference is in Aleix Espargaro himself. When asked whether the performance of the Open class Yamaha had changed their judgment about the category, Honda team boss Livio Suppo, Ducati Corse chief Gigi Dall'Igna and Suzuki team manager Davide Brivio all pointed to the rider. A lot of the performance comes from the talent of Aleix Espargaro himself, they agreed."

The other open bikes arent actually doing amazingly well, it's just Aleix really pushing the that bike hard.  The other FTR is Colin and he's under Hayden in times.

As the article states... I think this summer is going to be a pretty great for Aleix and the contracts he'll get offered.

my prediction right now is that Aleix Espargaro ends up with Dani Pedrosa's seat next year....

Thta's assuming that HRC is not able to pry Jorge from Yamaha.

They're not going to pay Lorenzo and Marquez, and Marquez is never leaving HRC.  That is, he's never leaving until he does.   

He won't leave by choice, but HRC has some deep pockets. It wouldn't surprise me that they pay them.

What if HRC quits MotoGP?  Then what for Marquez?  And surely Lorenzo would stay at Yamaha.  [popcorn]

There would not be a MotoGP without HRC. Simple as that.

It would be like Star Wars without the Empire.

Seems you have the same high opinion of HRC as they have of themselves. ;D

Don't get me wrong, I don't appreciate the level of control they have over the series, but Dorna hasn't done a good job at being independent either. HRC is pumping a lot of money into the series if only for their development effort. As the series moves into what is hoped to be more manufacturer independent they will be able to make better decisions. For now they are stuck with the 800 lbs gorilla.