Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales was the fastest rider on the last day of the MotoGP test at Sepang, with the best lap out of the whole event.
Viñales, who was also the fastest rider at the Valencia test, is looking more and more like he could be a serious threat to the other top factory aces. Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa did catch up quite a bit on the third day, finishing second and fourth on the day respectively. Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso put in another strong showing, in fourth on the day, and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) was fifth.
The day was threatened a bit by rain, but despite a sprinkle, many riders were able to put in quite a few laps; Viñales managed 72 laps. Andrea Iannone (Suzuki), Hector Barbera (Reale Esponsorama) and Pol Espargaro (KTM) all had minor spills, but nobody ended the day in hospital.
The big news the last couple days of the test has been Yamaha’s tricky new fairing, which incorporates “winglets,” the downthrust-producing protuberances that MotoGP fears so much. Yamaha has cleverly integrated them into the inside of the fairing, in an attempt to skirt the rules, and the technology seems to have worked well yesterday; now, we just have to wait and see if the rest of the paddock copies that idea, or complains loudly enough that MotoGP bans them,
I purchased the off season Moto GP package for a cheap 25 Euros or 36 loonies. Excellent winter activity. By far the most exciting class to watch is Moto 3. With the decreased HP the importance of riding skill and slipstreaming becomes paramount. The last race I watched the top 16 riders were within 2 seconds of each other the whole race. Multiple passes on every lap. In the higher classes most “races” are actually processionals, just like F1. Fastest bike with best riders at the front and away they go, incredibly boring to watch. Very little passing and bikes get really spread out. Too much power and generally the best bike wins, they are all top notch riders. Moto 3 for me, young riders trying really hard, very exciting visually. Check it out. More expensive and faster does not make for better entertainment.