SEPANG – As some teams ended their testing session prematurely due to the rain, several other teams waited patiently for the skies to clear for a chance to clock in a couple more laps towards the end of the final testing day here at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
Earlier today, rainfall had put a temporary pause on the MotoGP testing at SIC. As dark clouds closed in on the circuit and rain began to fall around 1.45pm, riders returned to the garage while the track sat empty and soaked.
Although the skies cleared for a brief moment allowing the track to dry in patches, rain continued to pour again around 3pm.
Forecasts showed that light rain was expected to continue for the rest of the day, leaving riders unable to put in more laps.
However, some riders returned to the damp track at 3.35pm as a light drizzle continued to hit the asphalt.
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Raul Fernandez (pictured above) was the first to get his tires wet, leaving behind a spray for Mooney VR46 Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi, who headed out of the pit lane not long after.
Fortunately, everyone’s patience paid off when the rain eventually subsided and sunshine began to dry the track around 4.30pm.
However, the timing sheets remained relatively the same from the first few hours of testing with Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini claiming the top spot with his unofficial lap record time of 1m 58.131s.
“Did I expect to be first today, no. But to be fast, yes.
“I see a very nice potential with this bike − we have stayed fast from the start − and today, we did a one-time attack and I’m in first, so it is incredible for the whole team.
“Reaching 1m 57s was possible, of course, but I did not reach it,” he said.
Alex Rins, who placed his Suzuki Ecstar bike in fourth – only 0.13s away from Bastianini – said it was a shame that the rain came in during the final day of testing as they still had another set of soft tires at their disposal.
“I’m quite happy with these two days of testing. We improved a lot of important things but because of the rain, we could not test some less-than-important parts.
“Now, I can say yes, we have improved but you never know until the first race in Qatar,” the number 42 rider said.
Meanwhile, Fernandez had an overall positive feeling after concluding his test session.
“When you are a rookie, all the things are new to you.
“Moving up from Moto2 to MotoGP is difficult; the braking, the tires, the weight of the bike is a big difference and is a long process to get used to.
“The biggest difference is the power − I think we have too much of electronics. Moto2 we have none and now we have too much,” he jokingly said to members of the media.
Fernandez concluded testing here at SIC in 19th with a time of 1m 59.180s ahead of teammate and fellow rookie Remy Gardner in 23rd with a time of 1m 58.348s.
With the sun beginning to set on the track, riders did their practice starts on the finish line. Next week, the entire MotoGP entourage will be heading to the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Indonesia for the final round of testing.
The 2022 MotoGP season officially kicks off on March 6 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
The full report on the MotoGP testing at SIC can be viewed here. – The Vibes, February 6, 2022
