MotoGP Test 2 Day 1 Sees Team Drive M7 Aspar Riders Hayden & Aoyama Make Solid Improvements

26/02/14. MOTOGP TEST SEPANG

DRIVE M7 ASPAR RIDERS RETURN TO SEPANG FOR SECOND PRESEASON TEST

Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama start three-day session with improved pace compared to first day of previous test

Just two weeks after saying goodbye to the Sepang circuit following the first test of 2014 the riders were back at the Malaysian track today for the second preseason session. In terms of the weather the conditions were very similar to last time but the track surface is much more dirty, which perhaps explains why the pace was around six tenths slower. The fastest rider of the day was Alvaro Bautista (2'00.848) whilst three of the title favourites - Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Rossi -were in fifth, sixth and seventh place respectively. Notably absent from this test is Marc Marquez, who recently broke his leg in a training accident. 

Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama had a busy day yesterday at the presentation of the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team and they were glad to be back to the business of improving their lap times today, resplendent in the striking new green and silver colours of the team. Both riders spent today working on setting up their Honda machines but their pace is already quicker than it was after first day of the first test, despite the unfavourable track conditions. After clocking 55 and 59 laps respectively the American and the Japanese were satisfied with their progress, both riders setting their best lap times towards the end of the session.

10th Nicky Hayden 2.02.227 (55 laps): “The gap to the top is reducing so that is positive. This morning we lost a little bit of time due to some technical problems which gave us a little more work than we expected. The bike is basically the same as the one we had here for the first test. We have worked on the set up, especially on the front fork to try and improve the stability of the bike under braking. We made some slight improvements. In the afternoon we had to solve an electronic issue which was costing us time in corner entry we spent most of the afternoon just solving this set back. Tomorrow morning we will continue to work on it and then we have some set up things to try. We still need to get more power out of the bike but the chassis surprises me more each day." 

13th Hiroshi Aoyama 2.02.709 (59 laps): “The track conditions on the first day of the second test here at Sepang were quite precarious because the surfaces as very dirty. I was hoping that the grip would improve in the afternoon but it didn't. Anyway, that didn't stop us from working on the setup of the bike. Today we focused mainly on suspension and we have found some solutions which have made the bike more stable and more balanced. This helped the lap times come more easily. We can say that we have found a pretty positive base but we still need to find more stability from the front and tomorrow we will continue working to try and improve."