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MotoGP, Dovizioso: Lorenzo shouldn't panic

"He just needs time". On his 2nd place: "I was fast without pushing, but we still have a lot to do"

MotoGP: Dovizioso: Lorenzo shouldn't panic

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Stoner was the one to watch today at Sepang, with other riders respecting, but also fearing his performance. Lining up against the Australian is never easy and there's always the risk of making a bad impression. Dovizioso knows this, and allows himself to joke at the end of the day: “I'm pleased I was fast today”.

The Italian didn't do at all badly, in fact he was the only one to come close to Casey, closing one tenth behind the Australian. Great news for Andrea, who has never considered speed to be one of strengths, or goals, during testing.

“It's true, I was faster than I expected to be-  he says - I haven't tested the latest GP17 evolutions, today's work was all about adapting the set-up of the bike now that we're without wings”.

But instead….
I was able to be fast without pushing, I put in a medium tyre and the time came easily. But I'm under no illusions, if track conditions remain good, everyone will go faster”.

Were you worried before starting out today?
I had by doubts with regard to the lack of wings. I knew there would be pros and cons to removing them, but I was worried that the cons would outnumber the pros. But my feeling was instead positive”.

An all-round success?
We'll wait and see, as I always say tests must be interpreted and comparisons are made with your rivals. We still have a lot to do and so I hope for sun, as we really need the next two days. Today I only made one exit with the new GP17, but I had to stop because of the rain. Tomorrow we have a lot to do, including some frame tests”.

Lorenzo seemed to struggle, are you surprised?
He's struggled more here than at Valencia but I'm not surprised because this is a massive change. It's not important how fast he was today but that he's ready for the first race. He shouldn't panic, it's just a matter of time”.

Translated by Heather Watson
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