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The weather ruined Marc Marquez's plans on day two of testing at Sepang, preventing him from carrying out a time attack in the final stages. It doesn't affect the Honda rider too much though, as his work was less about the lap times and more about development of the bike. There is one aspect that the Spaniard might be a little anxious about, and that's the engine.
“It's a shame we couldn't ride at a track with slow corners like Jerez – states Marc – most of the Honda riders prefer the new engine, but I have some doubts. I think that with this type of engine we risk suffering at certain tracks with different gradients to Sepang. I think that Yamaha and Ducati will also face a similar situation. Our's is competitive but still needs to be improved in some areas. We won't know whether we've made the right choices or not until we reach Europe.”
The Spaniard is pleased with the work completed though.
“We've worked well and I'm happy. We focused on various details, with positive feedback. Then we turned our attention to the aerodynamics”.
The weather prevented him from making that step up in the standings though.
“A pity, because I used new tyres in the final stages, but it was too late and was raining, so it was of little use”.
He's taken a step forward with respect to Sunday.
"I feel like I have more confidence compared to yesterday. i also had fun riding the bike. At midday we analysed the work completed and then put together the best package. I was able to be quicker and more consistent, despite not yet feeling 100%”.
back to the engine and Marc has various opinions.
“I have two to test, one with more power, one with greater torque. For now I'm working with the one we used at Valencia. We'll have to decide between Malaysia and Thailand, because then the engines will be sealed and it will be too late in Qatar”.
Then there is the frame.
“This is another aspect we need to look at more closely. Up until now we've used the old one, from tomorrow we'll focus on the new one”.
The season is still to start, Sepang is only the first test and so there's no need to panic yet.
“This is just the beginning, we have time to improve. The Honda has also taken an important step forwards in terms of acceleration and top speed. Now it's time to concentrate on the tyres and electronics”.
We've also Marc take to the track with the new fairing today.
“The main goal is to have more aerodynamic load and prevent wheelieing. So as a result you lose out in terms of top speed. Also when you brake, the winglets offer advantages and disadvantages, in that it's hard to lean over. So we need to find better balance with this fairing, because over a long distance there's a risk of tyre consumption”.
