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Once again, it's Dovizioso versus Marquez, just as we saw last season. The Spanish Honda rider finishes day one of testing at Buriram just 0.033 of a second ahead of the Italian. The Borgo Panigale rider prefers not to look at times, but instead focus on the work completed.
“As always tests need to be interpreted– starts the #4 rider - this is a new track, so there's a lot of work to do. I'm excited that I was able to adapt quickly though, immediately finding the right confidence”.
In the afternoon, Andrea was out on track with the latest evolution in terms of aerodynamics.
“I focused on the fairings today, with the aim of achieving better results. As you know, this choice will have a bearing in terms of the Qatar test and if there were to be further fairing development in the future. I'm pleased to have used all these new parts and I'm going to test the frame too”.
Can we say this fairing is a masterpiece?
“I'd say it's smart, though the effect is not yet clear. We need to take a closer look, as it's not easy to explain. There are pros and cons for us riders, we'll spend Saturday working out which path to take”.
What are the positives after this initial approach?
“Unfortunately, the fairing is an important aspect - concludes Dovi - with the wings you have an advantage in terms of acceleration and stability, but you can suffer mid-turn. The trick is to find the right compromise, though it's not easy. Of course, the rider can condition those aspects, all we can do is continue working”.
Jorge Lorenzo is in a darker mood at Buriram today. The Majorcan seems to have unexpectedly lost his way since Sepang. Only in the final stages was he able to limit the damage, moving into the top ten.
“I know how to contain the stress. Unfortunately, today brought some problems that we didn't have at Sepang. We were able to reduce the gap from the front anyway, and we know we can do more”.
Jorge goes on.
“unfortunately I struggled with the gearing and also with the rear tyre – admits the Spaniard -as this is my first time riding at this new track, I preferred to avoid taking any risks”.
And to think that just a few days ago, the Majorcan had called the GP18 a masterpiece.
“I have fifteen years of experience in the world championship. I am well aware that your mood can change from one day to the next. I'm sure it will be different tomorrow”.
He also tested the new fairing.
“I haven't yet understand my real potential at this track, so I prefer not to make any hasty judgments. We can definitely take another step forward, considering Dovizioso's performance. I'll be testing the frame as well as the fairing”.
At the end of the day, there's a touch of regret.
“I honestly don't know why we're in this situation, as the bike is the same as it was at Sepang. I see that the other Ducatis are fast, like Miller for instance. So, we need to work to gain as much experience as possible with this bike”.
