---
title: "What did we learn from the Sepang test?"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/02/02/what-did-we-learn-from-the-sepang-test/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "MotoGP News"
published: "2017-02-02T18:16:11Z"
modified: "2017-02-02T18:16:29Z"
---

# What did we learn from the Sepang test?

The first three-day pre-season test ahead of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship is done and dusted, and we now have our very first glimpses of just what might be in store for us when racing gets under way proper next month.

Obviously, this was the first time in several months that many had ridden a motorcycle, so as much as it was about developing your 2017 challenger it was also an exercise in brushing off the holiday cobwebs. Outright laptimes may be a tiny bit irrelevant, but that’s not to say we didn’t learn anything.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633159084.jpg)

**The new aliens?**

Yamaha’s new boy Maverick Vinales ended the test fastest of all after a blistering 1m59.3s lap posted on the final day of running. The Spaniard made headlines last November when he topped the Valencia test, so it’s not hugely surprising to see him do the same this week. After all, the transition from Suzuki GSX-RR to YZR-M1 hasn’t been the biggest; the general characteristics of the two bikes are strikingly similar.

However, Vinales’ speed was certainly a surprise to him. Having spent the week focussing on long runs and evaluating a new chassis and fairing, the former Moto3 world champion was impressed at just how good the bike was already and even labelled it ‘the best bike at the moment.’ His pace copped praise from team-mate Valentino Rossi, who was fifth fastest overall, and even Honda’s Marc Marquez said that he looked stronger than the nine-times world champion Italian.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256094.jpg)

I’ve been saying since Valencia that Vinales will win this year’s world championship and, albeit still early days, this week’s action has done nothing to change my opinion. The Yamaha is looking strong. The new chassis, crucially, looks to have cured their tyre life woes while also retaining the M1’s famed cornering performance.

Yamaha’s master-stroke could come in the form of their radical new fairing, which debuted on Tuesday. The ban on ‘winglets’ was always bound to breed new solutions, and Yamaha’s is certainly interesting. The new fairing arches around a pair of wings positioned forward on each side, giving them back some of the effect the devices had last season. Neither rider was allowed to talk about it, so we don’t know how effective it was, but expect a new variation for Phillip Island and one or two others trialling something similar.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256974.jpg)

All eyes may have been on Vinales this week, but his replacement at Suzuki deserves some credit. Andrea Iannone, MotoGP’s undisputed bad boy, showed glimpses of speed on the GSX-RR last November, and was once again quick.

The Austrian Grand Prix winner topped the time sheets on Tuesday with a 1m59.4s on a Suzuki now packing a serious punch. At the team’s launch last Sunday, evolution was the key word from its bosses. Focussed improvements have been made; the bike’s strong cornering performance remains, while a new engine is filling that horsepower void of the previous two years.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256102.jpg)

2017 will be difficult for Iannone. He’ll have to carry the weight of development for the team, something he isn’t used to doing. But the Italian has a point to prove. He knows he can win races, and he’ll be keen to make sure Ducati remember that fact. So as long as the Italian keeps working sensibly and the team keep delivering the goods, I don’t see any reason why Suzuki shouldn’t line up on the grid in Qatar as challengers.

**Just like riding a bike**

Jorge Lorenzo received a nasty shock when he took to the track on Monday on his Ducati GP17, finding that riding the bike wasn’t as easy as he remembered. The problem was braking. Lorenzo’s style – for nine years – was to release the brake early and carry as much corner speed as possible. Easy done on a nimble M1, but less so on a Desmosedici, which doesn’t like to turn when ridden like this.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256104.jpg)

This meant Lorenzo was close to two seconds off of the pace, set by his team-mates Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso, on Monday and in need of adapting his style. He was able to do this over the following sessions and ended the test just four tenths off of top spot, though admits that he is yet to reach his limit on the bike.

Ducati’s programme was mysterious. The bikes had been fitted with a box at the rear, the purpose of which never being revealed. All that we know is that it isn’t empty, it doesn’t contain fuel and is likely housing electronics. Aside from that, the GP17’s bodywork was largely similar to last year’s, and the only other thing of note on the bike was a new carbon fork from Ohlins on the front of Michele Pirro’s bike on Tuesday designed to give the teams a little more play with weight distribution.

**History repeating itself again for Honda?**

Honda have endured a torrid couple of seasons with their engine. The RC213V’s motor has been too aggressive under acceleration, causing the bike to scrabble for grip out of the turns and shoot skyward when the rear finds purchase. Only Marquez has been able to ride around this issue, with the other Honda-mounted runners struggling more often than not.

This has prompted HRC to redesign the engine. Instead of using a ‘screamer’ firing order, in which the pistons fire one after the other, they are now using ‘big-bang’. The ‘big bang’ firing order sees the pistons fire in pairs, making for a smoother power delivery under acceleration.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633257362.jpg)

The engine was first introduced in Valencia, where it was met with mixed reviews. An evolution was brought to Sepang, though this wasn’t held in too high regard either. The problem for Honda was that the engine maps for the previous version just weren’t working with the new one, and over the course of the week the issue could only be ‘50%’ fixed, according to Dani Pedrosa.

Things improved somewhat by the final day, and Marquez was just over a tenth shy in second place on a 1m59.5. Pedrosa was a few hundredths off in fourth, while LCR’s Cal Crutchlow, who was also testing all of the latest parts, was a further tenth and a bit behind in eighth.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256226.jpg)

A total fix won’t be available until Phillip Island, though Marquez admits that the situation is not as bleak as it was this time 12 months ago. However, HRC are still on the back foot. They have just six more days of testing left, and they’ve lost three already to a problematic engine.

They’re not at crisis point yet, but one more duff test and it will be time to worry.

**KTM on the right track**

Austrian manufacturer KTM’s first test of the year with official riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith, for the most part, was largely successful.

The RC16 has come on leaps and bounds since it made its race debut in Valencia last November, with both riders praising the bike’s development. Smith took things easy as he still recovers from his horror leg injury sustained at Oschersleben last year, though showed a big upturn in pace on the final day.

The British rider cut over one and a half seconds off of his Tuesday effort, positing a 2m01.3s to get to within two seconds of the best pace, which is not bad going whatsoever. Espargaro remained consistent in his times, setting a 2m01.3s on Monday and a 2m01.5 on the following two days.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256082.jpg)

Both rider managed 307 laps between them, and more importantly were able to get through their programme without any hiccups aside from a small low-side for Espargaro at Turn 2 on the final day of running.

Two seconds may sound like a big gap, but Suzuki were only four tenths quicker at the end of the Sepang test in 2015 and the grid then was made up of open class machinery. Compare that to now when all but two riders are on up-to-date or 2016 bikes and you see that KTM are looking good.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/623393074.jpg)

Their target for this season will be to keep Aprilia at arm’s length, though this won’t be easy. Despite the RS-GP still suffering from a lack of grunt, the overall package is looking quite good. In the hands of Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia ended the test just seven tenths from top spot in 13th and this is quite impressive given the comparatively minuscule size of the Noale-based team compared to their factory rivals. If they can find a bit more low-end performance from the motor, Aprilia will shoot right up the order.

**Bautista, the surprise package**

This year’s satellite battle will likely be the tastiest in years, not least because the majority are now riding bikes designed around the Michelin tyres.

Aspar Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista was undoubtedly the stand-out performer of the customer lot in Malaysia. The 2006 125cc world champion remained inside the top six on each day as he got to grips with the GP16, a bike he reckons is the best he has ever ridden.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633256112.jpg)

Unhappy at being let go by Aprilia, Bautista may not be as disgruntled by the time season gets under way. The GP16 is a double race-winning bike, and this left the team with a strong foundation to work with this week. The Spaniard was just over two tenths down at the end of the final day in sixth spot and looking a real consistent podium threat for this season.

Other notable customer runners were the Tech 3 boys, double Moto2 world champion Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger, who continued their preparations for their maiden year in the premier class. Folger made the top 10 on Monday, with Zarco fifth and the German ninth on Tuesday. The French rider was 10th on the final day after an impressive lap of 1m59.7s.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/02/633257364.jpg)

The paddock will reconvene in Australia in two weeks’ time for three more days of running at the Phillip Island Circuit in Australia beginning on February 15.