After a tricky Saturday in Malaysia which saw the testing being disrupted by the rain, the sun was back in full force on Sunday for the third and final day of the MotoGP™ Sepang Test. However, having rained overnight, the track was still in its drying process at 10:00 (GMT+8), meaning that none of the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 riders Pol Espargaro and Augusto Fernandez were able to go on track within the first two hours. Spanish rookie Fernandez was the first in the pit box to head out on track, just before midday, followed shortly by his teammate Espargaro.
Having made significant progress on Saturday following the trial of a new chassis and a new aero on the GASGAS RC16, Tech3’s number 44 started the day with a new set of tyres on a dry Sepang circuit, after a warm up run in used tyres. Quickly the lap times went down and his thirteenth lap of the day in 1’58.797 placed him fourth with five hours to go. After lunch break, he returned to work under some rather threatening clouds. The focus was on doing a couple of time-attack laps to confirm the settings developed over the last two days, before ending the day with the trial of a different fork. After thirty-seven laps, the Spaniard finished thirteenth in the timesheets, 0.908 seconds from the fastest man of the day, Luca Marini.
After three days of Shakedown Test and another two days of Official test, a sixth and final day was awaiting Augusto Fernandez in Sepang. In the need of as much dry time as possible, the rookie had a busy day to conclude his February testing programme. Within the first hour, he managed to go under the bar of the 2’, registering a fast lap in 1’59.883. As he continued his adaptation and preferences of settings emerged, he was able to improve again in the afternoon to 1’59.660. Step by step. He also tested aero parts and chassis, like his teammate. The MotoGP™ rookie concludes his final day of the test in Sepang twenty-seconds in the timesheets, 1,771 seconds from the top.
That’s a wrap for the preseason tests in Sepang for Pol Espargaro and Augusto Fernandez. Important information was gathered by the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 squad over the last couple of days. One month of analysis and work awaits the team until the next and last official preseason test, to be held in Portimao on March 11-12. By then, you will have discovered our new livery. Keep an eye on our team’s presentation, on March 4, 2023.
POL
ESPARGARO
Position: 13rd
Time: 1'58.797
Laps: 37
POL ESPARGARO
Position: 13rd | Time: 1'58.797 | Laps: 37 |
Position: 13rd
Time: 1'58.797
Laps: 37
"Today was the best day for us. We tried various key things such as engines, some important parameters, aerodynamics, and all of them worked very well. I would like to congratulate the Pierer Mobility Group because the improvements made over the last few years are incredible. We have a bike working well, and I am happy. Of course today we ended up P13 because lap times exploded within the last hour, but we were in the top 5 all day. What matters anyway will be lap times in Portimao GP, not during the tests. It is very easy to make a fast lap after three days of testing, but it does not really mean much. Last year, I was amongst the fastest here with one the best rhythms. Same in Mandalika, and 2022 was still a disaster. Anyway, I am happy with the homework done in Sepang, and I can’t wait to head to Portimao in one month to make the final adjustments before going racing."
AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
Position: 22nd
Time: 1'59.660
Laps: 46
AUGUSTO FERNANDEZ
Position: 22nd | Time: 1'59.660 | Laps: 46 |
Position: 22nd
Time: 1'59.660
Laps: 46
"I am going home with a positive feeling. Over the last three days, we made a lot of progress, including the base, the feeling on the bike, and we did good lap times. I really needed dry track time so I was happy about the weather today. We did as much as we could until the rain arrived. I managed to go under 2’, but I still have a lot to work on. Every little step matters, and I have learned so much every day. I feel more confident on the bike and I am starting to feel like a MotoGP rider! I will check carefully all the data, mine, but also the ones from the other riders. Next we will go testing in Portimao, and it will not be easy with a MotoGP machine. We will continue working, try to be patient and do things smartly."
NICOLAS GOYON
Team Manager
NICOLAS GOYON
Team Manager
"It was nice seeing our two riders back to school after the winter. Sepang holds the traditional preseason test, and I have to say that it has been a very intense one for the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 team. We saw big efforts from the Pierer Mobility Group staff during the winter. There were a lot of items to test and we did almost all our homework, so the riders did a great job. Pol Espargaro had a lot of different items to test: engines, aero parts, chassis parts, and he went through all of them, which gives us a better idea of the bike we will have for the season. Augusto Fernandez needed to learn the bike, get to speed, and he also had aero and chassis items to test, which were positive for him. He improved his lap time today, although he ended up being caught by the rain towards the end of the day. Thank you to both of them for their work over the last three days. I would like to finish with saying thank you to the crew because they worked incredibly hard over the last week, with late night shifts and not much sleep, just so we can be ready each day. It has been one of the most difficult tests, but we did it, and we head home with a lot of positive comments. Thank you to all the team."
