Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo joined the rest of the MotoGP grid in somewhat unusual conditions today, as the World Championship’s first ever night-test got underway in Qatar. The test is the final one of the pre-season before the first race is run by night at the same track on 9th March.
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2nd Time: 1’56.019 Laps: 77
“On this first night of testing in Qatar I was more curious to see how it was riding at night than anything else! I am happy with this idea and honestly speaking I felt I immediately got used to the conditions. Of course at the beginning it feels a bit strange but after few laps things become quite normal and your eyes get used to the new light. The strangest feeling I had was that I felt…lonely! Riding in the night, although the light is very strong, makes you feel alone with your bike, so you must keep the concentration very high because of course you are not alone! The right lines do not change because of the light, only when braking do you see your shadow getting closer, and that’s why you always must be alert, in order not to get confused with the shadow of another rider! As far as our performance is concerned, my time was very good today but I think with some more work we can be faster still. Tomorrow, when I am more used to the new light, the track and to the cold temperatures, we will try to do even better. “
Valentino Rossi - Position: 9th Time: 1’56.749 Laps: 82
“There was a lot of curiosity about this night test and I have to say that I am quite satisfied. I think they have made a great job with the lights and you can ride quite normally, as if it’s day. The visibility is quite good so there is no danger for us; it’s really no more difficult than riding in the day. Maybe it would be better to move this night race to a period when the temperature is a little bit higher however, because at the moment it’s very cold here! Today we have worked a lot on the bike set-up, but we were not so fast and we are still missing some grip in acceleration. We tested several different tyres and settings, but I am still sliding a bit when I open the throttle and the front is going a bit wide. We know that this track doesn’t have the best grip, but other riders are going faster, so we must do better. We have a couple of ideas for tomorrow and I am sure we will be able to improve. ”
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