Yamaha’s Sepang test was nothing short of disastrous. But two of its stars attempted to downplay the dramas from the Iwata factory, as it pulled its riders from day two of testing due to concerns over engine reliability.
The new V4 YZR-M1 received a baptism of fire in the Malaysian heat. Alex Rins was 1.1 seconds off Alex Marquez’s fastest time. More concerning was that Jack Miller was 1.4 seconds slower than the younger Marquez brother per lap during a 10-lap Sprint simulation.
“It’s a hiccup, but it is what it is,” said Miller, who at least appeared unfazed on the surface. “You’d be extremely naive if [you thought it was possible] to build a bike in nine months to race against the best in the world and not have a day like we had [on day two]. It’s par for the course. Better [to have it] now than at the Buriram race.”
Rins also tried to shrug off spending day two on the sidelines. “Luckily, all the big things that we had to test we already tested at the Shakedown and first day of the official test,” said the Spaniard. “I don’t want to say that it didn’t change anything, because any time that you go on track, you ride and you cannot lose time, especially now. They said to us that we couldn’t ride because Fabio [Quartararo] and Toprak [Razgatlioglu] broke some engines, so for [safety], it’s better to check everything.
“It looks like they identified the problem, and because of this, they allowed us to ride,” Rins said. “They are [sure] that the problem is under control. For Thailand, also more engines will arrive, so we will be able to ride freer.”CN
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