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After rain stopped play on the first day of a planned two day private test at the Circuito de Jerez for Repsol Honda Team's Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, action got underway on Day 2 with an unwelcome outcome for the reigning Champion.

Marquez, who has been in the top echelons of the timesheets throughout pre-season, crashed at Turn 7 and briefly dislocated his right shoulder.

Medical checks show neither further damage nor any other injuries, and the rider from Cervera should be fit to finish preseason testing ahead of the first race of the season.

Pedrosa completed the day with no complications, with the test in Qatar the next time both Marquez and Pedrosa will be back on track.

Marquez said: "Today was a productive day, as we were able to do many laps and to work on our bike well. We did most of the work we had planned, which is good."

"I crashed in the afternoon and dislocated my shoulder, but luckily it was nothing serious. Now I’ll have some rest back at home and get ready for the next test, in Qatar."

Pedrosa added: "After missing yesterday, luckily today we were able to fully exploit the time available, even though the track conditions in the morning were not ideal and we had to concentrate all our testing schedule in one day."

"We worked really hard but we’re satisfied with what we’ve done here. Now we must keep focused and try and continue in the same way in Qatar in two weeks’ time."

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Hector Barbera ended the Phillip Island second Official Test of the year in P15 on combined times, putting in a best lap of 1:29.791 as he gets used to life on his new GP16 Ducati.

Finding some feeling after struggling in Sepang and on the initial two days of testing in Australia, the Spaniard found the answer with a few hours remaining on Day 3 – and heads to the next test in Qatar buoyed and back in the groove.

Barbera said: "The most positive after three days is that today we finally found the way. With two hours to go we touched the key and I began to feel good on the bike and I was faster, but the best is that my feeling is back."

"I have been very overwhelmed because this happened in Malaysia and every time since I got on this bike. We have finally found the solution! I started to feel good straight away, having fun riding the bike, but this was only for two hours and in the end we didn’t have any more tires to try a flying lap." He added

"At the end I was able to improve a lot with a seven-lap-tyre, and I think that with fresh tyres it was possible to lap in 29 lows. So in the end we are happy. Now it is time to prepare well before the next test in Qatar."

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Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins had a pitstop to make on the way back from the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit test, heading to Jakarta in Indonesia on Suzuki business – to launch the new GSX-R150 and GSX-S150 range from the Japanese manufacturer.

The team turned-out in force to promote the new machinery at Cilandak Town Square, Jakarta Selatan - in front of more-than 2000 fans - where the two riders could meet the local media and the many Suzuki fans eager to see the new bikes.

The new Suzuki GSX-R150 and GSX-S150 are powerful and innovative machines in today’s 150cc sport segment; ready to hit the Indonesian market. The launch in Jakarta was their first appearance and the two models will be produced in Suzuki’s plant at Tambun, Indonesia.

Iannone and Rins enjoyed the warm welcome of the Indonesian fans as they launched the range, onstage to present the bikes to the public and also greeting the many journalists that were eager to meet them and gain their initial impressions about the new machinery.

Iannone said: “It’s been really wonderful to meet all our fans here in Indonesia and be welcomed by their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, we couldn’t test the GSX-R150 and GSX-S150 as they are really new in the market, but they both impressed me for their style and their familiarity with the GSX-R1000R that we tried only a few days ago in Australia."

"Suzuki in Indonesia is a beloved brand, really appreciated by the people, and these machines look really as the perfect solution for commuters who are looking for a good compromise between style and performance." He concluded

Rins added: “This was my first time in Indonesia and I loved the affection of the fans. We found an excited crowd waiting for us but also for the new models we’ve been called to introduce."

"It’s been an honour for me because I know how much the people here have been awaiting these specific models and it’s nice to see that the GSX-R150 and GSX-S150 are really nice and appreciated."

"I’m still young and it’s easy for me to think of all my friends having these kind of machines for their daily commuting as well as for their weekend short trips."

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KTM rider Bradley Smith heads home from the Phillip Island test happy after enjoying another few days of productive track time Down Under.

With Sepang giving the Austrian factory their first runs of the year and a huge amount of parts to test and evaluate, Phillip Island saw some further refinements catapult the ‘Bulls’ up into the 1:29 bracket – as well as providing more track time to carry on their extensive program of testing.

Smith’s best at Phillip Island was a 1:29.978 on Day 3 – just 0.001 off Loris Baz just ahead on the timesheets, and a tenth down on KTM teammate Pol Espargaro.

“It helped us to understand our complete package. As far as the electronics go, it's important to have a good balance here because of the long corners and the hard drive areas." He said

"I'm generally pleased with the improvements. On days one and two the lap times were not what I expected, but by the end, I felt a lot more comfortable."

"I was pleased to do a +1.429 at the end of the session. That was 1.4 off, and about what we would expect." He added.

"We'll still work on the electronics, and the drive area because the acceleration phase is so important in MotoGP, and we’re always looking for a bit more."

 

         

 

 

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