Cycle News

Cycle News Issue 47 November 27

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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MOTOGP VALENCIA POST SEASON TEST NOVEMBER 20-21, 2018 RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT / VALENCIA, SPAIN P66 BY MICHAEL SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE M averick Vinales led both days of the first tests of the 2019 season, giving encouragement to Yamaha fans that the difficulties faced by both riders during 2018 might be over. But the Spaniard, the only rider of a YZR-M1 to win a race in 2018, sounded a note of caution. "There is still a lot to do on top power to make it smoother," he said. "It is still aggressive, and I lose traction." His lap time of 1:30.757 was inside the race record and more than a half-second quicker than his own pole time at the season- ending race at Valencia, set on the previous Saturday. But conditions were slightly better, after a rain-bracketed first day and a cold start to the sec- ond. It was still a little slippery, Vinales said, making his position all the more encouraging, since slippery conditions were one of the 2018 Yamaha's downfalls. He and teammate Valentino Rossi were testing two different engine configurations without any changes after suffering all year stuck with an over-aggressive throttle response causing wheel- spin and poor acceleration. The plan was to settle on an engine first, hopefully at this week's Jer- ez tests, and only then proceed with other areas of development. Testing times, however, should not be "over-analyzed," said Sun- day's race winner, Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso, who placed second, just over a tenth slower. "For one thing, the number of available tires were limited," he explained. Maverick Vinales dominated the post-season test at Valencia. It's early days, but has Yamaha finally turned the corner that makes the YZR-M1 competitive over a race distance? Back In BLUE

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