VOL. 53 ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 23, 2016 P55
SURPRISE
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
S
ome questions were
answered at Phillip Island,
host to the second of three
pre-season MotoGP tests last
week. And some new ones were
asked, as the southernmost GP
circuit proved a troublesome host
– with typical Bass Strait weather
patterns interrupting everybody,
and making a washout of the first
of the three days.
The track's sweeping nature
and fast corners played into the
hands of the underdogs, per-
haps sounding a warning for the
forthcoming season, where all-
new control tires from returned
French company Michelin and
one-for-all control electronic
software have redrafted the
ground rules.
Thus the fastest time went to
Suzuki, which still awaits the final
upgrade of a full seamless-shift
gearbox; and the increasingly
respected junior rider Maverick
Vinales, in only his second year
in the premier class.
There were no further Mi-
chelin disasters, after the
exploding rear tire of Loris Baz at
Sepang, and once again general
approval of the tire performance
– with a number of crashes on
the final day failing to eliminate
some nagging doubts about
the rubber's predictability at the
limits. General progress however
remained reassuringly positive,
the lap times comparing well
with those set on Bridgestones.
Vinales was on it at the
Island. If Suzuki gets
the bike right for 2016,
he'll be up there.
