VOL. 55 ISSUE 11 MARCH 20, 2018 P83
I arrived close at the last corner,
so I try. I thought he could over-
take me before the finish line,
but some day I will do it."
Rossi had proved that, in
spite of concerns about the new
Yamaha in the run up to the first
race, he could still be competi-
tive. "We made some changes
yesterday that improved the
balance but were not so fast, so
I said today just to make the bike
as fast as possible. Dovi and Marc
are the faster riders now, so I was
so happy to stay with them."
work of the winter. We were
competitive here in the past, but
not like this. I could make a bad
start but still save the tire, and
race like this to win."
Marquez was thrilled with sec-
ond, at one of the most difficult
tracks of the year for him and
the Honda. As for his dramatic,
but doomed, last-corner attack,
he was very amused. "The show
goes on," Marquez said. "When
Dovi pushed in the last four laps,
I was extra on the limit, losing
the front and losing the rear. But
had their wings on, both of modest
size and Pedrosa's barely there at all;
Crutchlow ran his RCV without them.
The factory Yamahas had their looping
units fitted, as did both Aprilias, and
the pouting Suzukis likewise, their
wind-jamming boxes a little higher and
further forward. Under the current
regulations, riders are permitted to
remove add-on wings, but not to add
any further bodywork until they elect to
use the right to one fairing upgrade.
NEW ENGINES
The last of the new engines arrived in
time for the opening round, with April-
ia's long-awaited 2018 upgrade fully in
place after missing the final pre-season
tests. Both riders Aleix Espargaro and
team newby Scott Redding marked the
improvement, which put them close
to the fast times on the first day, with
Espargaro 12th and Redding half a
second away in 16th. The new engine
is intended to fill in the gaps in bottom-
end power, to improve acceleration.
Espargaro greeted the new-this-race
evolution engine with enthusiasm. "It
worked well all round," he said. "It lets
me ride with a style very close to my
needs, whereas before I had to open
the throttle with the bike still very much
leaned over." One difficulty remained,
however: qualifying. The Aprilia is still
better at maintaining pace on worn tires
than setting a good lap on new tires.
He ended up 14th on the grid.
MIXED FEELINGS
Michelin's third year as MotoGP's
control tire supplier began with mixed
responses to Dorna's diktat to freeze
tire development and allocation for the
full 2018 season. The decision had
been opposed by the tire company,
according to a Michelin spokesman,
Briefly...
