MotoGP: Bautista impresses at Sepang test

Alvaro Bautista has impressed the MotoGP paddock after a stunning first test of the 2017 season to finish the three days top independent rider and in a strong seventh place overall, as he comes to grips with the Pull&Bear Aspar Ducati.

Showing potential last year on the struggling Aprilia machine and confirming it at the end of 2016 with a series of strong tests, he admitted that he felt in Sepang like he’d never stopped riding the bike for the testing ban period.

“It is like the winter never existed for me, it feels like I just got off the bike after the last test. We’ll see in Australia if the base we have now allows us to be almost at the limit from the very beginning. It is not easy to get under the two-minute mark here, especially on such a new bike for me, with so many improvements still to be made.

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“We have worked hard over the last three days on my rhythm, on trying to be consistent and learning the bike This morning I wanted to push a little harder and I did a bunch of laps under two minutes so I am very happy. I felt good and felt comfortable from the first lap on the first day. Even though the lap times are good I think I still need to work on some details to ride this bike the way it needs to be ridden.”

And on the other side of the garage on the team’s GP15 machine, new teammate and returning MotoGP race Karol Abraham also managed to impress, en route to 18^th.

“The overall summary of the three days is very positive. I have improved my lap time every day and today we managed a 2’00.445, which I think is faster than we could have expected before we arrived here in Malaysia. It has been three very productive days. We have tested a lot of things and it seems like they have worked, which is a very good feeling. I can head home from Malaysia feeling very happy and looking forwards to continuing my physical training programme now in readiness for the next test.”

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