Scott gets to grips with ‘technical’ Buriram track as Thai MotoGP test gets underway

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The first of three days of tests at the Chang International Circuit provided a few important responses, the clearest of which is how close the times done by the MotoGP riders are. In fact, no less than 20 riders are packed into one second of one another.

In the Aprilia garage, as with the Sepang tests, there was a 2017 RS-GP and a 2018 machine for both Scott Redding and teammate Aleix Espargaro. This is an arrangement that allows development to continue on the new prototype, approved by both riders in Malaysia and in any case able to count on a familiar base for any necessary comparisons.

Scott used the 2017 bike in the morning for a few scheduled tests due to mechanical issues with the 2018 bike, eventually throwing a leg over the new RS-GP in the afternoon. At the end of the day, he had done a total of 59 laps with a best time of 1’31.685.

SCOTT REDDING
“I must say that the circuit is more technical than it looks; for example, on the second turn, when you have to brake after a long straight without any braking point of reference. Overall I liked it. It’s better than I had expected it to be. This morning we had a problem with the 2018 bike, so I used the 2017. It did not slow us down, because part of our schedule included tests on last year’s bike, so we simply did that type of testing first. We continued working in the afternoon with the 2018 bike, trying various things including the handlebar mounted rear brake because, since I am quite tall and have a rather bulky boot, I struggle to use the foot brake.”

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