In Barcelona Yamaha presented the R1 of 2022 and confirmed, through the number 1 on the windshield of the world champion bike, that this year it will be the team to beat. Toprak Razgatlioglu not only makes it clear in numbers but also in facts. During the tests at Montmelo he was in fact the fastest on the second day, while on the opening day he was fifth and chased by an impregnable Alvaro Bautista.
The Turk struggled to find the pace on Day 1, but recovered on the final day, signing a shorter time than the one set by the Ducati rider the day before. Setup and electronics were the areas on which the work at Yamaha has concentrated, and from there we will start with the Aragon tests, scheduled for the week before the inaugural round of the season. The rain that fell in the afternoon of the second day allowed Razgatlioglu to work in wet conditions and he felt at ease there too.
“The first day was not easy for me because we tried to find a setup, but the feeling was not good”, begins Razgatlioglu at the end of the two days of testing. “On the morning of the second day, however, we started in a positive way because we found a good setup and identified the problem. It also turned out a good lap! Then we tried the new tires Pirelli brought, but it started to rain. We were able to test the new electronics in wet conditions and that also worked very well. We have also improved the setup with the electronics and I am very happy with the second day. The sensations are good and everything seems ready for the race. We have another test in Aragon, where we will try some new setups and new components ”.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Team
Andrea Locatelli puts the Barcelona tests on file with some unfinished business with the bike. The man from Bergamo suffered some problems on the first day and, as if that weren’t enough, he suffered a fall, fortunately without consequences. On the second day he was also able to ride in the wet, experiencing the sensations even in the rain. A bit of bad luck hit the Yamaha rider, but he plans to make up for it in Aragon, in the last tests before the start of the season.
“The morning of the first day we were fast and the feeling was fantastic!”, Says Locatelli. “I had a small crash in the morning session, but it was okay. In the afternoon I struggled a bit with the feeling and we had some problems that made us waste some time. It was a pretty strange day, but from the second day we tried to start over. Unfortunately another problem made us waste more time in the morning. In the middle of the day it started raining and we were able to do a few laps in the wet. In general, the feeling was good and after two days I’m happy because we rode very well in the rain, so that’s another positive aspect. we tried the electronics updates and the feeling is good. Now in Aragon we will start again, not from scratch because we have a basic setup and a lot of good parts. But we have two days to focus on the bike and get ready. In the end we were a bit unlucky here in Barcelona, but that’s the way it is. We have already tried in Aragon, so we have already got an idea, we will finish the job there and we will be ready for the first race of the season ”.
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