Crutchlow and Dovizioso leave Valencia pleased

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow concluded a successful first test on board Yamaha's new YZR-M1 1000cc MotoGP machine at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia today (Wednesday).

Taking advantage of gloriously sunny conditions during the two-day test, the 26 year-old completed 142 laps and was able to give Yamaha engineering staff a wealth of information and data.

The British rider set a best lap time of 1'33.652 on the opening day (Tuesday) as he quickly got to grips with the new bike and the 2012 spec Bridgestone tyres. Crutchlow made a significant step on day two and as he got more comfortable with the new generation YZR-M1, he was able to lap 1.1s faster to finish fourth on the final timesheet with a best lap of 1'32.550.

This week's test also gave Andrea Dovizioso his first opportunity to acquaint himself with the Tech 3 Team and the YZR-M1 1000cc machine. Dovizioso's vast experience was a huge benefit to Yamaha technicians who were able to obtain valuable feedback from the Italian. Dovizioso completed 118 laps and set a best time of 1'33.256 to shave 0.6s off his best pace set on the opening day.

Crutchlow and Dovizioso will continue their preparations for the 2012 World Championship campaign at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia on January 31st.

Cal Crutchlow:
“This was a very important test to get used to the new 1000cc YZR-M1 and thankfully the weather was in our favour and we could get in a lot of laps to understand the early potential of the bike. The 1000 seems to suit my style a little better and I have to say that Yamaha has done a very good job and we are already working from a strong base. The bike feels quite similar to the 800 YZR-M1 but Yamaha has managed to keep the strong points of this year's bike. You can immediately feel the extra horsepower, which is impressive, but I'm happy because I could keep a very consistent pace. I'm looking forward to the winter break now. I learned a lot in my first season in MotoGP that will help me be much stronger in 2012. I'd like to thank all my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew for their efforts this year. They've given me their maximum support and I am grateful for that.”

Andrea Dovizioso:
“Firstly I want to thank the Tech 3 staff for making me feeling immediately welcome and at home this week. I've been really excited to start this new adventure together and it was a positive and productive test. This test was my first chance to ride the 1000cc bike and the power of the engine is very impressive. The riding style is very close to 800cc and the bike has a lot of good points for my style. There are some areas I have identified we can improve for the next test in Sepang and I gave a lot of important feedback that should help Yamaha improve the bike during the winter break. Now I will take a break to recharge the batteries and return in Sepang looking forward to getting back on the bike and carrying on the positive work we did here in Valencia.”

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 press release