Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had an impressive first day on track in Sepang, but the Italian wowed further on Tuesday as he topped the timesheets and smashed Ducati test rider Casey Stoner’s fastest time from Monday. ‘Maniac’ Iannone was over four tenths clear of nearest challenger Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), and completed 40 laps with a best of 1:59.452.
The new Suzuki recruit is focusing on comparisons to evaluate a new engine for the 2017 season, and also tried a new front fork.
Andrea Iannone, P1: “I’m very happy with today, although we had a short time due to the track conditions, we could do much work and, most importantly, made a step forward. In the early runs we started with some configurations that didn’t make me feel totally comfortable, then when we tried some changes I found much more confidence and the lap times got a huge benefit. They were not radical changes, more small improvements, but they proved to be very effective. We are working very well, I am finding an excellent feeling with my team, they are working very hard and very professionally and this gives me a positive attitude that allows me to ride with confidence. Today is a result of this, we improved a lot since yesterday and it is important for us to have found positive improvements.”