Fans, paddling pools and ice baths have been paddock essentials during the Sepang Shakedown as MotoGP™ returned to South-East Asia for the first time in two years. Temperatures edging towards 35°C have posed a real challenge for the five premier class rookies trying to also figure out how to get the best out of their new machines.
And those challenging conditions certainly hampered Darryn Binder's progress on the final day, with the WithU Yamaha RNF rider admitting he felt "a bit slow and tired" following two busy days.
The South African improved by 1.2 seconds from Monday to Wednesday but only managed to find a further three tenths of a second on the final day of the Shakedown to his frustration. It leaves him just under a second adrift of next best rookie Remy Gardner (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing), but the Moto3™ graduate is confident of closing the gap after fully processing everything from his first three days in Malaysia.
"I was quite happy with the first day," started Binder. "Then yesterday we made a good step again. I felt better and better every time I got on the bike but, at the same time, I was feeling the heat at the end of yesterday. This heat is no joke, especially on this bike.
"This morning I didn’t feel too great. I went quicker but not as much as I’d have liked to. We didn’t try with a time attack at the end of the day. I feel I’d like to be a little closer to the other guys but, at the same time, it’s been three positive days. I’ve always improved with no silly falls or mistakes. Step by step I’ve understood a lot, with the guys teaching me so much. This bike is a weapon, though. We did a longer run, around 12 laps, to close the day to understand better the bike with a full fuel tank, so, yeah, I’ve enjoyed it.
"I just felt a bit slow and tired today, I wasn’t riding as clean as I’d like to. The bike felt good but I didn’t feel like I could give it my all. I feel we could’ve made a much bigger step today. In my mind, I knew what I needed to do and where I wanted to do it but I just couldn’t get it done. You know what you want to do but it’s just learning how to do it now. I’m not chasing the lap time, I want to figure it all out first. Making all these nice small steps means I know where I am, I can maintain them. It’s better than doing one big step and losing the way.
"I need to let the body chill now and rest over these next two days. But I also need to think about everything because I’ve been told so much over the last few days. I need to fully process and register all of that info. Then, when I come back on Saturday, I’ll go a little faster."