Ever impressive German rookie Jonas Folger did it again at Losail, finishing Day 2 of the Qatar test in the top three with a best of 1:54.917 – only the third man to get below the 1:55 barrier behind Movistar Yamaha pairing Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi. Folger, who also ended Phillip Island in the top four, additionally worked on a longer run with more fuel after a crash in Australia left a dent in his confidence.
Jonas Folger, P3: "It was another good day and I am very happy because we made constant steps forward and even if they are small, we always seem to be making progress. When we started, the team and I confirmed some settings, which we needed to look at, and this improved things with the bike. I then ran a half race simulation for 12 laps at the end of the session in order to raise my confidence a bit when the bike has a full tank of fuel and this was important to do after the fall that I had at the Phillip Island test. All in all, the simulation itself went well and I was able to run quick and consistent times at the end of it. Therefore, we can be very pleased with what we accomplished and I want to thank the team for their efforts today, they are all doing a really good job and I am enjoying riding the Yamaha."