Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro undertook a confident start to the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle GP by finishing in 10th position in the combined standings, despite opposing weather conditions in both sessions. Espargaro began the day by ending up in 10th with a time of 2’02.248 which was just half a second from 5th position as he battled the humid and searing heat of the Malaysian track. The reigning Moto2 World Champion had hoped to continue his progress in the afternoon, yet a sudden and torrential downpour at the Sepang circuit caused FP2 to be red flagged and delayed. Once the practice eventually began, the track was in full damp conditions thus preventing any improvement in time, yet giving the riders the opportunity to establish a wet setup which could prove integral for Sunday's race due to the unpredictability of the weather. Espargaro bravely completed the difficult practice as he avoided pushing to the limit in order to lower the risk of crashing, as well as continuing to become more familiar and confident with riding a MotoGP bike in the wet. However, the Spaniard remains optimistic and hopeful for a dry session in tomorrow’s qualifying.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Bradley Smith finished the opening day at Sepang in 12th position after having started to meticulously establish his race setup for Sunday. The young British rider who comes from a debut podium in the premier class at the previous round in Australia, completed the morning session with a best time of 2’02.627 which was his fastest lap of the day. This time saw him in 12th place in the combined standings as well at the end of the day, as the conditions were far from perfect in the afternoon. Nevertheless, Smith audaciously battled the lack of traction as he gathered valuable information for a potentially vital wet setup at Sepang, instead of posting fast times in the damp session. The 23 year old rider now looks towards tomorrow’s qualifying at the 5543 metre circuit where he will aim for a place within the top six for Sunday’s 20 lap sprint.

Pol Espargaro - Position : 10th Time : 2'02.248

"It goes without saying that a 10th position at the end of the opening day is nothing to be too happy about, yet I think we did a good job in preparation for Sunday's race. This morning I felt comfortable straight away on the bike and it is a good feeling to come to a race track where I already have some experience with my Yamaha. However, I still think there is a lot of improvement that we need to make as I struggled a bit when stopping the bike, as well as having to deal with a bit of chatter in some corners around the track. So hopefully tomorrow's sessions will be dry to give us an opportunity to adjust these details in order to be more competitive on Sunday. In the afternoon, the conditions changed completely and I tried to familiarise myself with the wet surface, which I still do not have a lot of experience with. Now we will work hard to fix these small issues so that we can be prepared and then show a strong qualifying performance tomorrow."

Bradley Smith - Position : 12th Time : 2'02.627

"Overall, it was not a bad opening to the weekend despite the difficulties with the rain. We had a good start in the morning even though I wasn’t able to achieve a fast time straight away with the fresh tyres, but I managed to run really consistent 2’02 times which is considerably more important for the race. In addition, we completed some positive work with the electronics as well as examining the rear tyre in order to have a constant pace on Sunday, especially at the end of the race, as this is one of the key factors here. In the afternoon, we struggled due to the rain which is a difficult area for us as we found it tough in Assen and also Aragon. Yet we spent the session finding a solid direction to work in which we managed to narrow down. If there are wet conditions tomorrow, I am optimistic of what we can do and for sure we will be more competitive. Furthermore, I adapted my riding style from Phillip Island to this track, so there are many positives to be taken on the first day and I feel confident for the rest of the weekend here in Malaysia."

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