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***Malcolm*** · 06-02-2015, 04:10 PM

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro concluded the opening test of 2015 with a strong performance to complete the final day in 6th position at the Sepang International Circuit. He battled the tropical heat in Malaysia to post his best time of 1’59.851 in the morning and on his 8th lap when the temperature was cooler. The young Spaniard continued to run 50 laps in total, with his fastest time being more than a second quicker than his personal best from the opening day, as he fired a warning to his rivals for 2015. His efforts saw him finish as the top satellite bike and right behind the factory MotoGP riders as he successfully began the pre season evaluative work on his Yamaha YZR-M1. The 23 year old rider now looks towards getting back on track in a fortnight’s time fully optimistic and determined to plug the gap to the leaders further.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Bradley Smith tirelessly rode 50 laps today to finish his first pre season test in a positive and constructive manner as he set the ball rolling for the 2015 season. The young British rider completed the final day with a best time of 2’00.384, which he set on the 26th lap, leaving him in 9th place and almost a second quicker than his qualifying effort from the Sepang Grand Prix event last year. This leap in performance, despite not being fully fit, highlights Smith’s ambitions for the approaching season and now he looks towards the next Sepang test, full of confidence.

Pol Espargaro - Position : 6th Time : 1'59.851 Laps : 50

"The last day has been a really good one. I’m happy because at the end we could complete a day positively which we are truly satisfied with. The first day was a good start, then yesterday we tried some different thing and had a few difficulties, which we needed to experience in order to understand the best direction to work towards. However to finish the test, today has been very strong and a great conclusion. I was fast, I felt great on the bike, everything went according to plan, the rhythm is truly promising and we found a strong setup. So I’m really enthusiastic about the work we have completed today and cannot wait for the next outing where we will look to improve further. Now, I am going to Thailand for a few days to visit Yamaha which is going to be fantastic and I can’t wait to meet all of the people there"

Bradley Smith - Position : 9th Time : 2'00.384 Laps : 50

"It’s been a really productive and positive three days here in Sepang and a great way to open the 2015 season. I improved my time around seven tenths of a second every day which shows we are definitely heading in the right direction. Today we sampled a new swinging arm but the results were inconclusive so we will retest this part next time. We also tried some different front forks which gave me a good feeling that I am very happy about. My physical condition didn’t get worse, so I remain optimistic that when we return here my ankle will be completely healed and I can really go for it. In addition, I am very pleased to have improved my personal best time around the Sepang circuit by half a second. It’s been a great three days and I’m happy to be back on my bike. Next up, I head to Thailand for Yamaha which I am very much looking forward to"

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