Crutchlow reigns in first day of heat-soaked Buriram test

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow topped the first day of testing at the new Chang International Circuit, setting a 1:30.797 during an incredible 70 lap day. Crutchlow was a mere 0.012 ahead of Alex Rins come the end of action on the opening day. Reigning champion Marc Marquez was third, just 0.033 ahead of 2017 Championship runner-up, Andrea Dovizioso.

Alex Rins’ second place was very impressive. With a second season dawning for Rins, he had consistent pace throughout most of the day. Teammate Andrea Iannone was ninth quickest as the Suzuki team looked like their old selves, after a tricky first year without Maverick Vinales. They tested a new exhaust, as well as carrying on with their work on engine configurations.

Dovi, meanwhile, was top Ducati on the first day in Thailand. Ducati are expected to have three new aero fairings at Buriram, with the 2004 125cc champion trying two of them on day 1. Chassis updates could also happen for the ‘Bologna Bullets’, aimed at mid-corner improvements – something that would help Jorge Lorenzo even more and something that has been a continuous issue for Ducati since the Rossi/Hayden days. The aforementioned Lorenzo was tenth fastest, just over four tenths off Crutchlow, a tiny gap in the grand scheme of things.

Danilo Petrucci continued his and Pramac Ducati’s presence at the sharp end of proceedings as he took sixth on the GP18, just ahead of his new teammate Jack Miller. Miller only 0.041 off the Italian ahead of him. Pramac Ducati look like they could have their strongest line up ever, with both riders showing strong pace not just on day one at Buriram but across the whole Sepang test.

On his 39th birthday, 115-time race winner Valentino Rossi took eighth and was the quickest Yamaha, putting in an impressive 74 laps. Teammate Maverick Viñales was 11th but only a tenth further back, with the time-sheets incredibly close. Johann Zarco was 0.011 off Viñales to take twelfth place. Whilst times were close, Yamaha were again languishing in high-heat conditions.

Hafizh Syahrin was within half a second of fellow rookies Xavier Simeon and the marginally quicker Tom Lüthi. The Malaysian rider’s time would be good enough for the front row of the grid at the 2017 WSBK event, a great bench-mark after just one day on a MotoGP machine.

The quickest rookie was Takaaki Nakagami once again. The Japanese sensation placed 17th overall but just nine tenths off the top, with reigning Moto2 World Champion Franco Morbidelli close behind in 19th, only half a tenth further back.

2014 Moto2 champion Tito Rabat was 13th on day one and only 0.002 ahead of 2006 250cc champion Alvaro Bautista, as the Ducati riders were just ahead of Aleix Espargaro in 15th and Scott Redding in 16th, seemingly more competitive after a Sepang shakedown.

Bradley Smith was 20th for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing outfit; the Brit did 67 laps as Finland’s Mika Kallio completed 48 laps, despite a crash and brief trip to the Medical Centre. KTM will only be able to field the two riders at the Chang International Circuit with Pol Espargaro sidelined through injury but on the road to recovery, with a vision of being ready for the Qatar MotoGP test at the start of March.