MotoGP riders talk Thailand track

MotoGP made its Thailand debut during the start of official testing at the Buriram circuit on Friday.

This is what some of the riders had to say about the track that will host its first grand prix in October..

Marc Marquez:

"Regarding the track layout, it seemed quite fast to me when I lapped it on a scooter yesterday, but today riding my bike, I realized it was slower that I was expecting, with many second- or third-gear corners. Still, there are some hard acceleration and braking points, and it will probably be challenging to manage tyre life, so we’ll work on that as well. So far we’re very happy with how it went today.”

Andrea Dovizioso:

"It's not so easy to ride in this track. It looks easy, but it's strange. I think this is the reason why some riders took a lot of time today to be fast, because some braking parts are quite hard at the beginning, but the last part of braking, we are not able to keep a lot of pressure on the front brake. So it's an unusual track, but it is what it is.

"You have to be very precise in the last part of the track, because you have to make the line with the throttle and with the slide. And it's not so easy, sometimes you are able to make a good line, but most of the time, not... I think there are three or four corners where it is quite easy to overtake, it looks like."

Dani Pedrosa:

"The circuit is quite narrow, so it’s important to use the right lines and carry speed. We’re working to find the best balance in order to be quick in both the fast sectors and the more twisty ones."

Danilo Petrucci:

"The track has good grip. The set-up we imagined to go in one way, but there are more flowing and fast corners [than we thought] where you need a lot of load on the front. The tyres are good, some of us have been doing our best times when the tyre has done 26-28 laps. So there is not a drop. Very good tyre. I'm looking forward to using the soft one!"

Jack Miller:

"The track is so short, it wouldn't surprise me to see the top ten all within about half-a-second. There's nowhere on the track I'm too concerned with [safety wise]. There seems to be plenty of run-off. A couple of bumpy corners, but nothing too dramatic. The track is relatively simply. The only thing is that last corner, if someone gets a little bit over-ambitious it could end up pretty hairy. The rest of the track is pretty safe. It's new.

"The first sector especially [suits the Ducatis] but you've just got to not get too ambitious into Turn 1, because you need to prepare that exit so well for the long straight. That's definitely one of the key points.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we get into the '29s during the cooler conditions tomorrow morning, also with more rubber on the track. Slipstream is also something that could help you here."

Valentino Rossi:

"First of all the feeling with the track is not too bad, I expect worse, but first of all the track is in a good condition. It's clean and the asphalt has good grip. This is very important. And also the layout. I remembered [this track to be] more similar to Austria, so I was very worried. But when you ride maybe it is more similar to Argentina. It's good to ride, you have a good feeling, you enjoy. The track is not very difficult but anyway it's fun.

"I rode the track in 2015 with a Yamaha 300 together with Lorenzo and Espargaro. I remember that the track was similar to Austria. But in reality it's better, have good corners. Technically it's quite easy, but it's not boring."

Maverick Vinales:

"I like the track a lot, it fits my riding style quite well with these flowing corners."

Johann Zarco:

"I’m really happy about the new track. The layout is nice and better than I expected. The position doesn’t look perfect in the end, but it’s only five tenths from the top guys."

Jorge Lorenzo:

Safety Commision Meeting?

"We spoke about one corner where the wall is close, not the last corner, the previous one, the fastest one in fourth gear. Apart from this, it was mainly a conversation about the first corner and the last corner. The last corner for the entry of the pits and the first corner for the exit from the pits. That was the main subject today."

Tito Rabat:

"I like the circuit and I had a lot fun. It has several parts that reminded me of Qatar, others of Texas… it has some long straights and the asphalt is okay, although at the beginning of the day it was a little bit dirty. But the first impression was very good."

Alvaro Bautista:

"It's a track that has a couple of good points like Turn 4, where you go into it very fast and you have to go down a couple of gears and enter quickly. The circuit reminds me a little of Austria; it's varied and fun. I thought it looked easier, on paper, but riding a MotoGP bike complicates everything a bit more. The last two sectors are critical; they are narrow and you have to clearly choose the line because otherwise you can lose a lot of time."

Aleix Espargaro:

"To be honest, the track surprised me. I had more fun than I thought I would. The first part is not particularly interesting with all the straights connected by braking sections, but overall it is a nice track. It is precisely in the first part where we need to work, because we are losing a few tenths in acceleration from low speed. On the flowing parts, on the other hand, we are very competitive."

Scott Redding:

"It is a bit more difficult than it looks. The first sector is just what it is; two corners. But then when you come onto the infield and you've got those triple apex corners then it becomes more technical. But it's quite a small track. It's only a 1m 30s lap, similar to Sachsenring."

Safety?

"In the last corner and Turn 2 there is not really a lot of run-off if anything does happen. I mean it's not so bad, but the problem is you are coming in there quite fast. There's probably a few other things that I wouldn't look at when I'm riding, but you do feel the walls in a couple of places are quite close. Also the pit lane, come offing the track, is not really in the most convenient place. 4th-5th gear, a lot of speed.

"During a race weekend when people are pulling off - like in Assen we've seen a couple of close moments and here it's even faster and you can't move the bike. So I think they'll change that. They could just make it a bit earlier. So you come off the left hander and stay left. Apart from that, for me it's not so bad.

"I was expecting a lot of bumps and there's only a couple, into Turn 4. But it needs some bumps to give some character to the track and it's not that bad. I can’t say it's like Sepang some years ago when the bike was jumping."

Franco Morbidelli:

"Our first day here in Buriram went well. We are still trying to adapt, making changes on the bike to suit better this circuit and, already, we are seeing some improvements"