Lorenzo to resume Yamaha test duty on final day at Sepang

Jorge Lorenzo will get back on track for Yamaha on the final day of the Sepang pre-season test.

After making his first outing as Yamaha’s new test rider on the last day of the Sepang shakedown, the five-time world champion will do the same at the Sepang test on Sunday (February 9).

Lorenzo has focused primarily on regaining his feeling and pace on the Yamaha YZR-M1 as he moves into the role of test rider after announcing his retirement from racing at the end of 2019 in his split with Repsol Honda.

Speaking after his initial day as Yamaha test rider, Lorenzo confirmed he has recovered from the back injury which plagued the second half of his 2019 campaign having suffered fractured vertebrae in a crash at Assen last June.

“I was a little bit worried about some things, if the bike has changed some characteristics or that I have some pain or old injuries,” Lorenzo said on the final day of the Sepang shakedown.

“But honestly the back was not painful. It was very similar to the bike I left in 2016, the characteristics very similar and the bike itself is very friendly with the rider and the engine is very smooth.

“I felt at home from the beginning even if I still need some time of adaptation to be able to get the maximum of the bike. I need to change the style and find the limit to be faster.”

Yamaha has also confirmed Lorenzo’s ‘real’ test programme will begin later this season as he spends his time in Sepang refamiliarising himself with the M1. The Spaniard last competed for Yamaha in 2016 before his two-year stint at Ducati and final year at Honda before making his dramatic retirement announcement at Valencia last season.

On his sole day on track at the Sepang shakedown, Lorenzo completed 46 laps with a best effort of 2m 00.506s which was fractionally slower than his 2019 Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying time of 2m 00.478s when he competed for Honda.

Petronas Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo has set the fastest lap of the Sepang test so far with a 1m 58.572s on the 2020-specificaiton M1.