Sepang overall

Yamaha Sepang test - day 3:

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2.02.75
2. Carlos Checa SPA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2.03.72
3. Norick Abe JPN Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 2.05.05
4. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 2.05.55

Yamaha Sepang test - best overall laps:

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2.02.75
2. Carlos Checa SPA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2.03.57
3. Norick Abe JPN Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 2.04.90
4. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 2.04.90

Sepang Overall (not sure for Suzuki)

1 Max Biaggi ITA Camel Pramac Honda Pons 2.02.585
2. Sete Gibernau SPA Telefonica Movistar Honda 2.02.7
3. Valentino Rossi ITA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2.02.75
4. Tohru Ukawa JPN Honda Racing Corporation 2.03.2
5. Nicky Hayden SPA Repsol Honda 2.03.2
6. Colin Edwards USA Telefonica Movistar Honda 2.03.3
7. Makoto Tamada JPN Camel Pramac Honda Pons 2.03.41
8. Carlos Checa SPA Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 2.03.57
9. John Hopkins USA Suzuki Grand Prix 2.03.9
10. Kenny Roberts USA Suzuki Grand Prix 2.04.3
11. Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 2.04.38
12. Alex Hofmann GER Kawasaki Racing Team 2.04.43
13. Norick Abe JPN Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 2.04.90
14. Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 2.04.90


2003 Malaysian Grand Prix:
Pole position: Valentino Rossi ITA Repsol Honda 2.02.48secs
Fastest lap: Valentino Rossi ITA Repsol Honda 2.03.822secs
Fastest M1 lap: Carlos Checa SPA Fortuna Yamaha 2.04.193secs


We have to recognize that Val's worth 0.5 to 0.7 sec. And he's better in
race than in practise.
We miss now the Ducati

 

Mark, as you said, it's only testing...so you cannot take these times as
absolute but you can compare them...Honda and Yamaha essentially worked on
16.5 and 17" tires.
Concerning Checa I don't know but the reference was supposed to be Barros,
beating Val with the RCV.
I remember Barros has made some good winter test on the Yam and got some
trouble after (see his interview). We'll see where he is with Hayden but
Checa has been the best Yam last year, that's all.