MotoGP, Pirro: It doesn't surprise me anymore to be with the leaders

When you talk about Michele Pirro, you can no longer refer to him as an outsider. He has once again proven to be more a contender for the top spots than a simple tester in a wild card spot. “I am no longer surprised to be among the top positions – a satisfied number 51 comments – but the important thing is to collect as much information as possible for Dovi, who is fighting for the title, as well as for Jorge. Being as fast as they are is confirmation of the quality of the work done in the test.”

Pirro was fast despite the rather different track conditions that many of the other riders noticed compared to the tests that were held here.

“It was a difficult day as far as the conditions go, since there was no grip and the bike did not behave the way it had in the tests. It was twitchy and that keeps you from being relaxed as you ride since the bike is unpredictable sometimes. In any case, we are all very close, despite the fact that the bike setups are different and that means that the limit is close. For tomorrow we have some ideas to compensate for what we are lacking compared to the tests.”

The imperative is to make progress now, without having to focus on a specific problem.

“The most important issue is the lack of grip, but we just need to work. The two medium tyres are still a mystery and the first thing to understand is which tyre has more potential in terms of the race between the hard and the medium. The new fairing? It obviously makes the bike a bit more bulky in the first part, but it provides some advantages in other parts. A lot depends on the rider’s feeling, given the fact that Dovi is ahead without using it.”