Andrea Dovizioso discovered the Mandalika Circuit aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time today.
Hot and humid conditions accompanied the MotoGP paddock on their way from Malaysia to Indonesia. After riders and teams had a few days to get used to conditions, to check out the brand-new Mandalika Circuit and set up the garages, the action on the 4.3-kilometer circuit got underway today.
Although proceedings have been slightly delayed due to a rain shower in the morning, and a dirty track surface didn’t facilitate the riders’ first taste of the newly added track, the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team pair was out shortly after midday to discover the layout, lines and braking points on their YZR-M1 machines.
With more and more rubber on the asphalt, track conditions improved slightly and Dovi did a total of 57 laps on day one and concluded Friday in 9th position with a fastest lap of 1:33.245 minutes.
Andrea will have two more days to prepare himself for the season and the second round of 2022, the first ever Indonesian Grand Prix in March.
Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 9“I’m happy about the way these three days started, because I was able to find a good line today in a very strange situation as the grip was very low. At the end, we could improve the braking, which is very important for me and very important in general for my riding style. So, I’m delighted about that. I was able to be consistent. For sure the track will change and this is not the reality in terms of lap time, because I’m convinced everybody will go faster. But for today, I’m happy”.