Local team Drive M7 Aspar have their work cut out

Nicky Hayden on board his new team Drive M7 Aspar bike during the pre-season testing at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on Feb 5, 2014.

SEPANG: Malaysia-backed MotoGP team Drive M7 Aspar will have tons of work ahead of them before the season starts with the Qatar Grand Prix on March 23.

On the second day of pre-season testing at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on Wednesday, the team’s best placed rider was Nicky Hayden in 14th spot on 2:02.287, 2.361 behind behind the scorching time set by Marc Marquez (1:59.926). Team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama, meanwhile, was 18th fastest on 2:02.825.

The team are one of the Open class contenders this year on board a Honda RCV1000R.

Open class teams buy engines from factories (Yamaha, Honda or Ducati) and have to use standardised electronic control unit (ECU) and software. Factory teams use the same ECU, but with their own software.

The only advantage for Open teams is they can use 12 engines per season (five for factory) with the ability to tweak it in-season and a bigger fuel tank capacity (24 litres as opposed to factory teams’ 20 litres).

Hayden competed on a Honda from 2003-2008, winning the world title in 2006. He switched to Ducati from 2009 onwards before coming back to Honda this year.

Lack of power was one of the main concerns for Hayden as he was unable to squeeze enough of it while exiting corners.

“We have worked on the electronics and got it sorted out but we have to work on acceleration out of the slow corners,” he said.

Riders across the pit at Sepang have a difficult time adapting to the changes of the new season bikes. Even Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha lamented that the changes made their life as riders more difficult. 

“This is a completely new project and we have to work hard. We are still a long way off the pace at the top but we will try to reduce the gap,” he said.