MotoGP riders ready for winter tests in Buriram

Dani Pedrosa, left, and Marc Marquez enjoyed the scooter ride. Image: Repsol Honda Media

Bengaluru, February 15: The MotoGP riders will be back on the grid on Friday (February 16) for the second winter test of the season at Thailand's Buriram International Circuit.

The MotoGP riders enjoyed a small break after the conclusion of the first winter tests in Malaysia's Sepang circuit.

Buriram is a new addition to the FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar. Measuring just 4.6 kilometres and located around 400 km northeast of Bangkok, the Hermann Tilke-designed track will host three days of testing before making its much-awaited Grand Prix debut on October 7.

Ahead of MotoGP's first trip to Buriram, a few of the riders visited the capital Bangkok, to soak in some culture and tourism and get to know the Southeast Asian nation inside out.

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Team Suzuki Ecstar's Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone were among others, who were part of the visit.

Many MotoGP riders had a taste of Thai culture ahead of the destination of speed at Buriram.

A few riders like Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa also had the opportunity to enjoy a few laps on the new-entry track in Buriram aboard a Honda Scoopy i scooter.

Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez share a light moment. Image: Repsol Honda Media

World champion Marquez summed up his feelings pretty aptly, "We did a lap on a scooter, which of course is very different from our bike, so to get a real impression is difficult. Still, all in all, I like it based on what I saw. "

Team-mate Pedrosa, who tweeted a picture of a different kind of a fun ride, also sounded excited.

"My first impression, apart from it being really, really hot, is that the track is quite narrow and short, which means it'll be a little more important to be able take the right line and set up the gearbox. In the end, you just've to get on the bike and go trough the learning process".

It is time to switch back to track mode though as the riders get ready to mount back their machines in the testing which begins on Friday at 9.30am local time (11am IST).

The 2018 MotoGP season starts with the traditional night race at the Losail circuit in Qatar on March 18. The 5.3km floodlit circuit will also host the final round of pre-season tests from March 1 to 3.

(With Honda/MotoGP inputs)