Stoner returns to Sepang in HRC test

Aussie Casey Stoner has completed a three-day test session with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) at Sepang in Malaysia, spending time on both the 2014 and 2015 RC213V machines.

At the test, Stoner did a chassis comparison and also tried new brakes from Brembo amongst various other testing components. The engineers also took advantage of having Stoner in Sepang to run a few laps on the Suzuka 8-Hour Honda CBR1000RR in the afternoon on the final day.

Stoner said: "Overall it’s been a good test, very positive and we got a lot done! On the first day we worked on the base setup and tested some small things before the rain arrived and we had to stop. Then on day two I spent a lot of time doing a back-to-back chassis comparison from last year’s bike to this year’s and I also tested different variations of the chassis.

"Brembo brought some new aluminium callipers for us to try and Honda had several other test items which we managed to get through before the rain came once again.

"On the final day we confirmed some feelings from yesterday and tried a few electronic packages as well as some different suspension.

"Riding the CBR was very different, I’ve never really ridden that kind of bike, the shifting, riding position, engine power, and weight characteristic was quite difficult and took some getting used to. After a few exits I had more of an understanding and was able to give some feedback. In general it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being able to feel the rear of the bike step out."

An official MotoGP test will be held at Sepang this week, starting on February 4. Australia's Jack Miler will be in action on his CWM LCR production Honda.