Marco Bezzecchi
Toprak Razgatlioglu and the rest of the Yamaha V4 riders returned to the track on the third and final day of MotoGP’s Sepang test. They were forced to sit out Wednesday’s running due to safety concerns.
Fabio Quartararo’s Tuesday stoppage – shortly before he withdrew from the test through injury – provoked concern inside Yamaha. The team couldn’t initially find the cause.
They feared that the undiagnosed problem would resurface in a high-speed part of the track, potentially putting their riders at risk. The garage doors stayed shut on day two as they continued to investigate.
How worrying are Yamaha’s safety issues with the V4?
Ahead of Thursday’s action, Yamaha confirmed that they had found an interim solution. As reported by The Race, the riders were running with reduced power in order to limit the stress on the engine.
Alex Rins says Toprak Razgatlioglu had the same Yamaha problem as Fabio Quartararo
After Yamaha decided to abandon their inline four engine, Augusto Fernandez made wildcard appearances with an early version of the V4. They also embarked on an extensive testing programme last year.
But Yamaha have been beset with problems in Malaysia, starting at the private Shakedown and continuing into the first private test.
It was initially thought that only Quartararo’s engine had failed, but Alex Rins has now revealed that Pramac’s Razgatlioglu also ‘broke’ an engine.
Should Yamaha go back to their inline four engine until the V4 is ready?
Rins is hopeful that they won’t face the same power restrictions during the Buriram test later this month.
“Luckily, we were able to ride today, but without going around too much, carefully,” he said, via Motorsport ES.
“They told us that Fabio and Toprak broke two engines, one each, and that for safety reasons they wanted to limit the risk. In Thailand we expect to receive more engines and we’ll be able to drive freely on the track.”
Yamaha’s rank D concessions allowed their riders to take part in the Shakedown, so a lack of mileage shouldn’t be too great a concern for Razgatlioglu ahead of his rookie season.
‘Sources in the paddock’ think they know what’s wrong with Yamaha’s V4 engine
The riders are testing in temperatures over 30 degrees in Sepang, and it’s possible that this is exacerbating Yamaha’s problems.
Unfortunately, the first race of the season in Thailand is one of the hottest of all, and managing engine temperatures will be a big challenge at several other rounds too.
‘Sources in the paddock’ have told El Periodico that Yamaha are experiencing a ‘technical issue with their battery’, with the Malaysian temperatures a contributing factor.
The final two-day test is scheduled for 21 and 22 February before the campaign begins on the last weekend of the month.
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