2020 MotoGP
Official Jerez Test – Day 1
2020 is up and running in Moto2 and Moto3 with Remy Gardner (Onexox TKKR SAG Team) ending Day 1 at the Official Jerez Test as the man to beat in the intermediate class, with Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) taking the honour in the lightweight class.
Sergio Garcia topped the Moto3 timesheets
There were good conditions for the riders at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto as the first of three days testing began on Wednesday, with each class able to maximise their track time.
Moto2
Gardner set a scorching 1:40.848 in the final session of the day in Moto2 to top the timesheets, with an impressive Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) slotting into second 0.269 down. Perennial title challenger Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) was the only other rider to get within half a second of Gardner, taking P3.
Tom Lüthi
Behind the quickest trio came reigning FIM CEV Moto2 European Champion Edgar Pons (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) to make it a Kalex top four lockout, the Spaniard sitting 0.587 off Gardner. After an impressive private test, rookie Aron Canet (Aspar Team) began the Official Test in fine form too as the Spaniard finished P5 with a 1:41.439 – the top Speed Up and rookie.
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Tetsuta Nagashima, who gets on the team’s new Kalex chassis with previous experience, was fifth, ahead of an impressive first run out for MV Agusta Forward Racing’s Simone Corsi, with the Italian veteran less than half a tenth off Nagashima, in P7.
The second-fastest Speed Up on Day 1 was 2019 Jerez podium finisher Jorge Navarro (Speed Up Racing) in P8, with Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) splitting Navarro from his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio, who was tenth.
Aron Canet
Navarro is also the man whose pole lap from 2019 is the lap record time Gardner beat on Day 1, so there’s likely plenty to come from the field yet. But it was nevertheless a competitive start to the season for the intermediate class, with under two seconds splitting the top 25 riders.
Moto2 Combined Times – Jerez Test Day 1
| Pos. | Rider | Nat. | Team | Gap |
| 1 | Remy GARDNER | AUS | Onexox TKKR SAG Team | 01:40.8 |
| 2 | Enea BASTIANINI | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | 0.269 |
| 3 | Thomas LUTHI | SWI | Liqui Moly Intact GP | 0.498 |
| 4 | Edgar PONS | SPA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 0.587 |
| 5 | Aron CANET | SPA | Aspar Team | 0.591 |
| 6 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | JPN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 0.597 |
| 7 | Simone CORSI | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | 0.628 |
| 8 | Jorge NAVARRO | SPA | Speed Up Racing | 0.737 |
| 9 | Xavi VIERGE | SPA | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 0.833 |
| 10 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | ITA | Speed Up Racing | 0.885 |
| 11 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | SPA | EG 0.0 Marc VDS | 0.915 |
| 12 | Luca MARINI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1.031 |
| 13 | Marcel SCHROTTER | GER | Liqui Moly Intact GP | 1.032 |
| 14 | Marco BEZZECCHI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1.062 |
| 15 | Hector GARZO | SPA | Flexbox HP 40 | 1.215 |
| 16 | Nicolo BULEGA | ITA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1.27 |
| 17 | Jake DIXON | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 1.283 |
| 18 | Somkiat CHANTRA | THA | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | 1.309 |
| 19 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NED | NTS RW Racing GP | 1.363 |
| 20 | Jorge MARTIN | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1.388 |
| 21 | Jesko RAFFIN | SWI | NTS RW Racing GP | 1.434 |
| 22 | Lorenzo BALDASARRI | ITA | Flexbox HP 40 | 1.5 |
| 23 | Joe ROBERTS | USA | American Racing | 1.554 |
| 24 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | MAL | Aspar Team | 1.611 |
| 25 | Stefano MANZI | ITA | MV Agusta Forward Racing | 1.899 |
| 26 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | ITA | Italtrans Racing Team | 2.196 |
| 27 | Marcos RAMIREZ | SPA | American Racing | 2.473 |
| 28 | Andi FARID IZDIHAR | INA | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | 2.678 |
Moto3
In Moto3, it was Sergio Garcia who picked up where he left off in 2019. The Valencia GP winner topped the timesheets on Wednesday, although it wasn’t by much – with Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee just 0.060 in arrears. Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) impressed to complete the top three, another tenth and a half back.
Albert Arenas was top KTM
2019 Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was fourth fastest overall, although he was just 0.011 ahead of Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), the man who broke the lap record in private testing last week. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took P6, ahead of Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) in seventh as the Spaniard seems to have quickly settled into life on the Honda.
The top KTM rider on Day 1 was Albert Arenas (Aspar Team) just behind Masia, with Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) in P9 after a noteworthy day on the timesheets for the Czech rider.
Romano Fenati
Noteworthy was also apt for the man in tenth: Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team). The veteran Italian was fastest Husqvarna on Wednesday as the marque return to Moto3 competition, making it all three manufacturers in the top ten as 2020 begins.
Moto3 Combined Times – Jerez Test Day 1
| Pos. | Rider | Nat. | Team | Gap |
| 1 | Sergio GARCIA | SPA | Estrella Galicia 0.0 | 01:45.5 |
| 2 | John McPHEE | GBR | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 0.06 |
| 3 | Ai OGURA | JPN | Honda Team Asia | 0.231 |
| 4 | Niccolo ANTONELLI | ITA | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 0.287 |
| 5 | Gabriel RODRIGO | ARG | Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 | 0.298 |
| 6 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | JPN | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 0.406 |
| 7 | Jaume MASIA | SPA | Leopard Racing | 0.641 |
| 8 | Albert ARENAS | SPA | Aspar Team | 0.677 |
| 9 | Filip SALAC | CZE | Rivacold Snipers Team | 0.758 |
| 10 | Romano FENATI | ITA | Sterilgarda Max Racing Team | 0.771 |
| 11 | Dennis FOGGIA | ITA | Leopard Racing | 0.841 |
| 12 | Raul FERNANDEZ | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 0.885 |
| 13 | Tony ARBOLINO | ITA | Rivacold Snipers Team | 0.928 |
| 14 | Alonso LOPEZ | SPA | Sterilgarda Max Racing Team | 0.939 |
| 15 | Stefano NEPA | ITA | Aspar Team | 0.972 |
| 16 | Deniz ONCU | TUR | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1.075 |
| 17 | Andrea MIGNO | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1.175 |
| 18 | Yuki KUNII | JPN | Honda Team Asia | 1.181 |
| 19 | Jeremy ALCOBA | SPA | Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 | 1.199 |
| 20 | Ayumu SASAKI | JPN | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1.338 |
| 21 | Celestino VIETTI | ITA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1.352 |
| 22 | Darryn BINDER | RSA | CIP Green Power | 1.392 |
| 23 | Kaito TOBA | JPN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1.449 |
| 24 | Davide PIZZOLI | ITA | BOE Skull Rider Facile.Energy | 1.507 |
| 25 | Ryusei YAMANAKA | JPN | Estrella Galicia 0.0 | 1.998 |
| 26 | Carlos TATAY | SPA | Reale Avintia Racing | 2.012 |
| 27 | Riccardo ROSSI | ITA | BOE Skull Rider Facile.Energy | 2.122 |
| 28 | Jason DUPASQUIER | SWI | CarXpert Pruestel GP | 2.178 |
| 29 | Khairul Idham PAWI | MAL | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 2.195 |
| 30 | Maximilian KOFLER | AUS | CIP Green Power | 2.844 |
| 31 | Dirk GEIGER | GER | CarXpert Pruestel GP | 3.793 |
Source: MCNews.com.au