Fabio Quartararo continued to set the pace during the final day of the 2020 MotoGP official test at Sepang. The 20-year-old Frenchman went top and fastest man this week only his seventh lap this morning with a 1m58.541 and then improved further on his 17th lap to lower the marker to 1m58.349.
Cal Crutchlow was the closest to that benchmark after putting in a 1m58.431 on his 14th lap of the day.
With a few hours still remaining Alex Rins was the leading Suzuki on 1m58.450 in third while Pecco Bagnaia was fourth and the fastest Ducati with a 1m58.502 just ahead of fifth placed Valentino Rossi.
Marc Marquez had another crash late in the day but was seemingly unhurt. A front end lose at the final turn.
That top five order and those times were still holding sway with half-an-hour left in the final session as onlookers waited with baited breath to see who, if anyone, would make an all-out late time attack to shake up the order. As the test was about to come to a close though a few spots of precipitation started falling and that curtailed the chances of any shake-up.
The new specification Michelin rear tyre is proving faster than the previous rubber but it seems as though plenty of set-up work is needed on some of the bikes to get the best out of the new compound and construction. Scuttlebutt suggests that Ducati in particular have struggled to arrive at a satisfactory suspension setting that takes advantage of the faster new tyre. Here at the pre-season test last year it was a Ducati 1-2-3-4 and nobody this year bettered the 1m58.239 set by Petrucci at the 2019 Sepang Test.
The quickest lap this year was set by Quartararo, the young Frenchman again underlining his potential with a 1m58.349 to top the time-sheets by less than a tenth-of-a-second over LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow. Alex Rins was closer again in third position by a gnat’s whisker of Pecco Bagnaia and Valentino Rossi.
Danilo Petrucci ended the day sixth quickest ahead of KTM’s Pol Espargaro and Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller. Pol Espargaro narrowly bested the time set by KTM Test rider Dani Pedrosa on the previous day.
Aleix Espargaro ensured that all manufacturers were in the top ten after recording a 1m58.694 on the new Aprilia while Joan Mir rounded out the top ten on the second Suzuki.
Marc Marquez finished the day only 12th quickest, behind Miguel Oliveira but in front of France Morbidelli and Andrea Dovizioso. Both Miller and Dovizioso set their best time on the previous spec’ Michelin rear rather than the softer new hoop, suggesting that both have much better race pace than their ranking today might suggest.
Johan Zarco was 15th on the Avintia Ducati narrowly ahead of rookies Alex Marquez and Brad Binder.
Maverick Vinales was only 18th on day three but his time from day two would have ranked him 14th. The Spaniard did a fast extended long-run of laps today though and word had it that his long run was the quickest of all riders present today. Alex Rins also demonstrated great long-run race pace.
Jorge Lorenzo did 45 laps today in his new test role for Yamaha and finished the day 20th on the timesheets.
“I am really positive because this is only our first day with the bike. We know that the Factory team tested on many occasions last season, but I’m really happy with the work of the team because we made so many changes in so few laps. We did 72 laps, which is quite a lot, but I’m so happy to already feel good on the bike. It is difficult to make a new bike really good in one day. We hope to make another step tomorrow. We had quite a lot of laps in the 1min 59secs on old tyres so that’s really positive. We need to improve the pace a little bit because I am not feeling 100% comfortable. We know that with a new bike you have some positive points and some parts that you are struggling a bit, but at the moment I have already found the positives in one day. With the settings we will change tomorrow we hope to find even more positive points.”
Fabio Quartararo
Jack Miller – P2
“I am very happy with how this day has gone, I can’t complain, there are still things to work on. When you change a bike you have to get the right feeling before you push hard. It takes time, but it takes everything you need to do it right… We’re definitely on the right way, I’m satisfied and I can’t wait to get back to work in the morning.”
Jack Miller
Joan Mir – P4
“It was quite tough today because there were a few different things to try, but this is all part of testing and it’s very important to try everything and understand everything. I’m very happy with how everything went, we found some positive things with the new chassis but we still need to analyse it more and find the best way. I managed some good laps, but there’s still room for improvement so we’ll push again tomorrow.”
Joan Mir
Franco Morbidelli – P5
I’m happy about today’s work, improving yesterday’s lap times. We’ve just been back-to-backing things that we were trying last year, as we wanted to reconfirm them for this year. Tomorrow we will try to make a time-attack, we will probably try to make that in the morning and then we will see what the weather is like. The forecast says it’s going to rain tomorrow but first of all we will do some work, then the time-attack, then continue to try some new things – we have some new ideas that we want to try with the bike.
Franco Morbidelli
Maverick Vinales – P6
“It went quite well. I’m happy because I felt quite good on the bike and my rhythm seems to be very competitive. At the end we improved some things that were quite important. We understand many other points, and day by day we are getting more ready for the Qatar race. We improved quite a lot since this morning, especially the rhythm, that was the most important for us at this moment. Like I said, the first laps, trying to push on braking, the feeling is very positive. We have improved the top speed. We are at the level of some of the other manufacturers, and that’s always important.”
Maverick Vinales
Alex Rins – P7
“We’re very happy again today. We tested a lot of new things, like the chassis and some things with the electronics. The best lap I did was with the new chassis, so it looks like there’s a bit of an advantage over the older one, and I think we’ve done quite a big step because my times are also more consistent. So tomorrow I will ride with the new chassis again and try to find the best set-up.”
Alex Rins
Marc Marquez – P9
“I’m very happy today as the shoulder was feeling better than yesterday, this is good. Unfortunately we had a crash, it looked big but it was a slow crash so I am alright but it does show that we need to remain 100% concentrated as there’s no room for small mistakes with my physical condition. The day was finished before the crash, so it did not stop us doing what we needed, the goal was 45 laps today. Tomorrow we will do more laps to keep understanding the new tyres along with our own changes.”
Marc Marquez
Valentino Rossi – P10
“Everybody is very strong, very fast as always. We are not so far from the top. The second day was better than the first day because we worked a lot on the new bike. We need some more experience and some more kilometres, but today we already found something good, especially for the grip, and the pace with the race tyre is positive. For me, the bike has better potential than last year, but we need to work because also the other manufacturers are making steps, and like I said before, they are very strong. So, we need to continue to work hard, but it looks like we’re heading in the right direction.”
Valentino Rossi
Cal Crutchlow – P12
“We worked really hard as a team today to clock up 64 laps, and we ran through a lot of items for Honda including different chassis on the 2019 and 2020 bike. We were trying to find which was the most positive of the two. It was a long list of items that took quite a while to get through, but we made a lot of good laps and I felt quite good on the bike. I wasn’t able to be super-fast over a full lap as such, but I was really consistent throughout the day and so we look forward to the last day of testing here in Malaysia.”
Cal Crutchlow
Danilo Petrucci – P13
“I am not completely satisfied with my ranking today. But still, I am happy because compared to yesterday we were able to make a big step forward and again we are really close to the top. Today we tried different new components, amongst which we also tried a new fairing: we did many laps, and my feeling with the used tyres is good. Tomorrow we will focus more on improving the bike setup, and we will also work with the new tyres to understand what we can do to take full advantage from them.”
Danilo Petrucci
Pecco Bagnaia – P14
“I am satisfied with this second day of testing especially in the morning where we found a very effective balance for me. This afternoon we did some tests that did not give the hoped-for results. I still have some references from my 2018 bike and I have to adapt my riding style to this bike which is very different but it has a high potential. The feeling is positive.”
Pecco Bagnaia
Andrea Dovizioso – 15
“It has been another busy day. We were able to test several new components, like a new fairing, while in the afternoon I had a small crash and we couldn’t end our setup work on the Desmosedici. Now I have some pain in my hand and neck, but fortunately, we could get on with an important part of our program. I hope to feel better tomorrow and be able to take great advantage from the final day of testing”.
Andrea Dovizioso
Miguel Oliveira – P16
“We started quite well this morning and actually improved the setting of the bike a bit, which was the goal for today. We didn’t try anything special, but were working on fine-tuning of suspension and rear shock. Finally, we pushed quite a lot in the morning, so I felt a bit uncomfortable with the shoulder, therefore we did some longer stops in between the runs. Apart from that, we managed to do a really nice step with used tyres. Our average lap is very interesting, so I would say, I’m glad that we were able to make this step into the right direction.”
Miguel Oliveira
Alex Marquez – P17
“I’m quite happy again today, especially because we worked quite well with used tyres. Learning the tyres and adapting to them has been my main focus. We did a time attack in the morning but I wasn’t riding in the best way, so to get a 59.6 is quite okay. The most important aspect of today was our long run, we had good pace and I was also able to see physically where I still need to work. Overall I felt good and I’m pleased with everything we are doing and how we have done it.”
Alex Marquez
Sylvain Guintoli – P22
“It was another good day and I improved my best Sepang time again a little bit this morning. We went on to test a lot of different configurations of the chassis, and it went well and we feel positive. So yesterday the focus was more on aerodynamics and today was more about the chassis and settings. Tomorrow I’ll ride a few laps in the morning to test the tyres and then Takuya Tsuda will take over.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Takaaki Nakagami – P22
“I had a little better feeling on the second day here in Sepang. Yesterday I was in a bit of pain, but today I took some painkillers and it helped me continue riding right until six o’clock, so that’s a big step compared to Friday. I’m still not in perfect physical condition of course, but we still tried to make some progress with our bike. I tested some new parts today and tried some different settings, and we worked a fair amount on the geometry of the machine with some positive results. Still our performance isn’t the best and there’s a big gap to the top, but we are staying calm about the situation because I’m not at the top of my physical fitness yet. Hopefully tomorrow we can make another step forward, this has been an important three days to get back riding again, and then we can look forward to the final test in Qatar.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Iker Lecuona – P23
“I’m very happy about today, because I improved my lap time compared to yesterday again a little bit. I continue to learn, I continue to try some electronic changes and some setting changes. Anyway, we stopped a bit earlier today, because these days including the shakedown are truly intense. I still hope that I can lower my lap time a bit more tomorrow in order to conclude this test on a positive note.”
On Friday’s opening day of testing it was an SRT Yamaha 1-2 but this morning Suzuki stole the early headlines with Joan Mir dropping in a 1m58.731 on his 11th lap of the session.
Joan Mir
Team-mate Alex Rins joined him in the 58s a short time later, a 1m58.978 to the #42 Suzuki.
A 1m58.989 from Pol Espargaro on his third lap of the session signals a hugely encouraging step forward for KTM as that time is almost a full-second quicker than he managed in qualifying at Sepang only three-months ago.
Pol Espargaro
But stealing the limelight at the top of the charts was Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller. The Australian’s 1m58.641 on his 15th lap of the morning held sway at the top of the table for quite some time.
Jack Miller
Franco Morbidelli put in a 1m58.831 as the day approached its third hour to go P3, splitting the two Suzuki riders.
Vinales then joined those riders in the 58s with a 1m58.893 to go fourth quickest, just behind Morbidelli but now in front of Rins and Pol Espargaro.
With just over half an hour to run for the day Fabio Quartararo decided to drop a quick one in and went top with a 1m58.572. He completed that lap on the 2020 Yamaha.
Dani Pedrosa
Only minutes later KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa went third quickest after recording the fastest ever lap of Sepang by the KTM RC16. Pol Espargaro ended the day in P8, also in the 58s.
Pedrosa’s time had come on a new rear tyre specification from Michelin that he was testing, and is claimed by the French rubber manufacturer to be worth a few tenths over the tyres that most riders used today.
Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez has been nursing his shoulder somewhat after recent surgery but lost the front today at the very fast turn three and crashed but is reportedly uninjured. He finished today P9 and his mechanics will have a long night ahead of them.
With the top eight riders all in the 58s that signifies that most of the manufacturers have made significant steps forwards for 2020 already. All six manufacturers are in the top 11.
Danilo Petrucci
However, we need to mention that still nobody has threatened the 1m58.239 set at the Sepang Test last year by Danilo Petrucci (Link). Here in 2019 it was a Ducati 1-2-3-4 at the Sepang Test, and that entire quartet went faster than Quartaro lapped today. So far this week though out of the Desmosedici riders it is only Miller that has dipped into the 58s.
Sunday will be the final day of the test and a lot more riders will be keen to finish their evaluation workload and try to put in a really fast lap time to end the week on a high note. Many eyes will also be on Jorge Lorenzo tomorrow when he rides the YZR-M1 in his new test role with Yamaha.
“It feels good after almost three months to be back on track. Today was just about getting used to being back on the MotoGP bike. We used last year’s version just to get a few laps in, and we set a really good lap time with the medium tyre at the beginning of the day. We’re hoping for better weather tomorrow so that we can work even more and I’m looking forward to see what my first impressions of the new bike are. I’m really happy with today, it’s always good to start quickest but it’s only the first day of the test – everybody starts with new bikes, it’s not easy for them. The 2019 bike is one I really know from last year, but of course is always better to be P1 than P10 and I can’t wait for tomorrow to start with the new bike.”
Fabio Quartararo
Franco Morbidelli – P2
“I feel good, it was a positive first day for us. We were immediately fast and made the right changes to the bike to get the right feeling. We managed 62 laps, which is a good amount for the first day. Some rain came and this slowed down the working process of the afternoon, but we did a good job in the morning and early part of the afternoon. Tomorrow we will try some other small things that we have on the programme to try but overall I am very happy. We are a little bit faster on the straight, so that is a positive and what we wanted. The behaviour of the bike remains the same though so it is still nice to ride and flowing, but we have a little bit more top speed. I’m happy with the work Yamaha has done and I’m happy with what they are supplying me.”
Franco Morbidelli
Alex Rins – P3
“Today was a really good day! I’m excited and happy to be back on my bike, I really missed it during the winter. Today I spent some time on the fairing area, and I tried some new variations of the package. I found a configuration I liked, so we’ve taken a step forward and I’m happy about that. Tomorrow we’ll work on the electronic area and the chassis. We’re using the same engine as in the tests at the end of last year, and the feeling is still very positive. We’ll continue to work!”
Alex Rins
Cal Crutchlow – P4
“It was a shock to the system to get back out there, but it was a good day to be back on the bike. I was very happy to be back working with the LCR Honda Castrol Team again, and it’s always good to see the boys again after a good winter break where I’ve been preparing well over in California. Now the work starts. We continue to try and improve the RC213V from last year; we had two 2020 models in the garage and one “sort-of-2019” spec machine which was a bit more half and half. We worked our way through the test programme, with a slight delay halfway through the day when we had to work on the bikes, which is completely normal. Unfortunately, when I returned to the track again it was raining and we could only get in another short stint right at the end of the day. Overall, it was nice to get back working with the crew again, but tomorrow will be a longer and tougher day when we’ll learn a lot more about what we’ve got.”
Cal Crutchlow
Jack Miller – P5
“I’m really satisfied with all the training I did during the winter, with the bike I immediately found a good feeling and I left with good sensations. There is certainly some setting and customisation work to be done but the first day there is good indications.”
Jack Miller
Maverick Vinales – P6
“We are working very hard. Honestly, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion already, because it’s only the first day. The feeling has been great, a 1’59s lap here is always really good for me. I had the feeling I expected on the bike. We need to keep going so we can try to understand many things, because we have a lot of things to test, especially tomorrow. On the third day I will concentrate a bit more on myself. On the second day I will be trying many parts, so it will be difficult to get a clear conclusion again. But the first day of training in the heat was good. I’m happy because I felt good on the bike straight away, which is always very positive. I rode fast, I had a good rhythm, and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Maverick Vinales
Joan Mir – P9
“One of the things that we worked on today was my bike position, and this was something really important to do because I already feel better and more comfortable when riding, so that’s a positive. I also tried a new chassis and a new swingarm and worked towards confirming the engine. It’s important to find out what works well, and not so well, so we’ll use these days to try and get lots of information.”
Joan Mir
Valentino Rossi – P10
“It was a difficult day, especially because of the conditions. It rained, so we didn‘t finish our programme, but anyway we were able to do a little less than 50 laps. My time over one lap and my position aren‘t fantastic, but we worked well. We have the M1 2020, which is different, so we need to get to know it better. The first feeling is positive, but we have to work because some things are better, and some are worse. But I‘m happy about the first day. You always work on the chassis, the engine, and the electronics. The 2020 bike is a bit different to ride, so we need to get a better understanding. From a certain point of view, we have a margin for improvement, but on the other hand we are already not so bad and the feeling with the bike is quite positive.”
Valentino Rossi
Andrea Dovizioso – P11
“It has been a hard day. We have introduced a few new items, and we had to focus more on certain aspects of the bike setup. We hope to be able to use our time better tomorrow and to concentrate on the rest of the program. We would like to work on the new rear tyres because we think that this is a fundamental aspect. We are trying to improve the riding style and the bike setup because we believe that these will help us to take the right advantage from the new solutions brought by Michelin”.
Andrea Dovizioso
Marc Marquez – P12
“It is really important to be back on the bike and I’m happy to be back but unfortunately I felt a little worse than I was expecting. I started with good energy in the first run but I had to calm myself down a little bit to make sure we can finish the day. I just tried to find my rhythm and work on what I needed to. The plan stays the same, 35 laps today, 45 laps tomorrow and see on the final day. The important thing is that the shoulder was stable and in the afternoon the pain wasn’t worse, step by step we just have to be patient.”
Marc Marquez
Alex Marquez – P13
“I am happy with how today went. The shakedown test allowed us to get a base and helped a rookie like me to begin to understand a MotoGP bike at this circuit. Today we are still improving, and we made some steps with used tyres. The track is in a better condition than at the shakedown and having more riders on track lets me learn more things from those around us. We still have a lot of work to do, but the team are great and using their experience to give me new things to focus on each run. Every day we have been faster and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”
Alex Marquez
Danilo Petrucci – P14
“I am happy to be back on track. Today we didn’t focus on the lap time, but we worked on trying to rebuild a good feeling with the bike after this long break away from my Desmosedici GP. It had been difficult at the beginning, but in the afternoon, I think I was able to find the right path that will help me also improve in the next days. Today there were mixed weather conditions that made hard to understand our real potential: I always ran with used tyres and with the rain we couldn’t try the new items that we need to test. In general, it was a positive day, and it leaves me confident for tomorrow”.
Danilo Petrucci
Miguel Oliveira – P16
“Today started a bit up and down with quite a lot of test duties regarding the engine, but we were able to find a good feeling before the lunch break. For sure, we lost some time, but at this moment it’s not important for us to do the fastest lap time. We finished the day with good feelings about a change that we made on the electronic side. I’m quite happy with that and above all, my pace was pretty strong with used tyres, so I think we have much more room to improve there. Anyway, it was a positive day.”
Miguel Oliveira
Pecco Bagnaia – P17
“We are quite satisfied with the first day of work, we still have a lot to work on but the feeling is definitely good. It was a positive comeback after ending a fall last year, so I’m happy to be here again and have the opportunity to ride this bike that seems to have great potential.”
Pecco Bagnaia
Sylvain Guintoli – P18
“We’ve already done a lot of work in the days ahead of this test and made lots of selections for Alex and Joan to try. So today we continued, and we worked on things like the aerodynamic package. The weather wasn’t ideal as it was quite windy and also a bit wet, so it made it a bit trickier. But anyway, everything felt good and I managed to improve my personal best time here at Sepang so that was positive. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow!”
Johann Zarco – P19
“I was expecting better for me and to be little bit faster. I learnt a lot and I did a lot of laps. After some months, it has been very long time. I stayed calm and at the end of the day I did a very important step understanding my mistakes and how to ride better this Ducati bike. The are some points of huge potential. Step by step I will understand, I keep smiling because I’m living a good feeling. I don’t have any problem to have a bike from 2019 because it’s official and it’s a satellite team. My working plan for the reamining days is to understand more this bike and to be relaxed. If I do a good job I can be in the low 1:59.”
Johann Zarco
Iker Lecuona – P20
“Today has been quite difficult due to the conditions. After lunch it started to rain and when it stopped, it took quite long to dry up, so we lost a lot of time and the track surface wasn’t as good as before anymore. But in the morning, I managed to continue to learn and lower my lap time. I was working a lot together with the team, also with the setting of the bike. Overall, I feel good, I improved a lot, so I’m happy. Although the track conditions have not been ideal this afternoon, I could try something, which I liked, so we continue from there tomorrow.”
Iker Lecuona
Tito Rabat – P22
“This morning I was very happy, it was easy, we hadn’t changed any tyres and I really felt good. It’s still too early to draw conclusions, we’re on the first day. We went out for a couple of hours in the morning to test the bike. In the afternoon, after the rain, I was a little bit confused, it was a little bit harder and we didn’t ride too much. Tomorrow we will try to start well from the beginning and attack.”
Tito Rabat
Takaaki Nakagami – P23
“I think for everybody it’s a tough first day back, but the track conditions were quite good for a first day and you can see the lap times were quite fast. On my side it has been a bit of a struggle. I think it’s four months since I last rode at Motegi, which is quite a long time without riding a MotoGP bike so it’s been a hard first day. Physically it’s not the best situation yet, but I am so happy to jump on the bike again. We simply didn’t look at our position or lap times today, I’m was just happy to be back out on track. Of course, we need to improve our potential with the new bike, it’s the first time on the 2019 model for me. There are lots of things I have to understand, there’s quite a big difference between the ’18 and ’19 models and the character is not quite the same. My first impression is not negative though. I understand some people in the past might have said it wasn’t easy, but I think it’s just that the concept is different. What I feel is that it is a different bike, but I wouldn’t say it was negative. It’s just the first day and I need more laps to give proper feedback.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Team Managers
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“The riders spent the first two runs focused on getting back their feeling after more than two months of no riding. We have brought six bikes to this test to evaluate the improvements made between the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 testing. For the moment we have been able to confirm an improvement in top speed and potentially tyre life too. But there are other areas that need to be improved, which is to be expected at the start of the season. Tomorrow we will also test other new items that have already been tried by the testing team these last few days.”
Petronas Sepang Racing Team’s riders were quick out of the blocks today as the opening day of what is a three-day MotoGP official test session at Sepang.
Two hours into the eight-hour practice session the SRT riders had both completed almost 30 laps and were 1-2 at the top of the timesheets. Quartararo leading on 1m58.945 from Morbidelli on 1m59.399.
Fabio Quartararo
Next best at this early stage of proceedings was Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, the 30-year-old setting a 1m59.427 on his fourth lap out of the box. Aleix though does have a small advantage over most of the other riders present as he had also rode the new RS-GP at the Malaysian venue earlier in the week.
At that two-hour juncture 12 riders, including rookie Alex Marquez, had dipped under the magic two-minute mark and all manufacturers had riders in that top dozen.
Just after the two-hour mark Alex Rins pushed Morbidelli back to third and Aleix Espargaro further back to fourth after clocking a 1m59.195 on his 24th lap of the day. Pol Espargaro on the KTM was fifth quickest at this stage of proceedings oin a 1m59.536.
Alex Rins
As the fourth hour of testing got underway Jack Miller wound up the Pramac Desmosedici to move into third spot on the timesheets with a 1m59.328, and was top Ducati. Maverick Vinales moved up to fourth which pushed Morbidelli back to fifth and the Espargaro brothers back to sixth and seventh ahead of Valentino Rossi.
SRT Yamaha 1-2 at halfway mark
As the day approached the halfway point Morbidelli moved back up to second place with a 1m58.996 and Crutchlow moved up to P4 after slotting in a 1m59.234 to go top Honda, pushing Miller back to fifth in the process. With Marc Marquez recovering from shoulder surgery Crutchlow is the work horse for Honda this weekend with an extensive list of components to test.
Franco Morbidelli
Morbidelli had done the most laps of all the riders at the four-hour mark, 45 laps. Most of the Ducati riders seemed to be taking their time, most had done under 30 laps at that point with Dovi only completing 23 laps for a best of 1m59.771 to be 12th on the charts.
A brief rain storm then soaked the circuit so riders and teams too lunch and very little happened over the next couple of hours as riders waited for the track to dry.
Most of the field hit the track again for the final hour on a dry circuit but none of the top runners bettered their time from earlier in the day. Thus it is an SRT Yamaha 1-2 on day one of season 2020 ahead of Suzuki’s Alex Rins and LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow.
Jack Miller the leading Ducati in fifth place ahead of Maverick Vinales and the Espargaro brothers.
Jack Miller
Joan Mir in ninth and Valentino Rossi rounding out the top ten ahead of Andrea Dovizioso and the Marquez brothers.
Thus in the top ten we have four Yamahas, two Suzukis, and a single Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and KTM making it all six manufacturers securing a spot in the top ten.
Kawasaki have unveiled the official KRT FIM Superbike World Championship machinery and graphics package at the team launch in Barcelona, as the team prepares to head on-track as action resumes at Phillip Island at the end of the month.
The Kawasaki Racing Team – WSBK 2020
The Kawasaki official riding line-up will feature five-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea aboard the latest race specification Ninja ZX-10RR, while joining him is exciting new signing for the 2020 season Alex Lowes.
Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
With winter testing in Europe now complete – in the usual monochrome winter tests colours – Jonathan Rea finally presented his new leathers at the team launch. He answered the question of how it feels to face another season laden with opportunities.
Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
Jonathan Rea
“We have had a solid pre-season where I felt fast and consistent and the target is to win another championship – for the team, Kawasaki and myself. Tonight is the start of another great year together. This is the time when it all becomes real and it is really fitting to do it in our team workshop where all the hard work goes in preparing our bike and our season. It has been particularly nice to do it in front of many of our sponsors and the family and friend of our mechanics. Not long until the season starts now!”
Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
WorldSBK race winner and former BSB Champion Alex Lowes was also excited to be unveiling the 2020 package, joining the ‘Green Team’ for the new season.
Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
Alex Lowes
“I have been with the team for a few months now but we have had the chance to show our supporters and sponsors the final colours for our championship challenge tonight. It has been great to be part of this team and it was really nice to be seen in Kawasaki green for the first time. This has been a fantastic event, especially with all the team here in their own regular working environment. After this, it is down to Australia for the first race of the season.”
Alex Lowes – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
KRT Team Manager Guim Roda confirmed that he and his staff were motivated as ever. Not to mention very and proud to be able to have all the team’s partners and supporters made welcome in his literal home environment.
Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
Guim Roda – KRT Team Manager
“For the 2020 season, we decided to make the team launch in our KRT headquarters because we have improved our workshop environment and we wanted to show our friends and sponsors the place we work from to make all the racing activities for KRT in WorldSBK. This is a magic moment in which all the staff were involved, each one helping make this the most attractive launch possible. We have in the next months a very hard job to do, because expectations – again – are so high and this do not allow us to have big margin to not keep winning. To win is a result of the job well done. To make good job it is very important to have the correct working environment to make the job in the best way possible. Today we hosted the team launch from the base we want to keep making WorldSBK history from with our riders Rea and Lowes.”
Jonathan Rea & Alex Lowes – Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
As the team now packs up for the first of the 13-rounds that will make up the 2020 season, the first official WorldSBK test will take place at Phillip Island, on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February. Race weekend in Australia will start on Friday 28 February and finish on Sunday, the first day of March.
Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020
KRT Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK Reveal Team Launch GB
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team opened their garage doors at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia today to show the set-up for 2020.
Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi
In the upcoming MotoGP season, the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team will again be competing with riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi and continue their close relationship with title sponsor Monster Energy Company.
The 2020 Yamaha YZR-M1
Lin Jarvis – MD Yamaha Motor Racing
“Today we officially ’introduced‘ the 2020 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team line-up. Monster Energy has been a team partner since 2013 and it was just 12 months ago in Jakarta when they stepped up to become the main sponsor of our Factory MotoGP Team. We have thoroughly enjoyed working closely together throughout the first year and we are now ready to further expand our collaboration and achieve greater sporting successes in this second season. The 2019 bike design and team ’look‘ was very well received by both Monster Energy and Yamaha fans around the world, so we decided to keep the strong image unchanged for 2020. However, that is the only thing that remains unchanged. If you scratch beneath the surface you will find many changes that Yamaha and the team have made to improve the bike, the performance of our riders and the total working efficiency of our team. We are excited to start this new season, and we believe we can achieve great things this year.”
2020 Yamaha YZR-M1
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team staged a team presentation event today at the Sepang International Circuit. To celebrate the start of the 2020 MotoGP season, the team let the media into their pit box for a photo opportunity and held a special press conference.
By opening the doors to their garage for the photo opportunity event, the team offered the media and the fans watching the live stream a good look at the world of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP.
Massimo Meregalli – Team Director
“After the winter break it‘s nice to have the entire team together again for the first time in months. It has that same buzz as the first day of school. We are about to start the 2020 preseason testing period, which is always a crucial and busy time for the team. Yamaha‘s Japanese engineers have dedicated a lot of time and effort to developing the M1, and now our riders and engineers will put the new items to the test for the first time. At the Valencia and Jerez tests at the end of last year we already got a sense of in which direction we‘re heading. During the upcoming test we will be looking to confirm our earlier findings and search for further areas of improvement, so we can start the 2020 season in March in the best shape possible.”
020 Yamaha YZR-M1
Factory riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were both present and sat on their Yamaha YZR-M1s, making everybody all the more excited to kick off the three-day official 2020 IRTA MotoGP preseason test in Sepang, Malaysia, that will start tomorrow.
Viñales joined the Factory Yamaha crew in 2017 and immediately took third place in the rider standings that year. Though the 2018 season proved to be tough, the Spaniard kept his motivation high and won the race at Phillip Island. He finished that season in fourth place overall, just five points behind his teammate in third position. In 2019, he scored two further Grand Prix victories, one in Assen and one in Sepang, and collected the overall bronze medal once more at the end of the season.
Maverick Vinales
“At the end of last season we were in decent shape, so I‘m really excited to start working again on our goal to get the title and as many wins as possible. For sure, I‘m looking forward to riding my M1 again. The last time I rode it here in Malaysia was during the 2019 season and we won. It‘s a really positive memory and it also means we have a good starting point here in terms of set-up, so we should be able to get straight to work tomorrow on Day 1 of the Sepang Test. I‘ve used the winter months really well. I‘ve done a lot of physical training and riding to make sure my body and mind are in top shape. We need to work hard and be focused on our goal right from the start, so that‘s exactly what we‘ll do!”
Maverick Vinales
Rossi is famously Yamaha‘s most successful rider. This will be his 15th season with the manufacturer since he first joined the Factory Team in 2004. The nine-time World Champion won four championships with Yamaha in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009, and is as eager as ever to score GP victories as he enters his eighth consecutive year with Yamaha since his return in 2013.
Valentino Rossi
“For some reason the winter months always seem a lot longer than the summer months during the MotoGP season – those seem to just fly by! Anyway, I‘m happy to be on track and to start riding again. I‘ve been able to relax during the stop and also do some fun riding events, but now it‘s time to get serious about 2020. I‘m very curious to see what steps we can make during the Sepang Test. For sure, Yamaha have prepared some new things for us to try, and anyway the first laps of the year on a MotoGP bike after the winter break are always a unique sensation – it‘s always something I really enjoy. For sure we have a lot of work ahead of us, but the team and I are ready for it.”
Valentino Rossi
The colour scheme of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bike remains the same for 2020, with the team‘s YZR-M1, the pit box, and the riders‘ leathers sporting a ’Monster Energy black‘-to-’Yamaha Factory Racing blue‘ gradient.
The M1 also features subtle blue stripes that add a further dynamic to the sleek design. The blend between Yamaha‘s aesthetic and Monster Energy‘s instantly recognisable claw branding is also represented in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team logo and the team gear.
Jorge Lorenzo
Newly-confirmed Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team rider Jorge Lorenzo also got a moment in the spotlight. He already made his first kilometres on the YZR-M1 in the shakedown test held on 2-4 February 2020, after a three-year interval. He completed his first test with satisfactory results, and his vast riding experience is expected to be a huge asset to Yamaha‘s engineers over the course of year.
2020 marks Suzuki’s 60th year in racing, a milestone which will be celebrated with the team’s brand new colour scheme.
2020 Suzuki GSX-RR MotoGP
The elegant combination of the familiar blue mixed with a more traditional slate silver is sure to make the ambitious duo of Alex Rins and Joan Mir stand out from the pack.
2020 Suzuki GSX-RR MotoGP
This season’s GSX-RR will honour the rich racing pedigree which Suzuki began in 1960 with their participation in the Isle of Man’s Tourist Trophy – where just two years later Ernst Degner won the first GP race for Suzuki, and also their first World Championship Title in the 50cc category.
Suzuki GSX-RR MotoGP – New and old..
Since then, Suzuki as a manufacturer has celebrated a long list of successes including 14 more World Championship titles, right up until the most recent race victories in 2019 with Álex Rins at the Grand Prix of The Americas and the British GP.
Alex Rins
Aiming to tame the beast are Suzuki’s industrious and impressive pairing of Rins and Mir.
Alex Rins
Finishing 4th in last year’s championship standings, taking two excellent victories and eleven Top 5 finishes, Álex Rins proved his place among the top riders in MotoGP.
2020 Suzuki GSX-RR MotoGP
Joan Mir completed a notable rookie season with Suzuki in 2019, which included a total of ten Top 10 finishes, with a fifth place finish in the Australian GP as his best result.
It was a Ducati 1-2 at the top of the charts after the two-day ASBK Test at Phillip Island last week. Wayne Maxwell led the way from DesmoSport Ducati’s defending champion Mike Jones. As the test sessions drew to a close we sat down with DesmoSport Ducati Team Owner Ben Henry for an in-depth discussion about ASBK, and his experience with the Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Originally from Western Australia, where he first started racing and preparing motorcycles, the 38-year-old is now a long-time Queensland resident and runs Cube Performance Centre out of the Gold Coast suburb of Burleigh.
Ben hung up his competitive leathers a few years ago while still able to run a top ten pace in Australian Superbike, all the while managing and running his own team and riders. He then turned his focus to concentrating on his Cube Performance workshop along with expanding Cube Racing. He then went on to develop the DesmoSport Ducati Team in conjunction with Troy Bayliss and the team won the Australian Superbike Championship with Mike Jones in 2019.
Always forthcoming with insightful observations, that are for the most part refreshingly non-partisan, Ben was generous with his time and candid with his thoughts.
Ben Henry at work on the DesmoSport Ducati at the front, Troy Bayliss at the rear – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor Hedge: What were the most extreme of the challenges you faced in getting the V4 up to the speed of the 1299 V-Twin that Mike raced to great success last year?
Ben Henry: “The biggest challenge is the chassis, getting it to work as well as we had the twin dialled in, the motor – obviously they aren’t the same, but the power isn’t too far different, it’s just dialling in the chassis and probably electronics, that’s currently our patch.”
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: That’s a time consuming process isn’t it?
BH: “Yes it is, it is time consuming. The electronics aren’t that bad, we’re going pretty fast, and Wayne is going pretty quick on his, and that’s all on standard stuff, so it’s clearly not too bad.”
Trevor: Wayne said his team are waiting on an ECU and a few bits and pieces, are you waiting for anything before the start of the season as well?
BH: “In ASBK they’ve homologated the MoTeC ECU for our bike, so we need to get that and make it work. That’s definitely the road they (Wayne Maxwell and his team), are going to go down, and we probably will. We just need to see if it’s better than what we already run.
“I mean it’s hard to argue with what we’ve got when we are running low 32s on it, and Wayne’s just done a 31.7, I mean that’s the fastest lap ever on a domestic superbike around here.
“So it’s hard to say that putting something else on there will be markedly better. We will wait and see what happens.”
Mike Jones – TBG Image
Trevor: Do you get much help from Ducati Australia at all?
BH: “They are in a funny spot, NF Importers are theoretically finishing up, Ducati AU/NZ, which is essentially Ducati Italy coming into Australia to run the show, but yes they are helping us.
“It’s basically going to be a better situation once they get here, but while they are not here I’m dealing through Italy, everything has to come through Italy and it’s a little bit slower. But once they get here and have stock here, and a warehouse, it will be much better.”
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: How difficult is it to get the budget for the season and what’s the ballpark figure, without giving too much away, to run Mike in Superbikes and Oli in Supersport.
BH: “It’s really difficult, it’s a strange time, with winning the championship last year you would think things would be easier, but it just didn’t pan out that way. Our major sponsor QBE left straight away – the next day – and our support from within the industry isn’t as strong, because they just don’t have the money. They are not trying to bullshit me, it’s just a different time now for the importers, it’s definitely difficult.
“How much… for a cash figure on top of everything else… you wouldn’t get away with anything less than 350k in cash, that you can spend on whatever you need. But then on top of that the tyres, everything else that goes into it is probably another… bike and parts and all that… it must be another couple of hundred, and then with the stuff we are getting given. It would have to be half a million bucks, it really would.”
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: And that’s with you having your own premises, and not really adding up your time…
BH: “Yea, exactly, I mean I’m not making money out of it, obviously people come to my shop, but it’s a trade-off that’s for sure.”
Even winning the championship does not translate to less budgetary worries…. – Mike Jones – 2019 ASBK Superbike Champion – TBG Image
Trevor: You raced and worked on various models of ZX-10R Kawasaki when you yourself were racing, and the riders on your team through those years were Kawasaki riders, including Mike himself when he won the title in 2015, the year the series was at perhaps its lowest ebb. What’s the main difference working with the Italian bike, on the Ducati, compared to the then more street bike focused Kawasaki and other Japanese machines?
BH: “They are much more basic – the Kawasaki – in short I always said this, if you can see a bolt on a Japanese bike, you can undo it. It’s not like that on a Ducati. Just because you can see a bolt does not mean you’ll be able to undo it.
“But the good thing about Ducati is that they are very, very focused on racing, and if you understand the way they build things, they are quite fast to work on. You pull big sections of the bike off in one hit, and things like that once you understand and think a bit more laterally about how you approach them.
“They are probably faster to work on once you get the hang of them. And notice the little bits here and little bits there, and you basically pull the bike apart in sections.”
Mike Jones will defend his #1 plate with Ducati but has switched from V-Twin to V-Four power for season 2020
Trevor: I’ve heard it’s about a 12 hour operation to fit a full exhaust on the V4…?
BH: “If you didn’t know what you’re doing, then yes, and honestly my toolbox has quadrupled since I started working on Ducati motorcycles, and it’s the tricky little tools, and the odd little thing you’ll make to help you. It has got to the point now where through my shop I am putting exhausts on in about five hours, something like that.”
Ducati Panigale V4 R – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: So if a punter turned up at your shop in Queensland, they’d expect to pay five to six hours to get one fitted?
BH: “Yea they would, I always quote eight as that’s what Ducati quote, in case we get into trouble, but generally the punters go home a bit happier.”
Trevor: It’s good you bought up the nuts and bolts, the rear wheel on that Ducati….I see your boys swing off some pretty big bars putting that big wheel nut on, there’s 230 nm of torque or something put on that nut..?
BH: “That’s right, I don’t even tighten it up as much as you’re meant to, as we take it on and off all the time, and it gets too much.”
Ducati Panigale rear wheel nut – TBG Image
Trevor: It’s almost horrifying to watch, how much force gets put through the big bar, to put that nut on.
BH: “I can’t remember what it’s called, there’s a basic engineering thing, but if you have a threaded pipe and put a nut on the top of it, and torque that nut, it strengthens the pipe like ten-fold, and that’s why they do it. I can’t remember, it was so long ago that I learnt it.”
Trevor: So it effects the rigidity of the bike?
BH: “Absolutely, when you look at the axle, it’s so thin, the bit the wheel is hanging off is just so thin, and you would think not strong enough, it’s no special metal, there’s no magic there, but it’s the engineering that goes into it. When you do something like that and torque it that tight, the structural strength it gives the axle is incredible.”
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: What are the power and torque figures of the V4 in ASBK race trim, compared to the 1299?
BH: “The 1299 was a little bit stronger…”
Trevor: You’d expect that with a bit more torque..?
BH: “The 1299 was stronger up top, maybe five horsepower up top, just over 220-ish. The V4 is making peak power at 15,800rpm.”
Trevor: Overall, I guess this goes for everyone in Aussie Superbike, that race winners seem to be decided by who can make their back tyre last a race distance. Just how exacting is the suspension set-up required to give your rider the tyre longevity to race for the win in ASBK?
BH: “One mm, a click, half a turn of preload, it’s so so close, but I sometimes think that’s half in the rider’s mind. Put half a turn of preload and is it any different? You’d be doing well to tell. Tyre life is a combination of so many things, if I could put a percentage on it, I think its 70 per cent suspension, 30 per cent electronics, or say 20 per cent electronics, and 10 per cent good tyre management by the rider.
“You could vary those figures sometimes, different riders, some guys just roast the tyre out of it, no matter what you do. Some make tyres last longer, they just have a different technique.”
Pirelli runners were fastest at P.I. – Image TH
Trevor: In what specific ways does the machine setup vary between Mike and TB. I would imagine it would be a big difference between the two?
BH: “Honestly, not really, like when Mike rode our bike for the first time – on Troy’s set up – he was immediately fast on it, and there was just little stuff to tweak. Even this one (V4 R), Troy rode this one first, and did his thing, and pretty much from what Troy had to say from all the notes, is very similar to what Mike had to say.
“They do a few little things differently, like gearing, Troy really lets the bike do a lot of work, letting the bike go down and lug from low, but Mike revs them a lot more. If I could pick one thing that’s markedly different, Jones likes it stiffer in the front. They are actually pretty similar, yet they ride nothing like each other.
“They ride different, Troy can use a tyre, Jones is really good at looking after a tyre, everything is so different, but I really believe if Troy rode Jonesy’s set up, he’d be happy. And Jonesy, even when he’s not completely happy has the same thing to say about the bike as Troy.”
Mike Jones – TBG Image
Trevor: What’s your expectations for Oli in Supersport this year?
BH: “I think he needs to knuckle down and he could win it. He certainly has the resources around him, and he’s a pretty talented fella when everything clicks for him, then he’s unreal. I’ve seen it happen for him a few times and it’s a bit special, which is nice for him. I reckon he could win it for sure, he has some really good people around him now this year, that should see him in the right direction more often, last year he was just learning, and there was nothing wrong with the team from last year, they were perfectly fine, but he is just trying to learn at 15, and have a crack at it.”
Oli Bayliss – TBG Image
Trevor: What ASBK rules would you change if you could?
BH: **Long pause**
“To be honest, I like it just how it is. It’s quite good, and the proof is in the pudding, as there’s a lot of good riders on all different brands going fast. Really any brand can potentially win here.
“What would I change, currently not much. What I can see happening moving forward in ASBK, I can see a change is coming and I think it will be bad for the sport.
“For instance, the way the electronics side of things is moving forward, if they don’t make an effort to reign that in, we are probably two seasons away from privateers not being able to afford to race to win anything. And currently as it stands, it’s already hard enough for them, like I’ve been there but if they (M.A.) are not careful – and they are not careful – because sometimes *pauses*…. they have the right people, just not quite *pauses*…. it’s hard to say without sounding rough, but they perhaps don’t have enough resources, and they maybe don’t have quite the experience on the latest machinery. People like this, someone like me can manipulate very simply, and they don’t understand what I’m doing to them. And I don’t do it, but I know I can for sure.”
Ducati V4 R instrumentation – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: So what would you suggest is the answer, going down the line of a control ECU like BSB use or something along those lines?
BH: “It’s nice for everyone to have a race, and you know you have a race in all aspects, I like the tyre war that maybe is going to happen. It’s going to happen, I don’t know who’s going to be best or what yet. I like all the different things that go down, and it is a race.
“It’s nice to race in all aspects of the term, but for sure if they are not careful, very soon I think they will find some of the manufacturers are not going to be that interested in racing in a race that then they can’t win. It just doesn’t make good sense. It’s not good for their brand, doesn’t make good economic sense and that’s why you see people ending up pissing off to do their own thing, that suits them, and that’s just business.
“So that’s a strange way to answer your question. But as it was last year it was much better but what I see happening rolling into this year will open a can of worms.”
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
Trevor: What is different this year?
BH: *long pause*
“Sort of the progress the electronics are making, in short, and I would say there will be a change as new models roll out, if M.A. aren’t careful, then I think they’ll find people will struggle to continue to compete fairly. At least not throughout a whole year.
“A privateer is not going to be able to turn up and win. Looking at Jonesy at the beginning of last year, as a privateer busting their ass like usual, and he turned up and banged the thing on the box and did the fastest lap here. That’s good, it’s great to see that. We already knew what he was capable of, but that gave us another opportunity to see it again, and then for him to ride our bike. If things move forward the way they eventually will, then you won’t see that again. It’ll be more like a handful of guys, always the same…. that’s what I think.”
Mike Jones – Image by Rob Mott
The 2020 Mi-Bike ASBK Championship season gets underway in conjunction with the WorldSBK season opener at Phillip Island over the March 1 weekend.
Rev limits for the various World Superbike machines have been revealed ahead of the March 1 season opener at Phillip Island.
Ducati’s V4 machine has kept its 16,100 rpm limit that was introduced last April after it was reduced from their original 16,350 rpm allowance.
The 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R (SP) Fireblade with its all new engine has a limit based on the maximum rpm of the homologated street machine.
2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP
The 2020 Yamaha YZF-R1 (M) with its engine incrementally revised for EU4 legislation has a rev limit based on the performance balancing algorithm following the 2019 season.
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