Tag Archives: Misano Test

Quartararo bounces back to top Misano Test

MotoGP Misano Test Day Two Combined

Fabio Quartararo has bounced back to dominate the Misano MotoGP test, finishing half a second clear of the field, and coming within 0.010-seconds of the outright lap record in doing so, in a result that bodes well for the up-coming race.

On Friday the rookie was once again top of the pile, this time ahead of the Ducati of Danilo Petrucci by nearly half a second, with Franco Morbidelli completing the top three after another impressive day for the Italian.

MotoGP Test Misano D Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Once more it was a scorcher on the Riviera de Rimini as the sun beat down on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the second and final day of the two-day test. And as Petronas Yamaha SRT continued their almost-dominance at the top, Yamaha overall continued their solid showing.

For Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Valentino Rossi was seen leaving pitlane with what looked like a carbon covered front brake on one of his YZR-M1s. Teammate Maverick Viñales was on track with the double exhaust again today as well, seemingly doing a comparison with the ‘normal’ Yamaha exhaust.

Valentino Rossi

“First we tested the prototype of the 2020 bike, but after that we focused more on some new stuff that we can also use in the last part of the current season. The test overall was not so bad because we improved the rear grip, the acceleration, and I feel good, and we are competitive.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Rossi
Valentino Rossi – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019
Maverick Vinales

“We tried to work a lot for the race. We worked all the time on the set-up, especially to try to improve on the first laps of the race. Today has been a bit more positive than yesterday, so I‘m quite happy and pleased about the test. We especially improved in the hotter conditions. I‘ve been riding a lot when the temperatures were higher, trying to do a race simulation, and my pace is quite good, so I‘m actually really pleased with that.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Vinales
Maverick Vinales – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

The Spaniard was also back to using the usual tail on both of his bikes on Friday as he ended the test P6, just under a second back from Quartararo. ‘The Doctor’ had climbed into the top three in the closing stages, only to be displaced by Petrucci’s late time attack to end the day fourth at his home track.

Ducati shot up the timesheets on the second day with Petrucci. He and teammate Andrea Dovizioso were out testing with one of their two bikes having the swingarm attachment. In addition, the two Italians were both using the wheel covers on their GP19s, with test rider Michele Pirro displaying a slightly different looking Ducati belly pan. Pirro finished 15th on the timesheets, Dovizioso was 17th.

Danilo Petrucci

“These were two very important days because in view of the different conditions of the asphalt with less grip, being able to test at the same track we will race on in two weeks’ time allowed us to understand lots of things for the race. We did a lot of interesting tests and I’m satisfied with the work we’ve done even though for sure we’ll have to improve in the race weekend. In any case I’m pleased with my pace and confident about the upcoming GP.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Danilo Petrucci
Danilo Petrucci – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019
Andrea Dovizioso

“Luckily I managed to do a day and a half of testing and physically I’m OK. In the last few days we did a good job at home: I was able to get back into good shape and here I managed to lap on track, even though I still feel a bit knocked about. It was very important to test here, because we found a track that was quite different to last year, with not so much grip and because there were also all the other riders. We were able to do a lot of interesting tests in view of the race, both with the material available and with the set-up. I’m not entirely satisfied with our speed but it was important to get out on track in this test; we did it so now we’ll prepare well to get ready during the race weekend.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Andrea Dovizioso
Andrea Dovizioso – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Jack Miller meanwhile, was the lunchtime leader and he even ended his test at midday, the Australian encountering an issue with his number one bike during the morning. The number 43 was mainly working on his race pace and stability in the high-speed corners, something he says he struggled with a bit at Silverstone.

Miller also said he and the team had found a little bit of direction in that department; good news ahead of the Grand Prix weekend. Teammate Francesco Bagnaia was also mainly working on race setup, and the rookie had a positive-looking test on board his GP18 as the Pramac duo finished up fifth and seventh respectively. Tito Rabat also put his Ducati in P12 after a solid day’s work.

Takaaki Nakagami was the fastest Honda rider at the Misano Test, the Japanese rider putting in his fastest laps towards the end of Day 2 to sit P8 on the timesheets. In the Repsol Honda garage, as well as having two Repsol liveried bikes, Championship leader Marc Marquez had HRC test rider Stefan Bradl’s bike at his disposal on Friday as he ended the test P10.

Marquez rode a blacked-out Honda on Thursday and today it was the turn of Bradl to have a go, with Cal Crutchlow also having a black Honda on his side of the garage on Day 2. Five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo didn’t ride on Day 2 as he continues to recover from injury.

Marc Marquez

“It was quite a busy test for us as we are already starting to work for 2020. First of all we did a bit of work for the end of the 2019 season to make sure we can finish it in a good way. Then we moved to trying some components for 2020. Overall it was a good test and we worked well and in a precise way to get the most out of our time on track. I was feeling good with the bike over these two days so we were able to understand a lot.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Marquez
Marc Marquez – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Meanwhile at Team Suzuki Ecstar, Joan Mir finished the test in P11 as the Spaniard continued to get back up to speed following his huge Brno Test crash. “Some new parts”, settings and grip was Mir’s main aim, and the rookie ended the test ahead of British GP winner Alex Rins, who had a low key time on the timesheets at least.

Joan Mir

“My feeling on the bike was good, and today went even better than yesterday, which actually was already above expectations. I’m not yet at 100%, so now I feel tired, but we were able to make a positive test without compromising the technical work. Now I have two weeks to rest a bit more and to train to get ready for the GP. We worked mostly on the settings of the bike; nothing special apart getting the feeling.”

MotoGP Test Misano D joan mir
Joan Mir – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019
Alex Rins

“I think it was a really positive test for us, we tried a lot of things including the different chassis which we already tried at the Montmelo Test. We also tried a swingarm and some electronic settings, as well as some new tyres that Michelin gave us. So, in general, it was positive. I’m not concerned by the lap times I’ve set during this test, there are no prizes for setting the quickest time, and there’s no point pushing to the limit when you’re trying to test new things.”

MotoGP Test Misano D alex rins
Alex Rins – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Aprilia ended the second day in the top ten. Aleix Espargaro was ninth quickest on his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini machine as the Italian brand continue working towards 2020, although the Spaniard suffered two crashes during the morning session on Day 2. Teammate Andrea Iannone confirmed the team were working more in the direction of next year’s package and the Italian ended the test in P14.

MotoGP Test Misano D Iannone
Andrea Iannone – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Some of the headlines, however, remain reserved for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa got a full day of testing done for Austrian factory KTM, with the three-time World Champion trying a tail unit that was similar to what Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco used at the opening round of the season, something Pedrosa also used at the Barcelona Test earlier in the year.

MotoGP Test Misano D Pedrosa
Dani Pedrosa – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

KTM did confirm they tested things they think they will use in the coming races and Pedrosa finished the day as the quickest KTM rider, with Dovizioso splitting him from Espargaro on the timesheets. Espargaro also crashed in the morning. Hafizh Syahrin was behind the number 44, and his teammate Miguel Oliveira remains absent to recover from his Silverstone crash.

MotoGP Test Misano D Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro – Misano MotoGP Test Day 2, 2019 – Image by Lukas Leitner

Jorge Lorenzo’s test was cut short after experiencing some pain while on the bike during running on Thursday morning. Lorenzo and the team elected to limit his testing to give Lorenzo the maximum amount of time possible to recover physically ahead of the Misano race, September 15. Before ending his test, Lorenzo was able to complete 31 laps as he assessed the Honda RC213V around the 4.2km long Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Jorge Lorenzo

“Unfortunately I didn’t feel great and I had quite a lot of pain on the bike, even more than in Silverstone. We were able to make 20 laps in Silverstone and everyone was very pleased, but it took a lot of effort from me physically and I had some more inflammation and pain after the race. It improved a bit, but I am still hurting too much on the bike so we decided together with the team to finish the test early and to arrive at the Misano race in the best condition possible. Even with the limited running we were able to try some new parts like the chassis.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Lorenzo
Jorge Lorenzo – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

That’s a wrap for testing at Misano, with plenty of talking points to take us into the next race at the same track!


Source: MCNews.com.au

Quartararo tops Misano Test Day 1 | Morbidelli P2

MotoGP 2019

Misano Official MotoGP Test Day 1


Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli set the pace on Day 1 of the Misano Test, the Frenchman’s 1:32.996 in the afternoon enough to pip teammate by just 0.023 and dropping him into the 1:32s.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Fri Fabio Quartararo
Fabio Quartararo

The Petronas Yamaha SRT duo duo sit over two tenths clear of third-fastest Marc Marquez at the end of the first day of track action, with the reigning Champion the only non-Yamaha in the top five.

On a sunny opening day at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, neither Quartararo nor Morbidelli were testing anything in particular, but they both lit up the timesheets. It was the rookie’s first visit to the venue on a premier class machine so the main aim was to find the best setup for the Grand Prix weekend, with electronics the main goal for Friday. Morbidelli, meanwhile, wanted to test the Michelin tyres to find the best balance, with the aim of improving grip.

MotoGP Test Misano D Rossi
Valentino Rossi – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales were trying a second version of Yamaha’s 2020 engine, having tried a first one at the Brno Test. Viñales and Rossi finished fourth and fifth respectively to place all four Yamahas inside the top five.

The Iwata factory rolling out a different exhaust, similar to Suzuki’s double exhaust setup, as well as a carbon swingarm and a carbon cover on the front brake. ‘The Doctor’ had three bikes in his garage, while Viñales was out testing the front aero that was seen in Brno and the new tail unit we also saw in Czechia.

MotoGP Test Misano D Marquez
Marc Marquez – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Championship leader Marquez had three bikes at his disposal for most of the day and then four by the end of play, with fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow given three to play with. Marquez’ completely black bike seemed to have a cover on the swingarm, while there was also some carbon reinforcement at the top of the chassis.

HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was also on track with two bikes to use, one in Repsol colours and one in his usual HRC livery. The German was also on track with EG 0,0 Marc VDS duo Alex Marquez and Xavi Vierge on Wednesday, and now continues his program.

Jorge Lorenzo, meanwhile, is still suffering from pain, reporting it was worse than at Silverstone. The five-time World Champion decided to end Day 1 slightly early as he continues his comeback from injury.

MotoGP Test Misano D Pirro
Michele Pirro – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

At Ducati, Andrea Dovizioso was back on his GP19 in the afternoon session having been declared fit to ride earlier in the day, as were Quartararo and Joan Mir.

Ducati Team Manager Davide Tardozzi said the Italian’s testing plan was cancelled as ‘DesmoDovi’ checks his physical condition on the bike after his Silverstone crash. Teammate Danilo Petrucci, though, was testing electronics and test rider Michele Pirro had new chassis parts and settings to try, with the fairing he used at the KymiRing seen out at Misano on Thursday. In addition, Petrucci, Pirro and Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller had the swingarm attachment back on their bikes.

MotoGP Test Misano D Pol Espargaro
Pol Espargaro – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019 – Image by Lukas Leitner

At Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, it was a very positive day on the timesheets. Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco finished 6th and 8th respectively, with the duo both working towards the race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

MotoGP Test Misano D Johann Zarco
Johann Zarco – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019 – Image by Lukas Leitner

As always, KTM are constantly developing the RC16 and while working on race setup, the Austrian factory were also busy working on the chassis and engine. In the afternoon, test rider Dani Pedrosa took to the track before the MotoGP Legend does a full day of riding at the venue on Friday, with Zarco only riding on Thursday.

MotoGP Test Misano D Pol Espargaro Dani Pedrosa
Pol Espargaro & Dani Pedrosa – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019 – Image by Lukas Leitner

On the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 side, Miguel Oliveira’s test ended after two laps as the Portuguese rider was still feeling the pain from his Silverstone crash. He flew home on Thursday, with Hafizh Syahrin the sole machine for the squad on track from then on, aiming to regain his confidence on the RC16.

MotoGP Test Misano D Miguel Oliveira
Miguel Oliveira – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019 – Image by Lukas Leitner

In the Team Suzuki Ecstar garage, it was a return to action for Joan Mir after his injury layoff. The Spaniard finished P9 on the timesheets with a best time of 1:33.763 to finish 0.767 off Quartararo’s lap.

Joan Mir

“I am happy to be back and feel the MotoGP thrill again! I’ve spent the last weeks at home, after the accident in Brno, in order to have time to recover. The decision to miss the British GP was the correct one, but I must say that I really missed being at the race. The team had huge success with Alex, it was pretty clear that the GSX-RR was well-suited to Silverstone’s layout. I felt frustrated being at home on my couch, but of course I felt proud and happy for Alex and the Team! Finally, I got back on the bike and my feeling is good, I did an effective rehab and recuperation job, and with the training last week I now feel almost 100% fit. Despite this, I arrived at the circuit this morning feeling like a rookie again, being aware that I needed to take it easy and take time to recover the feeling. I was impressed to see that I just needed two or three corners in the first run to start enjoying the feel like before. This allowed us to start testing some items and prepare for the Misano GP.”

MotoGP Test Misano D joan mir
Joan Mir – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

Teammate and British GP winner Alex Rins was testing some settings for the race weekend, as well as checking parts on the swingarm, some electronics and a slightly different chassis they used in Brno to do some comparison work. Rins also suffered a crash at Turn 8 near the end of the morning session.

Alex Rins

“Honestly I’m very happy to already be back riding! After only 4 days I’m still feeling the thrill of the victory in Silverstone, and I’m fully enjoying these sensations on my Suzuki. Today we did a good job, we tried several options and worked on consistency. Finally, we didn’t have time to fit a soft tyre and try for the best lap, this is something we will have to work on tomorrow. We’re already thinking ahead to the San Marino GP, so we need to finalise a good setup for this tyre option as the white-striped tyre was the tyre choice of last year’s race.”

MotoGP Test Misano D Alex rins
Alex Rins – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

According to Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Technical Manager Romano Albesiano, his team were trying a very different setup on the RS-GP. In addition, both Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone were working on electronics, engine braking, the swingarm and the chassis. Espargaro finished 12th fastest with a best time of 1:33.842, with Iannone claiming P17.

Reale Avintia Racing’s Karel Abraham left the circuit early as he was suffering from injury. The Czech rider was on the bike in the morning, with teammate Tito Rabat completing an impressive 74 laps in the afternoon. The Spaniard will complete a full day of testing on Friday.

MotoGP Test Misano D Aleix Espargaro
Aleix Espargaro – Misano MotoGP Test Day 1, 2019

In terms of tyres, Michelin provided the teams with the same allocation as they will have for the race weekend. In addition, the tyre manufacturer gave the riders the new rear that had previously been testing in Barcelona and Brno in a medium compound. And, there was also a new front casing, which has been developed to improve grip under braking. This was tested for the first time on Thursday.

That’s Day 1 complete at Misano, with plenty hustle and bustle up and down pitlane. They’ll be back out for another action-packed day on Friday


2019 Misano MotoGP Test – Day 1 Combined

# Rider Team Time Gap
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:32.996
2 Franco MORBIDELLI Petronas Yamaha SRT 1:33.019 0.023
3 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1:33.222 0.226
4 Maverick VIÑALES Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:33.247 0.251
5 Valentino ROSSI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1:33.296 0.3
6 Pol ESPARGARO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:33.588 0.592
7 Johann ZARCO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:33.690 0.694
8 Joan MIR Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:33.763 0.767
9 Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU 1:33.777 0.781
10 Jack MILLER Pramac Racing 1:33.802 0.806
11 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:33.842 0.846
12 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1:33.854 0.858
13 Michele PIRRO Ducati Test Team 1:33.940 0.944
14 Francesco BAGNAIA Pramac Racing 1:33.945 0.949
15 Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1:34.134 1.138
16 Tito RABAT Reale Avintia Racing 1:34.242 1.246
17 Andrea IANNONE Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1:34.243 1.247
18 Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL 1:34.411 1.415
19 Hafizh SYAHRIN Red Bull KTM Tech 3 1:34.599 1.603
20 Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati Team 1:34.644 1.648
21 Stefan BRADL HRC Team 1:34.774 1.778
22 Dani PEDROSA  Red Bull KTM Factory Racing  1:34.976 1.98

Source: MCNews.com.au