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.
KTM’s official premiere MotoGP efforts launch for fourth year
Images by Sebas Romero/KTM
KTM have revealed their 2020 MotoGP race colours and officially launched the 2020 Grand Prix season today, with all eyes now focused on the factory’s fourth season in the premier class with the twenty-race calendar getting underway at the Losail International Circuit on March 8.
The line-ups for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 have been known for a number of months with 28-year-old Pol Espargaro returning for his fourth term with the KTM RC16 (as holder of the most Grand Prix points and one podium finish) and his seventh in the category.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
24-year-old rookie teammate Brad Binder will be making his MotoGP debut alongside Miguel Oliveira who enters his second year in MotoGP at 25 years of age. Iker Lecuona at 20 is another rookie for 2020 and the youngest racer on the grid forming the Tech3 roster.
Red Bull KTM Tech3
Pit Beirer – KTM Motorsport Director
“2020 is about to begin and I would say we are exactly where we expected to be. We’ve had everything on a road map and have followed it with the full support of the company and the board. Last year we worked with a satellite team and four riders that provided valuable feedback and the groups spurred each other on, but, at the same time, it pushed us to the limit for resources and raised us to the peak where we are now. I would not say we have a ‘satellite team’ now but instead we are a KTM ‘pack’ with friendship and trust, and I include our test team in that whole organisation. It’s fascinating to be able to develop insanely powerful, high-quality motorcycles – the pinnacle of motorcycling engineering – and we push the materials to the limit. Then there are the riders; Pol brings so much to this project and we know Brad very well and it is a great story for us to have our own Moto3 world champion now racing in MotoGP. Miguel will definitely put the factory guys under pressure this year and we have huge faith in Iker who has impressed us already. Working on the Moto3 project in 2012 was the foundation of our current MotoGP programme and one of the most important steps for our racing department because it allowed us to start, learn fast and build with largely the same group of people. We’re happy to be able to play such a big role in that category. We will continue to give it everything we’ve got to make improvements in MotoGP. This is an important season for us. I’m convinced we have done an excellent job in the background to be lining up with a very good motorcycle on the starting grid but we will be measured by our lap-times!”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing & Red Bull KTM Tech3
For the second season on a row, KTM will count four KTM RC16s on the MotoGP grid and with the quartet of race bikes all carrying a 2020 spec. The riders have already completed both a private and official IRTA test so far since January and will lap Losail from February 22nd for three days in the final dialling-in outing before Grand Prix action commences at the same venue.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 Specifications
Red Bull KTM Tech3 boast some novelty factor for 2020 with their ‘Organics by Red Bull’ livery and a fresh look for the crew. The potential of the third generation of the KTM RC16 is eagerly anticipated after the firm expanded their test team efforts with the experience of former world champion Dani Pedrosa complimenting the long-standing knowledge of Mika Kallio in 2019.
Pol Espargaro’s RC16 – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
MotoGP will represent the peak of the KTM road racing structure. No less than fourteen KTM RC4 riders will be progressing or learning the finer points of Grand Prix in the Moto3 division while the stars of tomorrow will be battling through the 2020 seven-round Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the brand-new Northern Talent Cup series.
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Tech Oliveira Presentation
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Confrontation
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Tech Lecuona Presentation
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Static Confrontation
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
MotoGP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Pol Espargaro MotoGP Static
“Today was a difficult day for us, it was not easy to get into the pace and make a good lap this morning, but overall I’m really happy. We did a long run of 12 laps in the hottest conditions when there was nobody on track. It was not bad: our pace was high 1min 59sec and low 2mins, it was 55 degrees on track and nobody else was riding so it was probably the worst track conditions we had today. We are working in a really good way to improve the speed and hopefully in Qatar we will take another step forward. My goal now has changed a little bit; we want to have better long run pace, because we now know over one lap we are fast. Overall, I’m really happy with the first test of the year with the 2020 bike.”
Fabio Quartararo
Cal Crutchlow – P2
“We had a good and positive third day to get through a long list of items that we needed to test for ourselves and Honda. We had some test items on there throughout the day and also some geometry settings. I felt good today with the pace, although I still didn’t feel fantastic with the bike. We need to improve the pushing on the corner entry and the turning of the bike for me to feel more comfortable. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that at the Qatar test, but thank you to my team for such hard work over the last three days here in Sepang.”
Cal Crutchlow
Alex Rins – P3
“Today was the last day of the test, and we’re happy how all three days went. We tested everything we had on the list and now we go to the Qatar Test with a better bike than last year. I improved my rhythm and race pace here, and also my best lap time, so I’m happy with that. We’ll continue working and see how things are in Qatar, when we arrive there we will try the new parts again to compare how they work on a different track layout.”
Alex Rins
Pecco Bagnaia – P4
“It was a very positive day, in the time attack we were very fast. What I liked this morning was the consistency with my pace and this afternoon’s simulation helped us to understand a lot of things, how these tyres behave and how to improve my riding style to keep a better pace. In general it was a positive test, we are happy and we start with a good base for Qatar.”
Pecco Bagnaia
Valentino Rossi – P5
“We are happy with these three days. Today was a good day because I did a very good lap time in the time attack. It‘s the first time for me to be in the 1‘58s, so this is positive, also because we are in P5 and very close to the top. We worked a lot, also on the pace, and we tried different things. Some were good, others weren‘t. We have to work hard because everybody is so fast, but the test was positive.”
Valentino Rossi
Danilo Petrucci – P6
“It has been a busy three-day test. Today we worked on different setup solutions, and even if we still have a few aspects that we still need to improve, I am satisfied because we were able to find a good race pace and make another step forward. I discussed a lot with Andrea, and together we identified a few aspects that for sure will be helpful during the races. We still need to understand how to use well the new tyres, but we still have the Qatar Test to complete our work”.
Danilo Petrucci
Pol Espargaro – P7
“We’ve done a lot these six days! Today was successful: we tested the new Michelin tyres and we made our conclusions. We also worked on the swingarm because we felt we were losing grip in hot conditions from the soft tyres so we wanted to understand why. We learned a lot actually. We have more horsepower and the electronics are working smoother which allows you to open the throttle earlier in the corners and is important here in Sepang and what we were missing before. Overall it feels very good. In Qatar we will restart. We might have different problems and we’ll have different tyres so we’ll begin again and hopefully have the same results.”
Pol Espargaro
Jack Miller – P8
“A positive final 3-day test in Malaysia, we made many changes today, we were lucky that it was dry until the last 20 min. We are always happier with how the bike works, there are still a few details to work on but in general we have always been fast over the three days and we have done what we wanted. Today I had the best time with the medium rear tyre and I was very surprised. We have worked well with the team, now a couple of days to relax and then I will start preparing for Qatar.”
Jack Miller
Aleix Espargaro – P10
“I am absolutely satisfied and I would truly like to thank everyone at Aprilia Racing who made it possible to take such a new and competitive bike out on the track here. The 2020 RS-GP has improved in every aspect. It is a step forward that, quite frankly, almost surprised me. There are clearly many areas where we need to work, but they are problems due to how young the project is and not real deficiencies. At the end of the three days, I would have liked to have been closer to the leaders with the soft tyre, but with this type of tyre I just wasn’t feeling it. In race configuration, on the other hand, even with used tyres, I was extremely fast. We need to keep pushing, because there are only a few weeks left before the first race, but I am leaving Malaysia with a smile on my face.”
Aleix Espargaro
Joan Mir – P11
“I feel really good on the bike, it’s better every day. In the morning I tried the new soft tyre, but in the end I improved my lap time without the soft tyre so that was something positive. We’ve found good things in this test and we have strong potential, I think in Qatar we will take another step forward, and then we’ll be closer to the front. It will be interesting to try the bike on a different circuit.”
Joan Mir
Miguel Oliveira – P12
“This morning, we mainly focused on a time attack and doing this with the best setup, we found of parts together. We had a very good lap with our normal tyre allocation, which was surprising. When I put a softer tyre on the rear, I couldn’t improve, but overall, I’m very happy with our pace and all the work we have done during the three days of official test here. In the upcoming two weeks I still have some work to do, physically, building some more muscles and trying to remove as much pain as possible on the shoulder in order to have a good first race weekend in Qatar.”
Miguel Oliveira
Marc Marquez – P13
“I finished the day with a good feeling as this morning we had a good rhythm and I put in the most effort today. I had a small crash at Turn 15, but this was down to physical condition. It’s good to know where the limit is, of course it would have been better to not crash but I am OK after it. Today I did 47 laps again, but it was with a different rhythm. I tried a few things but there is still work to do. The runs today were a little longer today but our speed was still good.”
Marc Marquez
Franco Morbidelli – P14
“I feel quite happy about this test as we’ve been working a lot and we understand many things on the new bike. I also already feel that I have good confidence with the new bike. We didn’t use the super soft tyre today to make the time attack, we used it yesterday just for normal running. So I think that is why we are not higher up the timings today. But even with the normal tyre on the time attack our pace is not so far off the top. I understand a lot from these three days and we know what we need to work on in Qatar. It has been overall a good test and I look forward to Qatar now and we try to do a good job there also.”
Franco Morbidelli
Andrea Dovizioso – P15
“I am quite satisfied with the work we have done today. This morning we were able to put in several laps, improving the bike setup and also my feeling with the new tyres. It had not been easy because I had to adapt my riding style, and I was struggling a lot with this in the beginning. Danilo and I did a few laps together: the pace was good, but the tyre performance dropped quite a lot. We still need to understand how they will work on a race distance and here in Sepang, where the conditions are peculiar due to the high temperatures, is really difficult to make a complete evaluation. Now we still have a test before the opening round of the season in Qatar. I am sure that the final classification of these three days doesn’t completely reflect what will happen in the Championship this year”.
Andrea Dovizioso
Maverick Vinales – P16
“I‘m feeling very positive, because today we improved the bike quite a lot, especially the race set-up. I didn‘t have enough time left to make one hot lap but, doing things like this, I kept a bit calmer. We were really concentrated on working on the feeling and it seems to be good. On race tyres with a race set-up we had a good pace, I felt quite competitive. But we also noticed points that we are going to try to improve in Qatar. I didn‘t set up for one lap just yet. For me, at this test it was really important to concentrate on the feeling and understand what I need to improve on. We are now going to work very hard to accomplish those improvements and we will see if the bike works the same way in Qatar as it did here.”
Maverick Vinales
Johann Zarco – P17
“It’s been a good test. The first day was a little bit difficult. I think I can be faster, I still have to learn new things, but at the end of the third day I am happy because I see that the method I am following works well and with time I will be able to learn more. The bike has a lot of acceleration and I need to take advantage of it. I can’t wait to arrive to Qatar because we have three more days to improve and prepare for the start of the season. It is difficult to learn new things, but I feel prepared and I am very motivated.”
Johann Zarco
Alex Marquez – P18
“The general feeling everyday was better, we were faster and felt better. This is the most important thing. There are only three more days of the pre-season left to be ready for the Qatar GP but we are closer every day. Still we need to learn more but every time we ride my knowledge is growing and I’m pleased with everything we’ve achieved. For Qatar our aim is to continue to understand the setup of the bike for myself and in various conditions. We’ve tried a lot this test so I leave happy.”
Brad Binder – P19
“In the first two tests I was 2.1 off and now I am 0.7. It’s a big step forwards for us. The feeling and the comfort on the bike is way-better but we have a long, long way to go. I need to keep working and it will pay-off soon. If you look at the position then it is dissatisfying but the main thing is the gap. A couple of tenths have made a good difference in the standings. I have seen that it’s not too difficult to make a fast lap but I need to do twenty of them! It’s been a positive six days. We’ve progressed every day. We can reset and start again in Qatar.”
Brad Binder
Tito Rabat – P20
“We have been improving progressively during these three days, it has been a good test. We have to improve on the braking, but anyway I’m happy with the team and now the most important thing is to analyse the data collected and rest in order to reach 100% for the test at Losail.”
Tito Rabat
Bradley Smith – P22
“These were six important days of testing for us. We took a completely revamped RS-GP out onto the track and I am pleased with the way things went. Aleix’s times demonstrate the quality of the project. Now we have a lot of refinements to do which is inevitable for a new bike. During these tests, we focused on getting to know the 2020 RS-GP, rather than experimenting with the setup, but already in the base configuration, the results were decisively encouraging.”
Bradley Smith
Takaaki Nakagami – P23
“It’s been quite a tough three days for me. Of course, the physical condition of the right shoulder is not the best, but it’s getting a little better day by day. The first day there was a lot of pain, but the second day and third day were better and today we were able to get close to 50 laps. Still the lap time is not the best and we have to improve that, but we were able to test many items and it’s quite a positive result for the feeling of the bike. Now I’m going back to Japan for close to two weeks, so I’ll try to get some rest and hopefully be a little bit better for the Qatar test. We still have a lot of work to do and things to improve on the bike for my riding style, but let’s see what we do in Qatar.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Iker Lecuona – P24
“My goal was to have a small gap to the front, but today I didn’t improve as much as I wished, although I managed reach the 1:59’s. I tried some new tyres today and I know, that I still need to be faster, plus after all these days on track here, I’m physically exhausted, to be honest. Overall, I have to admit, that I’m not totally happy about today. I will continue to learn in Qatar. For now, we have a good base with the bike, which I like, my general feeling is great. I just need to learn and understand more and more things about this machine.”
Iker Lecuona
Sylvain Guintoli – P25
“It’s been a busy few days! I was riding at the ‘shakedown test’ for three days before this, so I’ve now done six days of riding and completed around three hundred laps! So, we’ve got loads of work done and it’s been really interesting. We tried different aerodynamic packages and chassis settings, and we’ve completed our planned program, so we’re really pleased. The bike is feeling good and Suzuki is doing a great job with all the work, and the atmosphere in the team is incredible.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Lorenzo Savadori – P30
“When Aprilia called, I came running, considering the opportunities and my bond with the brand. It was a fantastic experience – four days in which I had the chance to make contact with a new category for me and which make my mouth water for more… I wish to thank Aprilia Racing for the honour, after three days with the 2019 version, to test on the 2020 bike as well. The new RS-GP seemed easy and intuitive straight away, even for someone like me in his first experience. As for my performance, I am pleased to have been able to improve on every outing. It isn’t easy to understand these prototypes, partly because they are very sensitive to every command. I also did well in terms of physical fitness, despite a few months of inactivity and demanding environmental conditions.”
Lorenzo Savadori
Team Managers talk Sepang
Wilco Zeelenberg – Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team
“The first test for season 2020 is done. It was a very positive test with no crazy things happening! We had good weather across the test. For Fabio to have three days on top of the time sheets is very promising. I’m also very happy to see Franco riding like he is at the moment. I think he understands the bike better than he did last year and he also made some good steps forward. We did what we had to do and tested what we had to be doing, there were no big crashes and now we’re ready for the Qatar test.
Fabio Quartararo
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki ECSTAR
“For this first test of the year, we brought many parts; chassis, swingarm, electronics cowlings and some engine updates. Before the start of this test I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to go through everything, but we managed to do it and we found a good direction. This test was about trying these new parts, and then at the next test we’ll work to confirm the package more precisely and finalise everything. We’re pleased with how everything went here and the work we’ve done, and I’m confident about the Qatar Test.”
Alex Rins
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“We were able to get what we were after: we definitely got the confirmation that the 2020 bike is a step forward and from now on we will be focusing on this model. We noticed an improvement in top speed, grip, and tyre life. Maverick completed a race simulation today in very hot and critical conditions, and he showed great consistency from beginning to end. Vale didn‘t do the race simulation but focused on testing all the items that we needed to try here, and he also did a good hot lap. It‘s his first 1‘58s lap, so that‘s another positive sign that we are moving forward as a team. For Maverick, when the time came to do his time attack, it started raining, so this compromised his position in the Day-3 and overall standings. But we can certainly say that this has been a good three-day test, and we hope that all the information we have been able to collect will be helpful to make another improvement at the next Qatar test.”
Valentino Rossi
Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM
“After six days we can be positive about our test programme and that is different compared to last year and the rainy conditions because we had ideas on the table that we could not try. It meant we had quite a big operation to bring over here to Sepang and some late decisions. So, the test has been really important and necessary and the feedback from the riders has been good. There are people in the company working so hard on this bike – including the whole test team – and they have done a great job this winter. We have confirmed ideas and changes and it was nice to see that in the long runs we are quite strong and the fast laps are acceptable. We can see that we have made another step. The riders had a lot to do and we have two rookies in the group in Brad and Iker and they did very well with a lot of laps and building up their knowledge of MotoGP with the riding style and small changes. Pol, Miguel and Dani had to do many laps, many runs and go through a big list and they stayed focussed and did it in a great style. It is also positive to leave here with everybody healthy. Small details make the difference and eighteen riders are split by one second so we know the season will be tough and very competitive. Let’s go to Qatar now and see how we look.”
Dani Pedrosa
Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3
“Finally, after a long stay in Malaysia, the first 2020 test is over. For Red Bull KTM Tech3 it was a tough mission, because we didn’t only test three days with the whole grid, but also had the great possibility to do the shakedown, which was another three days prior to the official test. After a long winter break without any MotoGP riding, if was clear, that the bodies of both riders are suffering, especially during the last two days. Anyway, it was a very, very productive test. Honestly, I have to state, that I’m amazed by what KTM did during the winter, about what the entire racing department brought to Malaysia and everything we were testing from chassis over aerodynamics to electronic was a big step forward. Compared to last year at the Sepang test, especially when we take a look to the gap of Miguel to the fastest, KTM was clearly much, much closer to the front, not only on a single fast lap, but also in terms of race pace. This is, what I would like to emphasize more than anything, that KTM has become a real strength for a top 5 finish or hopefully even more within only 12 months. Miguel is very positive about the outcome of this test, also about his own physical condition. Together with Pol (Espargaro) and Dani (Pedrosa) they are really the top guys, KTM can truly rely on to further develop the bike. On the other side, Iker did a great job, was improving every day and because he is a fighter, he was not satisfied with this, but either way, we can be proud of him. He is the youngest rider on the grid and was already under two minutes, which is a good lap time in Sepang. His physical condition was suffering towards the end, but all of this is what you need to become a good MotoGP rider. I’m sure he will go back to Spain with a lot of data in his head, ready for Qatar. I want to thank Miguel for his great work and also our rookie did a good job, overall, we are positive. I think we have a decent line-up. We don’t make headlines at the moment, but if people look closer inside the data, they will see, that the orange division is coming. Now everybody should go back home and get some rest until Qatar is going to be the final shakedown for the first round.”
“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.
Marc Marquez was fastest on Day 2 of the Jerez test, the reigning Champion posting a 1:37.820 on Tuesday morning to sign off for the season on top – although there were more headlines for the number 93 than just on-track.
Marc Marquez – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
From the test, Marquez will now head for surgery on his right shoulder after a crash on Day 1 of the test exacerbated a problem that had already begun to plague him.
Alex Rins was second quickest and just 0.017 in arrears, with his teammate Joan Mir completing the top three on Tuesday.
Day 2 at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto was largely disrupted by rain, with the riders getting limited dry track time before the wet weather arrived at around 12:15 local time.
Maverick Vinales was leader on combined results over the two days – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
On a wet track, less than half the field ventured out, but those who did include MotoGP rookies Alex Marquez, Iker Lecuona and Brad Binder, as all three used the time to test out their new machines in the different conditions.
Before that, however, Marquez had swiftly got down to business, setting the second fastest time of the test overall – and the quickest of the day – on his third flying lap.
Marc Marquez
“Theses two days were very positive for us, working with the 2020 items we have and trying to find the right direction. On the first day we tried a lot of things and then today we started with the best of what we found yesterday. Unfortunately, we only did 20 laps before the rain came. It wasn’t wet enough to properly test in the wet and it certainly wasn’t dry. Now it’s time for the staff in HRC Japan to analyse everything. This winter I would have liked to have a nice holiday and enjoy a bit of quiet time after a great 2019 – but it is time to have surgery on the right shoulder. As everyone knows, last winter was very tough for me with the operation on the left shoulder, which was very, very damaged. I want to avoid the situation where my right shoulder is in this condition in the future so I spoke a lot with the doctors to see what our options were. Before Motegi I had some issues with the shoulder and then after the crash in Malaysia I had a subluxation. Here at the test I had another subluxation after the crash, so we decided with the doctors that it was best to have the surgery to avoid the situation we had with the other shoulder. It will take more or less the same time and we will work in the same way to arrive at the Malaysia test as strong as possible.”
Marc Marquez – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
The number 93 retained three bikes in the garage as on Day 1, and the partial dislocation of his right shoulder suffered on Monday didn’t seem to be affecting him out on track but Marquez then announced he has elected to have surgery as a preventative measure after medical consultation.
The operation will be similar to the one performed on his left shoulder at the end of 2018. Rookie Alex Marquez was 17th, and Cal Crutchlow 13th on Tuesday – although the Brit put in limited laps.
Crutchlow managed to put in 66 laps on day one, before completing 14 on day two, with lap times across the field mostly well behind those from the Spanish Grand Prix and subsequent test back in May.
Cal Crutchlow
“On day one we did a short evaluation of a few parts with the 2019 bike. We were happy enough with how the day went. We couldn’t get too many laps because the weather wasn’t fantastic. On a normal test here we could probably do 100 laps in a day, but on the first day this time we only did 60-ish and today just 14. Overall, we’re happy with the work we managed to fit in. Day two wasn’t too useful as regards our plans to make steps forward with the 2020 project. It’s a shame for everyone that the weather hasn’t been great, but we will work with the engineers in the factory over winter to make sure we have the best package available for the 2020 season.”
Cal Crutchlow – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Alex Marquez was left wishing for better track conditions in order to improve his feeling on the RC213V. A best time of 1’39.224, set on the morning of the second day, leaves the 23-year-old as the fastest rookie of the test. The reigning Moto2 World Champion will now begin an intense off season to prepare himself for his debut in the premier class when the lights go out in Qatar.
Alex Marquez
“The weather was like it was, which wasn’t perfect but in the morning we were able to make another step and improved our time on used tyres. This is good news for us. Like yesterday, when we put new tyres in it started to rain so this is still something we have to look at. We were able to try the bike a little bit in the wet and it felt good. I’m happy with this second day of testing even if there’s still a lot of work to do. I know what I need to do at home to be ready in Sepang.”
Alex Marquez – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Limited laps was true for many and definitely for Mir, who did only 12 laps to end the day in third, with Alex Rins putting in twice that and turning the tables on his teammate on Day 2.
Joan Mir
“We weren’t able to do a lot of laps today because of the conditions, but we still managed to work on the electronics areas, and this was positive because we noticed the difference. I set a strong lap, even after being out on track for a while. Overall, after four days of testing – two here and two in Valencia – the feeling is very positive and I’m already looking forward to coming back after the holidays.”
Joan Mir – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Test rider Sylvain Guintoli did 14 laps for the Hamamatsu factory, but the Team Suzuki Ecstar camp seem very pleased with their early 2020 progress with the new engine. “Back-to-back” testing with 2019 and 2020 parts was key for Team Manager Davide Brivio, and all three riders improved their laptime on Tuesday morning.
Alex Rins
“These two days have been really nice because we confirmed a lot of things and we’re satisfied with the new engine. I only managed to do two runs in the dry, but I was very happy with my pace, I bettered my lap time from yesterday. I did three or four laps in the early 38s, as well as a fast lap of 1:37.837, and it felt good. Now it’s time for the winter break, and to come back fresh in the new year.”
Alex Rins – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Sylvain Guintoli
“Today was a pretty short today, but we still managed to do almost everything we wanted to and everything we planned. 2019 has now drawn to a close and we’re so excited for next year because the 2020 spec. already looks really promising. The test team are doing more and more and our close bond with the factory side is going well, we’re seeing the results of this work.”
Sylvain Quintoli – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Yamaha ended Tuesday in fourth with Maverick Viñales – although the number 12 remains fastest overall – and he put in 15 laps. Across the two days, Yamaha duo Viñales and Valentino Rossi continued testing the 2020 YZR-M1, with both having one 2020 – with a slightly different fuel tank – and one 2019 M1 in their garage.
Maverick Vinales
Actually, I felt really good on the bike, riding in a really good way. Yesterday, I felt fantastic on all the laps and that is the most important. I end the 2019 season with a great feeling and a lot of motivation, and that keeps you going when preparing for the new season. Yamaha is working really hard, but we‘re still working on top speed. For sure in other areas we‘re quite strong, but we need to stay focused on improving our weaker areas for the next test in Sepang.”
Maverick Vinales – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
On Day 1, Rossi did a lot of his running with a carbon swingarm. However, that wasn’t the case on Day 2, with the number 46 running an aluminium swingarm on both of his bikes.
Valentino Rossi
“It‘s a shame about the weather today. It was an important day because we had to work on making a comparison between the new and the old bike, so we had a good program, but, unfortunately, we did only ten laps on the dry, and after that we did some laps on the wet. But the feeling is positive, a lot better than yesterday. On the dry I was a lot faster. I improved my best lap time from the day before already after three laps, and today I was more competitive. After the rain we did some work on the new bike on the wet, and it wasn‘t so bad, but it was only half a day.”
Valentino Rossi – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Viñales seemed content using the aluminium swingarm for most of the test, with both riders saying small steps have been made with the 2020 engine. Rossi ended Tuesday in 10th, half a second off the top after 33 laps – more laps than most.
Over at Petronas Yamaha SRT, Fabio Quartararo was fifth on Tuesday and teammate Franco Morbidelli seventh. They confirmed they had been trying “a 2020 prototype” Yamaha engine specification in Jerez. The carbon swingarm didn’t appear on Day 2 for the duo, but it was a solid looking test for Quartararo and Morbidelli heading into the winter break.
Fabio Quartararo
“We weren’t able to gain much from today, because just as I was getting ready to really start working on the bike it began to rain. I did my best lap time of the day but it was already starting to rain, and it turned out to be the only chance that I got. It’s disappointing that we couldn’t test as much as we wanted to, although I was also able to complete five laps in the wet to check how the engine worked in those conditions and it was positive. The track wasn’t wet all the way around for long so it wasn’t too helpful to keep riding and risk injury. We still need to work on the power delivery of the bike because it’s different from the current bike’s, but the pace I was setting yesterday was promising. We need to complete more laps, but overall it’s been a successful test for us. Now I’ll enjoy the time off and come back fresh to try everything again in Malaysia.”
Fabio Quartararo – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Franco Morbidelli
“Unfortunately we didn’t learn much today, because as soon as we had completed a shake-down in the morning it started to rain and we had to stop. We managed to complete some laps in the afternoon to check out how the engine was behaving in wet conditions, but that was the end of the day for us. I feel good with the prototype engine, which is a great start. Of course, there is still plenty of work to do because there are areas where we can be better, but the direction that Yamaha has taken has been the right one. We need to improve in the braking areas, but that’s something we can concentrate on at the next test in Sepang.”
Franco Morbidelli – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Sixth fastest Andrea Dovizioso and 12th fastest Danilo Petrucci continued to work on Ducati’s new chassis on both days in Jerez, with both riders confirming it’s a step in the right direction. On Day 2, test rider Michele Pirro was seen using a new aero piece on the front wheel too.
Jack Miller and Pramac Racing, meanwhile, completed just four laps on Day 2 as the rain saw them pack up early for the winter, but the Australian finished P8 on the day and combined standings after improving his time on Tuesday, the last rider within a second of Viñales’ overall best.
Jack Miller
“They were two very productive days even if today we could not lap much because of the rain. But I am very satisfied because I was able to try new solutions that we will find in Malaysia when I will have the 2020 version of the Desmosedici GP. I would like to say a big thank you to Ducati and Pramac Racing. It has been a satisfying season and since the Sepang tests we will be working to improve even further. Happy holidays to everyone.”
Jack Miller – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
At Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, MotoGP Legend and test rider Dani Pedrosa was back out on track after missing Day 1 through illness and he did 11 laps. Pol Espargaro, fastest KTM in ninth, continued to lap with a new RC16 with the orange chassis. There was also a new fairing and new aero setup on display across the two days as Espargaro seems pleased with the Austrian factory’s progress.
Pol Espargaro
“The last test of 2019 and we were not so lucky with the weather which mean we could not work as much as we wanted. Fortunately, we did some laps this morning when we felt quite good and we were just three tenths away from the top guy with ten laps on the tyre, which was important for consistency. Overall the pre-season has been very good. We did a lot and tested a lot of new stuff at Valencia and we have been fast. Now it’s time for the winter and after healing a little bit I will try to work harder than I did last year to try and come back in better shape. I’m already looking forward to trying the 2020 RC16 again in Malaysia.”
Pol Espargaro – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Binder was lapping on the ‘old’ bike and did a good amount of laps before the rain came on Tuesday morning, and as aforementioned the South African also headed out in the wet.
Brad Binder
“We decided to do a couple of laps when it was a little bit wet just to get the feeling of the new bike and that was really awesome. I’m glad I got a chance to experience that. It’s been difficult these last two tests. It hasn’t been easy to adapt to the new bike but I think I’ve got a lot to think about now in the off-season and hopefully we can try to make a step in Sepang. I think I just need to improve my riding; my feeling with the front a little bit and just being able to have confidence to put the bike where I want to, especially on the entry to corners. I think once I get that right the rest will fall into place.”
Brad Binder – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Lecuona was also still on the ‘old’ bike as both rookies’ aim was to get more comfortable on the MotoGP machine. Lecuona and Binder ended the test 20th and 22nd respectively on Tuesday.
Iker Lecuona
“It was my first time in wet conditions and to be honest, it was quite strange. I need more laps, but finally I went quite fast. I liked the feeling, although I didn’t find out the limit in every point. I’m happy, but with some sectors not too much. For next year, I know that I need to improve in all the points, which is clear as long as you are not finishing first. I need work on my riding, on the brakes and picking up the bike, but finally in the wet it all went quite well and in general, I’m very happy.”
Iker Lecuona – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini and Aleix Espargaro had a new front wheel cover on Day 2 in Andalucia, an all-in-one piece with the front mudguard, wheel cover and caliper duct. He was 15th after 24 laps.
Aleix Espargarò
“The Jerez tests are more relevant than the Valencia tests because this is a more traditional and more indicative track. We continued working on the 2019 package with a few changes to the electronics, which is an area we are strengthening. Now the ball is in the Aprilia engineers’ court as they develop the 2020 prototype. The coming months will be crucial in achieving the objective of having the new bike on the track in Sepang.”
Aleix Espargarò – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Andrea Iannone, on the other side of the garage, only did four laps on Day 2 but finished eleventh. Test rider Bradley Smith, 21st on Tuesday, completed the most laps of anyone on Day 2 – 43.
Andrea Iannone
“Unfortunately, we were a bit limited during these two days, both because of the weather and because I arrived in Jerez with a fever. In any case, we found some interesting things to work on over the winter in order to show up in Sepang stronger than before. The work done by Michelin on the new tyres also seemed to go very well. I’ll stay in contact with the guys in Noale now to follow development of the new bike. It will be important for me to be able to make a step forward next season.”
Andrea Iannone – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
Bradley Smith
“Our programme here was not much different than the one in Valencia. We are gathering the final data that will allow the racing department to refine the 2020 bike. The weather wasn’t the best, especially on the second day, but we tried to provide as much information as possible, even lapping in the wet.”
Bradley Smith – Jerez MotoGP Test Day 2
The MotoGP World Championship will now begin a two-month winter break and the teams and riders will next be back on track at Sepang (Malaysia) from 7th to 9th February 2020 for the first official testing session of the new year.
Maverick Viñales has topped Day 1 of the Jerez Test by quite a margin on Monday, the Spaniard ending the session over seven-tenths clear of the next fastest rider – Fabio Quartararo.
Joan Mir was third and continued his impressive run on the testing timesheets, pipping teammate Alex Rins as the Hamamatsu factory locked out third and fourth.
The day was punctuated by some drizzle and Red Flags, although the majority of riders out on track managed nearly or over 50 laps.
Viñales swung his leg over the bike for the first time in Jerez at 11 o‘clock and found a good rhythm again and began chipping away at his time while comparing various testing items. He completed 68 laps in total familiarising himself with the new engine and showed no signs of slowing down. He posted a best time of 1’37.131s on lap 60, consolidating his place at the top of the standings with a convincing 0.754s-margin over his closest rival.
Maverick Vinales
“We are working a lot on the new engine trying to understand the positives and negative points of the new bike. This test is quite important for us to decide on the engines and take the right approach to further improve the engine on the track, which is our focus here. We are trying to understand the best way to work. For tomorrow my plan is the same. I need to make laps with the engine, and I also need to try the tyres, and then we will see. Even if it rains, we need to go out and try the newer stuff. For sure, we are comparing the old and new items back-to-back. The positive point is that I felt good with both bikes today, so we have two good choices, which is even better. I feel we can create a lot of potential with the new engine.”
Maverick Vinales – Jerez MotoGP Test
Yamaha have now topped all three days of ‘2020’ testing so far, once with Quartararo and twice with Viñales. At Jerez, both the former and latter did 68 laps, with Franco Morbidelli in fifth adding another 75.
Fabio Quartararo
“It was a long day despite having great pace on the bike and we were able to try new things. The tyres were working really well, but unfortunately, it seems like every time we put a new set on the bike there was a red flag or it started to rain a little! Maverick Viñales is really fast, but we’re not far behind him and I’m feeling really good. We used a new prototype engine from Yamaha for most of the day, but it was difficult to understand all the benefits from just one day, so there’s plenty to continue with tomorrow.”
Fabio Quartararo – Jerez MotoGP Test
Franco Morbidelli
“I tried a new prototype engine specification today, and we were up to speed quite quickly with it. I had a good feeling from the bike straight away, which is very positive. We’ve still got to collect data and work on our settings, but as a first impression, it was pretty great! The plan for tomorrow is to maintain the working routine from today and aim to reconfirm the items we tried in Valencia with the new engine, but for that to happen we need the weather to play ball!”
Franco Morbidelli – Jerez MotoGP Test
Valentino Rossi meanwhile did 64 laps and finished the day in 14th. He and teammate Viñales had one ‘new’ and one ‘old’ Yamaha in the garage to compare, with Rossi’s 2020 machine fitted with the carbon swingarm but Viñales content without it, working on the engine. Neither Petronas Yamaha SRT rider had the carbon swingarm on Monday, although they had “some new things” to test.
Valentino Rossi
“We worked a lot today, even though the weather conditions weren‘t fantastic. Every now and then we had some rain, we had to stop and start like this, but the track conditions were quite good anyway. We worked a lot on the new bike and made another comparison with the old one, and the feeling isn‘t too bad. Some things were better, and we also have some areas where we need to work.”
Valentino Rossi – Jerez MotoGP Test
Alex Rins and Joan Mir were joined by Sylvain Guintoli and the rest of the test team as they continued their preparations for the 2020 season. The majority of the track action was spent as a continuation of the Valencia Test; comparing the 2019 and 2020 engine specifications.
Joan Mir – Jerez MotoGP Test
They also worked on electronics and general set-up, with a view to building up the package ahead of the Sepang Test in February. Guintoli also spent some time with a new swing arm and adjusting other aspects of the chassis.
Mir finished the session in 3rd place, having done 56 laps, while Rins was just behind in 4th, completing 69 laps. Sylvain Guintoli closed the session 16th with a total of 63 laps.
Joan Mir
“I’m really happy because I felt we made some improvements today. We focused on the engine and also on electronics; I also tried some new parts which helped my feel even more. I’m feeling comfortable and happy with the bike. Let’s hope the weather will be OK tomorrow so we can continue this good work.”
Joan Mir – Jerez MotoGP Test
Alex Rins
“Today’s test session went quite well. We tried the same things as in Valencia, like the 2020 engine spec., and we confirmed our initial findings. Tomorrow we’ll try a few more things regarding the set-up. We had some more plans for today, such as trying a fast lap with the new tyre, but unfortunately the rain arrived this afternoon and that hampered our progress.”
Alex Rins – Jerez MotoGP Test
Sylvain Guintoli
“Today we worked on next year’s engine, as well as some chassis work such as the swing arm. I also did some long runs and tried the new spec. Michelin rear tyre, which I found to be very good. My lap times were strong today, I did my best lap of Jerez today. Looking forward to tomorrow, fingers crossed conditions are OK.”
Honda were the next factory up, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez in sixth despite a crash at Turn 13. It was a slow lowside but in the gravel trap he hit his shoulder, heading to the Medical Centre for a check up. He’d suffered a partially dislocated right shoulder – not the one on which he had surgery this time last year – and did get back out on track but said he slowed up slightly. He had three bikes in the garage.
Marc Marquez
“Again today we tried some different things for 2020, assessing two different directions. It looks like tomorrow the weather could be a little bit tricky, so we had to alter our plan a little bit to make sure we got the most out of today. This part of the season is very important, so we have to stay very focused here and keep working. The crash today was my mistake, I ran wide and at that time the outside of the track was a little damp so I lost the front. Fortunately I am OK, I just went to the medical centre for a precautionary check.”
Marc Marquez – Jerez MotoGP Test
Where Marquez was focusing on 2020 comparisons, Cal Crutchlow was more on 2019 machinery on Monday. He was just 0.026 behind Marquez and put in 66 laps.
Rookie Alex Marquez was out in HRC and Repsol colours, and he seemed to take a step forward. The number 73 was 17th and did 70 laps, saying he found Jerez a bigger step on a MotoGP bike – but also an easier one.
Alex Marquez
“Today we tried to improve and close the distance to the front while learning how to work with my team for next year. Throughout the day we were able to make steady improvements and I was able to work a lot with used tyres, to understand how I need to change my riding to make the most out of them. We didn’t fit any new tyres at the end as it started raining a little bit, but I am happy. I think today went better than both days in Valencia as I was more comfortable right away.”
Alex Marquez – Jerez MotoGP Test
KTM were the fourth fastest factory on Monday with Pol Espargaro slotting in behind Marquez and Crutchlow on the timesheets. He did 56 laps and although he took a tumble – rider ok. He had three bikes in the garage, one ‘old’ and two ‘new’, although he spent his time out on the new. He did 56 laps and was within a tenth of Crutchlow.
Rookie teammate Brad Binder, meanwhile, remained on 2019 machinery and did 67 laps. Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Iker Lecuona had a huge crash on Monday, but rider ok, and he did 38 laps. Test rider Dani Pedrosa was absent due to illness.
Iker Lecuona
“Jerez is a very difficult track on the MotoGP bike, it’s not easy to go fast here and have a good feeling on the bike. For sure, I need more laps tomorrow in order to get more kilometers in. At the moment, I finished 2.802 seconds from the top, which is obviously too much. After the crash, I feel a bit bruised, but overall, I’m ok. This circuit is definitely completely different to what we had in Valencia, so I need to further adapt myself and I can’t wait to be back on the bike tomorrow.”
Iker Lecuono – Jerez MotoGP Test
Ducati’s onslaught on the timesheets was led by Danilo Petrucci, back in action after missing some of Valencia due to shoulder pain, who narrowly headed teammate Andrea Dovizioso as they took P9 and P10. The former did 48 laps and the latter 45.
Danilo Petrucci
“It was quite a challenging day for me, because I still wasn’t entirely sure about my physical condition. My left shoulder, which was hurting me a lot at Valencia, gave me a bit of bother this morning: in the afternoon however I was better and we were able to carry out some back-to-back tests, without aiming for fast times. We mainly focussed on getting a better understanding of the new solutions present on the bike, and we certainly managed to obtain some useful indications for the future.”
Danilo Petrucci – Jerez MotoGP Test
Dovizioso had the new, bigger ‘salad box’ and work continued on what the duo had worked on at Valencia. Jack Miller was only 0.018 off Dovi in 11th.
Andrea Dovizioso
“Today we were able to carry out the back-to-back comparison between the two bikes, in a much better way than at Valencia, and this was important because Jerez is a track with very different characteristics. The feedback was certainly positive, but we will have to take a closer more detailed look at all the information we accumulated and make a major effort to understand which direction to take for the next development stage.”
Andrea Dovizioso – Jerez MotoGP Test
Test rider Michele Pirro had a technical issue and that caused a Red Flag, and a sensor was spotted on top of the tail unit on his machine.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were 12th and 13th, and nothing big was seen from the Noale factory although both Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone had the swingarm with a hole in it fitted.
Aleix Espargaro- Jerez MotoGP Test
Espargaro did 53 laps and Iannone 49. Test rider Bradley Smith had the ‘solid’ version of the swingarm and did 67 laps.
