MotoGP riders reflect on Jerez Test

#JerezTest

Maverick Viñales – P1

“Very happy to be back. It’s very nice to ride my M1 again as it’s always very exciting. We have been working hard especially thinking about the race, that was our main goal today. We tried to see how the bike works in these incredibly high temperatures, and we are surprised that our level is so high. So, I’m really looking forward to the weekend as I felt really good on the bike, and that’s very important. The bike is in perfect shape, and now we have to get the most out of it. I’m feeling happy and confident for this weekend. Last year’s bike was also working well here, but this year I can attack the corners in a different way by braking very hard, which will give me an advantage when I overtake. But we need to make another improvement in that area, that will be my main focus this weekend, because this track is not easy.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It feels really good to be back after such a long time and I think that today was positive. We started the day struggling a little bit because I didn’t have that good feeling with the bike. It was to be expected as it’s the first time I’ve ridden the M1 at Jerez this year, plus it’s the first time I’ve been on the race bike since Qatar. Jerez is a completely different track to Sepang and Qatar too. I didn’t expect to improve that much in the afternoon because the pace was quite consistent. Tomorrow we will have time to think about the settings, tyres and electronics, so that we can improve further. We didn’t do a time attack so it’s going to be strange when we do, but I’m really happy ahead of Friday and can’t wait for the race weekend to start properly.”

Marc Marquez – P3

“I’m happy today. We had a hard pre-season but it looks like at the end of the Qatar Test we found something, so it was good to be able to confirm it here because Qatar is always a unique situation. From the start of today it was my bike, the bike I had in 2019 but with an evolution. My shoulder was also feeling good and I could see the speed was there. We had to work on consistency, which was the real focus in the afternoon. Honestly, I’m just really happy to be back on the bike!”

Alex Rins – P4

“After a long time, I’m so happy to be back! It seems as though no-one has been off the bikes because the lap times are so competitive as always! I’m happy with today’s progress, we tried a lot of configurations on the bike and I’m ready to keep working for the weekend. Despite the extreme heat I feel comfortable with my physical condition and also with the feeling on the bike. Let’s see what happens this weekend!”

Valentino Rossi – P5

“It’s been a strange situation, I’ve never stayed away from my MotoGP bike for this long. But I’m in good shape because I trained a lot. This morning was good. I put in a good lap time with the soft tyre during the time attack. In the afternoon, I struggled a bit. We need to work on the pace. We can compare Jerez to Malaysia. The conditions are different though, the heat here is drier than Sepang. When you ride it’s difficult to breathe as you get lots of hot air into your face. It will be challenging for the race.

“We won’t be able to confirm the Petronas SRT deal now. I haven’t signed yet, but we have decided together with Yamaha and Petronas SRT to talk about 2021. I’ve already spoken with Razlan Razali, Wilco Zeelenberg, and Johan Stigefelt and I have good feelings about it, but it’s not true that I already signed as there are still some details that we have to work out, but most likely I will be here in 2021!”

Aleix Espargaro’ – P6

“I felt good in both sessions – maybe not super fast on the flying lap, but with a great pace. Especially at the time of day when the races are held, with 20 laps on the tyres, I was able to maintain a good pace. This is rather comforting, because racing here in Jerez is never simple and we managed to maintain the same good feelings as we had in Malaysia and Qatar. The situation in Italy clearly slowed down our schedule, so we’ll have to work harder over the coming months, also in view of 2021. We had a few small problems today, which is only normal, given the little time available to develop such a new project due to COVID. The temperatures are extremely demanding, but I must say that they did a great job on the asphalt. A lot of riders managed to go fast even with this heat and I personally appreciate the conditions that put my athletic preparation.”

Cal Crutchlow – P7

“It was great to be back today, riding the LCR Castrol Honda bike here in Jerez. It’s been a long break and it’s great to be back and see some familiar faces… even though they’ve got masks on! But yeah, it was nice to work again this Wednesday and then have a little break for everyone to analyse what we’ve done here. Now we look forward to the race weekend here in Jerez.”

Jack Miller – P8

“First of all I am very happy to be back on my bike today after a long break. The initial feeling was immediately very positive even though it was my first time riding the new Ducati 2020 here at Jerez. We still have some small adjustments to make but we are definitely on the right way. A very positive first day.”

Joan Mir – P9

“It felt unbelievably good to get back on my bike! Everything feels so smooth and fast, and I’m really happy about how today went. We improved a lot and we know what we need to do to be fast. I felt good in the morning session, but I lacked a bit in the time attack during the afternoon – so we have some work to do there. But overall, my pace is quite good. I think today was the hottest conditions ever, and that will make it very tough for everybody, especially on Sunday!”

Pecco Bagnaia – P10

“Today was difficult after the 5 months break, especially during the first session. But I thought that it would be more difficult considering the heat in these days in Jerez. I feel good and I’m happy especially for the second session of the test during the afternoon. Today we focused about the feeling with my bike starting from the work done during the winter test. I think that we made some steps forward working on my limits to improve. We will continue in this way.”

Miguel Oliveira – P11

“It was a nice day and it was good to compare ourselves to the rest of the field. The morning session was a bit easier for us, while in the afternoon we struggled to find grip and make the bike turn. This will be our target to improve on Friday.”

Pol Espargaro – P13

“It’s so nice to be out on track again. For sure we want more but – for now – we are seeing at this test, and the ones before, that our pace is good enough to fight for the top ten at a place where we have struggled in previous years when it has been so hot and we lost a lot with the grip. With the 2020 bike we are turning a bit more and it seems to be a bit more stable. It’s good for us.”

Franco Morbidelli – P14

“First of all, I’m really happy to be back at the circuit and meet again with my family at the circuit, my crew. Secondly, it was very nice to back on my M1 and it felt great immediately from lap one to be riding it again. We immediately started working on set-up and preparing ourselves for the upcoming weekend. There is some room to improve but I felt good and we know what we need to improve. Unfortunately I couldn’t see what my real potential was today after a mistake in the last corner towards the end of the second session, but I know that the potential is there. Now we look forward to starting the 2020 season properly this weekend, I can’t wait.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P15

“After these four months of break, today turned out to be crucial, and I’m pleased with how it went. Thanks to the work I have done at home after the collarbone surgery, I was able to arrive here in the ideal conditions to do a good test. I found a particular feeling: the temperatures are high, the tyres different than last year and we spent a lot of time without riding. Thanks to this test, we can now focus on the important aspects of the race without wasting time.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P16

“First of all I’m really happy to be able to jump back on the bike again after these four months without MotoGP. It was not that easy to adapt for the first half hour, because this is MotoGP and this racing speed is not easy to adapt to. We had two hour and a half sessions, it’s only three hours today, but in the end understood where we were losing time and we’ll go step by step. Tomorrow is a day off and we’ll try to focus on this weekend. It will be different conditions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as there is more rubber on the track. But it was really tough and super hot today, especially the afternoon session, but we’ll keep working towards the weekend and pushing hard.”

Bradley Smith – P17

“I’m happy to be riding again. Even with all the appropriate precautions, considering the weekend ahead, we were able to carry out the test programme, especially in terms of endurance performance. It was important for us to gather as much data as possible, given how young the project is. Now the techs will be able to analyse it between today and tomorrow in order to prepare for the race as best as possible. There are obviously still some question marks, but at the moment, I’m satisfied. These temperatures put the tyres, riders and bikes to the test. I can guarantee that you feel every extra degree when you’re on the bike!”

Brad Binder – P18

“Today was quite OK. This morning was good, and I felt much more at home with the bike straightaway. It’s a physical racetrack and I had some issues and messed up quite a lot of laps which didn’t help but had a longer run. It was nice to do a good few laps in a row just to get comfortable and to get an idea of what Sunday is going to be like. I have made good steps forward and I am much more ready for the first grand prix.”

Iker Lecuona – P19

“Today has been a very good for me. I continued to learn and to improve with the bike. I tried something new and immediately felt better. This morning I went very fast and also with used tires I managed to improve, likewise this afternoon with high track temperatures. I’m very happy and ready to finally start the MotoGP World Championship in 2020.”

Alex Marquez – P20

“I am happy with the rhythm that we found today, as a rookie it’s important to improve lap by lap. Looking ahead to the weekend as a whole, the main objective will be to keep our rhythm in what looks to be a very hot weekend. Unlike in Qatar or Malaysia with the longer straights, you hardly get a chance to rest here. I have a good feeling with the bike and I am ready for my first weekend in MotoGP.”

Danilo Petrucci – P21

“It was a hectic day, but I’m happy because I was able to regain the feeling with the Desmosedici GP right away. This morning I was quite satisfied with the work done and even this afternoon I was doing a nice lap before the crash. Unfortunately, the bike in front of me lost some oil, and I couldn’t avoid the crash. I slipped out at turn 11 and hit my head hard. Fortunately, I didn’t get injured, but I preferred not to risk this afternoon and rest ahead of the race weekend”.

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“It’s great to be back! But we had little time to feel euphoric this morning because we had a lot of work to do. First and foremost, we wanted to give Maverick and Valentino the opportunity to get comfortable with their bikes again. But besides letting them build confidence, we also needed to compare the data from the earlier tests and see how they translate to this track. The characteristics here are of a different nature than the Sepang and Losail circuits. Normally when we arrive in Jerez we already have some races under our belts, but this time we’re starting from zero, so that made today’s track activity extra important. So far, we have done a solid job. We have two riders in the top 5 today, though we still have some work to do in certain areas. But anyway, we are looking forward to the free practice sessions on Friday.”

Davide Brivio – Team Suzuki Manager

“We’re happy to start the season with this test, especially as everything went well. It was a good opportunity to confirm our final package, and a good chance for the riders to get used to being back on the bikes. We’re ready for the first weekend of the championship, we’ll have one more day of preparation tomorrow, and then everything will get going for real!”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“We had a good first day in these hot temperatures with no crashes and the riders showed good performance: Pol was in the top ten and Brad rode well: we can feel that he is really adapting to MotoGP. In the morning Miguel was fast and Iker was able to show more promise. We wanted to lock down some settings for these conditions, so a rapid lap-time was not our priority. Now we’ll look towards the weekend.”

Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“It was a very useful day for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. Although we have had the luck to do the test in Misano in June, it was important to do these two sessions of 90 minutes to re-understand our MotoGP bike. It was very interesting also to compare the data from November with cold weather and the 19+ bike with the 2020 version in hot temperatures. We can definitely see that there has been massive improvement done by KTM. Both of the riders feel at ease, feel good on the bike, which is a great sign for the coming weekend. Clearly, Miguel has shown one more time that he is now a proper top MotoGP rider and this is going to be a very interesting season for Miguel and we could see that our rookie, the youngest MotoGP rider on the grid, Iker Lecuona, has done massive improvement as well. He is feeling better and better with the bike and with the team. He is riding like a real MotoGP rider. We are happy to have that test behind us. It was tough for the crew, for the riders, but very important in order to prepare the race that is going to be in very similar weather conditions, which means hot and difficult to handle. But we are happy to be here, so thanks again to everybody who has been working hard to make this possible. I’m quite sure, there will be a great show on Sunday.”

Test Summary

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) finished Wednesday’s MotoGP Jerez Test at the top of the timesheets, just as he did in Qatar last time we had MotoGP bikes on track.

A 1m37.793 in the afternoon session saw the Spaniard take the first spoils of a restarted 2020 as we heard the sweet symphony of MotoGP machines roaring out of pitlane. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) claimed P2 as both Yamahas went quicker in the scorching afternoon temperatures, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) sitting P3 – but his morning time the best of his day.

The top track temperature recorded in Jerez on Wednesday was 57 degrees, adding an extra challenge to that of returning to the track after four months without MotoGP. That was in the afternoon session, taking place at a similar time to when the race will be held, making it all the more vital for the riders to get accustomed.

The morning session went ahead without any drama but at the beginning of the second session, Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia Racing Team Gresini bike encountered an issue, dropping oil on the circuit at Turn 11. Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) were the unfortunate duo to crash as a result, riders ok but red flags shown to enable the track clean up.

Once play resumed, Marc Marquez was the man to beat as he – at one point – sat 0.7 clear of his nearest rival. After HRC seemingly suffered some troubles in preseason testing, that was a good sign for the marque and the number 93 was looking like his normal self on track.

Quartararo didn’t leave it long to strike back, however, subsequently getting the better of the eight-time World Champion by 0.030 on the combined times to go P1. The shuffle still wasn’t done though, as Viñales then hit back with less than five minutes on the clock to go over a tenth clear and keep the P1 he’s so often occupied in preseason.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) claimed P4 on his GSX-RR, another with previous form for 2020 pace, although everyone down to fellow Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Joan Mir in P9 failed to go faster in the afternoon conditions. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P5, with Aleix Espargaro giving the Aprilia another good showing in P7 despite the earlier issue encountered.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) made for close company though, with Mir and fellow MotoGP sophomore Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) rounding out the top ten… and a top ten split by just 0.624.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was P11, ahead of a good day’s work from Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) in P12.

Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) – the latter on the way back from his collarbone injury – completed the top 15.

That’s it from Wednesday’s action and after a scorching first day back, it looks to be as close as ever. 22 riders, 10 were able to go quicker in the afternoon’s hotter temperatures – will that stand them in good stead for Sunday? We’ll start to see more answers from Friday evening at 1755 (AEST) ahead of FP2 from 2210 (AEST) Friday night. The MotoGP race is scheduled to take place at 2200 (AEST) Sunday night.

MotoGP Test Combined Times
Both Sessions

Moto2

Moto2 got back on track with some incredibly tight timesheets on Wednesday, with Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) setting a 1:42.436 in the afternoon to lead Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) by just 0.076 by the end of play. Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) – despite only being ruled fit to ride on Tuesday after suffering a broken ankle while training – was P3 overall and not much further back either.

Under the soaring Andalusian sun, the intermediate class riders were getting to grips with their Triumph machines for the first time since Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took that emotional victory in Qatar, but Moto2 remains competitive as ever, with hardly anything separating the top 10. Luca Marini made it two Sky Racing Team VR46 bikes in the top four in P4, with former Jerez winner Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing a top five split by 0.251 as he got up to speed quickly on his return from injury.

Italtrans Racing Team’s Enea Bastianini – a podium finisher in Qatar – finished P6 on the combined times, with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Nagashima and Jorge Navarro (HDR Heidrun Speed Up) up next, sitting three tenths off the pace. Xavi Vierge rounded out the top 10 on his Petronas Sprinta Racing machine, but the close battle went on as 19 riders finished the two sessions within a second of each other.

Moto2 Test Times

1. Jorge Martin – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex 1:42.346
2. Tom Lüthi – Liqui Moly Intact GP – Kalex +0.076
3. Marco Bezzecchi – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex +0.116

Moto3

Petronas Sprinta Racing’s John McPhee was the man to beat as Moto3 returned to track action for the first time since the Qatar Grand Prix in March. McPhee, who’s second in the Championship coming into the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, was 0.3 seconds clear of a chasing pack led by another impressive performance from Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and fellow home hero Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) a they completed the top three.

McPhee set his 1:46.263 in the opening session of the day when the scorching southern Spanish temperatures were at least a touch cooler, with Fernandez the only rider in the top seven to better his time in the afternoon and taking P2 in the process. The Spaniard was also the only KTM presence in a top five dominated by Honda. Fourth fastest was Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), who completed the short roll call of riders able to get within half a second of McPhee’s pace.

After signing a new Rivacold Snipers Team contract on Tuesday in Jerez, Filip Salac was up the sharp end in the test once again, backing up an impressive performance in the season opener in Qatar. The Czech rider finished fifth but it was a close-run deal with the Husqvarna of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), who was just 0.008 off Salac in P6.

Last year’s Jerez winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was even closer than that in seventh, just 0.003 off Fenati. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) – the Italian only getting out in the afternoon session after a minor gearbox problem at the start of the day – and Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the top ten.

Moto3 Test Times

1. John McPhee – Petronas Sprinta Racing – Honda 1:46.263
2. Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM +0.321
3. Jaume Masia- Leopard Racing – Honda +0.330

Aegerter lays down the gauntlet in MotoE test

Dynavolt Intact GP’s Dominique Aegerter was the man to beat in FIM Enel MotoE World Cup testing at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto. The Swiss rider improved in every session to eventually set a best time of 1:48.596, 0.445 ahead of Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) and 0.492 ahead of reigning Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) in a serious statement of intent. Aegerter is, after all, a rookie to the class…

The MotoE riders were putting their Energica Ego Corsas to work through three sessions on Wednesday, with the majority of the grid setting their best times in the second or third session.

For Aegerter, the third session was where he excelled most, and Granado also set his personal best at the end of the day. Ferrari, meanwhile, set his best time in the second session.

LCR E-Team’s Xavier Simeon was fourth quickest on the combined times as he changes teams for 2020, with the Belgian and Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) the only other riders to get within a second of Aegerter during the test.

Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) and Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) were all within just another tenth though in a tight midfield, with Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) for close company too.

Josh Hook – P9

“First of all, it’s really good to be back. It was a positive day, we have already improved compared to last year and the feeling is good. We’ve made some changes and there are some points we need to improve on but I’m on the right track.”

Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) locked out the ten fastest riders on Wednesday and the 2019 race winner will be looking for more this weekend.

The final session of the day was briefly red-flagged after Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) crashed unhurt, although his Energica Ego Corsa was too damaged to be able for the class rookie to continue. Once the session restarted, Maria Herrera (Openbank Aspar Team) also crashed, and was also unhurt.

The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup begins its second year of competition on Friday at 1950 AEST with FP1 to start preparing for the race on Sunday at 1805.

MotoE Combined Test Times

1. Aegerter – 1m48.596
2. Granado – 1m49.041
3. Ferrari – 1m49.088
4. Simeon – 1m49.181
5. De Angelis – 1m49.357
6. Di Meglio – 1m49.617
7. Canepa – 1m49.705
8. Torres – 1m49.745
9. Hook – 1m49.861
10. Tuuli – 1m49.968
11. Marcon – 1m49.974
12. Casadei – 1m50.219
13. Zaccone – 1m50.265
14. Herrera – 1m50.311
15. Medina – 1m50.375
16. Tulovic – 1m50.383
17. Cardelus – 1m51.745
18. Kornfeil – 1m53.694

2020 Jerez MotoGP Schedule (AEST)