Jerez MotoGP Test Ends – Scott Redding quickest
Scott Redding finished out the final day of Jerez MotoGP testing with the fastest time of the week, a 1m38.96 to the new Pramac Ducati rider. The young Briton obviously enjoying his switch to Ducati from Honda, and benefitting from the Italian brands experience with the new lower-spec control electronics package.
Redding went out this morning with a new set of tyres to set a 1m38.9, just two-tenths of a second slower then the fastest time recorded by Jorge Lorenzo in the last Grand Prix in Jerez.
Scott Redding – 1m38.96 – “We did very well in these two days as we were able to lower the laptime by more than a second. The feeling grows run after run and also with the tires things are going well. I feel I have a lot of confidence with the bike. We worked on the weight distribution finding a good pace. I am very satisfied with these tests and I look forward to going to Malaysia.”
Redding’s Pramac Ducati teammate Danilo Petrucci was also impressive and set down a best time of 1m39.2, on used tyres.
Danilo Petrucci – 1m39.20 – Two days very positive. I was fine with the tires and the new software. Maybe I missed something in the fast lap but the race pace is very good. The conditions were more favorable compared to the race but I have been lapping very quick and this makes me happy. I thank the team who did a great job during these two days and throughout the season. The feeling with the bike has improved a lot. I go on vacation happy.”
Over at Honda, it is clear that the RC213-V is not responding well to the Magneti Marelli software. Marquez had two crashes on the final day – a high side in turn three and the Spaniard also lost the front in turn one. The 2014 MotoGP Champion avoided injury and completed a total of 67 laps with his best time of 1’39.17. On this final day both Marc and Dani also carried out a final comparison between the 2015 and 2016 engines with the new software.
Marc Marquez – 1m39.17 – “Today I had two crashes; One big high side in turn three, I entered the corner on the gas with consistent power but suddenly the rear wheel became very aggressive and it launched me, luckily I was ok. The second one happened whilst I was doing an engine comparison as you must be on the limit to get the best feedback and the brake point with the Michelin tyres can sometimes be unpredictable. Anyway, we had a good three days and got a lot of information which we will now give to HRC, my feeling is that we have a little more potential with the new engine compared to the old one, but we’re still not at the level I’d like. I know Honda will work hard over the Winter to improve everything for Sepang. I’d like to thank all the team for their hard work during the test and this year, now it’s time for some time off!”
Dani Pedrosa did a total of 77 laps with his fastest time of 1’39.93.
Dani Pedrosa – 1m39.93 – “Today we did many laps as the temperature was a little warmer so we started earlier and finished later. We managed a lot of runs testing some things where I was losing the way. It’s still not clear about the engine as we’re having some issues and we’re not sure if it’s due to the engine or the Magneti Marelli electronics. In any case, we must work with these electronics so we have to find the best compromise and in this moment we have a lot of information but it’s not apparent which is a better fit. We did two long runs with each to have a better comparison, but I need to speak more with the technicians about this to determine a direction. It’s been a busy year, and I’d like to thank everyone at Honda for their support, now it’s time for a break!”
Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro, who lapped on Wednesday and Thursday, handed over the Desmosedici bikes to the two regular team riders, Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso, who began testing shortly after midday. The work mainly revolved around adapting the GP15 to the new Michelin tyres and perfecting the unified software that has been introduced for next season, as well as some modifications to the Desmosedici’s balance in view of 2016.
Andrea Iannone – 1m39.6 – “The test went well, because we always managed to improve our times on every exit and this is an important aspect. We worked on the bike set-up with the new tyres and I am pleased that we managed to adapt well. I can confirm what I said at Valencia: I like the way the Michelin tyres behave and I have a good feeling, so it has been a positive day. We never used a new tyre to set fast times, I did my best time of 1’39.6 on my final run with a tyre that had already done 26 laps.”
Andrea Dovizioso – 1m39.7 – “The balance is very positive, especially if we compare it to the tests we did after Valencia. Ducati have done a lot of work in these three days. We made steps forward with the balance of the bike and, more importantly, we found a precise direction for development over the next two months. Of course there is still room for improvement from the point of view of the management of the tyres and the electronics, but we gathered a lot of positive feedback to enable us to prepare for the first tests of 2016 in the best possible way.”
Yonny Hernández has spent just five days with the Power Electronics Aspar team, but has made a positive start to his association. The Colombian rider feels at home in the outfit, and made continuous improvements over the course of this three day test. Focusing firmly on the new electronics unit which will be mandatory for all riders in 2016, Hernández put in many laps and made many modifications in order to better understand the bike and tyres. On Friday he matched his times from the previous day, most importantly setting a consistent and steady pace. Now he will return home, rest up and prepare well for his return to action next February.
Yonny Hernández: “Today we worked a lot with the electronics setup again, focusing on traction control. We increased the power as the day went on and I am liking it more and more. That led me to be improving my lap times progressively. The aim was to work hard, learn and find the limit of the tyres, but above all we had to be cautious and avoid crashes. I felt very comfortable with new tyres today. The feeling has been fantastic over these past three days, so I leave Jerez with a good taste in my mouth. I am looking forward to continuing working in Malaysia, but we will have to wait a little while for that.”
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl, as well as test rider Mike Di Meglio continued their preparation for MotoGP season 2016, but were on the 2015 specification machine while they await the début of a new Aprilia prototype.
Bautista ahad an unlucky accident on the last day of testing that forced him to end his sessions early. This was a precautionary measure because of pain that the Spanish rider had in the left side of his neck and shoulder.
Romano Albesiano- (Aprilia Racing Manager) – “Our tests on the new tyres and the 2016 electronics package are continuing. We still have a lot of work to do on both fronts but our sensations are good. In this phase it is essential to understand the reactions of the new package to the changes. We need to create an entirely new starting point which will give the riders a good feeling on the bike, trying to get the tyres to work as well as possible. The test schedule went according to plan, but it was a shame that Alvaro had to stop on the last day. We also had Mike Di Meglio collaborating with us on these three days as a test rider which goes hand in hand with the beefing up of the Aprilia Test Team. He is a world champion rider with a lot of experience and we’ll need that considering the hard work we have ahead.”
Alvaro Bautista – “It’s a shame I wasn’t able to finish the job today. Unfortunately, after the crash this morning I was feeling pain in my neck and we decided to stop in order to avoid any complications. I was able to go out with the new electronics and I found that it was better than the last test at Valencia. Now I’ll relax after this long season so that I can come back even more pumped up for the 2016 Sepang tests.”
Stefan Bradl – “Today we focused on the new electronics and there is really a lot to learn. This is a different kind of work than usual. It may seem boring because of the long breaks but right now that is necessary both to provide information to the engineers and to create a base for the Aprilia Test Team to work from during the winter break. We certainly weren’t concerned with lap times. The feeling still isn’t right to push hard but I’m confident that the work we did over these past days will help us in 2016. Now I’m happy to be able to take a few days of holiday and prepare for the new season as best as possible.”
The next time that most riders go out on track will be from 1 to 3 February 2016 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia at the IRTA tests.
WorldSBK riders were also on track with the MotoGP machines at Jerez and Kawasaki riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea set a pace faster than most MotoGP riders managed during the test.
