Johann Zarco tops Jerez MotoGP Test times

Factory Ducati, Suzuki and Aprilia squads absent

After a dramatic and pivotal Spanish GP, MotoGP back on track at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto on Monday for a one day Official Test.There was a new Michelin rear tyre to test; part of this season’s allocation.

Nine teams were present with only the Ducati Team, Team Suzuki Ecstar and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini sitting it out.

Johann Zarco, who came second on Sunday, put in a best of 1:37.730, doing 63 laps and working on the bike ahead of his home Grand Prix next time out at Le Mans.

Johann Zarco – P1

“The test today was good for me and I’m pretty happy that I was that fast. All the weekend in Jerez I was feeling good, so the target was to keep trying things with the setup and keep enjoying riding the bike. I think I understood many things during the race. Anyway, the target was to find more grip and use the bike well and at the moment it’s going quite good. I didn’t try any new parts, because I wanted to keep my work simple, so we were just working and trying things personally to improve ourselves. I did the 1’37.7 in the afternoon, which means the new tyre from Michelin was working well. You never have the same mind like in Qualifying, so I’m very happy, because I’m faster than Saturday.”

Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales at Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, likewise had nothing new on their machines to test but were focused on working through the issues they encountered during the race weekend at Jerez. Viñales ended the day in fourth, Rossi in 10th – with the two putting in a combined total of more than 120 laps.

Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Team Director

“Our main objective for us today was to find a solution to the problems we faced during the weekend. Unfortunately the weather conditions weren’t quite as hot and sunny as they were yesterday, but we were still able to successfully compare set-ups by doing back-to-back runs. We also tried some new testing items and it was positive that we noticed a benefit. Now we’ll leave the last few days behind us. The new data has lifted the team’s mood, and from here we’ll fully focus on the future as we prepare for the next Grand Prix in Le Mans.”

Maverick Viñales – P4

“Monday tests are always positive for us, but we need to be strong on Sundays. We have to see in the next few days if we can improve further. Today I enjoyed riding the bike again, but we still have work to do. I finally found a good rhythm, it was nothing special, but a good consistent rhythm all the same. I think the track was much better today, more grippy, especially in the morning. At the next test in Mugello we’ll try to get more answers.”

While there was nothing new for his YZR-M1, Valentino Rossi did have the opportunity to test some new Michelin tyres.

Valentino Rossi – P10

“We had a lot of things to do and it was a good test. We tried some different solutions, some were better, some less so, but it was important and we improved a bit. For me, at the next test we’ll have something more important to try. The new Michelin tyres are very good, they improved a lot, they gave a lot more grip and you can go faster, so they gave a good feeling.”

At Honda, meanwhile, it was Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) who was quickest – just over two tenths off Zarco – searching for rear grip.

Cal Crutchlow – P2

“Today was a positive day, as you could see by the times we underlined our speed over the weekend, but it doesn’t make yesterday any easier to accept. But we worked again in a positive way and I felt good with the bike. We still need to find some rear grip compared to our competitors, because eventually we end up overheating the front tyre because there isn’t enough rear grip. That’s the situation, but we’re pleased with the way the team worked and Honda have done a good job as well to assess our situation and try to help us a little. We’ll go to the next race in Le Mans in a positive frame of mind.”

Right behind him was Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who put in more than 70 laps despite his continued recovery from a broken wrist.

Both Pedrosa and his Repsol Honda teammate and Spanish GP winner Marc Marquez, broke cover with some different aerodynamic solutions and fairings, as well as working on set-up and electronics.

Dani Pedrosa – P3

“I’m very happy with the work we did on the bike today. This morning I felt quite sore and stiff on my right side, but lap-by-lap I improved my feeling and I’m very happy I was able to complete this day of testing. We worked on the electronics and aerodynamics, along with the rest, and over the course of the day we improved our feeling, confidence, and rhythm, finding many positives while working on the bike and with the new items we tested. The team did a very good job.”

Marc Marquez – P5

“It was a good day of testing. We didn’t do so many laps, but we completed the schedule we had planned, working mainly on the aerodynamic package. We found some positives, but we need some additional confirmations at a different circuit because we’ll only have the chance to homologate one more fairing this season. All in all, I had a good feeling on the bike, as I did yesterday.”

Fastest rookie Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) put his RC213V in an impressive P6 after 66 laps, refining and working on improving on his debut in the premier class – as was teammate Tom Lüthi, who suffered a crash before ending the day in P15.

Franco Morbidelli – P6

“Today was a positive test for us. We tried some changes to the bike that we didn’t have time to test over the race weekend and the results were good. We spent a lot of time on used tyres, working on the rear suspension settings to improve grip and we made some progress. A good test where I was able to work well with my crew and now I’m looking forward to the next race in Le Mans.”

Tom Lüthi – P15

“We made some changes to the front of the bike today and this was very, very interesting. We definitely made a step forward compared to where we were for the race yesterday so it’s a pity that the crash meant I wasn’t able to confirm the new settings on new tyres. The feeling was good, definitely better, and my pace was quicker than in the race yesterday, but we will need to confirm the same on the soft tyre next week in Le Mans. Overall a positive day but also a shame that I was too sore to continue after the crash.”

Michael Bartholemy -Marc VDS Team Principal

“Apart from Tom’s crash, which came late in the day, this has been a very positive test for the team. Franco rounded off a very successful weekend, his best so far in MotoGP, by making another step forward with the bike and this will stand him in good stead next week in Le Mans. Tom and his crew tried some fairly big changes today in a bid to improve his feeling and confidence in the front. It looks as if they have made a significant improvement but we decided to stop the test early following Tom’s crash, so we will need to confirm everything in Le Mans during free practice.”

Fellow Honda-riding rookie Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was P8 by the end of action.

Takaaki Nakagami – P8

“I’m really happy about the work we’ve done. It was a positive test for us, we didn’t work on that many things, but we tried to make a plan and work on different set ups and different materials. It worked well, we had a much better feeling this weekend and the lap time is much more consistent. We did many laps in the mid 38s so I’m really happy about the feeling on the bike. I think we have made one or two steps forward, so I’m very thankful to the team who are always helping me a lot. Now we’re going for a one-day test at Mugello which is a very high speed track and a new experience for me, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

The fastest Ducati rider was Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing), who was P7 and did 90 laps, the most of any rider, his rookie teammate Xavier Simeon was in P16. Rabat, who was disappointed from the race weekend, despite scoring two championship points, improved his best lap time of qualifying and completed a race simulation in 1’39s mid low and some 38. Rabat also worked hard to improve his feeling with the clutch to on the start, one of the main issues that affected his result on Sunday’s race.

Tito Rabat – P7

“This was a very positive test and we got very good conclusions. I have improved my qualifying lap time, we did a fast race simulation. But although all this makes me very happy inside I feel a great disappointment for not having been able to do it yesterday in the race, because the test doen’t count. In the end I spent a good time practicing exits; I already have clear how to start well and without problems, at least I’ll be able to maintain my position, because we can’t loose so much in the exits. Now I’m thinking in Le Mans where I hope to be fighting again in the top 10”.

Simeon also enjoyed a very productive test day, he changed his position on the bike, and now he is more comfortable and consistent. In the afternoon he had a small crash without consequences, and he leaves Jerez quite satisfied.

Xavier Simeon – P16

“We have no new parts to test with this bikes, son we focused on trying new things to improve my feeling. We have changed my position on the bike we have seen positive things. I have found myself much better than during the race weekend. I have also worked a lot to change my riding style, but didn’t improve as much as I would like to. But we must be patient because it is a long process and every time I go a little better. I do not want to push myself, but it is clear that I would like to be much faster”.

In addition to Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon, the Reale Avintia Racing team hosted, the Andorran rider Xavi Cardelus who made his debut in MotoGP as team’s test rider. His first experience with the Ducati has been very positive and after completing his first Grand Prix in Moto2 as a ‘wild card’, testing one of the Reale Avintia Racing bikes has been the culmination of a week full of emotions

Xavi Cardelus – P17

“In just a few days I had many emotions together. First for my debut in the Moto2 World Championship, and I think that it went quite well. And today testing the MotoGP bike was just amazing. I’m very happy and I don’t have words. I was surprised how fast is the bike, it’s incredible, but the biggest impact for me was acceleration. The carbon brakes are also interesting, they work in a very different way from what I’m used to, but I liked the feeling. It is also a bike that needs to be riden in a very special way, in 40 laps I to adapt my style, but it was not easy. I want to thank Raul Romero and the entire Reale Avintia Racing team for this opportunity and I hope to repeat it in the future”.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was ninth overall and focused on reconfirming positives from the weekend, putting in 38 laps.

The Angel Nieto Team were on track with Alvaro Bautista, who was P13, as they compared different setups after a more positive GP.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, who were out with Pol Espargaro, Bradley Smith and test rider Mika Kallio, had a busy day. Smith was P11, Espargaro P12 and Kallio P14, working with the bike used by their race riders in the Spanish GP – and also testing the 2019 bike ridden to the Austrian factory’s first top ten of the year by Kallio in his wildcard on Sunday.

Zarco’s eammate Hafizh Syahrin didn’t test, however, sitting it out to recover from a cycling accident sustained before Jerez.

Hafizh Syahrin

“Although I feel better today, we decided to skip the test in order to give my body some rest. Anyway, I used this day quite good, I went out on track to watch, I tried to learn a bit more about the electronic on the computer with my crew chief, we went through this weekend again, because I tried to understand everything to be able to make a really big step in Le Mans. The French Grand Prix is very important, it’s the home race for my team and I want to deliver a great weekend there.”

Now it’s time to saddle up for Le Mans, with French hero and fastest man on Monday, Johann Zarco, just 12 points off Marquez in the title fight and aiming high on home turf when MotoGP hits Franch on the weekend of May 20.