MotoGP Valencia Test
While the sun has only just set on season 2023 preparations for 2024 got into full swing this week at Valencia.
The big headlines were always going to be dominated by tales of the old and the new. The old being Marc Marquez with his switch from Repsol Honda to Gresini Ducati, and the new heir apparent Pedro Acosta throwing his leg over a MotoGP bike for the first time with GASGAS.
Marc Marquez took an instant liking to the Ducati GP23 and was at the top of the timesheets near the end of Tuesday’s proceedings before being knocked down to fourth in the late stages. The Spaniard content to knock off a little early after completing less laps than anyone else in the top 20…
Maverick Vinales put in more laps than any other rider and took the top spot on the 73rd of his 86 laps. The next best were Brad Binder and Marco Bezzecchi, however less than two-tenths covered that top quartet.
Aprilia Racing
With Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) forced to sit out most of the day after his injury – which was sustained in Qatar – worsened, the heavy lifting was left to Viñales. The Noale camp brought a new swingarm to the Valencia Test, as Raul Fernandez was able to try the 2023 RS-GP for the first time. The Spaniard spent most of the day well inside the top five and briefly sat top of the pile too.
It was P1 and P4 at the close of play for Viñales and Raul Fernandez, with the former completing a whopping 86 laps – the most of anyone.
Important data gained as Aprilia prepare to unveil their full 2024 package at the Sepang Test in February.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing/GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3
Donning GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 red for the first time was Moto2 World Champion Pedro Acosta as the young Spaniard made his much-anticipated MotoGP debut. Acosta had 2023-spec RC16s available and it was a properly impressive debut from the 19-year-old, with Acosta finishing up 17th and only 1.2-seconds off Maverick’s benchmark. A small crash at Turn 2 late in the day didn’t dent his confidence.
Binder’s time that propelled him to P2 came in the final 10 minutes of the Test but on the very next lap at Turn 5, the South African lost the front and crashed. Not the end of the day Binder wanted as KTM head into a busy winter knowing small changes could make all the difference in their 2024 title quest, but the speed was very much there as he’d been setting red sectors, albeit on the 2023 bike rather than the 2024 RC16.
Acosta’s team-mate Augusto Fernandez claimed P14 after notching up 72 laps, while the other big talking point from the Austrian camp – aside from Acosta’s debut – was the RC16 that Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was lapping on. The zebra-camouflaged KTM sported a new aero and a new air intake in what was a pretty big change, and after producing a great save at Turn 2, Miller penetrated the top 10 for the first time on the new bike. The Australian finished P9 following 62 completed laps.
Brad Binder – P2
“Today we tried a few different things with aero, some exhausts. We didn’t have anything big or radical but we learnt a lot about what we did use, and that’s the most important thing. We played with some electronics to try and put the bike a bit more ‘in our hands’ and that was cool but there is still some room to work. Everything was pretty much the first starting point towards the next test in Malaysia.”
Jack Miller – P9
“A busy day and the weather conditions were not ideal but I’m happy enough. We tested a lot and we already have a clear direction for where we want to improve. We are working hard to make a broader power range, we tried some aero, and we made a step with grip today so I’m happy with that. Pleased to have reached the end of the season. It’s been a hectic year!”
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“Just one day here in Valencia so a matter of getting through as much as we could. It was important to collect information for the winter work for the Sepang test. We never stop evolving the bike, there was a lot during the race weekends as well, so we are not looking for big steps. We need to work on little details and the rider needs to understand how and where to use the potential. We are looking for small gains on electronics, aerodynamics, everywhere. We know our engine is strong and the chassis is the first spec of the new technology: there are plenty of areas where we can still work.”
Sebastian Risse – Red Bull KTM Technical Manager MotoGP
“After some intense weeks we had one last chance to work on the next steps and I think we – the team and the riders – did a great job exploring some directions for aero because this is the thing to homologate for next year. We also had some other projects like the exhaust with a lot of mapping behind it, some engine management with a view towards next year’s fuel. I believe we really learned a lot today, and there is a lot of input that can help us for next year. I don’t think we are on the final version of anything we have tried but it was very important to get all this feedback. It has been a very high workload in the last weeks and the team did great. I’m proud of that and I think we can look forward to a very good season next year.”
Augusto Fernandez – P14
“We worked on small details today and completed more laps here; the ones I didn’t get to do in the race. Good laps and good pace and a good way to finish the year. I’m looking ahead to Sepang now because that’s when we’ll have the new bike and I’m keen to see how it is. I’m happy but waiting now for Malaysia.”
Pedro Acosta – P18
“Super-happy. It was a really good experience and nice to have that step of feeling improvement during the day. In the first run we didn’t touch any button or device. I just tried to understand what a MotoGP bike is, and how are the carbon discs. Everything. Then focusing on the devices, the electronics and other areas to have a clear idea for the winter and also for Malaysia.”
Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager
“The last day on track for us but the first day with a view towards 2024. It was an important day and nice to see Pedro on the bike for the first time. After his Moto2 title his next target was to test this bike and it went really well. This machine is always impressive for a rookie because of the power, brakes and devices. There was a lot to discover, and this was just the beginning. I think he enjoyed his day. Augusto had a few different items, especially aero that we didn’t have much time for during the season. This helped him to ride at a fast pace. He also tried some electronics. Overall, positive! Now it is time for everybody to take a break and then prepare as best as we can for next season. A big thanks to all the fans who have supported us in 2023. See you next year.”
Mooney VR46 Racing Team, Gresini Racing MotoGP
Ducati Lenovo Team, Prima Pramac Racing
There was always going to be one place to start when talking about the reigning World Champion constructor. Marc Marquez didn’t take long to start threatening the top of the timesheets as he made his debut on Ducati’s 2023-spec Desmosedici, with Marc’s smile once he’d sat down after his first outing telling us everything we needed to know.
Marc Marquez went fastest with just over 90 minutes of the day remaining as his 1m29.460 briefly saw him sit 0.250s quicker than anyone. Viñales then moved the goalposts with just over an hour left. But ending his day early, Marc Marquez completed 49 laps ahead of the winter break and finished the Valencia Test 0.171s off the top.
World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was joined by team-mate Enea Bastianini and his 2023 title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in testing a new chassis for the Champions, and the latter suffered two unexpected crashes. A new engine was tested too, as Pecco completed 51 laps and ended the day in P10, with Bastianini P8 and Martin P15.
2023’s bronze medallist Bezzecchi was joined in the Mooney VR46 Racing Team box by new team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio, and like Marc Marquez, the Italians were getting to grips with the 2023-spec Ducati for the first time.
Di Giannatonio was a happy rider at the end of the day. Focusing on race pace, the Qatar GP race winner felt great in his new team and managed to improve the pace he displayed in Sunday’s Valencia GP – and that wasn’t exactly bad. ‘Diggia’ bagged a P7 ahead of a well-earned break, 0.4s off P1.
The same can be said for Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP). The Spaniard had a 2023 and a 2022 Ducati in his side of the box and speaking towards the end of the day, the #73 said the ’23 Ducati was a bigger change than expected compared to the ’22 version and there was a good improvement from the engine and power side.
Marc Marquez wasn’t the only rider getting used to a Ducati for the first time either. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) began his new MotoGP chapter by inheriting Johann Zarco’s bikes from 2023, but with the additions of the updated tail unit and aero that the Frenchman had not been running. Morbidelli’s fastest lap of the 69 he completed was a 1m30.206, good enough for P16.
Marco Bezzecchi – P3
“A good test, I’m quite happy. The GP23 is fast, but different in some specific points of riding compared to the GP22. We have to work on the setting and take care of some aspects of my style, such as entry in the corners with the brakes and touch of gas. I’ll have to get used to it, but I’m satisfied. And now it’s holidays time – well deserved – for me and the whole Team who did an incredible job this 2023.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio – P7
“I really enjoyed this day: the first approach with the Team was very positive. They made me feel like a child on the one hand, but a true professional on the other. I felt at ease and tried to do well to make them proud. I managed to be very fast with all the tires and made a good step forward on the pace compared to the race. The feelings are very positive and we can go on holiday with a smile. In terms of the bike, the GP23 is different, but at the same time similar to the GP22, we need time to push it to the limit.”
Enea Bastianini – P8
“I’m happy with the work we were able to do today. We’ve never had the chance to do a test this year, so we took the opportunity to try two different setups, and I really liked one of them. The feeling with the new engine was also positive: it definitely still needs some tweaking, but overall the impact was positive. We would also have liked to try a time attack, but the conditions today were not ideal. It was very windy and I preferred not to risk it. Now we start the holidays, where I will try to dedicate myself above all to training to try to get back to 100% fitness after the two injuries I suffered this year.”
Francesco Bagnaia – P11
“I’m satisfied with today: the engine is good. It will be crucial to work on certain aspects, but compared to last year we already have a good starting point, and above all, there is still a lot of room for growth. We have been consistent and fast with both new and used tyres, so I am very happy. Now we can say that the season is really over and we can go home and rest. See you at Sepang in February!”
Repsol Honda, CASTROL Honda LCR, IDEMITSU Honda LCR
It was the beginning of a new era for the Japanese giants as they welcomed Luca Marini to the Repsol Honda Team garage alongside the recovered Joan Mir, and Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) lined up with Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR). From the off, new factory team recruit Marini headed straight out on Honda’s new-look 2024 RC213V.
The new Honda is essentially a completely updated motorcycle that boasts a new chassis, a new swingarm, new aero, new exhausts… the lot. In the latter two hours of the day, Mir was spotted with Honda’s new rear-end aero which is similar to what we’ve seen on the KTMs in recent races.
The good news is that chatting in pit-lane, Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig said Mir was quite pleased with the progress being made with the new bike, and the feeling is pretty different – in a good way – to the 2023 bike. Mir also worked with Marc Marquez’s former Crew Chief, Santi Hernandez, for the first time before the two take on 2024 together.
Elsewhere, Zarco had one 2024-spec bike and one 2023-spec machine at his disposal. The Frenchman crashed unhurt at Turn 4 with just over an hour to go and ended the day in P17, a second off the top after an important 61 laps. Nakagami completed a handy 63 laps and finished P21.
Joan Mir – P13
“It was a good day today and I am pleased with what we have seen from the protobike. The first success was being able to test because after the fall on Friday, it was not guaranteed. At the end of the day I did start to feel some pain but the important thing is we were able to have a busy and successful day, getting through a lot of items. We were trying things until the very end of the day and we didn’t have a chance to do a proper time attack, but this is not the focus – our pace was good and the developments are positive. There is still work to do, but the first steps are in the right direction and we can head into the winter looking forward what is to come.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P21
“I’ve tested the protobike, and despite doing just a few laps, the feeling was quite positive, and I’ve realised there is potential for the next season. Let’s keep working; 2024 can be a better year for us”.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
Alex Rins joined Fabio Quartararo in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP garage for the first time as both the factory riders worked with Yamaha’s longer, duel exhausts. Test Rider Cal Crutchlow joined the Frenchman and Spaniard on track too, and the British rider was seen with a new Yamaha chassis. In addition, Team Manager Miao Meregalli said that both Quartararo and Rins were testing an updated version of the 2024 engine that was tested back at the Misano Test.
The results on paper saw Quartararo finish P12 after completing 63 laps, with Rins and Crutchlow P19 and P20 respectively – Rins getting 54 laps in on his debut, with Crutchlow bagging 74 laps. The latter said there were some positives and some negatives from the day – as always – and also gave an early indication about potential wildcards on the table for 2024. One to watch.
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“It was a long season, but today was an important day for our team. The wind wasn‘t ideal, but we used the seven-hour session well. We mainly worked on three different items with Fabio today: aerodynamics – which was our priority, the first step of the 2024 engine, and a new chassis. Álex adapted so quickly to the bike that he too had the opportunity to test the new fairings. One day was maybe not enough to get everything set up perfectly because we had so many things to try, but all in all it‘s been a positive day. Both riders noticed an improvement, and this confirms our course of action has been the right one. This test had good value, so we can now enjoy the winter break satisfied with the work we‘ve done. We will send all the data to Yamaha Motor Company in Japan and Yamaha Motor Racing in Italy, where the Yamaha engineers will work tirelessly to prepare the next steps for the tests in Sepang.”
Fabio Quartararo – P12
“I think we got some positives today, but we still have to change many things. There were some big changes, especially on the aero side. But I think that the direction we took was the right one. We made a few steps, and hopefully at Sepang we can be at our 100%. Today, I was also feeling okay. I have to keep going with the antibiotics for a few days, but today was much better.”
Alex Rins – P19
“It was my first day with the Yamaha team, and I‘m so happy because it was a really good day. We tested many things: small things regarding set-up. We only worked on the aerodynamics. I‘m quite happy because I adapted quite well to the bike so early on. The last hours, from midday to the end of the session, we were trying fairings, and they made a step forward compared to the fairing I used in the morning, which was the race fairing.”
MotoGP season 2024 is underway, the first test day is done, the clock has started on the first window for the new concession system.
MotoGP Valencia Test Times
| Pos | Rider | Motorcycle | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | 1’29.253 |
| 2 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +0.028 |
| 3 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | +0.093 |
| 4 | Marc MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +0.171 |
| 5 | Raul FERNANDEZ | APRILIA | +0.263 |
| 6 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +0.385 |
| 7 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO ITA | DUCATI | +0.409 |
| 8 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | +0.543 |
| 9 | Jack MILLER | KTM | +0.648 |
| 10 | Luca MARINI | HONDA | +0.703 |
| 11 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | +0.717 |
| 12 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | +0.769 |
| 13 | Joan MIR | HONDA | +0.798 |
| 14 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | GASGAS | +0.824 |
| 15 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | +0.899 |
| 16 | Franco MORBIDELLI | DUCATI | +0.953 |
| 17 | Johann ZARCO | HONDA | +1.030 |
| 18 | Pedro ACOSTA | GASGAS | +1.223 |
| 19 | Alex RINS | YAMAHA | +1.311 |
| 20 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | YAMAHA | +1.512 |
| 21 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | +1.723 |
| 22 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | +3.059 |
| 23 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | APRILIA | +3.431 |
