Cal Crutchlow concludes post-race Barcelona test on top
The FIM MotoGP™ World Championship had their second in-season test of 2016, Crutchlow ending as the fastest rider of the day.
After an emotional Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, most of the teams and riders in the MotoGP™ World Championship remained in Barcelona for a one-day test. This is the second official post-race test of the 2016 season, the first coming in Jerez. Tyres and electronics remained the primary focus for most teams.
Michelin continued to experiment and innovate with a number of new tyres to be tested. The French tyre company had riders run the front tyre they tested in Jerez in order to see how it performed on two different tracks. For the rear they brought three options. These rear tyres had the same compound but with different structures, all with the goal of improving traction on corner exit.
LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow continued to work on finding consistency aboard his RC213V and lapped late into the day. With only three minutes to go the Brit dropped into the 1’43s with a 1’43.963 to steal top spot. With no one else circulating he went uncontested and can leave Barcelona with his head held high.
Just an hour after the test officially started, Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was out on track with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) making a typical late start. The pair focused on working with Michelin as well as improving their own settings. Lorenzo was one of the last on track, completing 49 laps and setting the second fastest time of the day, a 1’44.202. Rossi did 42 laps to wrap up the day in 11th, ‘The Doctor’ having proven his speed on Sunday.
Aside from Aprilia, Team Suzuki Ecstar have had one of the most prolific test schedules of 2016 with extra days in Austin and Valencia. The Monday in Barcelona gave Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro a chance to run a variety of different settings on the chassis they tested in Valencia ahead of the Catalan GP. Their work was focused on assessing which frame to run in Assen. Viñales led for most of the day but was eventually pushed down to third, a 1’44.310 coming on his ninth lap of 65. Teammate Aleix Espargaro wasn’t far behind, ending the test fifth with 64 laps.
For the Ducati Team it was a day spent working with the tyres, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) eager to understand the issues he had with his rear during Sunday’s race. Andrea Iannone did the second least amount of laps of any rider, but still managed to end fourth fastest. Meanwhile Dovizioso was seventh.
It proved to be a productive test for Avintia Racing, Hector Barbera the only rider on track as Loris Baz is still recovering from injury. As they are on the older GP14.2, there was little to test and Barbera chose not to run in the afternoon but still managed to complete 75 laps and ended the day as the sixth fastest rider and second fastest Ducati.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) used the day to continue testing the new frame he ran all weekend, his teammate Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) getting a chance to run it for the first time. Just over a second slower than Crutchlow’s time, Marquez ended the day in eighth with 77 laps under his belt. Pedrosa rounded out the top ten with a 1’45.379.
After Scott Redding languished down in 16th place on Sunday, the Octo Pramac Yakhnich squad were keen to understand why Redding’s pace vanished on race day. For Danilo Petrucci the day provided some much needed bike time after missing the first part of the year due to injury. The day offered a lot of data for both riders who completed 127 laps between them, Redding the faster of the two in ninth while Petrucci was 15th.
Sunday’s race was one of contrasts for Monster Yamaha Tech 3; Bradley Smith forced to retire with technical problems while Pol Espargaro fought his way up from 12th on the grid to fifth. The test gave Smith a chance to work on bike setup as he continues to look for a return to his 2015 form. Suspension, tyres and electronics were also a focus for teammate Pol Espargaro. As is quite common in testing, Smith completed the most laps of any rider, a staggering 83 and left the test as the 12th fastest man, a place ahead of Espargaro.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini have, like Suzuki, already run several tests during the 2016 season due to the different regulations they run under as a result of collecting less than six concession points in the previous season. At all of their private tests improving the electronics has been a primary focus and the day in Barcelona proved no different. Alvaro Bautista set a best time of 1’46.338 to end 14th with Stefan Bradl completing 82 laps and finishing 16th.
The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team were out early in the day, Jack Miller and Tito Rabat running a new look black and gold livery. As with the other teams they assessed Michelin’s new tyres. Miller completed 48 laps with a best time of 1’47.005 putting him 17th, teammate Rabat ending the day just behind in 18th.
Aspar Team MotoGP elected not to run at the test.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW FASTEST IN BARCELONA TEST SESSION
On the day after an emotional Grand Prix of Catalunya where the tragic loss of Luis Salom cast a shadow over the whole race weekend, the MotoGP riders were all out in force on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the second official post-race test of the season.
After having picked up his best result of the year so far on Sunday, LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow continued his positive progress by ending the day as the fastest rider out on track. The day was also a crucial chance for the British rider and his crew to work through settings they have not had time to employ during the tight amount of track time given on a race weekend.
Working tirelessly through new tyre specifications brought by official suppliers Michelin as well as a variety of new electronic settings, Crutchlow and the LCR Honda Team will now head confidently to the ‘cathedral’ of motorcycle racing, Assen, which plays host to the Dutch TT in just under three weeks’ time.
#35 Cal Crutchlow – 1st (1’43.963)
“Obviously we are happy to be quickest overall, it’s nice to be back on top of the timesheet, even though it’s a Monday and it doesn’t mean anything really. We will take some positives from the day though, and we have worked so well together as a team which means we will go to Assen optimistic.
“We used the hard tyre for much of the day, because that would be the race tyre here whatever, and we made some setting changes that we had been wanting to try like softening the front end of the bike, which helped it decelerate quite well. There was some electronic stuff to test too, because that takes so long – about 20 to 30 minutes every time you want to make a decent electronic change.
“We tried the new Michelin front in the morning when it was cooler, and it was positive in some areas and not so good in others, but this is the information they require. Then we tried two new rears towards the end of the day. As you can see from the lap time, they were good. We also tried the ‘over-the-top’ wing for Honda to give them some information. I think maybe it’s a little better.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Tech3 pair complete successful post Catalan GP test
Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Bradley Smith leaves Barcelona feeling optimistic for the future rounds after undertaking a thorough post-Catalan Grand Prix test today. The British rider concentrated mainly on the new Michelin tyres, as he evaluated all three of the new rear compounds available plus he tested different rear suspension options. He tirelessly lapped the circuit 83 times, which was more than any other MotoGP rider, but also crashed at turn five on his last lap. The 25-year-old set his best time mid way through the day and on his 44th lap, which left him less than a second from fifth. Having reached a positive conclusion, the 2015 fastest satellite rider now keenly awaits the forthcoming Motul Dutch Grand Prix where he intends to clinch the top independent honours.
On the other side of the pit box, Pol Espargaro rode relentlessly as he focused on the new tyres and additionally electronics and suspension settings with encouraging results being achieved. The young Spaniard got straight to work this morning in perfect conditions under the Catalan sun and eventually concluded the day by completing 48 laps, with his quickest time being set on just his third. The 24-year-old focused on setup solutions but a small crash, which he walked away from uninjured, did not slow his work rate. After a constructive day, the leading independent rider in the championship standings now confidently looks on to the next round at Assen in a fortnight’s time.
Bradley Smith
Position: 12th Time: 1’45.670 Laps: 83
“In general, today was positive and we can leave Barcelona feeling content with what we achieved at the test. After the technical issue in yesterday’s race, I am really pleased to complete 83 laps without any issues at all. I did a lot of tyre testing this morning for Michelin and they brought some interesting options so I’m excited to see how the tyres will evolve in the future. With regards to our setting, the main area of focus was the rear of the bike which seems to be where I’m most sensitive at the moment. We had quite a few different rear shock solutions that we wanted to try and although the result won’t necessarily boost performance, it will certainly make our weekend easier if I am struggling like I was here. Now, we have a good direction as well as more of an understanding about my YZR-M1. I’m always happy about these types of test because, like in Jerez, I can leave with more knowledge and added confidence for the package that I have. I will rest up now for two weeks and then get ready for Assen which I am looking forward to.”
Pol Espargaro
Position: 13th Time : 1’45.835 Laps: 48
“Overall, the test was successful and we can leave here feeling pleased with what we discovered. We worked on the tyres, the clutch and suspension settings, but the main area of focus was to try to improve the rear grip which was our weakness this weekend and we have made good progress even if I didn’t really go for a fast single lap time. With regards to the tyres, I sampled one new option and I ran ten consistent laps on it. It felt really good because there was stability at the beginning of a run and the drop off was not big, similarly to the medium option. We collected some good information and the best improvements are the traction and the increased stability, which is key. I don’t know exactly when this tyre will be introduced, but my feedback is positive. For the suspension, we adjusted the rear shock as we had a lack of grip on the rear, so I tried three settings and found some encouraging results. Considering that we were already competitive yesterday, I am now confident that I can be even stronger because of today’s outcome. I am pleased with the race performance because it was the first time that we were competing with the front guys so we deserved our result here and with the knowledge that we have gained, the team and I are optimistic for Assen.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
NEW DIRECTION FOUND BY SUZUKI ECSTAR AT CATALUNYA TEST
Jun 6th, 2016
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró enjoyed one day of official IRTA MotoGP™ testing at the circuit of Catalunya in Spain as a follow-up to yesterday’s race that saw Viñales in third place with a lap-time of 1:44.310 and Espargaró fifth with a 1:44.717-lap.
The main objective for the team was to verify the data collected during the weekend and compare them with different settings that have been developed so far. This also included a further test of the chassis: The riders had at their disposal the evolution chassis that they tested two weeks ago in Valencia, therefore having more time and less pressure to test them freely; and this was also useful to decide which frame will be used at the next race at Assen in The Netherlands on June 26th.
The work on the chassis brought many set-up configurations and electronics, in particular verifying what happened in yesterday’s race regarding the issue that forced Espargaró to retire with seven laps to go. The outcome today was positive, as the team gathered a lot more information and useful data that will help them to better-manage the electronics, especially with tyre management and performance drop; this having been the cause for yesterday’s fault in the electronics on Espargaró’s machine.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“During today’s test we had the chance to revise what happened in the racing weekend, gaining more experience and knowledge. With Maverick we re-tested the chassis that we tested in Valencia, which was dropped for the Catalunya race as there was no time in a racing weekend for proper comparisons. Here, he had more time to analyse the feelings and at the end of the day, this evolution frame gave him a good feedback, therefore we will likely take it to Assen for the race. We did some tests on the chassis also with Aleix, who in the end decided to keep the standard version chassis. With both of them we tested different solutions of electronics and settings, in particular for Aleix, to better-manage the front tyre drop, while for Maverick to have the rear-end work more efficiently. It’s been a positive day of work and we gathered more data, which we will try to exploit in Assen and also in the next races.”
Maverick Viñales:
“Today we focused on testing the evolution chassis that we already had in Valencia and I really feel more confident with it. For the race weekend here in Catalunya we decided to go back to the standard frame as it was too risky to go with the new one, but with the work we’ve done today, and the new settings we tried, the improvement is significant. Compared to yesterday’s pace I could improve a lot, but also the general feeling is better, as it allows me to ride with more confidence. My request was to have more rear-grip, and Suzuki worked to modify the chassis in order to be more efficient in this area. Now I feel more confident in the middle part of corners and this allows me to be less aggressive on the tyres. The engineers will now study and revise all data, but I guess we will keep the evolution chassis in Assen and try to work on that as a base.”
Aleix Espargaró:
“This test has been positive because it allowed us to understand many, many things. First of all, we could re-analyse what happened yesterday and take advantage of this and learn from it. Then, we again made a comparison between the standard chassis and the evolution one; the one we already tested in Valencia two weeks ago. Maybe to decide to race the weekend in Catalunya with the evolution chassis was not the best choice for me, because today we spent the morning with it and I felt the same problems I felt during the weekend, then in the afternoon we got back to the standard chassis with new settings and I immediately felt more comfortable and the lap time dropped quickly. This was very helpful to decide which path to take for the next race in Assen. We did many laps today which were very helpful for the new settings and electronics improvements.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE CATALUNYA TEST
Fresh from yesterday‘s Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Movistar Yamaha riders were back on track today to complete the one-day Catalunya MotoGP Official Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi took time to try some new Michelin tyres and there was also an opportunity for them to test a new chassis for the 2016 YZR-M1 and work on some small set up changes to further improve the balance of their bikes.
Montmelò (Spain), 6th June 2016
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to undertake a detailed testing programme. Whilst putting some new items to the test, Lorenzo completed 49 laps and finished the one-day Catalunya MotoGP Official Test in second place.
Rossi arrived a bit later to the scene where he secured a brilliant win a day earlier, and used the final three hours of the session to help develop some new Michelin tyres. He ended the day in eleventh place.
One hour into the eight-hour long test session, Lorenzo entered the track and started work on his YZR-M1. He spent most of the morning getting familiar with the new items before it was time to pick up the pace in the early afternoon. After already having completed yesterday‘s full race distance, he clocked a 1‘44.202s on his 26th lap, moving up to provisional first place. His time remained unchallenged until the very end of the session, when the Mallorcan rider had already finished his testing programme for the day. Lorenzo ended second in the final results, 0.239s from the front.
With three hours of the session remaining, teammate Valentino Rossi joined his rivals on the Catalan track. He steadily improved his best time over the first hour before entering the top nine when he set a 1‘45.454s on lap 23. The Doctor then put his full attention towards developing his bike. Whilst thoroughly testing some new Michelin tyres and a new chassis for his YZR-M1, he got pushed back to eleventh place in the test results and finished 1.491s from first.
Tomorrow the team will be back on track for another private test in Catalunya.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
After already three days of riding, Jorge, Vale and the team again put in a lot of effort and this made it a successful test so far. We stuck to our schedule and were able to test and compare the required materials for the day. The riders used this one day of official testing to try out a new frame, two rear-arm specifications and they also helped develop the front and rear tyres brought by Michelin. The initial feedback from the riders on the chassis and the tyres was positive. Tomorrow we will continue our test programme and the main task is to decide which chassis is better. If we conclude that the new frame is better, we might have it ready at the next round in Assen. So far we can be satisfied with today‘s results because Jorge rode an impressive lap in the 1‘44.202s on used tyres, which is almost as fast as his pole position lap and shows we are making good progress. Valentino mainly focused on testing the Michelin tyres. His feelings were positive, so we will continue to work on this concept when we are back on the track tomorrow for a private test, which we will use to make our final comparison between the options we tested today.
JORGE LORENZO
It was a positive test. After my crash yesterday I felt quite some pain, especially in my leg, but some pills made me feel better, so I could get through the day quite well. I tried many things, especially some new tyres from Michelin on the rear, some of the them had quite a positive effect on acceleration, and a new chassis from the team, which also gave us some positive points that we will test further tomorrow.
VALENTINO ROSSI
It was a good test. We concentrated on the tyres and we found something good so the rear tyres are working better than yesterday, but now we have a bigger task because we have to try new things that Yamaha have brought here to test, which will be very interesting for the rest of the season. I tried the new chassis and the first impression was OK and tomorrow we will continue with the rest.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Repsol Honda follow up Catalunya GP weekend with one-day test
Following yesterday’s double podium finish, Championship leader Marc Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa were back on track today for a one-day official post-race test.
The Repsol Honda duo carried out similar testing programs, including electronics settings to improve the power delivery on corner exits, a new chassis and a new exhaust. Marc found some positives points and gathered ample data that he thinks the HRC engineers will be able to build on in the next races. Dani had already tried the new chassis and had raced on it yesterday, and today he continued to carry out some comparison tests.
Both riders suffered small crashes, Dani in turn 2 around 1:30 p.m., Marc later in the afternoon at turn 5. Neither incident involved consequences for the riders, but they were prevented from completing all of the planned tests with the Michelin new rear tyres.
Marc set the eighth-quickest time in 1’45.029 on lap 42 of 77. Dani finished the day 10th with a time of 1’45.379 on lap 21 of 39.
Marc Marquez
1’45.029 77 LAPS
“Today I tried out a lot of things, including a chassis and some electronics solutions, and overall, we’ve taken a small step forward today. You always gather a lot of information in a test, which can help you to move forward in the future. With what we’ve learned today, Honda will be able to make their analysis and apply it to the new chassis. The chassis that I tested today was better in some parts of the track, but in others it isn’t entirely suited to my style, so we have to continue working. We have two races coming up at tracks where I’ve always felt very comfortable, so I’m optimistic with that in mind. There are also two weeks between each of them, giving us time to seek further improvements.”
Dani Pedrosa
1’45.379 39 LAPS
“We tested various things today, especially with the chassis and a few setups for the electronics and engine to improve our corner exits. Some things we tested worked well and others weren’t yet as good as expected but they gave us more ideas because anyway we’ve found a few positives. We’ll try to keep working with the future in mind; first of all we’re looking at the short term, which is the next race at Assen. There, we’ll try to use some of the feedbacks that we took from today’s test, to see if they work at that track and the coming circuits. Unfortunately I had a crash at midday that meant I could only continue testing with one bike, and I wasn’t able to do many more laps”.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
MOTOGP – APRILIA BACK ON TRACK AFTER YESTERDAY’S GOOD RESULT AT BARCELONA
PROFITABLE DAY OF TESTING FOR BAUTISTA AND BRADL
Just hours after the race where Alvaro Bautista rode his RS-GP to an eighth place finish after an exhilarating comeback and where Stefan Bradl finished in the points, the Spanish Barcelona track had the MotoGP teams hard at work during a day of testing.
The focal point of the work done in the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini garages concerned some new tyre options developed by Michelin, in addition to some innovations with the electronics and the chassis settings. A lot of laps were taken, subdivided into rather brief outings precisely to maximise the amount of information and to accumulate data that will be analysed by the Aprilia engineers before the next race on the calendar at Assen, in Holland.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“First and foremost we tested some new tyres today and I’m rather satisfied with them. On the front the new specification tyre gave me a good feeling and the rear tyres all showed improved performance. We also worked hard on the chassis and the electronics, without any clear steps but continuing our process of fine-tuning the RS-GP. I think that what we did over the weekend and in the tests today will be useful for us at Assen, although it is a track with very different characteristics compared to Barcelona”.
STEFAN BRADL
“We took a lot of laps, working hard on the chassis with numerous changes. We need these tests a lot. They help us to discover the bike and they let us test some solutions that would be difficult to analyse during a race weekend. After such an intense weekend and a test day with 82 laps taken, we’ll head to Assen full of both data to analyse and motivation to do well”.