FIM MotoGP World Championship
Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana
Valencia, Spain
November 11, 2015
Day Two Test Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:31.060
2. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:31.163
3. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:31.180
4. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:31.212
5. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:31.282
6. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:31.494
7. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:31.498
8. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:31.619
9. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:31.619
10. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:31.694
11. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:31.717
12. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:31.796
13. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:31.901
14. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:31.937
15. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:31.967
16. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:32.100
17. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:32.377
18. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:32.402
19. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:32.492
20. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:32.510
21. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:32.847
22. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.568*
23. Takuya TSUDA, Japan (SUZUKI), 1:33.797*
24. Mike DI MEGLIO, France (APRILIA), 1:34.372
25. Nobuatsu AOKI, Japan (SUZUKI), 1:37.031*
* – test rider
More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
Miller and Rabat get the 2016 season underway at Valencia
Valencia, Spain – 11 November 2015: Just two days after a thrilling finale brought the 2015 season to a close, Jack Miller and Tito Rabat were back on track at Valencia to start the build up to 2016 with a two-day MotoGP test.
With perfect weather conditions on both days of the test Miller and Rabat were able to familiarise themselves fully with the Honda RC213V, as well as the Michelin tyres with which they will race in 2016.
While Miller has a year of experience already in MotoGP, the Valencia test provided him with the first opportunity to test the factory specification Honda RC213V campaigned by the team in 2015. The 20-year-old Australian was particularly impressed with the seamless gearbox and factory electronics package, which he credited with allowing him to rediscover the consistency that has eluded him since making the step up to the premier class at the start of the season.
Rabat brought with him to the premier class the same work ethic that saw him crowned as Moto2 World Champion just 12 months ago, completing 132 laps of the Valencia circuit over the course of the two days. Fatigue in his injured left wrist forced the 26-year-old Spaniard to end the test early, but he declared himself happy with both his pace and consistency after his first two days on the bike.
Miller and Rabat will now enjoy a well-earned break before resuming their test program at Sepang in early February.
Jack Miller: 16th – 1’32.100
“I’ve really enjoyed my time on the new bike over the two days; the electronics and the seamless gearbox make a big difference. You don’t have to worry about keeping the bike in a straight line or it stepping out unexpectedly, so you can focus on the other things, like trying to hit the same line on every lap. I felt smoother and smoother on the bike with every exit and that was reflected in the consistency of my lap times. Unfortunately we had three small offs, but that’s to be expected when you’re pushing on new tyres. The Michelin tyres are great, but they are very different in character to the Bridgestones and we will need time to make the transition. Getting a feeling for the tyres has been one key point of this test and going fast has been another.”
Tito Rabat: 18th – 1’32.402
“I did a lot of laps on the first day to get a feel for the Honda RC213V and the Michelin tyres and I was quite pleased with my lap time. Today I did fewer laps but we made a small improvement to the lap time and my pace was consistent, which is important. Riding the MotoGP bike is more physically demanding than the Moto2 bike I’m used to and, after the marathon session yesterday, this morning I had some pain and inflammation in my injured wrist. This made it difficult to change direction quickly, but it also meant I couldn’t be so precise with my line through the corners so we ended the test a little early. Overall I’m happy. I have a good feeling with both the bike and tyres and I have enjoyed working with my new crew. The communication is good and their experience has helped me make the transition to MotoGP more quickly. Now I have two months for my wrist to recover and to focus on training, before heading to Malaysia for the next test, for which I can’t wait!”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“For both Jack and Tito the Honda RC213V was a new experience and neither of them have much time on the Michelin tyres, so for us the test was more about familiarisation than lap times. However, both of them exceeded our expectations, not just with their pace, but also with their consistency. We’ve added a lot of people to our structure in only a few days but I’m happy to see that, already, both sides of the pit box are working well, not just individually, but together. This test here at Valencia was a positive start for the team and I’m looking forward to seeing what both riders can do when we resume testing in Sepang next year.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
2016 Pre-Season Test concludes in Valencia
The Repsol Honda Team have finished their Valencia testing programme with Marc Marquez finishing 1st and Dani Pedrosa 3rd.
Marc and Dani continued the comparison between the current 2015 RC213V bike and the 2016 prototype machine with new engine. Both bikes had the new Magneti Marelli software fitted which is where majority of the workload is focused around. As per 2016 regulations, they were also running the new Michelin tyres. Marc completed a total of 42 laps today and took his fastest time of 1’31.060 on lap 29, placing him on the top of the time sheets. Dani finished 3rd with his time of 1’31.180 on lap 30 of an impressive 60 laps.
The engineers will take all the data gathered back to Japan for analysis ahead of the Jerez test taking place from the 25-27 November. This will be the final chance to make any checks on track before the testing ban comes into effect on 1 December through to 31st January.
Marc Marquez
1ST 1’31.060
“The times and the standings at this test are not important, because we have seen that there is plenty of room for improvement. I think we all have a lot of work ahead of us with the new electronics, because it is very different to what we had before. Today we spent the whole day analysing the new Magneti Marelli software. The area we must improve the most is exiting corners, rather than engine braking and the anti-wheelie which I didn’t feel was much different – although we are still using a very basic setup. We are trying out many things and the problem is that it is a very slow process to find a good base. After each five-lap stint, you spend a lot of time in the garage waiting to go back out. We also tried the new engine, although there are still many things to setup and we have to first focus on the electronics before studying that properly.”
Dani Pedrosa
3RD 1’31.180
“This test went well and we’ve been really lucky with the weather! Overall, we’ve had two days that have been useful for gaining confidence with the new tyres and getting a first impression with working with the new electronics. Since we introduced these electronics, we have realised that there are some serious problems and we have tried to understand them. Last night the entire team worked very late to have a better setup for today. We also tested the new engine, but right now – with the electronics as they are – it is very difficult to evaluate it properly. We need more time in order to go to the next test with a good foundation, one that allows us to obtain better information about the new engine.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Marquez concludes Valencia test with fastest time
Marc Marquez finished the two-day test on top of the timesheets as the 2016 MotoGP™ season got underway in Valencia.
Having spent most of Tuesday at the Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo adjusting to the new Michelin tyres and specification changes to next year’s bikes, Wednesday saw a number of riders get a chance to work on their 2016 bikes and setups and focus on gathering data for next year. Every single rider improved their times from Tuesday as they continued to adapt to the new machinery, with Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez setting the quickest time over the two days, a 1’31.060.
Marquez improved his time by over four-tenths on Wednesday as he continued to test the 2016 Honda RC213V, going under Jorge Lorenzo’s lap record at the track from Q2 (1’31.111) in the process, despite crashing twice over the course of the two days.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Viñales ended the two days in second, just 0.103s behind the pace of Marquez, after completing 57 laps on the second day. This feat was made even more impressive by the fact that Suzuki announced that they would not be debuting the 2016 GSX-RR with a seamless-shift gearbox until the Sepang test in February.
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was only seventeen-thousandths of a second further back in third as he completed 60 laps on Wednesday, ahead of the second GSX-RR of Aleix Espargaro (+0.152s) in fourth who put in 55 laps.
The 2015 MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo improved by over a half a second from Tuesday to end the day in fifth, just 0.222s behind the pace of Marquez, setting his best time on his penultimate lap from a total of 48 on Wednesday.
LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow (+0.434s) was the leading Satellite rider in sixth; just 0.004s ahead of Lorenzo’s teammate Valentino Rossi (+0.438s), with the Brit crashing on Wednesday as he lost the front at turn 1. The ‘Doctor’ showed that 2016 might be another close fight between the two Yamaha riders as he finished in sixth after improving by almost a second on Wednesday, ending the test just over two-tenths off the pace of Lorenzo.
Pol Espargaro also crashed on Tuesday as he lost the front at turn 12 but recovered to end the test in eighth, with Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) in ninth as the leading Ducati and Bradley Smith (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha) completing the top ten.
The Avintia Racing duo of Loris Baz and Hector Barbera finished in 12th and 14th respectively on their GP14.2’s, with Scott Redding on the Octo Pramac Racing GP15 Ducati sandwiched between them in 13th. All three were quicker than the Factory Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso in 15th, with the Italian completing 62 laps on Wednesday.
Australian Jack Miller, who has switched to the Marc VDS Racing team for 2016, was 16th fastest, just ahead of Irishman Eugene Laverty on the Aspar MotoGP Team Ducati GP14.2 in 17th.
Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), who is the only new face in the MotoGP™ field for 2016, finished in 18th on the combined timesheets as he made his debut in the class after making the step up from Moto2™. His new teammate Yonny Hernandez ended the test in 20th overall, sandwiched in-between the two Aprilia Racing Team Gresini bikes of Stefan Bradl (19th) and Alvaro Bautista (21st).
Over the course of the two-day test there were a number of front-end crashes for riders as they adjusted to the new demands of the Michelin tyres and spec ECU systems, but no one was injured.
The riders and teams will be back on track together at the next test in Sepang on the 1st February 2016.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
CRUTCHLOW’S SEASON ENDS ON POSITIVE NOTE AT TEST
Tuesday and Wednesday’s Official MotoGP tests in Valencia brought a close to LCR Honda’s 2015 season, with Cal Crutchlow and his crew eager to test the new Michelin tyres which will be used by all riders in 2016, as well as a standard electronics package aimed at levelling the MotoGP playing field.
Having put in 112 laps in total, Crutchlow ended the two-day test as the sixth fastest rider overall, and as the top satellite performer. He eventually set his best lap of 1’31.494 late on the second day, despite having had a slight tumble just minutes before.
After well-earned break, the Briton and the LCR Honda squad will spend the winter preparing for 2016 in the hope of improving on the eighth place Crutchlow took this season. It is the first time in three years that the Isle of Man resident will be staying on the same bike, with the next test on board the factory spec Honda RC213V coming in early February at Sepang in Malaysia.
Cal Crutchlow #35 – 6th (1’31.494 – 112 laps total)
“We’ve done a good job overall, I was pleased with my pace and made one of my fastest laps with nearly 25 laps on the tyres. This is a positive situation to be in. We had a small crash in turn one, using a new Michelin tyre that nobody else had used all day and unfortunately I slid out on my first flying lap of the run. Obviously I was disappointed to crash, but there have been many similar over these two days with the front tyre.”
“We went back out after that though, and I was able to push a bit and set my best lap on a chassis that was not my preferred option, and with an engine with lots of mileage on it. So there were positives and we’ll speak to Honda about how to improve the feeling of things for next year.”
“I think we had a good test here and it’s great to be fast immediately with the Michelin tyres. I’m going to be staying in the Isle of Man for a while now, and I look forward to getting back training, but before that I’m going to have a couple of weeks off because I think we deserve it!”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
VIÑALES AND ESPARGARO OUTSTANDING ON SECOND TEST DAY
The first testing of the 2016 season has ended at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, and both the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR riders seemed to be performing well with the new Michelin tyres, as their lap times have consistently been within the top-five positions.
This positive pace during the two days of testing was shown in the final combined classification, with Maverick Viñales in second place with 1:31.163 and Aleix Espargaro in fourth place with 1:31.212.
The first intense test of the new tyres gave positive feelings about the capabilities of the GSX-RRs adapting to them, even though both riders are aware that there is still a lot of work to do before the first race of next season. This leaves the R&D department in Japan much room for improving things still further, thanks also to the consistent feedback collected so far. The tyres need to be investigated further and this will be one of the main objectives at the next private tests planned for November 23rd and 24th in Sepang, Malaysia.
Satoru Terada – Project Leader:
“Finally the first test session of 2016 had finished and we are very happy with the results. Both Aleix and Maverick could lap very fast and – most importantly – their feelings are positive. This means that our machine has adapted well to the new tyres. Of course, these are only the first impressions and we have much work to do yet to understand how to exploit the tyres even more and how they perform, but the positive is that we already have some ideas and direction, so this is very positive for the work we will have to do during the winter. We will go to Sepang in a couple of weeks to further our knowledge of the new tyres and also to allow Aleix and Maverick to test the new electronics software; this has already been tested here in Valencia by the Test Team with Aoki and Tsuda and they gave us positive feedback. It has a lot of potential, it will require effort but I believe we will get positive support from it.”
Maverick Viñales:
Position: 2nd
Best lap: 1:31.163
“This day has been positive for us, we could continue improving and my feeling is getting better and better. In these two days we have only tested the new tyres, because they were completely new for me and I needed to focus on their feeling, and I must say that I feel very comfortable. We still have a lot to do and so many areas that can be improved, but this is positive because today we started to better understand some behaviour of the bike on the tyres and make some first plans for future development. The grip at the rear is very positive, it gives me much confidence and I can take different lines around the circuit that I prefer. The front though needs some more work. I have had some crashes in these last two days and we need to understand what makes the front tyre suddenly lose grip. Our feeling is that the peculiarities of the Michelin require us to load more weight to the front-end, this can come from my riding style and also from geometry and set-up. For sure, we still need to learn a lot, we are only at the beginning of our understanding and definitely need to go more in-depth. The test in Malaysia will be crucial in this sense; they will be two days very useful for us as we will start to do some more important intervention in the set-up. Today’s result gives me much more enthusiasm, it is good when you feel that you have done a lot of work but you are comfortable because you also know where you can improve.”
Aleix Espargaro:
Position: 4th
Best lap: 1:31.212
“This second day was positive as well, this morning I struggled to find a good feeling and finally I also crashed; my third time in these two days, and so with my crew we decided to change the bike a lot to see how it reacted. The new balance gave me better feeling, I can exploit the extreme grip of the rear and also exploit the front better, which was the weak point yesterday. Indeed, it is still something that we have to improve, we know more and more about the tyres’ characteristics and now we will start to apply modifications to the geometry and set-up to see how it goes. We already have some directions and the test we will do in Sepang in a couple of weeks will be very useful. I am also curious to try the new software. At the end of the day I must say I’m happy following this first test with Michelin, there are so many areas that can be improved but my feeling is already positive.”
More, from a press release issued by OCTO Pramac Racing:
Petrux and Scott respectively 11th and 13th after Valencia official test
At the end of the official test at Valencia Circuit is the time to make an assessment with Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding about the feeling with the Ducati Desmosedici GP branded OCTO Pramac Racing Team and already set entirely on the new configuration in 2016.
The rider from Terni has been among the most active (62 laps, only Smith lapped more: 71) and the satisfaction of having exploited the last run setting a laptime of 1’31.717 just 23 milliseconds from the Top 10.
In his first first approch with the new Ducati, Scott had the merit to finish 54 laps without making mistakes that could slow the development of the bike. The laptime of 1’31.901 (with a top speed of 324.4) earned him 13th position in the first test of the new adventure with OCTO Pramac Racing.
Petrux and Scott respectively 11th and 13th after Valencia official test
11° – Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing #9
We used these two testing days to gain confidence, without looking much at the laptime. To go with new tires and push immediately hard is not easy. For me everything is new: bike, tires, electronics. It was a very big leap. The team has already done a great job in these two days even if we have to do many kilometers since we are a bit far from where we want to be. I must admit to be a bit tired but I confess that I would want to get back to the track tomorrow. That’s why we go to Jerez with the determination to make further progress.
13° – Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing #45
I’m very happy for these first two days as I begun a new adventure. We worked mainly to find the right feeling, especially on the front, and not to score the quickest time. The first time you get on a new bike is important to have a good feeling and I felt immediately confortable. Then I have already established an excellent relationship with all the team. I look forward to going to Jerez to make further improvements.
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Yamaha Completes Valencia Test with Solid Progress
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi continued their momentum at Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo today, finishing the second day of testing in fifth and seventh place respectively.
Valencia (Spain), 11th November 2015
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi headed out on Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo this morning and were able to make a big step in the afternoon as they tested the 2016 YZR-M1 machines, with the fuel tank on the back of the bike, new front forks and the mandatory electronic software for next year‘s season.
Following the same procedures as yesterday, Lorenzo was the first of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team-mates to make his way out on track. It didn‘t take him long before he confirmed his key protagonist status as he briefly took over the top spot. He spent the majority of the day on his 2016 bike and completed a total of 48 laps. Throughout the day the Spaniard bettered his time to a 1‘31.282s on his penultimate lap to complete the day in fifth place, 0.222s off the front.
Team-mate Rossi also had a productive second day of testing. He energetically tackled every item on today‘s schedule and completed more than two full race distances. As the day progressed he adjusted the settings of his bikes to match the Michelin tyres and clocked a personal best lap of 1’31.498 on lap 57, moving him up to sixth place, 0.438s from first. Rather than focusing on bettering his time, the Doctor ended the day collecting valuable data with a steady final run on the 2016 machine and was pushed back to seventh place by a late flurry of activity.
Today‘s results secured Lorenzo and Rossi fifth and seventh place respectively in the overall combined practice times. They now look forward to returning home for a well-deserved break during the winter stop after a long season and hard work during the Valencia test.
JORGE LORENZO
The 2016 machine we tried in Aragon is the bike that‘s adapted to the Michelin tyres to get the best performance. The fuel tank is on the back, behind the seat, before it was in front of the rider. Today we focused on the electronics, as our lap times are still half a second slower than the lap time we made with the old version. The other thing we worked on is the front tyres of Michelin, which we are still trying to improve. I felt for example that under braking the rear is very grippy in the centre of the tyre but when you start leaning with the front whilst still braking, the front gives you more instability and you can‘t push so much with the brakes. I used the 2016 electronics all day. Yesterday neither the power nor the engine brake was giving the best performance, so they worked on that for the next morning and today I felt that it was much better and we improved quite a bit during the whole day.
VALENTINO ROSSI
The second day, for us, was quite positive. It was a long day, I did a lot of laps and I tried to improve my feeling with the new tyres. I‘m quite happy because in the afternoon my lap times were not so bad. I did long runs to understand the tyres and I was always quite fast. We improved the bike a lot compared to yesterday and the tyres, especially the front gave a better feedback and this is the most important. We also worked a little bit on the electronics systems for next year, which has already improved a lot compared to yesterday, but we still have work to do. For me we need to continue to work, because it looks like we are a bit more in trouble with the Michelin tyre, especially corner entry and weight distribution. For sure, this is just the first step, but it‘s not so bad because we improved by a second compared to yesterday so we just have to make some more kilometres.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
It has been a good second day of testing. The riders focused on coming to terms with the new electronics and setting up their bikes for the new Michelin tyres. We saw them make big improvements compared to yesterday and the team was able to provide both Jorge and Vale with a setting that gave them a better feeling. Yamaha‘s Japanese engineers will gather all the data we have accumulated here over the last two days and work towards making another step in the next test. Our work is not finished yet, most likely we are going to have another test before the end of this month. After that we will have a well-deserved holiday to recharge our batteries for the next year.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Ducati Team riders conclude IRTA tests at Valencia
Two days of IRTA tests, which marked the official start of the 2016 MotoGP season, have come to a close at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.
Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso continued with chassis set-up work on their Desmosedici GP machines, to adapt them to the 17” tyres from Michelin, the new one-make championship supplier. In the morning Iannone was the victim of a harmless crash at Turn 5 during his second lap, but afterwards he continued to lap constantly together with his team-mate Dovizioso. Towards the end of the day the two Ducati Team riders went out on track again to try the new unified software, which will be obligatory for all teams starting from next year’s championship.
Both men improved on yesterday’s times: Andrea Iannone finished the test with a time of 1’31.619, which put him in ninth place, while Andrea Dovizioso was fifteenth quickest in 1’31.967.
The Ducati Team will be out on track one more time in 2015, before the two-month test ban from December 1 to January 31 comes into force. The Italian squad will in fact head to Jerez de la Frontera for a test session at the end of this month: Andrea Dovizioso will test for just one day on November 27, together with the Ducati Test Team test-rider Michele Pirro, who will also be present on the previous two days. Andrea Iannone on the other hand will have to embark on a period of total rest after he undergoes an operation on his left shoulder on Tuesday November 17.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’31.619 (9th), 61 laps
“I am pleased with how well I got used to the Michelin tyres: overall I’ve got quite a clear idea on the riding style you have to use and in next year’s tests I feel sure we will continue to make progress. Today we also tried the unified software and in the end it went well because I always managed to improve, and we did other chassis set-up tests, using the bike the way it was during the race weekend. I am quite satisfied, but not with the final result because my goal is to always be amongst the best, and instead a ninth place does not live up to my expectations.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’31.967 (15th), 62 laps
“It was an important test because we had to get a good idea of how the new Michelin tyres behave, and that’s the most important thing at the moment in order to be able to go strongly. In these two days we have worked a lot and I believe that we have managed to give important feedback for the development. Towards the end of the day I also used the new software, which is a bit different from what we were used to, but all things considered I felt OK and I am happy with the way things went.”
More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:
POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders continue adaptation to Ducati-Michelin package
Yonny Hernández and Eugene Laverty continue tests on new bikes and tyres as lap times drop
The second and final day of post-season tests at the Ricardo Tormo circuit took place today, as the teams gathered vital data for their winter development programmes. Like yesterday the track was open from 10am until 5pm, with the riders spending the time adapting to the new tyres provided by Michelin, the new sole supplier to MotoGP. The teams were able to choose between the old and new electronics packages for this test, as they will be allowed to do for the remainder of 2015, although from the first test of 2016 they will all have to go with the new. The transition to new material – tyres, electronics and in some cases machinery – has not proved easy and like yesterday there were a multitude of crashes today. The exciting thing is that the lap times were close, with over half the grid lapping in the 1’31s today, although that pace is still some way shy of the fastest laps during last weekend’s Grand Prix.
Today was a second opportunity for the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team to test out their new material at the Ricardo Tormo circuit, with the local outfit having switched to Ducati power for 2016 and with a new rider in Yonny Hernández on board. In just two days with the Aspar Team the Colombian rider has already shown his potential and using the ‘old’ Open electronics he was able to improve his lap times and finish just 1.5 seconds off the fastest lap of the test. Hernández was one of just a handful of riders not to crash over the last two days, his team-mate Eugene Laverty one of many to test the gravel traps as he adapted to the new tyres and, in his case, a new bike. The Irishman also used the Open electronics today and he made some excellent late progress to post a 1’32.377 on his final run, closing the gap to pacesetter Marc Márquez to just 1.3 seconds. The next track date for the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar to look forward to is a three-day test at Jerez on the 25, 26th and 27th November.
20th Yonny Hernández 1.32.510: “Even though the position is not spectacular we finished just 1.5 seconds off the best lap time today and even that is not a true reflection because we are still working with the Open electronics, which we won’t be using next year. We will try the new material in the next test at Jerez but the important thing for now is that we have gathered a lot of information that will be useful to us in that test. The team has a lot of work to do to get to know this bike and I need to adapt to the tyres. It has been a positive test and I am sure that we will take a step forward at Jerez. It is incredible how many crashes there have been here; from our side we just tried to be careful and build our confidence. The relationship with the team has been fabulous from the first minute, the technical staff are top quality and my feeling has been fantastic. Hopefully we can gradually build things up and improve our level.”
17th Eugene Laverty 1.32.377: “The most important thing was to finish this test in a positive way because we lost time over the past two days because I crashed three times. With just one bike we lost a lot of hours in repairs. We started off pretty quickly and on just my second outing I matched my best lap on the Honda, but the crashes slowed our progress. In the end we found the cause of the crashes, made some changes to the setting and then I could go fast. Basically the reason was that the chassis balance was too much in the Bridgestone style, and so was my riding. With a new bike and new tyres there is always a period of adjustment but the important thing is that we got there in the end. At 3:30pm today I wasn’t happy but in the last hour and a half we made a lot of progress, the bike started to feel like my own and now I can leave the test happy. As far as the new tyres are concerned I think they can suit my style and I should be able to make the most of the good grip on the rear, which should suit the Ducati too. I am excited, there is plenty of reason for optimism. Even on my fastest lap today I sacrificed the right-handers because I’d had a few crashes there so didn’t want to take any risks. To set that lap time without pushing in every corner, I’m happy. We are not too far from the top Ducati so the goal for the next test is to close that gap.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Tech3 pair eager for 2016 after positive Valencia test
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro successfully wrapped up his final appearance on track for the year at the Ricardo Tormo circuit today with a run to 8th position. The Spaniard partially sampled his new Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike for the 2016 season and continued his work with the Michelin tyres in order to start collecting valuable information for next year. Espargaro’s best time of 1’31.619, which he set on his penultimate lap, saw him close the test in 9th place in the combined standings, which a gap of just over half a second to the time at the top of the field.
Meanwhile, Bradley Smith began his in-depth and methodical work with his new MotoGP bike for the forthcoming year whilst also continuing to the test the Michelin tyres. The Briton rode relentlessly and eventually completed more laps around the circuit than any other MotoGP rider today, outlining his intent to understand his new Yamaha YZR-M1 as well as the tyres fully. He set a personal best time of 1’31.694 which was only 0.075 from his teammate and now the 24 year old rider confidently awaits the next outing at the three day Sepang Test in February.
Pol Espargaro
Position : 9th Time : 1’31.619 Laps : 51
“Overall, I am quite satisfied with what we achieved in the test, although, of course, there are many factors to improve in the future as it was just the first time on the new bike with the new tyres. The day didn’t start perfectly as I fell in the morning which made me lose a bit of time, but the team repaired the bike quickly. Then, together with the Michelin guys, we started to work on getting a better feeling in the front and achieved our goal. I was able to set a solid lap time and although it wasn’t incredible, I’m very pleased as the rhythm was good and we must remember that it was only the first two days of pre season testing so we can be satisfied with our performance. There are a lot of things that can change in the future, plus I need to adapt my riding style more to suit to the Michelin tyres. Also, I think that the riders who were using softer tyres this season, have a slight advantage at the moment as they are used to a higher level of rear grip compared to us and that’s definitely a characteristic of Michelin tyres. However, altogether I’m satisfied with how this test went, but we need to bear in mind that all tracks are different and Sepang is very dissimilar when compared to Valencia, so we will see how things go in February. Nevertheless, I am already looking forward to getting back on the my Yamaha after the winter break.”
Bradley Smith
Position : 10th Time : 1’31.694 Laps : 71
“We can be pleased with what we have achieved and it was a big day where I completed 71 laps as we focused on my new bike for 2016. The team and I needed to understand what sort of Yamaha we will ride next year, which in all honesty, was a big task as we had to go through everything thoroughly. This wasn’t necessarily to make things better instantly, but it was for knowledge which will help to prevent any potential issues in the future. After last year, we know how vital this is and hence, this is why I rode so many laps. In the end, we ran out of soft rear tyres so I had to use the hard compound, but I was still able to improve my time from yesterday even though the conditions were a bit tricky in the last hour here. In addition, we should only compare my lap time to the other satellite riders as we had just two front and rear compounds available, while the factory guys had more options to try. Altogether, I’m satisfied as it has been a positive day and we now have a very good understanding of the bike as well as a solid base to start 2016 with. It’s time to pack away my M1 for the winter break and I look forward to seeing it again in February!”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
THE 2016 MOTOGP SEASON KICKS OFF AT VALENCIA
TWO DAYS OF TESTING FOR APRILIA RACING TEAM GRESINI ON THE RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT
Valencia, 11 November 2015 – The virtual shift from the 2015 season to the 2016 MotoGP season took place at Valencia, the track that hosted the last race of the season and the two days of testing which ended today. There were two new items that Aprilia Racing Team Gresini focused on, under the technical leadership of Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing manager: the new Michelin tyres and the single electronics package, both changes that will go into effect for everyone next season.
Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl put in a lot of laps over the two days, working hard astride their RS-GP machines that they rode to finish out the 2015 championship, whilst awaiting the arrival of the new Aprilia prototype that will race next season. These were demanding trials that also included a few crashes, fortunately without any physical consequences for the riders.
In the afternoon of the second day of testing Mike di Meglio also took the RS-GP out on the track for his first contact with the Italian MotoGP bike. The French rider put in 28 laps.
ALVARO BAUTISTA
“These were two very intense days with the big change being the tyres and we still need to do a lot of work on them. The rear end performance is already quite good, but there is still a lot of room for improvement on the feeling with the front end. We will definitely have to change a lot both in terms of settings on the bike and riding style. To take the best advantage of the new tyres you have to favour braking with the bike straight. They have different characteristics compared to what we were accustomed to and it will take time to find the right compromise.”
STEFAN BRADL
“These were definitely two demanding days of testing because the Michelins have a very different feeling than what we were accustomed to, especially the front, and that caused a lot of crashes. So we worked a lot on the bike setup to try and improve this feeling and to get the tyres to work as best as possible. We worked on fork adjustments, geometries and weight distribution. We still haven’t achieved the results we had hoped for, but it was important to begin this job. At the end of the month we’ll go to Jerez so we can continue this adaptation process on another track as well.”