Marquez tops dynamic test in scenic Catalunya
Following Sunday’s fantastic race at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the MotoGP™ teams carried out a full day of testing at the Barcelona-Catalunya track on Monday, with World Champion Marc Marquez registering the fastest lap time.
The day started with the riders carrying out a 30-minute test of the shorter track loop at Turn 10, with the purpose of assessing whether its use could potentially enhance safety in the future. The riders will provide formal feedback on the trial to the Grand Prix Safety Commission at the next event in Assen.
The test took place in dry and sunny conditions throughout the day, with dark clouds briefly threatening mid-afternoon but no rain affecting proceedings.
Marc Marquez worked with Repsol Honda Team on bike settings and electronics configuration, with the approaching visits to Assen and the Sachsenring in mind. Like most of the riders present, the World Champion also tried a new Bridgestone front tyre with an updated composition which may be introduced later in the season.
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi worked on a new 2015 specification engine and tried a new Akrapovic exhaust system on their factory Yamaha YZR-M1, with the Italian and Spaniard posting laps respectively three and nine tenths of a second slower than Marquez’s 1’41.184 time.
Ducati Team’s full-time riders tested updated software which Michele Pirro also used over the race weekend, with the Italian test rider set to continue testing at Barcelona-Catalunya over the coming 48 hours.
Randy de Puniet tried a new engine with the Suzuki MotoGP Test Team and will continue his work at the track over the next two days. Suzuki are also focusing on chassis development and software evolution, whilst they will aim to find a suitable setup for racing at this circuit before they return to full competition next season.
Stefan Bradl worked on suspension geometry and electronics tweaks, whilst Alvaro Bautista wrapped up early after brake and suspension tests, still feeling the effects of his big crash on Saturday.
On the other side of the GO&FUN Honda Gresini garage, Scott Redding was testing new geometry settings and along with the rest of the Open riders had new Magneti Marelli software to try out.
Swiss Moto2™ rider Dominique Aegerter tested Mike di Meglio’s second Avintia Racing bike, putting in a huge workload of 90 laps as he his first gained experience on premier class machinery.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Repsol Honda complete Catalunya weekend with Monday test
After yesterday’s fantastic race, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were back on track today for the Official Post-Race Test.
Marc worked on electronics and mapping settings and tested a new Öhlins fork and the new front Bridgestone tyre, confirming the tyre felt safer and provided better feedback than the current one. This morning he tested the proposed new circuit layout which uses the tighter F1 corner at the end of the back straight as a possible safety change and agreed it would be better as riders are not so close to the wall. Dani’s test programme also included the new front tyre, front fork and mapping settings. He reported positively on the new tyre – even though he tried it when the track temperature was at it’s lowest – but unfortunately it seems it won’t be available until Sepang.
Marc was fastest for the day with his lap of 1’41.184 (just 0.049 off his qualifying time from Saturday) on lap 45 of 46. Dani finished the day seventh with a time of 1’41.969 on lap 18 of 61.
TEAM QUOTES
Marc Marquez
1st – 1’41.184
“Today we carried out a lot of testing: from the electronics, to the bike setup, to a bit of suspension work. I have to say, I felt very comfortable – even more so than during the Grand Prix weekend. There were also a few things that didn’t completely work out, or that we weren’t expecting, but this is also useful for us when it comes to picking up ideas and directions to go in for the future. Now we have to get ready for the next race in Assen”
Dani Pedrosa
7th – 1’41.969
“Today we tested two different front forks and we also worked on the electronics setup and on a new front tyre compound. The tyre gave us good results and could be positive for us at some rounds this year, in conditions similar to yesterday’s Grand Prix, as it’s not too soft, nor too hard. The overall verdict of the day is positive, although we had already made the step forward between Mugello and Barcelona. Bearing in mind the new parts that could be tested out, we have managed to find a good feeling”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:
BRADL SET THE 5th LAP TIME AT CATALUNYA CIRCUIT TEST
Montmeló, 16 June: today the MotoGP grid reunited at the Catalan race track for a testing day after yesterday’s exciting Grand Prix. Cooler temperature welcomed the field (23 riders) which tested from 10am till 6pm and current championship leader M. Marquez topped the time sheet with a 1’41.184. LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl, who had a sterling ride to fifth yesterday, climbed aboard his RC213V to complete 58 laps setting the 5th quickest time with a 1’41.655 (0.471s off the pace leader).
Stefan: “Riding the bike today was less demanding as the temperature was cooler. We had a productive test day evaluating different aspects of the bike set-up: we mainly worked on the electronic to improve the traction control out of the corners especially in hot conditions like yesterday’s race. We looked for more rear grip and we also tested the new Bridgestone front tyre which is very good. In general we wanted to reconfirm our package for the future with some small adjustments”.
More, from a press release issued by Scott Redding’s publicist:
Productive Barcelona test for Scott Redding
Barcelona, Spain – 16 June 2014: Scott Redding declared himself happy with progress, after a productive day of testing aboard his Gresini Honda RCV1000R in Barcelona today.
The 21-year-old Briton completed 68 laps of the 4.7km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, working with his crew on chassis geometry in a bid to improve confidence under braking and on corner entry. Redding posted his fastest time of 1’43.294 on lap 40 of the test.
The Gresini rider also tested the latest version of the open class software that was supplied by Magneti Marelli for the Barcelona test.
Scott Redding // 68 Laps // 1’43.294
“This test was really useful, as we found the additional traction that we’d been looking for all through the race weekend, so I’m really happy with that. We put in many laps today and I think we made some important steps forward ahead of the next race at Assen in just a couple of weeks. I also got the chance to test the latest version of the open class software. It didn’t seem that different overall, and there wasn’t much impact on my lap time, but it has a few more things to play with that worked well. It may well prove useful over full race distance though.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Movistar Yamaha Complete Successful IRTA Test in Catalunya
Montmelò Circuit (Spain), 16th June 2014
Fresh from yesterday’s GP Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Movistar Yamaha riders were back on track today to complete a test at the Montmelò circuit.
Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi took time to test a new Akrapovic exhaust and a new Bridgestone hard front tyre for use in Sepang. There was also an opportunity to test a new engine spec for 2015 M1 and work on some small set up changes to overcome acceleration issues suffered by Jorge in yesterday’s race.
The team will now move to Aragon for a further one day private test on Wednesday.
Jorge Lorenzo
3rd / 1’41.515 / 67 laps
“I expected to stay more tired because we had three days of riding, but I didn’t feel it today and I was able to make a lot of runs of more than six laps. We’ve tried some things to make the bike more stable on the throttle and to pick up the bike a little earlier we were able to improve it and make quite big steps so I’m happy as it’s not so easy to find some really important things in a test. We tried a front tyre, the feeling is a little better, even if we are just going to use it in Sepang, it’s better for stopping.”
Valentino Rossi
10th / 1’42.174 / 58 laps
“We had some interesting stuff to try, some different exhausts for during the season and also we worked for next season. We had a different engine to try for 2015 and then after something to try for Bridgestone, a front tyre which was an important test. It was ok, I felt good with the bike and we found something new. Now we have to continue like this.”
Massimo Meregalli
“Both Jorge and Vale have worked hard today on their fourth consecutive day of riding and it has been a successful first test of the week. The schedule went well and we were able to test and compare all the required materials for the day. The most important items were one exhaust and an engine spec for the 2015 M1. We will make a final comparison of the exhaust in Aragon on Wednesday to make a final decision. If the result is positive we will start to use the exhaust from Assen.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Stunning test performance sees both Tech3 riders in top 4
Monster Yamaha Tech3 riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro undertook a detailed test programme to both finish inside the top 4 today at the Catalunya circuit and achieved highly confidence boosting results for future MotoGP races.
Bradley Smith performed a colossal 75 laps around the 4727 metre Catalunya circuit to clearly illustrate his competitive intentions for the rest of the season by snaring a superb 2nd place. The British rider meticulously investigated various aspects of his Yamaha YZR-M1 and devoted his testing time to thoroughly explore suspension, geometry as well as engine braking settings during the test. Smith completed the session with an impressive time of 1.41,224 set on lap 74 which left him a blink of an eye behind the leading bike of Marc Marquez with a gap of only 0.040. Additionally his lap was quicker than his qualifying time by almost three tenths of a second. The 23-year-old rider’s rigid test programme which concluded positively, allowed him and his Monster Yamaha Tech3 to obtain valuable information as well as set him in a good light for the next GP at Assen where he intends to confidently battle for a 5th placed finish.
Furthermore, Pol Espargaro completed the test day in a superb 4th position. The Spaniard embarked on testing various aspects of his Yamaha YZR-M1 as he proceeded to further strengthen his knowledge during his impressive rookie season. He set about thoroughly testing electronics, traction control and engine braking as well as experimenting with the setting of the bike in order to improve grip, specifically in fast corners and under hot conditions akin to those at the circuit today. The reigning Moto2 World Champion’s tireless efforts saw him setting a best time of 1.41,640, set on lap 45 out of 60 which was quicker than his qualifying time by 0.037 of a second and only one tenth of a second behind multiple world champion Jorge Lorenzo in 3rd place. His successful day sees him poised to competitively compete at the top of his game for round 8 of the 2014 MotoGP world championship at the Iveco Daily Dutch TT.
Bradley Smith
Position : 2ndTime : 1.41,224Laps : 75
“All in all today’s test was really positive, as we achieved everything we set out to as well as clarifying a few mysterious problems from yesterday. I felt a lot more comfortable on the bike today plus I did 75 laps with my fastest time at the end which was even quicker than what I was able to achieve in the GP. In general we tested a lot of different things such as geometry settings, electronics, engine braking plus a new tyre from Bridgestone so it was a busy but productive schedule. Our main focus of the day was to improve braking stability and the engine-braking situation, we certainly achieved both of these factors. For me to be able to do a 41.2 lap time is really encouraging and I am definitely happy with the results. Now, I am looking forward to going to Assen to see how this new information we have gathered can be of benefit.”
Pol Espargaro
Position : 4thTime : 1.41,640Laps : 60
“I am very pleased with what we have accomplished today. At the first test in Jerez in May we made some really good improvements that have clearly helped me to understand my Yamaha in a better way and I am convinced that we can safely say the same here. After a tricky weekend the team and I tested a lot of different settings on the bike which will be very interesting for the future races plus the lap times and the rhythm were very positive. The Yamaha felt great and the team worked really hard as always so we have definitely made a step forward in the areas which we were working on and for sure we have improved the bike a lot when compared to yesterday. On a Monday, it’s a bit late to say but the lack of experience in setting up the bike seems to be my biggest struggle at the moment and I am sure it is the reason for our performance this weekend. However, I now look forward to the next race at Assen as I am keen to see the value of the testing results.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Ducati Team hard at work again in IRTA tests at Montmeló
Less than twenty-four hours after the seventh round of the 2014 world championship, the Catalunya GP held in Barcelona (Spain), the MotoGP teams returned to the track at the Montmeló circuit to take part in a one-day test organized by IRTA.
Both Ducati Team riders – Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow – were present, together with Test Team rider Michele Pirro. The day’s work revolved around set-up work and the new electronic software used during the race by Pirro, and today by the two Ducati Team men.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 11th, 1’42.379 (34 laps)
“Today we put the finishing touches to the base set-up, and worked on the electronics. We didn’t have any particularly new material to try, but it’s always important to do this sort of thing, because in a weekend you never have time to work calmly on the small details. It’s good to do a day’s testing, even though we didn’t do a lot of laps. We also tried the new Bridgestone tyre and the feeling is positive, even though there wasn’t much heat in the track surface.”
Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 13th, 1’42.909 (67 laps)
“Today we had to confirm some settings from the race weekend. We improved them in a race condition, even though I didn’t set a fast time today, and I’m happier than what I was over the race weekend.”
Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51) – 15th, 1’43.305 (70 laps)
“I am quite tired because I did 70 laps on the regular track and 10 laps this morning with the F1 curve! We continued to work on the new software we used in the race, and I am happy with the results. We’ll continue to test here tomorrow and Wednesday, and I hope to be able to improve these strategies even more so that they can then be used by the factory riders in the next races.”
More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:
Productive day of testing for the NGM Forward Racing Team
The NGM Forward Racing Team was back on track today to carry out a full day of testing at the Barcelona-Catalunya track.
After the great 6th place scored yesterday in the home gp, Aleix Espargaro used at the best the testing session to test the new Forward chassis with a very positive feedback. In total he completed 40 laps, setting the 9th best lap time with 1’42.153.
Also team mate Colin Edwards continued to work on the chassis playing with the geometry and he tested some electronics updates supplied by Magneti Marelli. The Texan rider completed 35 laps (1’44.364).
Positiva giornata di test per il team NGM Forward Racing
Colin Edwards:
“Today we continued working on the chassis set up, playing with the geometry and we tested the new software updates from Magneti Marelli. We also tested the new fuel tank. All in all it was a productive day of work. I was more comfortable with the bike and I look forward to race in Assen”.
Aleix Espargaro:
“Today we tested the new chassis for the first time and the feeling was positive. I could already notice some improvements in some areas. Of course we will need to do more kilometres and also to work on the set up but the feeling was good. We also tested some electronics settings to improve the start but we didn’t get the expected results. Anyway we will keep on working and I look forward to race in Assen, one of my favourite tracks”.