MotoAmerica/Vortex Studios To Produce Entertainment Programming
IRVINE, CA – MotoAmerica, the home of the AMA Superbike Series, and multi-media production studio Vortex Studios, which produces entertainment programming, including “Tabloid Wars” (NBC), “Fashion Star” (Bravo) and “ArtPrize (YouTube), have announced their collaboration to produce programming based on MotoAmerica’s events, racers and experience in the motorcycle world.
The new programming will cover all aspects of the motorcycling lifestyle from shows about celebrity motorcyclists to behind-the-scenes stories with current racers, up-and-coming young racers who strive to one day participate in MotoAmerica, the significant others of the men and women who compete in the series, and many other facets of the industry and the MotoAmerica culture.
“MotoAmerica is all about passion, competitiveness, speed and pushing yourself to be the best, said MotoAmerica President and three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey. “We want to showcase the diverse and fascinating world of motorcycling. MotoAmerica is the fastest, most thrilling and competitive two-wheeled sport in the U.S. and our athletes are world-class racers all battling to be the very best they can be. Through Vortex Studios efforts, we hope to bring the experiences of our racers, good and bad, into living rooms across the nation and we know it will make compelling content.”
“This is the next step in the evolution of our brand,” said MotoAmerica CEO Richard Varner. “MotoAmerica has seen incredible growth over the past five years and we are looking to expand our audience to include the casual fans who will discover us through the entertainment side of our world. We look forward to seeing what Vortex can do to showcase MotoAmerica in a different way.”
The two companies will target the release of this new programming to all non-sports platforms, including cable networks such as E! Network, Bravo and Discovery Channel as well as streaming platforms Netflix, Apple tv+, HBO Max and Amazon Prime and video-on-demand platforms YouTube and Facebook.
“Having produced programming for E! Network, Bravo and NBC, we feel that there is such great potential in bringing MotoAmerica’s brand and riders to wider audiences,” said James Deutch, CEO and Executive Producer of Vortex Studios. “The talent within MotoAmerica’s universe is incredible and the access to great stories and characters is very unique. We see huge potential to find great stories within MotoAmerica similar to what the NFL, UFC or NBA have done to build their brands beyond core fans.”
Currently MotoAmerica’s sport programming is seen on Fox Sports, NBC Sports Network and via MotoAmerica’s live streaming platform, MotoAmerica Live +.
The 2020 racing season begins on April 3-5 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Vortex Studios
Vortex, with offices in Hollywood and Traverse City, Michigan, specializes in non-fiction entertainment programming and working with major brands. The Vortex team has created and produced series for NBC, Bravo, E! Network, Bloomberg Television, CNBC, AOL and YouTube. Projects have included “Fashion Star” for NBC starring Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos. That format has been produced around the world for 10 seasons. In addition, the talent behind Vortex Studios has also created “Tabloid Wars,” a docuseries for Bravo chronicling the reporters and editors of the New York Daily News; “Conversations with Michael Eisner” (CNBC); “Miss Seventeen” (MTV); “TechStars” (Bloomberg Television) and many others. Furthermore, the team has a long history working with major advertisers to incorporate them into programming and create customized content. Brands have included Macy’s, GM, SC Johnson, Mazda, H&M, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson and Ethan Allen, among others. For more information, visit www.vortextv.co
AHRMA’s 3rd and 4th rounds of the 2020 racing season were held at Roebling Road Raceway in Bloomingdale, Georgia this past weekend, February 22-23. The 2nd annual Vintage Cup, sponsored by NYC Norton (nycnorton.com) and Roadracing World (roadracingworld.com) is seeing more exciting racing as each round passes. The lineup this past weekend included Trustee Brian Larrabure, fresh off his win at Laguna Seca, Tim Joyce, on Maurice Candy’s Manx which he took two wins on at the Island Classic at Phillip Island in 2018, Jason Roberts, Jamie Waters, and Dick Miles.
On Saturday, Larrabure won handily with Joyce suffering a mechanical DNF, followed by Waters and Roberts.
On Sunday, the tables were turned. While Joyce took an early lead, he fell back unable to come out of third gear with Larrabure pulling ahead. Larrabure was unable to hold the lead suffering a mechanical causing him to pull out of the race on the seventh lap. Joyce was able to nurse the bike across the finish line in third gear taking the checkered flag for the win, with Waters in 2nd.
Several sets of race-worn leathers and two drag racing cylinder blocks have been stolen from the Yoshimura Racing race shop in Chino, California.
Five sets of leather racing suits worn by Yoshimura Suzuki riders Martin Cardenas, Roger Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Mat Mladin, and Blake Young were stolen from displays in the lobby of Yoshimura Racing’s shop on Thursday, February 20.
Retired Mat Mladin leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.Art work representing the Roger Hayden leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
Photos of the leathers that were stolen can be seen above and below.
Art work representing the Blake Young leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.Art work representing the Martin Cardenas leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
The thief (or thieves) also took two special cylinder blocks custom made for Suzuki Pro Stock drag race bikes. The cylinder blocks have RLR machined in the sides, as seen in these photos.
An example of the Suzuki drag racing cylinder blocks that were stolen from Yoshimura Racing. Note the “RLR” machined in the side. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.An example of the Suzuki drag racing cylinder blocks that were stolen from Yoshimura Racing. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
These items are rare and easy to identify, according to Yoshimura Racing Manager Rich Doan.
The Chino Police Department is investigating the theft, but Doan asked that anyone with information regarding these items please contact Yoshimura Racing first at (909) 364-0186.
Teams Announced For Drag Specialties King Of The Baggers Invitational
Overwhelming Industry Support For Debut Event
IRVINE, CA (February 25, 2020) – Fourteen teams have signed on the dotted line to compete in the inaugural Drag Specialties King of the Baggers invitational event that will be part of the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 10-12, with the grid now full for the exhibition race.
“It’s been really cool to see how well the King of the Baggers invitational has been received since we made the announcement,” said MotoAmerica’s Senior Sponsorship Manager Lance Bryson. “The guys over at Drag Specialties have really stepped up with our event at Laguna and we’ve got a lot of great companies building tricked-out Performance Baggers for the race. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we think our fans are going to like what they see with this and the rest of the cool stuff we have planned for the Superbike Speedfest at Monterey.”
The list of invited teams set to participate in the Drag Specialties King of the Baggers is as follows:
Alloy Art – maker of custom motorcycle products
Barnett Tool & Engineering – clutches and cables
Bassani – motorcycle exhaust systems
Feuling Parts – performance products for Harleys
Legends Suspension – front and rear suspension products
MJK – innovators of aftermarket products
Roland Sands Design – bike builder, aftermarket parts and apparel
Performance Machine – motorcycle brakes and wheels
Saddlemen – motorcycle seats and saddlebags
S&S – American motorcycle engines and parts
SLYFOX Performance – high-performance motorcycle parts
The Speed Merchant – custom motorcycle builder
Trask – maker of the motorcycle turbo kits
Vance Hines – manufacturer of motorcycle exhaust and performance products
The teams will be announcing their riders in the coming weeks.
“In all my years of working in the motorcycle industry, I have never been to Laguna Seca,” said Brandon Holstein, owner/builder of The Speed Merchant. “So, I am beyond excited to be going for the first time and being a part of the first ever Drag Specialties King of the Baggers race.”
Alex Fox, founder of SLYFOX Performance, added: “I’m honored to have my brand be a part of this first-ever event of this magnitude. That Corkscrew section will be something to keep an eye on. This day will be one for the history books.”
“This is for the fans and for the brands who love to build and ride – racing is part of Saddlemen’s heritage, and we’re honored to be on the starting grid with our moto family,” said David Echert of Saddlemen.
To purchase tickets for all MotoAmerica events, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Royal Enfield and American Flat Track Forge Official Partnership
Multi-faceted partnership to include fan experience elements and on-track exhibitions
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 25, 2020) – American Flat Track proudly announced today its inaugural year of partnership with Royal Enfield North America with a multi-faceted plan to grow the visibility of the manufacturer within the sport.
In addition to becoming an Official OEM Partner of American Flat Track, Royal Enfield will be bringing its fleet of motorcycles right to the fans within AFT’s Fan Zone activations at select rounds of the 2020 season. Those with motorcycle endorsements will even be able to take a spin on the RENA machines with exclusive fan demo ride opportunities at eight AFT events, with the potential for additional rounds to be added and announced at a later date.
As an added element of entertainment for fans, Royal Enfield’s recently announced BUILD TRAIN RACE program will bring its all-female flat track motorcycle program to select AFT rounds in 2020. Using the Royal Enfield INT 650 as a base, four women will customize and race their machines across the country, showcasing their various levels of ingenuity and skill.
AFT fans can look forward to the premiere of all four bikes and their builders at the 2020 Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Law Tigers on March 28 at Dixie Speedway. The quartet of riders/builders will again compete at the So-Cal Half-Mile on May 9 at Southern California Fair and round out their cross-country exhibition at Laconia Motorcycle Week for the Laconia Short Track on June 13.
“This partnership represents a major step for Royal Enfield’s efforts in North America,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead – Americas. “As we continue to grow our awareness, getting our motorcycles in front of enthusiasts is critical, and AFT has offered us a fantastic opportunity to do just that. Showcasing the Royal Enfield Twins FT as a track-prep motorcycle along with the access fans will get to our lineup has our organization here in the U.S. and India eager for the season to start.”
“Royal Enfield is a storied name in motorcycling and we are delighted to work with the brand as they ramp up in the USA market,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “AFT fans across the country will get a chance to get up close and personal with Royal Enfield’s unique twin-cylinder range of bikes and meet their team.”
Don’t miss Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE program along with another running of incredible American Flat Track racing at Dixie Speedway on Saturday, March 28. Tickets for The Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Law Tigers start at just $35 when you purchase an advance General Admission ticket online. Get yours at www.americanflattrack.com.
NBCSN and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold are the official homes for coverage of American Flat Track. For the 2020 season, NBCSN’s coverage of AFT remains in highly-coveted programming slots within two weeks of each event. The complete schedule for AFT on NBCSN can be viewed at http://www.americanflattrack.com/events-nbcsn/. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold – the most-robust motorsports offering in the digital marketplace – is a cornerstone of AFT’s digital strategy, providing live streaming coverage of every event and maintaining an active archive of all AFT content.
About American Flat Track:
American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on American Flat Track, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events with TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and catch all the American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.
About Royal Enfield:
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the mid-size motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 90 dealers in North America, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the Bullet 500, Classic 500, Himalayan and the all new 650 Twins: INT 650 and Continental GT 650 motorcycles along with a range of genuine motorcycle accessories and apparel.
Sprint Filter new racing technical partner of Energica Motor Company
Since its foundation, Energica Motor Company has always been committed to the constant research of innovation in the motorcycling sector, with an eye to the future but also with solid roots in the Italian Motor Valley – which itself has been synonymous for excellence in the automotive sector. In this sense, the partnerships with high-profile suppliers have been of vital importance, and the one forged between technical partner Sprint Filter and Energica – the Single Manufacturer of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup – fits perfectly in the R&D plans of the Modena-based company.
Sprint Filter is an internationally renowned organisation with almost 70 years of experience not just in air filters and aspiration systems, but also active in the biomedical fields and more. The company will make available its know-how as well as manufacture bespoke air filters for the 18 Ego Corsa machines that will take to the track in the second edition of the MotoE World Cup, which will have its season opener on May 3rd at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.
The use of air filters – an innovative solution in the EV industry – will allow a more efficient cooling process of the battery pack fitted into the Energica race machines, especially in those rounds featuring three sessions close together on the same day. The more efficient temperature management will allow for a smoother charging process within the MotoE events on the calendar. The units will be positioned alongside the battery pack, a solution designed by Energica and made possible by engineers at Sprint Filter. Sprint Filter has made a special kit of six air filters for Energica Motor Company using their own, patented water P037 item, the only water-proof air filter for both internal combustion and electric motors in the world. Sprint Filter’s air filter P037 – as with every other air filter made by the company – is essentially free from maintenance. This air filter ensures a constant filtration and value of the air flow over time. In terms of efficiency, the polyester P037 filter maintains the 100% of di 37 μ. particles, while the air flow amounts to 4,500 m2/s. Sprint Filter will make its debut together with Energica in the first of two official tests at Jerez de la Frontera, taking place on March 10-12 at the Andalusian venue.
“We’re really happy with the partnership forged with Sprint Filter, a very well known and appreciated institution in the automotive and motorsport sectors for several decades now,” said Energica’s CTO Giampiero Testoni. “Energica is always looking for innovative solutions that can help bring forward the development path of the company, which has already led to incredible results in a short time span and allowed the creation of the MotoE World Cup – of which Energica is the single manufacturer. The first edition of the series has been a success and now we’re ready for a second, exciting season.”
Fabrizio Marcucci (Sprint Filter’s Marketing & Sales Director): “We’re extremely proud with this long-term partnership with Energica Motor Company, a globally known institution which is known for the high-quality of their motorcycles – so much that it was selected as single manufacturer of the MotoE World Cup. To be their supplier is a great testimony for the quality of our products.”
Takumi Takahashi, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP), 1:36.314
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Rea edges Baz as Phillip Island Official Test ends with a flurry
The Northern Irishman fought back and heads the way, whilst the top 17 riders are covered by just 1.5 seconds
The final pre-season test for the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has been completed with the action too close to call ahead of the first round of the season. The spectacular Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit brought in wet weather at stages, whilst numerous crashes and red flags occurred, including offs for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC). Despite the crash, it was Rea who pipped Independent sensation Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) to the top ahead of the first round.
Loris Baz (76). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
Leading the way into the weekend, Jonathan Rea moved into top position and put in a strong lap time of 1’30.448, coming in the morning session. The Ulsterman used today for long runs, showcasing his ability to work well and return to first place. However, his day wasn’t without incident and was one of a handful of riders who crashed at Turn 4. He was OK and the bike was virtually undamaged. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) continued his switch to the KRT squad but was down in 12th and suffered a crash at Turn 6 in the morning, giving him plenty of work ahead of the racing weekend.
Flying the flag for the Independent teams once again was Loris Baz as the Frenchman continued to be quick in the pre-season tests and finished second. What is impressive for Baz is that he hasn’t used the 2020 engine yet, so his pace is done purely on the 2019 engine; he expects a big step forward come Friday and his race pace is already looking strong. Other Independent revelations inside the top ten included Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) in eighth.
2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) led the BMW charge as he continued to shine at the sharp end. Having struggled with rear grip in the 2019 races, Sykes can now run comfortably for longer in the 1’31s. He’s been working on the balance of the bike, whilst also using a new rear shock, placing him third. Teammate Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) completed his swingarm and chassis work and is now focused on electronics and short runs. He finished ninth overall.
Having been flying high at the head of the field on day one, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team’s day two was slightly different. Toprak Razgatlioglu couldn’t replicate his day one pace in the tricky conditions, but was focused on settling in a good race pace and not just setting a strong one-off lap time. However, his ability to set a strong one-off lap time with the Q tyre itself confirms the strides he has made over the pre-season at a time attack in Tissot Superpole style. Michael van der Mark crashed in the morning session at Turn 10 but was OK. The Dutchman didn’t put a fast time in on Monday but set 15 consecutive laps in the 1’31s, demonstrating a good race pace. Toprak was fourth whilst van der Mark was seventh.
‘Pocket Rocket’ Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was once again in the top six, making it all six manufacturers inside the top half dozen once again. His lap time of a 1’30.882 was right on his race pace from last year, so there’s plenty of promise from Honda and their new CBR1000RR-R already. On the other side of the garage, Alvaro Bautista wasn’t up at the sharp end and suffered a crash at Turn 4 during the morning. He was in the top ten however, which is an important step forward ahead of the weekend.
There was a vast improvement in lap time from Scott Redding, despite the more inconsistent weather at the start of the day. The WorldSBK rookie managed to get into the 1’30 bracket as he perfected the balance of his bike. Still learning the Q tyre, Redding is aiming to be on the pace come the start of the weekend. His teammate Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) struggled to keep pace with his rookie teammate but worked away nonetheless. Redding finished in sixth but with big gains, whilst Davies was 11th on combined times.
Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo courtesy of GRT Yamaha.
Sandro Cortese (OUTDO Kawasaki – TPR) was just outside the top ten in 13th, 0.005s behind Lowes. Cortese was impressive, considering this was his first testing on the ZX-10RR. Behind Cortese in 14th was returning Spaniard Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), whilst Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) continued to impress in 15th. He was just ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and his teammate Federico Caricasulo, whilst Leon Camier (Barni Racing Team) and Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea Honda Team) were just behind. In all, the top 17 were covered by just 1.5s.
Andrea Locatelli topped the times and left the field to battle for second in his wake.
Andrea Locatelli (55). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
After a disrupted second session on the opening day of the FIM Supersport World Championship, teams and riders were hoping for a smooth day’s running. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) topped the times on the second day of running having done the same yesterday in a day that was disrupted by several red flags.
Locatelli was the only rider to break into the 1’32 brackets across both sessions as he finished ahead of reigning champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who was second overall, more than half-a-second back from Locatelli. Krummenacher’s day was not without trouble as he suffered from a technical problem with around 30 minutes left to run in the afternoon session, with valuable track time lost as he and the team looked to work on the set-up of the bike.
Krummenacher’s MV Agusta Reparto Corse teammates, Raffaele De Rosa and Federico Fuligni, finished in fourth and 14th respectively. De Rosa’s day also ended early as he had a crash at Turn 9 with around 20 minutes remaining in the afternoon session while Fuligni also suffered from a technical issue during the session – although he was able to return to the pitlane.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) finished in third place in the combined classification from today’s two sessions after working to find a good balance for his bike in the morning. Cluzel had lots of tyres to use today after not running too much yesterday morning. Cluzel’s GMT94 Yamaha teammate, Corentin Perolari, finished in fifth place despite a trip through the gravel at Turn 2.
Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was sixth overall, and the fastest Kawasaki rider, just under a second behind pacesetter Locatelli with teammate Lucas Mahias finishing 11th in the combined classification, having been top Kawasaki on day one. Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) was seventh over the course of the two sessions despite a crash in the morning session at Turn 2. Odendaal’s fastest time came in the opening session of the day despite the incident at Turn 2.
Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) finished in eighth place with his teammate Patrick Hobelsberger in 18th place, both on Honda CBR600RR bikes. Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) was ninth on his Kawasaki ZX-6R with Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) completing the top 10 of the session. Vinales was trying some chassis and clutch parts during the test, as well as using the race engine, but with a focus on the whole season and not just the Yamaha Finance Australian Round and at Phillip Island. Vinales’ Kallio Racing teammate Hannes Soomer finished two places below Vinales in 12th place with about a tenth of a second separating the pair.Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) finished in 13th place with his teammate Loris Cresson completing the session in 21st place. Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) was 15th, just behind Fuligni, as the sole WRP Wepol Racing entry as he finished just ahead of Christoffer Bergman (Wojcik Racing Team).
Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was classified in 17th place, ahead of Hobelsberger, with Andy Verdoia (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) one place behind in 18th place and 19th respectively. Australian wildcard Oliver Bayliss (CUBE Racing) finished in 20th place after a focus on testing tyres for today’s session. Bayliss had yesterday gone faster than he had done in the past at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit after following some of the full-time riders when they were on the same part of the track. Jamie van Sikkelerus (MPM Routz Racing Team) was 22nd in the classification while Galang Hendra Pratama did not compete in the test following a visa issue.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Scott Redding 6th and Chaz Davies 11th as official WorldSBK testing concludes at Phillip Island (Australia).
Two days of official WorldSBK testing for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, ended today at the Phillip Island Circuit (Australia), with Scott Redding and Chaz Davis in 6th and 11th position respectively.
Scott Redding got off to a great start on Day-2, staying in P1 for a long time. A crash at turn 10 at the start of the afternoon session (after a good lap in 1’30.8 and the best T4 overall) delayed the work programme for the second testing day. His team, however, did an extraordinary job allowing Scott to get back on track for the final run.
After the comparison work between the 2019 and the 2020 version of the Ducati Panigale V4 R, on the second day of testing, Chaz Davies focused on the set up by putting together 65 laps.
Both Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders also received positive information about the race pace ahead of the first round of the 2020 WorldSBK season which will kick off on Friday with the #AusWorldSBK free practice at the iconic Phillip Island circuit in Victoria State, Australia.
#45 Scott Redding – Combined Standings Day 1-2: P6
Day-1: P6 (1’31.236, +0.496, 46 laps)
Day-2: P6 (1’30.885, +0.362, 45 laps)
#7 Chaz Davies – Combined Standings Day 1-2: P11
Day-1: P10 (1,32,113, +1,373, 44 laps)
Day-2: P11 (1,31,533, +1,085, 65 laps)
Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy of Aruba.it Racing Ducati.
Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #45)
“I’m very pleased with what we’ve done. They were two important days in which we worked on many aspects. We have closed the gap to front guys and the feeling with the bike is definitely positive. It’s a shame about today’s crash but the important thing is that there were no consequences. Maybe we still need to improve on the single lap but the race pace data is very positive”.
Chaz Davies (7). Photo courtesy of Aruba.it Racing Ducati.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“It’s been a busy couple of days. If I’m honest, I think I found a good feeling, maybe not great but still positive even if we still have to perfect the set up for the race. Compared to the first day of testing, however, today the feeling was better. It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do but there is a lot of confidence and above all a lot of desire to start the season in the best possible way.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are ready for the 2020 season opener of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty to compete in the first WorldSBK race of the year on Phillip Island, Australia.
Two productive test days with the BMW S 1000 RR round off pre-season preparations. Marc Bongers: “I think that we have the chance to get onto the podium”.
Phillip Island. The countdown is on for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: This weekend (28th February to 1st March) sees the team start its second season in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) on Phillip Island (AUS). The two BMW S 1000 RR will be ridden by Tom Sykes (GBR) and his new team-mate Eugene Laverty (IRL) this year. After an intense winter, Team Principal Shaun Muir’s (GBR) crew are now ready for the first WorldSBK 2020 races.
On the Monday and Tuesday before the start of the season the team took part in a two-day test on Phillip Island. The objective was to evaluate new components and fine-tune Sykes and Laverty’s RRs. The opening weekend of the WorldSBK 2020 gets underway on Friday with the first two free practice sessions. Then, after another free practice session on Saturday, it’s the Superpole; the first race will be held in the afternoon. Sunday’s schedule starts with the warm-up, followed by the Superpole race and race two.
Ahead of the first race weekend of the season, the modified BMW S 1000 RR for the WorldSBK 2020 will be presented at a media BBQ in the paddock on Thursday. BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers, Team Principal Shaun Muir and the two riders Sykes and Laverty will be on hand to answer any questions.
Quotes ahead of the season opener on Phillip Island.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “In general, we are well prepared for the season opener. After the tests in Jerez and Portimão we had some open points that we were able to continue and to confirm here in good conditions. Now we have to make our choice for the race weekend. Tom’s pace is strong and we now have to try to keep it over the race distance. With Eugene, we have identified a few things we will work on for the weekend to also further improve his pace. Our goal for the opening round is: we want to start from the front row and I think that we have the chance to get onto the podium.”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We’ve had two good days of testing here in Australia. On Eugene’s side, we’ve had a lot of information to work through and we had satisfying results, mostly with the electronics and his feel for the delivery of the power. That has been his focus area and while we are happy so far we will take some of this work into Friday. On Tom’s side we’ve had a huge list of items for him to test over the two days. We are pretty happy with where we are. We’ve not managed to do much race simulation due to the extensive test items, so that will be Fridays focus. We know we can qualify very well and aim to be on the front row in qualifying. But it’s not about qualifying, it’s about the race and we know that to be in contention for a podium position, we need to do consistent fast lap times in the latter parts of race. To do so and to be on the podium is definitely the goal for the season opener.”
Tom Sykes (66). Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Tom Sykes: “I’m very happy with the way things have gone. We had very successful winter tests, didn’t get too carried away with the lap times and really focused on the set-up of the BMW S 1000 RR. We really got through a strong test programme and when we came here to Phillip Island, it has paid off. As soon as I rolled out, the bike felt very good and we were able to work on the little parameters that we had in store before the race weekend. Overall, I’m happy with the outcome. We have a lot of information that we will study over next days and we will try to come back strong for the race weekend with a good base set-up. Regarding my goals for the season opener: obviously everybody is here trying to win races. I just want to be more consistent throughout the season but we always have to aim for the podium, always have to try to make that podium into a race win and obviously here it is not different.”
Eugene Laverty (50). Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Eugene Laverty: “I’m a typical rider, I always want more time, an extra day to be ready but it has been a good couple of test days. We’ve worked a lot towards race preparation because you have concentrate on 20 laps not just on one lap and that has been our focus. We still have some work to do to do that fast lap time as for example Tom has been able to do but I’m confident that we will get there. We need to be fighting up there for the podium because this bike’s capable of it at this track. We’re feeling prepared. We need some more dry time on Friday to find our one lap pace but I’m confident that for the long distance, we will be there.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:
KRT Riders Complete Final Tests
The Phillip Island circuit in Australia hosted the final pre-season test for the WorldSBK riders on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February, with Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes wrapping up their pre-race checks and set-up tasks in readiness for the first round of the year this coming weekend.
Rea took his official Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR to the top place overall on the time sheets, with Lowes 12th.
Light rain and several red flags prevented a full first day of action but on the second day the early morning and then afternoon sessions allowed the KRT staff to evaluate tyre options and set-up decisions looking to the imminent arrival of race weekend.
Rea worked on both tyre life and finding an optimum bike balance to take on the unique 4.445km Phillip Island circuit, which is always a tough test for tyre durability at race pace.
Lowes also worked on machine balance to find feel and feedback after realising that his previous set-up from the European winter test programme needed some modification at such a fast and flowing circuit. He and his tech crew have now settled on a base set-up to take into the start of race weekend on Friday.
Now the refreshed KRT line up of five times champion Rea and new signing Lowes will face three races at PI – two full distance events (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) and a ten lap sprint race on Sunday morning, 1 March.
The opening round of the 2020 championship is the first of 13 rounds, with the second one coming along at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, between 13 and 15 March.
Jonathan Rea (1). Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It has been a positive test all-in-all. Even though some sessions were hindered a bit by the weather, we have been able to confirm a lot of items from the balance side, to try to get the bike to turn more naturally. That was out focus coming here, knowing what we knew from last year. I felt good with the bike and tested two different front tyres. Both gave good but different sensations so it is more about understanding which one we go towards the weekend with. You never really know in this race. We have done race distance on all the tyres we used and I feel fast and consistent with all. But you never really know until the race. It is clear at this track that you can go all out and be really fast but you tend to run into issues at the end of the race. So it is more about trying to make your consistent rhythm easy and I feel like we have a bike that is quite user-friendly. That is positive to go into Friday with.”
Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Alex Lowes, stated: “Obviously it has not been as easy to find the right feeling and set-up on the bike as I would have liked coming here but also it is the first time on the bike on such a strange track layout. It is so fast here, with lots of changes of direction. How I felt on the bike earlier in the winter tests was not quite the same here, so we worked a bit on the set-up. I got a little bit frustrated a couple of times, made a couple of mistakes, but the last session it was a bit better and we have found a base set-up that I can go into the weekend with. I am looking forward to getting my first race weekend in green started in a few days from now.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “Before coming here, and it is the same as every year, we knew this is the real first time that you can see everybody – all the teams, riders and manufacturers – and there are some new bikes and riders – so before you come here you are expecting to see where everybody is. Now we can understand where everyone is. Last year was tough for us even if Johnny finished all the races in second place; Alvaro was really strong and riding really well. We struggled with the rear tyre so before we came here I studied this aspect and we focused 100% on the most important points of this track. Phillip Island is quite unique and we have to save the tyre for race distance. But at the same time you have to be fast. We worked calmly with Johnny and he understands what this track asks of him, so step-by-step we focused and followed all the items we wanted to test – all the plans – so we are happy.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “We did not finish where we would have wanted to finish in the timesheets but we were fast and competitive over race distance, which is very positive. We did most laps during this test, which was one of our targets. This is a special track and we did not have too many laps in the previous winter tests before we got here. The overall package of Alex and the bike are still fresh and therefore I am sure we can improve our performance for the weekend.”
Other Kawasaki WorldSBK riders at the PI test included Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Xavi Fores, who was overall 14th and Sandro Cortese from the Outdo Kawasaki TPR squad with the 13th fastest time. New rider for 2020, Chilean Maximilian Scheib from the Orelac Racing VerdNatura team, ended up 15th from the 19 riders at PI.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Pro Racing:
Team HRC makes progress as the final pre-season tests conclude at Phillip Island
Honda WorldSBK
25 Feb 2020
The final WorldSBK test sessions prior to the start of the 2020 Championship have now drawn to a close for Team HRC. On track at Phillip Island in Australia, Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam worked hard across Monday and Tuesday, despite rain conditioning proceedings on Monday afternoon.
With significant set-up solutions to test, the team adopted a methodical approach on Monday and made gradual progress on both sides of the garage. Back on what initially was still a wet track this morning, both Haslam and Bautista were nevertheless able to improve on their best times set yesterday, the Brit recording a 1’31.046 to finish sixth, the Spaniard lowering his time by more than a second to close eighth with a 1’31.453.
Conditions remained dry for the afternoon’ final session and, towards the very end of this last session, Haslam was able to further lower his lap time, setting a 1’30.882 to position fifth in the combined two-day standings. Bautista closed tenth overall with the time set during the morning’s stint (1’31.453).
Team HRC will return to the Phillip Island circuit on Friday, ready for the first practice sessions making up the opening round of the 2020 Superbike World Championship.
Leon Haslam (91). Photo courtesy of Honda Pro Racing.
Leon Haslam
We’ve made some steps forward today, despite the windy conditions being a bit of a problem this afternoon. Unfortunately, there is never enough time, especially considering how many elements we have to test but we’ve got a lot done here. Our lap times are not bad and I’m quite happy with our consistency in terms of the tyres. Overall, I feel we’re making good progress although the testing only tells us so much of course. We won’t know exactly where we are until we race, so we’ll know more come the weekend – it’s going to be interesting.
Alvaro Bautista (19). Photo courtesy of Honda Pro Racing.
Alvaro Bautista
This test has been very important for us of course and I think we’ve made progress. With respect to yesterday, my feeling with the Fireblade was a little better this morning, while this afternoon was a little trickier in the wind and on a more slippery track. We’ve also tested tyres today, finding positives and negatives as is always the case, and we also attempted a long run in order to collect as much data as possible ahead of the first races. All this information is really important as we move forward and I’m confident we can take another step forward this coming weekend. The potential, power and speed are all there, now we just need to work to be able to effectively harness it all.
More, from a press release issued by Team Go Eleven:
LAST DAY OF TESTING, AWESOME FEELING WITH USED TYRES!
On the night between Monday and Tuesday, a violent storm hit Phillip Island, where will take place the Round 1 branded WorldSBK. The track has changed considerably compared to yesterday, but the warm weather helped to quickly restore optimal conditions.
In the first part of the morning Team Go Eleven, together with the rider Michael Rinaldi, used the wet track for a shakedown with what will be the race bike. Everything turned out to be in order and ready for the debut. Thus, the test program has resumed, trying to make the V4-R Go Eleven more manageable. From mid-shift onwards Michael shows a step forward in his feeling with his Ducati, managing to significantly improve yesterday’s lap time; enters the top ten with a 1.31.438 that projects him close to the top.
Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy of Team Go Eleven.
Michael Rinaldi:
In the afternoon session, the number 21 from Romagna focuses on the race pace, making several passes on the “31” high, demonstrating great confidence with the bike, showing a good race pace with used tyres. There were some technical tests in this last available session, too: a new swingarm made its appearance on the rear of the V4-R Go Eleven. Despite a not too exciting first quick impression, Michael became familiar with the new technical characteristics and managed to push, improving the morning’s time in an overall slower session due to the strong wind.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Positive Final Tests for Razgatlıoğlu and Van der Mark
Phillip Island, Australia (25 Feb 2020) – Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team with Rizla riders Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark completed the final pre-season test at Phillip Island in strong form, as they posted the fourth and seventh fastest lap times overall respectively.
Razgatlioglu once again showed real pace and confidence on the new 2020 Pata Yamaha R1 by finishing only 0.292 seconds from the fastest time, despite also working for long periods on used tyre pace and bike balance to carry into the three races at Phillip Island this coming weekend.
After a strong two days on track for Yamaha’s Official Team, van der Mark was satisfied with the seventh fastest lap, having focused on overall race pace and making final technical preparations – which included two very encouraging full distance race simulations.
Razgatlioglu set 123 laps in total against his main rivals, and van der Mark would have posted more than the 103 he ended up with were it not for suffering a crash earlier today in the final sector, on a lap that would have seen him challenge the outright best. He recovered well to get to within one-tenth of his personal best time, set in FP3 this morning, in the final session after some slick work in the pits from his technical crew.
The 4.445km long Phillip Island circuit witnessed light rain at times on day one, and several red flag incidents, but the team made the best of their available track time at a circuit which has a reputation for being very tough on tyre durability, especially on the left side.
With the potential for high tyre wear in mind, technical solutions and adjustments to riding styles were much more of a focus today than going for any class leading single lap time, after Razgatlioglu had been the fastest rider of all on day one.<
Now the attention of the Pata Yamaha with Rizla team is to focus on making a good start to the race weekend, on Friday 28 February, to prepare for the first race of what appears to be shaping up as an exciting new season on Saturday 29.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54). Photo courtesy of Pata Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Position: 4th Time: 1’30.740
“We worked to have good grip and a bike that turns well and again we will try more with these things with my R1 on Friday. We are happy because for me it is very important that I could ride the R1 at this track in dry conditions. This final afternoon I rode more in a race style and it was not bad; quite good really. But on Friday we will try another new set-up for even better grip. It is important to do race simulations and our laps were consistent. I felt good. Michael was also fast in race conditions so we will see how things are in the races. Phillip Island races can start slow, slow and then fast – I remember last year we started with 1’32 laps times then after some laps we went into the 1’31s. But we will have to see, because this is 2020, not 2019!”
Michael van der Mark (60). Photo courtesy of Pata Yamaha.
Michael van der Mark – Position: 7th Time: 1’31.077
“I am quite happy with our test and the 2020 R1. Our main goal was to improve our race pace and save our tyres. Yesterday we did a long run, which was really positive, and today we tried some different things with the rear suspension and the pace was there again, especially in a race simulation. So, I am really happy with how the test went but unfortunately this morning when I was on my way to my fastest lap I crashed, so that was a shame. But if you look back at the race simulations they were pretty good. Today I did 20 laps and the tyres were still fine. You have to start the race with a different approach than normal here but this is not my first time in Phillip Island, so we know this. At the beginning I think everyone will be a little bit conservative but at the end we will see who is the strongest. It is always going to be a surprise in this race!”
Paul Denning – Team Principal
“I don’t think any team or manufacturer finishes the Phillip Island test with all the boxes ticked and all the answers they might have been looking for put into place. However, despite a few more details still to improve, in general, we are very happy with the work completed and the raw pace of both riders and the R1. The crew have done a great job, including on Mikey’s side to get a badly damaged bike ready during the second free practice today. Now the job is to simply make a clear plan for the race weekend and find a couple of tenths where we can, but more importantly, provide the guys with an R1 that can do 22 strong and consistent laps on Saturday and Sunday – our goals are certainly higher than they were at this circuit a year ago.”
Best Race Lap Record: 1:54.927, Jorge Lorenzo, 2016
All-Time Lap Record: 1:53.380, Marc Marquez, 2019
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
February 24, 2020
Day Three Test Results (all on Michelin tires):
Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:53.858
Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:53.891
Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.068
Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.077
Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.105
Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.129
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.149
Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.239
Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:54.283
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.312
Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.326
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.332
Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.432
Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.623
Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:54.674
Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.752
Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:54.760
Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:54.830
Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.008
Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:55.301
Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:55.519
Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:55.916
Overall/Combined Test Results (all on Michelin tires):
Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:53.858
Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:53.891
Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.038
Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.068
Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.105
Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.129
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.149
Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.239
Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:54.283
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.312
Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.326
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.332
Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.432
Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:54.565
Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.623
Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.634
Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:54.674
Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:54.830
Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.008
Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:55.301
Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:55.519
Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:55.916
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Viñales rises to reign Day 3
Spaniard back on top as Yamaha and Suzuki lock out the top four
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
Monday, 24 February 2020
If there’s one thing 2020 preseason has taught us to expect, it’s some serious speed from Yamaha and Suzuki. At the close of testing before the first race weekend of the year that remained entirely true, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) getting into the 1:53s with a 1:53.858 to head the pile. And Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) wasn’t too far behind, just 0.033 in arrears, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in third a couple of tenths back. Fourth? Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), as the inline-fours came out on top.
At Yamaha, the Day 3 timesheets made for good reading and even more so overall, as Quartararo was third fastest in the combined standings. Viñales has looked like the man with the threatening race pace with Quartararo extremely close to him, Morbidelli has been consistently quick and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) seems happy and fast despite not being quite as far up the order (P12 overall). The ‘Doctor’ rarely is before race day, however…
It wasn’t all perfect reading for the Iwata marque though. Quartararo suffered a technical issue on Sunday and on Monday, and Rossi crashed on Day 3 – rider ok. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli was pleased with the progress made with improved grip and on acceleration, saying the 2020 package “is very competitive.”
Quartararo said his race simulation on Day 3 was very pleasing, pretty much every lap was in the 1:54s and the Frenchman didn’t go for a proper time attack – the 20-year-old going as far as saying “there’s margin for more”. That bodes very well for the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
The main job for Team Suzuki Ecstar, meanwhile, was to continue comparing the standard and new chassis, nothing radically new was on the GSX-RRs of Rins and Joan Mir as they focused on the finer details: adjustments in setup and gathering data for the race. Mir was sixth on Day 3 and the combined timesheets. Along with Yamaha, Suzuki look arguably in the best shape ahead of the Qatar GP with both the Sepang and Qatar Tests proving very good for the Hamamatsu factory. Rins confirmed he is “so happy” with the work done over the three days at Losail International Circuit – and Mir echoed his thoughts too.
Breaking the domination in the top five was a job for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) on Day 3. The Australian was the top Ducati in fifth, 0.247 off the top, and said he completed a couple of time attacks and two longer runs. The number 43 is “quietly confident” heading into the opening weekend of the season, and clocked the fastest-ever top speed at Losail, a ridiculous 355 km/h…
In the Bologna factory camp, Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was sporting new front aero on one of his bikes, while his other GP20 had the older aero fitted. The Italian said he was pleased with his 22-lap race simulation on Day 3, but the one-lap pace still needs work ahead of the Grand Prix. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso was still trying the new swingarm.
Ducati Team Manager Davide Tardozzi said the engine is working very well but corner speed – especially on maximum lean angle at the apex – still needs work. In addition, Tardozzi said they are experiencing some issues adapting to Michelin’s new rear tyre. After finishing P6 on Day 2, Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) didn’t improve his time as the Frenchman finished P14 overall, two places ahead of Petrucci, with Dovizioso – who was happy with his long run pace – P10 and Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) P11. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) was just 0.040 off Petrucci’s time.
Marc Marquez. Photo courtesy of Dorna.
It was a busy and intriguing day for reigning Champions Honda as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) started with three bikes in his garage, one of those being Takaaki Nakagami’s (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 2019 RC213V. Marquez was seventh overall, Nakagami less than a tenth off.
Nakagami’s teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completed 70 laps as HRC went in search of finding improvements on the final day in Qatar, with the Japanese giants testing things “from two or three years ago” according to Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig. Crutchlow said he was happy with his pace, but over one or two laps the number 35 is struggling with stopping the bike and grip with the new tyre.
Premier class rookie Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completed another 47 laps as the Spaniard admitted it was a difficult test for himself and the team, but the reigning Moto2™ World Champion was reasonably confident that he has a decent pace for the race weekend.
One of the riders of the test based on timesheets alone has to be Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Brad Binder, however. The South African slammed in a mighty impressive 1:54.283 on Day 3 to leave him ninth on the combined and Day 3 times, just 0.425 from Viñales’ pacesetting lap. As his teammate Pol Espargaro explained earlier in the test, KTM didn’t have anything new to try on Day 3 as they don’t want to start getting lost. Working for the race was the Austrian factory’s objective as it seems their initial 2020 base is pretty much sorted, however there was a slight blip for Espargaro on the final day as he crashed unhurt at Turn 2. Over in the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 camp, Miguel Oliveira and premier class rookie Iker Lecuona finished P19 and P20, but the gaps were only 1.150 and 1.443 respectively.
Speaking to motogp.com’s pitlane reporter Simon Crafar on Day 3, Aprilia Racing Technical Director Romano Albesiano confirmed their sole purpose was to decide on the engine spec they’ll use for the season. At the end of play, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) finished P13 on the timesheets, just over half a second off Viñales, with test rider Bradley Smith completing a further 55 laps on Monday as Aprilia continue to gather crucial data on their brand new RS-GP. Espargaro said he showed a strong pace on race simulation, lapping in mid-1:54s for plenty of laps was good news for the number 41. A busy test for both riders means Aprilia have a lot of analysing to do before the Qatar GP…
So that’s it for 2020 preseason testing. In simple terms, Yamaha and Suzuki have emerged as early Qatar GP favourites, with Honda seeming to have plenty of work to do ahead of Round 1. However, a Grand Prix weekend is a different kettle of fish and we will find out on judgement day – Sunday 8th March – as to how competitive each rider and team really are. The top 18 were split by less than a second, so let’s bring on Friday 6th March when the 2020 MotoGP™ World Championship will get underway!
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Oliveira and Lecuona complete final test day in Qatar
Ahead of the opening round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship season, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo of Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona had the chance to do some last-minute improvements during the last day of testing at the Losail International Circuit today. By the end of the ultimate preseason day, Oliveira managed to lower his lap time from Saturday by 0.729 seconds and Lecuona went 0.834 faster than on day one.
Miguel Oliveira (88). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Miguel Oliveira
Position: 19th
Time: 1:55.008
Laps: 48
“For sure, the last day was much better than the first two days, at least the lap time progression was there. About the time attack, we are still very far away from what we need to be. We couldn’t really use the soft tyre to make a lap time and we mainly focused on the medium tyre to find a race pace, which is right now much better than half of the riders in front of us. This is quite scary, but also positive in a way. Of course, we need to start the race a bit further in front. We have some ideas to work on the race weekend. Testing is always a bit tricky, because many riders do a quick lap time and they don’t really have a pace, so in real conditions, you can really see, who is faster and who is not. So, I hope in less than two weeks’ time, we can figure out a way, that we can extract a good lap time.”
Iker Lecuona (27). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Iker Lecuona
Position: 20th
Time: 1:55.301
Laps: 40
“Overall, I felt good today, apart from a minor crash we had this morning. When I came back to the track in the afternoon, the wind had picked up quite a lot, which is a completely new situation for me. We also tried the new Michelin tyre, which I still need to understand further. I have to admit, that I’m not totally happy about today, as there are many factors to manage, from finding grip and staying in one direction to work on. When I see the three complete days of test here, I can say, that I’m satisfied, although there are still things to improve.”
Hervé Poncharal
Team Manager
“The final MotoGP test is over, which is exciting news because that means next time we are on track, it will be for round one, which is what everybody has been waiting for since end of the Valencia race. I believe the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team has had some productive winter tests, six days in Sepang and another three days here in Qatar. We knew that the Losail International Circuit was going to be more difficult than what we experienced in Malaysia, that this circuit is a tough one for us and although the final positions are not looking great tonight, the gap to the leaders is a lot smaller than last year. I can’t say that we are 100 percent happy, but I believe we gathered a lot of useful data. I trust Miguel, Iker and the whole Tech3 crew to find some solutions to get a few tenths, that will take us further towards the front. MotoGP itself is definitely a lot more competitive than it used to be in the past. We have 18 riders within a second, which is showing how close everything is and how small improvements can make you jump a few positions. As usual and always, I want to see the glass half full and not half empty, so we give ourselves a few days of rest, a few days of thinking, a few days of finding some good ideas and we’ll be back in Qatar and hopefully where we would like to be, which is in top 10/top 12 positions.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:
Pre-season testing comes to successful conclusion for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT
The final pre-season test came to a successful conclusion today in Qatar for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, who ended the session second and fourth respectively.
Today saw the final pre-season test in Qatar come to a successful conclusion for PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team. Riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo finished the third and final day of testing at Losail International Circuit with the second and fourth fastest times respectively.
Franco chose to wait for the temperatures to cool slightly before working on the setup on his Yamaha YZR-M1. After completing the first phase of his testing programme, the Italian focused on a series of time attack laps and was only one of two riders to lap in the 1min 53secs. Franco ended the day with a positive race simulation of 20 laps. His fastest lap of the 52 he completed today was 1min 53.891secs and placed him second, just 0.033 seconds shy of first.
Fabio was once again the first rider out on the 5.4km long circuit today, as he tested the new front tyre from Michelin. The Frenchman was consistently among the quickest riders today and set a fastest time of 1min 54.077secs. Fabio closed the day with a 21-lap race simulation run, which brought his lap total up to 58. When the chequered flag was waved to signal the end of the final pre-season test his fastest time placed him fourth – third in the combined standings of the three days.
Now that the pre-season tests are over, PETRONAS Yamaha SRT now look forward to the first race of the year, which also takes place at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, in less than two weeks’ time (6-8 March).
Razlan Razali
Team Principal
It has been a positive final test in Qatar, before the first round in less than two weeks at the same circuit. Franco and Fabio are getting more comfortable on their respective machines and have simulated many different situations for the race. It looks tight at the top of the standings, especially the top-six, but we are confident that our boys will be there come the Qatar race.
Wilco Zeelenberg
Team Manager
The winter test is now finished and I can say that we did what we needed to do and both guys were in the top three, second and third, in this test overall. I’m very pleased with the result and of course we know it’s a test, but it’s important to have the speed and to do all the things that we did. It was also very important to have the right feeling for the race simulation. I’m very pleased with both riders’ results: Fabio was clearly fast like last year but now Franco has made a step up and also proven how quick he is with a top three result. Yamaha promised us two good spec bikes and clearly they have given us this. We are now looking forward to the race next week.
Franco Morbidelli (21). Photo courtesy of PETRONAS Yamaha SRT.
Franco Morbidelli
2nd (1:53.891)
It was a positive test for us overall. We closed the gap to the top little by little and today the pace was really good. The hot lap was also very good, so I’m happy about that. We will take the positives and try to improve even more and make a good job in the race, which is the most important thing. I’m very happy about this pre-season and I think that we have a good feeling straight away from Sepang. I felt more comfortable with the bike, maybe because I know it better, and here in Qatar we made progress and we just have to keep on going like this.
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy of PETRONAS Yamaha SRT.
Fabio Quartararo
4th (1:54.077)
We did a race simulation and the pace was really good so I’m very happy, the pace was in the 1min 54secs for almost all of the simulation. We didn’t do a real time attack but we are still quite fast, less than two tenths behind the other guys. I think we can improve this as I made a mistake on my fast lap. For the GP weekend I want to improve the fast lap as we know it is normally our speciality but today we didn’t do it. I know we can do it for the first round though and I’m really happy about the job we did today.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
THE BRAND NEW 2020 APRILIA RS-GP CONFIRMS ITS PERFORMANCE IN QATAR
ALEIX CLOSES OUT HIS PRE-SEASON WITH A GOOD RACE SIMULATION
LOTS OF WORK ON THE NEW APRILIA V4 FOR BRADLEY SMITH
After the positive début at the Malaysia tests, anticipation was high for the RS-GP at this test on a new circuit, and the fledgling Italian V4 did not disappoint, confirming for riders and team the good performance demonstrated during the first outing. The three days of testing in Qatar were the final act before the world championship season opener scheduled for March eighth, on this same track.
For Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, the testing schedule was extremely intense. Aleix Espargaró and Bradley Smith, besides increasing their own confidence on the bike, worked a lot both to consolidate the technical base and to begin developing the RS-GP in race configuration, completely virgin terrain for a project that is less than four weeks old.
On the last day of tests, Aleix did a long run that left him very satisfied, having lapped with a nice pace in the mid and low 1’55s. His best time of the three days was 1’54.432.
Bradley tested a lot of different setups and electronics solutions, but since everything is new on the RS-GP 20, there are really no comparisons to be done, so it is just a matter of feeling out its reactions on the track. The Brit finished up with a best time of 1’55.916.
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy of Aprilia Gresini.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
“These were three intense days. We did not turn a lot of laps, but we did a lot of work, also taking into account the inevitable hiccoughs that come with the youth of the RS-GP. Overall, we confirmed the potential that had already been seen in Malaysia on this track as well. Especially today in the race simulation: I was able to maintain a good pace. In fact, the feeling improved lap after lap. Now we’ll need to do a good job analysing the data over the next ten days and make the right choices, putting together a package that will allow us to be competitive already in the first race weekend. Aprilia wants it, I want it and I am confident that we will succeed.”
Bradley Smith (38). Photo courtesy of Aprilia Gresini.
BRADLEY SMITH
“We did a good job. We concentrated first on testing functionality and then on a few development ideas, not only short-term, but also to give the engineers a direction for the evolutions in the coming months. On a completely new bike, every lap is as precious as gold. The first race on the calendar is just around the corner, and we need to speed up the growth process to have a good base to start from. In terms of the ride, I am pleased with the progress made concerning the pace, whereas I am still lacking a bit of confidence when it comes to doing a flying lap. That is not the most important thing right now, though.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
MotoGP pre-season comes to an end in Qatar
After three days of running under the lights of the Losail International Circuit, the 2020 MotoGP pre-season is officially finished and the opening race awaits.
With the chequered flag at 20:00 Local Time, the 2020 MotoGP pre-season officially drew to a close as the Repsol Honda Team saw the end of the Qatar Test. The three days of running allowed the factory Honda team to explore a variety of different options in order to be in the best position possible for the first race of the year.
The final day of the 2020 pre-season proved a busy one for Marc Marquez who continued to relentlessly work through his testing programme. Quickly finding his speed from day one, the eight-time World Champion made consistent progress over the final day of running. Towards the end of the evening Marc turned his attentions to pushing for a lap time, ending the test with a best time of 1’54.149 and only 0.291s from the fastest time overall and less than a tenth from third place as the MotoGP field continues to tighten. The reigning World Champion leaves Qatar with a positive feeling.
Again, it was rookie Alex Marquez who was the first Repsol Honda Team rider out on track. As he had done on the previous two days, the Moto2 World Champion was able to improve his fastest lap time from the previous day. Not focusing on a time attack, Alex completed a total of 152 laps around the 5.4km long track and set a best time of 1’55.519.
A handful of days for final preparations now face both riders and the team as the first race of the 2020 MotoGP season looms large. The paddock will return to Qatar for the first Grand Prix of the year on March 06 to 08.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Marc Marquez
7TH 1’54.149
“After the first two days I was a little worried in all honesty as we were struggling to understand how to improve where we needed to. But today we have made a big breakthrough and now we understand what we need to do, I’m really pleased with what we have done. I was able to be really consistent and I was happy with my rhythm. I have to say a big thank you to Honda, the engineers and my mechanics because they have worked a lot this test and the results are showing for us. We have a direction to follow when we return here for the race.”
Alex Marquez (73). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Alex Marquez
21ST 1’55.519
“Today again I was feeling better physically, and the first 30 laps were quite good. We didn’t really have a chance to do a proper time attack today as we were busy with other things and I am still not physically at my best. We were strong in Sepang and here we haven’t been as close as I would have liked to the rest of the field. Thanks to our work this test my team think they have some solutions for the GP next week, I am pleased with this. Now I’ll return home to prepare in the best way possible for my first MotoGP race.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR COMPLETE WINTER TESTING ON TOP FORM
Alex Rins: 4th – 1:54.068 (+ 0.210)
Joan Mir: 6th – 1:54.129 (+ 0.271)
Monday saw the final day of testing before the 2020 season commences, and Team Suzuki Ecstar are leaving Doha with a clear sense of their potential and with satisfaction following the hard work done by the riders.
Alex Rins used this last day to string together a series of laps in a race simulation. He also confirmed some settings and is prepared for the race day, which will take place in just under two weeks’ time. Finishing the day in third place, Rins feels confident and satisfied with the work done.
Joan Mir spent time working on tyre comparisons and he also did a time attack in the latter part of the session. He showed great consistency throughout the day, closing with a sixth place which was just 0.271 seconds from the top spot. He also reported feeling content and ready for the season start.
Both Rins and Mir improved their lap times over the course of the test, setting their fastest laps towards the end of Monday’s session.
Team Suzuki Ecstar will be back in action at Losail International Circuit in two weeks for the opening race weekend of the season that will take place on Sunday March 8th.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“It was a good test, both riders have finished the winter testing on good form, and they’ve done very well. We were able to confirm important things to do with the engine spec. and the chassis and now everything is in place for us to start racing with this package. I’m really looking forward to the first round!”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“The testing has gone well, and we feel positive because we followed our plan to create and confirm the final package – but the true test will be when we start racing! Now we can homologate the parts that we’ve confirmed and begin preparing for the start of the season. Both our riders have shown really good pace, so we’re happy with that, especially as it was only testing. Both Alex and Joan are feeling relaxed and well prepared.”
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy of Team Suzuki ECSTAR.
Alex Rins:
“I’m so happy; I was first on day one, second on day two, and third on day three! Sincerely, we tested everything we needed to, and the team worked so well. We’ve taken a step forward compared with last year and I feel confident, at least for the first race. I like to take things step-by-step, so I’m not thinking long term at the moment, but I’m certainly ready for FP1 in less than two weeks! The Top 15 riders are really close, so I think it will be an exciting Grand Prix.”
Joan Mir (36). Photo courtesy of Team Suzuki ECSTAR.
Joan Mir:
“It’s been a successful test; I improved my lap times and my pace each day and I feel really happy with the bike. Now we just have to continue like this because everything is going in the right direction. We’re really close to the top guys and we have strong pace, but in the race it can be a different story. The Team have done an incredible job, so let’s see what happens!”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP WRAP UP WINTER TESTING IN QATAR ON TOP
Losail (Qatar), 24th February 2020
QATAR MOTOGP TEST
Today Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi completed the third and final day of the 2020 MotoGP Official Test Losail. The Factory Yamaha duo finished the test in 1st and 12th place respectively in the overall standings.
1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’53.858 / 84 LAPS 12th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’54.332 / 47 LAPS
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team successfully concluded their winter testing programme on the last day of the MotoGP Official Test Losail in Qatar. Continuing their strategy to wait for the temperatures to mimic the expected conditions for the upcoming Qatar GP, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi spent the day perfecting their racing packages, setting the 1st and 12th fastest time of the day respectively.
Viñales used today‘s session at the Losail International Circuit to its full capacity. Already happy with the balance of the YZR-M1 on the first two days, he again managed to up his pace on Day 3. He focused on riding with used tyres for most of the time, but in the final hour he put in a time attack. He set a 1‘53.858s on lap 69 that catapulted him into P1 and also earned him first place in the combined Day 1-2-3 results, 0.033s ahead of his closest rival.
Rossi worked on tyre life today. He was inside the top-3 midway through his runs, demonstrating that his hard work over the last two days paid off. With the race setting provisionally locked for the Qatar GP, he then decided to push a bit further, but got caught out by the cooler and more humid conditions. It resulted in a small crash in Turn 2, but fortunately no injuries for the Italian. He was able to head out again but didn‘t improve on his fastest time so far. His best lap, a 1’54.332s, set on lap 28/47, left him in 12th place in today‘s and the combined timesheets, 0.474s behind his teammate.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Overall, we are very satisfied with the work done over the last three days. This test was crucial to make sure we are in a competitive condition before we return here within two weeks for the Qatar GP. We‘ve seen both our riders make good steps and we managed to finish the entire 2020 testing programme, so we feel ready to start racing. Maverick is looking really strong. Of course, it‘s a nice confidence boost to have him in first place in the timesheets, but it‘s mostly his race pace that we are pleased with. Valentino suffered a small crash, which is easily done when the humidity increases and the temperatures go down, especially since he was pushing. Luckily, he was uninjured and could continue riding. Over the next week we will analyse his data and focus on improving his tyre life. Anyway, he is not far from the top, so we expect him to be in contention at the front. All in all, we feel eager to start the season!
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
Today has been a really good day for us because we have been working with very used tyres, especially when the conditions were difficult. We were trying to adapt ourselves when the conditions weren‘t good. I tried my best with used tyres because sometimes in the race you get a kind of difficult feeling. So, I tried to understand what I have to do when the condition is not good on the track. I‘m very happy, the team has been working in a really good way. Six days of testing, and I feel good with the bike. I feel the bike is there, and now we need to continue working, because there‘s a good progression but it‘s still not enough. Honestly, I enjoyed these last three days on the bike so much. For sure it‘s going to be a long week, so I can‘t wait for next Friday and especially Sunday on the grid.
Valentino Rossi (46). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
VALENTINO ROSSI
First of all, it is incredible because also today we have fifteen riders within maybe half a second. It‘s like Moto2, so this is very good for the championship, the fans, and the races, because it looks like there‘s a good balance between the different riders and bikes. Today we are a little bit worried, not so much about the position – unfortunately I crashed with the second tyre and I think I could have improved the lap time – but more about the pace. We tried to make some long runs, but we had some problems with the tyres very similar to last year, so it looks like, that after some laps, unfortunately I have to slow down and this is not good news. But now the tests are finished we will see during the race weekends. In the races it‘s always different.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
KTM CLOSE MOTOGP PRE-SEASON PREP WITH OPTIMISM AFTER THREE-DAY QATAR TEST
MotoGP 2020 IRTA test Losail (QAT)
The lights are excitingly hovering on red for KTM’s fourth MotoGP in the immediate wake of the the second and final pre-season test at the Losail International Circuit. Brad Binder was the fastest KTM RC16 rider after three days at the venue that will now open the 2020 campaign in two weeks on March 8th.
For the second day in a row (and of three) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro clocked more than 110 laps of the 5.4km layout as afternoon turned to dusk and the crew completed their set-up work towards the first Grand Prix of twenty to come.
Rookie Binder (9th) was the surprise act after more modifications to his works KTM RC16 allowed the determined South African to register an effort that would stand less than half a second from the quickest lap of the day and be three tenths better than Pol Espargaro (14). The Spaniard, who worked diligently towards his race configuration across the three days but suffered a small crash on Monday afternoon and was ultimately denied a strong time-attack, was still just 0.7 of a second from the #1 spot.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira (19th) and Iker Lecuona (20th) also dropped their lap-times to nudge closer to the top half of the leaderboard; less than 1.5 seconds covered the top twenty riders.
KTM continue their MotoGP adventure with the Grand Prix of Qatar in a fortnight’s time.
Pol Espargaro (44). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Pol Espargaro: “A good day but not such a great ending. We worked well and got some good info with a lot of things but then got a bit lost and it affected us going for a time attack. We made a couple of mistakes and had some issues and then I lost the front on Turn 2 which meant we could not have the happy end we wanted. Overall it has been a great test though and I feel very ready for the race weekend and that’s the most important thing. Brad did very well with a good lap at the right time and that shows we can be there.”
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Brad Binder: “I was quite surprised to be honest. I felt comfortable and we made some changes today that helped me a lot and sorted many of my issues. I put in a new set of tyres and ‘bam!’ the lap-time came. The bike was good. I felt way more comfortable to get it stopped, turned quicker and also get on the throttle earlier. Once we figured that part out then it was a lot easier to put a fast lap together but it was still quite difficult to do 22 of them, so I have a long way to go! We made some good steps these three days and the team has been awesome. I’m looking forward to continuing at the GP.”
Miguel Oliveira: “For sure, the last day was much better than the first two days, at least the lap time progression was there. We couldn’t really use the soft tyre to make a lap time and we mainly focused on the medium tyre to find a race pace, which is right now much better than half of the riders in front of us. This is quite scary, but also positive in a way. Of course, we need to start the race a bit further in front. We have some ideas to work on the race weekend. Testing is always a bit tricky because many riders do a quick lap time and they don’t really have a pace, so in real conditions, you can really see, who is faster and who is not. So, I hope in less than two weeks’ time, we can figure out a way, that we can extract a good lap time.”
Iker Lecuona: “Overall, I felt good today, apart from a minor crash we had this morning. When I came back to the track in the afternoon, the wind had picked up quite a lot, which is a completely new situation for me. We also tried the new Michelin tyre, which I still need to understand further. When I see the three complete days of test here then I can say that I’m satisfied, although there are still things to improve.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager: “We still had a lot on the list after Sepang and we managed to get through it here, so the team and the riders did a great job. The focus was to work hard on the bikes to find the final configuration for the race weekend. Generally, we are happy and it is important that all four riders are fit for the start of the season. I think there is clear proof that we made a step with the bike from 2019 to 2020. The lap-time from Brad was very impressive by a rookie but we have been looking at the longer outings and he did well there also. Pol didn’t go for a super-fast time today but we are not worried about his performance at all. The Tech3 guys made some good steps and, as we have seen in the past, lap-times are not always the priorities at winter tests.”
Sebastian Risse, Technical Coordinator MotoGP: “From a technical point of view we are ready. We managed to do most of the large items on our test schedule in Sepang and we know Losail is quite special in terms of the conditions and the way it changes with day sessions and night races and so on. So, we focussed on race distance and knowing the tyres specs better and for this place in particular: this all worked out quite well. You have to look behind the list of times when you are here. I think we are quite well-prepared but we did struggle a bit with Pol today to make the ultimate lap-time; however we know what we have to look for and what we need to do so we are confident.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
The Ducati Team concluded the last MotoGP preseason test in Qatar with Dovizioso tenth and Petrucci sixteenth
The final 2020 MotoGP preseason test concluded this evening at Losail, in Qatar. The same race venue, situated just a few kilometres away from the capital city of Doha, will host the opening Grand Prix of the new season in less than two weeks.
During the three days of testing available, the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were able to work consistently on the development of the Desmosedici GP20 bike as they kept testing the new tyre solutions brought by Michelin this year.
The last day for the two riders was mostly dedicated to making the final arrangements ahead of the upcoming race weekend. In the late afternoon, they headed back out on track together to complete a long run that gave positive feedback.
Andrea Dovizioso ended the day with the tenth fastest time, in 1:54.312, closing in tenth position also in the combined classification of the three days.
Danilo Petrucci ended the last day of testing in sixteenth position with a fastest lap time in 1:54.752 that he posted on his 36th lap out of 56 put in today. In the combined rankings, the rider from Terni also sits in the same position with his fastest lap time on Day 1 in 1:54.634, 0.776 seconds off today’s pacesetter.
After completing the preseason test, the Ducati Team riders will resume action at Losail Circuit from 6th-8th March for the first MotoGP Grand Prix of the season.
Andrea Dovizioso (04). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.312 (10°)
“I am really satisfied with the work done today. We were able to try different setups that helped us understand that we still have some room left for improvement. The most positive aspect of today was the race simulation. With used tyres, I was able to cover the race distance without problems. On top of that, I did a few laps behind Danilo, which helped me to understand how to manage better the tyres. My race pace is good, and I am sure that if we can be fast as the front guys, then we will be able to fight for the top positions during the race weekend”.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.752 (16º)
“I am happy about this final day of testing here in Qatar. We tried to manage our last session well without focusing on lap times and giving priority to the long run. We were able to cover the same distance as the race and to remove the doubts that we still had. Now we need to work well during the race weekend to be able to secure a good starting position for the race. As we were fast during the race simulation, I am sure that we will be able to be competitive also in the race”.
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Qatar Test – Qatar Test is ended, now focus on the first GP.
Jack Miller (43). Photo courtesy of Pramac Racing.
A positive day for Jack Miller who improved by staying on track until the end of the day, finishing in fifth position with a time of 1’54.105 (+ 0.247 from the leader) and 69 laps with the best top speed of 355.2km/h. Pecco Bagnaia also did a good job, he made a long run in the afternoon to gain as much confidence as possible with the bike and more data to analyze in race configuration. It was a positive day that highlights the good work done during these three intense days, he closes in eleventh position with a time of 1’54.326 (+ 468 from Leader) running 55 laps.
Pecco Bagnaia
It was a test where we improved a lot, in particularly about race pace, I’m sorry for the time attack today, because I found traffic in my best lap. What makes me happy and confident is the race simulation. For sure we can improve, but after this test I have a clear idea about the race approach and I have more confidence with my bike .
Jack Miller
It was a good day, we did 2 long runs and the second one was better, where I improved my race pace. With the medium tires my feeling was much better, we can still improve a lot and I am confident that before GP we will find the answers we are looking for.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW BRAVES MAMMOTH FINAL DAY OF TESTING DESPITE INJURIES
MotoGP pre-season testing came to a close at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Monday evening, with Cal Crutchlow toughing out 70 laps of the desert track, in spite of the painful arm injuries he sustained on Sunday afternoon.
The LCR Honda Castrol star was forced to sit out the remainder of testing on day two, but made up for it considerably by riding through the pain barrier on the final night to improve his previous best time from the test by one and a half seconds.
The three-day Doha test completes the team’s on-track preparations for the up and coming 20-race MotoGP season, with the racing action kicking off at the same venue in less than two weeks’ time. Free practice for the Grand Prix of Qatar begins on Friday the 6th of March ahead of Sunday evening’s opening race at 6pm local time.
Cal Crutchlow (35). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
#35 Cal Crutchlow – 18th
(1’54.830 – lap 61 of 70)
“Today was a very difficult day because of the injuries I suffered in yesterday’s crash. My arm is still very swollen and there is a big haematoma on the elbow. So to do 70 laps today, I’m not sure there are many others who would have been able to do that. My team work really hard, as we all do, but then it’s down to me to tough it out and just get on with the job at hand.
“Overall, we managed to get through a lot of things this evening, some positive and some negative. We just need to keep working on those negatives by giving HRC all the feedback and information we’ve collected here, so that they can improve the bike for the first race next week.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
NAKAGAMI WRAPS UP SUCCESSFUL FINAL TEST SESSION
The MotoGP pre-season testing programme came to a close on Monday evening at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, and for LCR Honda Idemitsu man Takaaki Nakagami that meant the completion of an excellent return to on-track action.
The Japanese racer has spent much of his winter in recovery mode following a shoulder operation towards the end of 2019, but with six days of testing now under his belt he declared himself ready to take on a gruelling 20-race 2020 season.
On the final day of three in Doha, Nakagami completed another 33 laps of the desert venue, setting the eighth fastest time of the test and was less than a tenth behind Honda colleague and reigning world champion Marc Marquez.
The MotoGP World Championship kicks off at the same venue in less than two weeks’ time, with free practice beginning on Friday the 6th of March ahead of a Sunday evening race.
Takaaki Nakagami (30). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
#30 Takaaki Nakagami – 8th
(1’54.239 – lap 24 of 33)
“I’m really happy with these three days of testing, we have been improving every single day. The lap time is good and close to the top – only three-tenths away from the fastest. We’ve seen quite an improvement, and I’m happy with the feeling on the bike. With the new tyres for this year, from the second day to the last we have made improvements when they are well used.
“The physical condition of my right shoulder has also improved significantly, and I’m happy about how it feels because I’m in less pain. At the end of the day I still have energy, so this is a good sign. We still have one week left, and we will try and recover even more before the start of the season, but we will be ready for Qatar.
“I really appreciate the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team’s efforts throughout testing. Not only are they having to work through the night for tests here, but they have lots of work to do in the daytime also. All the mechanics have done a great job. I’m really happy and hopefully we can show our potential over the race weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
THE REALE AVINTIA RACING TEAM COMPLETES SUCCESSFULLY THE QATAR TEST
Reale Avintia Racing returned to action from February 22nd to 24th at the Losail International Circuit for the final pre-season MotoGP test. The team continued to work on the evolution of the Ducati Desmosedici GP19 and completed three very productive and useful days.
Johann Zarco was able to continue working on the adaptation and set-up with his Ducati for 2020. During the three days, the French rider managed to complete a total of 186 laps, almost 1000 kilometres. In the combined classification, Zarco finished in 14th position and the best time was set in Saturday’s session with 1:54.565.
Tito Rabat continued with the set-up work and improved his feeling on the Ducati. The Spanish rider clocked almost 920 kilometres thanks to the 170 laps accumulated over the three days of testing. Rabat set his best time on the third day with 1:54.674 and finished 17th in the combined.
With the end of the test in Losail, the Reale Avintia Racing puts an end to the preseason. Next March 6th, the 2020 season will start in the same track on the occasion of the Qatar Grand Prix.
Tito Rabat (53). Photo courtesy of Reale Avintia Racing.
TITO RABAT
“It was a positive test. It will be a hard-fought championship as we are all in the same second. On the one hand, satisfied with the time, we have to improve lap by lap. We have to stay calm and keep working day by day as we are doing. I begin to have ideas about the structure of how to drive this Ducati to go fast. Now to recover and go back to Qatar at full speed for the race.”
JOHANN ZARCO
“It has been a good test. Compared to Malaysia I had a better control of the bike and when the tyres are new, I can get a good lap time. The third day I cannot improve the second day time because I’ve been working in other things, sometimes we have small problems that don’t help us to continue with the plan that we have. I’m happy with the test and I can’t wait for the first race.”
Defending MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
MotoAmerica/Vortex Studios To Produce Entertainment Programming
IRVINE, CA – MotoAmerica, the home of the AMA Superbike Series, and multi-media production studio Vortex Studios, which produces entertainment programming, including “Tabloid Wars” (NBC), “Fashion Star” (Bravo) and “ArtPrize (YouTube), have announced their collaboration to produce programming based on MotoAmerica’s events, racers and experience in the motorcycle world.
The new programming will cover all aspects of the motorcycling lifestyle from shows about celebrity motorcyclists to behind-the-scenes stories with current racers, up-and-coming young racers who strive to one day participate in MotoAmerica, the significant others of the men and women who compete in the series, and many other facets of the industry and the MotoAmerica culture.
“MotoAmerica is all about passion, competitiveness, speed and pushing yourself to be the best, said MotoAmerica President and three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey. “We want to showcase the diverse and fascinating world of motorcycling. MotoAmerica is the fastest, most thrilling and competitive two-wheeled sport in the U.S. and our athletes are world-class racers all battling to be the very best they can be. Through Vortex Studios efforts, we hope to bring the experiences of our racers, good and bad, into living rooms across the nation and we know it will make compelling content.”
“This is the next step in the evolution of our brand,” said MotoAmerica CEO Richard Varner. “MotoAmerica has seen incredible growth over the past five years and we are looking to expand our audience to include the casual fans who will discover us through the entertainment side of our world. We look forward to seeing what Vortex can do to showcase MotoAmerica in a different way.”
The two companies will target the release of this new programming to all non-sports platforms, including cable networks such as E! Network, Bravo and Discovery Channel as well as streaming platforms Netflix, Apple tv+, HBO Max and Amazon Prime and video-on-demand platforms YouTube and Facebook.
“Having produced programming for E! Network, Bravo and NBC, we feel that there is such great potential in bringing MotoAmerica’s brand and riders to wider audiences,” said James Deutch, CEO and Executive Producer of Vortex Studios. “The talent within MotoAmerica’s universe is incredible and the access to great stories and characters is very unique. We see huge potential to find great stories within MotoAmerica similar to what the NFL, UFC or NBA have done to build their brands beyond core fans.”
Currently MotoAmerica’s sport programming is seen on Fox Sports, NBC Sports Network and via MotoAmerica’s live streaming platform, MotoAmerica Live +.
The 2020 racing season begins on April 3-5 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Vortex Studios
Vortex, with offices in Hollywood and Traverse City, Michigan, specializes in non-fiction entertainment programming and working with major brands. The Vortex team has created and produced series for NBC, Bravo, E! Network, Bloomberg Television, CNBC, AOL and YouTube. Projects have included “Fashion Star” for NBC starring Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos. That format has been produced around the world for 10 seasons. In addition, the talent behind Vortex Studios has also created “Tabloid Wars,” a docuseries for Bravo chronicling the reporters and editors of the New York Daily News; “Conversations with Michael Eisner” (CNBC); “Miss Seventeen” (MTV); “TechStars” (Bloomberg Television) and many others. Furthermore, the team has a long history working with major advertisers to incorporate them into programming and create customized content. Brands have included Macy’s, GM, SC Johnson, Mazda, H&M, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson and Ethan Allen, among others. For more information, visit www.vortextv.co
Tim Joyce (309) leads Kevin Dinsmoor (304), Buff Harsh (886), Brian Larrabure (14), and others during an AHRMA Vintage Cup race at Roebling Road Raceway. Photo by etechphoto.com, courtesy of AHRMA.
AHRMA’s 3rd and 4th rounds of the 2020 racing season were held at Roebling Road Raceway in Bloomingdale, Georgia this past weekend, February 22-23. The 2nd annual Vintage Cup, sponsored by NYC Norton (nycnorton.com) and Roadracing World (roadracingworld.com) is seeing more exciting racing as each round passes. The lineup this past weekend included Trustee Brian Larrabure, fresh off his win at Laguna Seca, Tim Joyce, on Maurice Candy’s Manx which he took two wins on at the Island Classic at Phillip Island in 2018, Jason Roberts, Jamie Waters, and Dick Miles.
On Saturday, Larrabure won handily with Joyce suffering a mechanical DNF, followed by Waters and Roberts.
On Sunday, the tables were turned. While Joyce took an early lead, he fell back unable to come out of third gear with Larrabure pulling ahead. Larrabure was unable to hold the lead suffering a mechanical causing him to pull out of the race on the seventh lap. Joyce was able to nurse the bike across the finish line in third gear taking the checkered flag for the win, with Waters in 2nd.
Art work representing the Tommy Hayden leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
Several sets of race-worn leathers and two drag racing cylinder blocks have been stolen from the Yoshimura Racing race shop in Chino, California.
Five sets of leather racing suits worn by Yoshimura Suzuki riders Martin Cardenas, Roger Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Mat Mladin, and Blake Young were stolen from displays in the lobby of Yoshimura Racing’s shop on Thursday, February 20.
Retired Mat Mladin leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.Art work representing the Roger Hayden leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
Photos of the leathers that were stolen can be seen above and below.
Art work representing the Blake Young leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.Art work representing the Martin Cardenas leathers that were stolen from Yoshimura Suzuki. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
The thief (or thieves) also took two special cylinder blocks custom made for Suzuki Pro Stock drag race bikes. The cylinder blocks have RLR machined in the sides, as seen in these photos.
An example of the Suzuki drag racing cylinder blocks that were stolen from Yoshimura Racing. Note the “RLR” machined in the side. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.An example of the Suzuki drag racing cylinder blocks that were stolen from Yoshimura Racing. Photo courtesy of Yoshimura Racing.
These items are rare and easy to identify, according to Yoshimura Racing Manager Rich Doan.
The Chino Police Department is investigating the theft, but Doan asked that anyone with information regarding these items please contact Yoshimura Racing first at (909) 364-0186.
Fourteen teams have committed to racing in the inaugural Drag Specialties King of the Baggers invitational at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo courtesy of MotoAmerica.
Teams Announced For Drag Specialties King Of The Baggers Invitational
Overwhelming Industry Support For Debut Event
IRVINE, CA (February 25, 2020) – Fourteen teams have signed on the dotted line to compete in the inaugural Drag Specialties King of the Baggers invitational event that will be part of the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 10-12, with the grid now full for the exhibition race.
“It’s been really cool to see how well the King of the Baggers invitational has been received since we made the announcement,” said MotoAmerica’s Senior Sponsorship Manager Lance Bryson. “The guys over at Drag Specialties have really stepped up with our event at Laguna and we’ve got a lot of great companies building tricked-out Performance Baggers for the race. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we think our fans are going to like what they see with this and the rest of the cool stuff we have planned for the Superbike Speedfest at Monterey.”
The list of invited teams set to participate in the Drag Specialties King of the Baggers is as follows:
Alloy Art – maker of custom motorcycle products
Barnett Tool & Engineering – clutches and cables
Bassani – motorcycle exhaust systems
Feuling Parts – performance products for Harleys
Legends Suspension – front and rear suspension products
MJK – innovators of aftermarket products
Roland Sands Design – bike builder, aftermarket parts and apparel
Performance Machine – motorcycle brakes and wheels
Saddlemen – motorcycle seats and saddlebags
S&S – American motorcycle engines and parts
SLYFOX Performance – high-performance motorcycle parts
The Speed Merchant – custom motorcycle builder
Trask – maker of the motorcycle turbo kits
Vance Hines – manufacturer of motorcycle exhaust and performance products
The teams will be announcing their riders in the coming weeks.
“In all my years of working in the motorcycle industry, I have never been to Laguna Seca,” said Brandon Holstein, owner/builder of The Speed Merchant. “So, I am beyond excited to be going for the first time and being a part of the first ever Drag Specialties King of the Baggers race.”
Alex Fox, founder of SLYFOX Performance, added: “I’m honored to have my brand be a part of this first-ever event of this magnitude. That Corkscrew section will be something to keep an eye on. This day will be one for the history books.”
“This is for the fans and for the brands who love to build and ride – racing is part of Saddlemen’s heritage, and we’re honored to be on the starting grid with our moto family,” said David Echert of Saddlemen.
To purchase tickets for all MotoAmerica events, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica Series, click HERE
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Royal Enfield Interceptor INT 650 streetbikes. Photo courtesy Royal Enfield North America.
Royal Enfield and American Flat Track Forge Official Partnership
Multi-faceted partnership to include fan experience elements and on-track exhibitions
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 25, 2020) – American Flat Track proudly announced today its inaugural year of partnership with Royal Enfield North America with a multi-faceted plan to grow the visibility of the manufacturer within the sport.
In addition to becoming an Official OEM Partner of American Flat Track, Royal Enfield will be bringing its fleet of motorcycles right to the fans within AFT’s Fan Zone activations at select rounds of the 2020 season. Those with motorcycle endorsements will even be able to take a spin on the RENA machines with exclusive fan demo ride opportunities at eight AFT events, with the potential for additional rounds to be added and announced at a later date.
As an added element of entertainment for fans, Royal Enfield’s recently announced BUILD TRAIN RACE program will bring its all-female flat track motorcycle program to select AFT rounds in 2020. Using the Royal Enfield INT 650 as a base, four women will customize and race their machines across the country, showcasing their various levels of ingenuity and skill.
AFT fans can look forward to the premiere of all four bikes and their builders at the 2020 Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Law Tigers on March 28 at Dixie Speedway. The quartet of riders/builders will again compete at the So-Cal Half-Mile on May 9 at Southern California Fair and round out their cross-country exhibition at Laconia Motorcycle Week for the Laconia Short Track on June 13.
“This partnership represents a major step for Royal Enfield’s efforts in North America,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing Lead – Americas. “As we continue to grow our awareness, getting our motorcycles in front of enthusiasts is critical, and AFT has offered us a fantastic opportunity to do just that. Showcasing the Royal Enfield Twins FT as a track-prep motorcycle along with the access fans will get to our lineup has our organization here in the U.S. and India eager for the season to start.”
“Royal Enfield is a storied name in motorcycling and we are delighted to work with the brand as they ramp up in the USA market,” said Michael Lock, CEO of American Flat Track. “AFT fans across the country will get a chance to get up close and personal with Royal Enfield’s unique twin-cylinder range of bikes and meet their team.”
Don’t miss Royal Enfield’s BUILD TRAIN RACE program along with another running of incredible American Flat Track racing at Dixie Speedway on Saturday, March 28. Tickets for The Yamaha Atlanta Short Track presented by Law Tigers start at just $35 when you purchase an advance General Admission ticket online. Get yours at www.americanflattrack.com.
NBCSN and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold are the official homes for coverage of American Flat Track. For the 2020 season, NBCSN’s coverage of AFT remains in highly-coveted programming slots within two weeks of each event. The complete schedule for AFT on NBCSN can be viewed at http://www.americanflattrack.com/events-nbcsn/. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold – the most-robust motorsports offering in the digital marketplace – is a cornerstone of AFT’s digital strategy, providing live streaming coverage of every event and maintaining an active archive of all AFT content.
About American Flat Track:
American Flat Track is the world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. For more information on American Flat Track, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, check us out on Instagram, live stream the events with TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and catch all the American Flat Track racing action on NBCSN.
About Royal Enfield:
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors Limited, Royal Enfield has created the mid-size motorcycle segment in India with its unique and distinctive modern classic motorcycles. With its manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal Enfield has been able to grow its production rapidly against a surge in demand for its motorcycles. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 90 dealers in North America, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the Bullet 500, Classic 500, Himalayan and the all new 650 Twins: INT 650 and Continental GT 650 motorcycles along with a range of genuine motorcycle accessories and apparel.
Sprint Filter has signed on as a racing technical partner of Energica Motor Company for the 2020 MotoE World Cup. Photo courtesy of Energica.
Sprint Filter new racing technical partner of Energica Motor Company
Since its foundation, Energica Motor Company has always been committed to the constant research of innovation in the motorcycling sector, with an eye to the future but also with solid roots in the Italian Motor Valley – which itself has been synonymous for excellence in the automotive sector. In this sense, the partnerships with high-profile suppliers have been of vital importance, and the one forged between technical partner Sprint Filter and Energica – the Single Manufacturer of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup – fits perfectly in the R&D plans of the Modena-based company.
Sprint Filter is an internationally renowned organisation with almost 70 years of experience not just in air filters and aspiration systems, but also active in the biomedical fields and more. The company will make available its know-how as well as manufacture bespoke air filters for the 18 Ego Corsa machines that will take to the track in the second edition of the MotoE World Cup, which will have its season opener on May 3rd at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.
The use of air filters – an innovative solution in the EV industry – will allow a more efficient cooling process of the battery pack fitted into the Energica race machines, especially in those rounds featuring three sessions close together on the same day. The more efficient temperature management will allow for a smoother charging process within the MotoE events on the calendar. The units will be positioned alongside the battery pack, a solution designed by Energica and made possible by engineers at Sprint Filter. Sprint Filter has made a special kit of six air filters for Energica Motor Company using their own, patented water P037 item, the only water-proof air filter for both internal combustion and electric motors in the world. Sprint Filter’s air filter P037 – as with every other air filter made by the company – is essentially free from maintenance. This air filter ensures a constant filtration and value of the air flow over time. In terms of efficiency, the polyester P037 filter maintains the 100% of di 37 μ. particles, while the air flow amounts to 4,500 m2/s. Sprint Filter will make its debut together with Energica in the first of two official tests at Jerez de la Frontera, taking place on March 10-12 at the Andalusian venue.
“We’re really happy with the partnership forged with Sprint Filter, a very well known and appreciated institution in the automotive and motorsport sectors for several decades now,” said Energica’s CTO Giampiero Testoni. “Energica is always looking for innovative solutions that can help bring forward the development path of the company, which has already led to incredible results in a short time span and allowed the creation of the MotoE World Cup – of which Energica is the single manufacturer. The first edition of the series has been a success and now we’re ready for a second, exciting season.”
Fabrizio Marcucci (Sprint Filter’s Marketing & Sales Director): “We’re extremely proud with this long-term partnership with Energica Motor Company, a globally known institution which is known for the high-quality of their motorcycles – so much that it was selected as single manufacturer of the MotoE World Cup. To be their supplier is a great testimony for the quality of our products.”
AHRMA racers Rudy Schachinger (605) and Shawn Smith (92S) in action February 23 at Roebling Road Raceway, in Georgia. Photo by etechphoto.com, courtesy of AHRMA.
American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) American Historic Racing Series
Takumi Takahashi, Japan (Hon CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP), 1:36.314
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Rea edges Baz as Phillip Island Official Test ends with a flurry
The Northern Irishman fought back and heads the way, whilst the top 17 riders are covered by just 1.5 seconds
The final pre-season test for the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has been completed with the action too close to call ahead of the first round of the season. The spectacular Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit brought in wet weather at stages, whilst numerous crashes and red flags occurred, including offs for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC). Despite the crash, it was Rea who pipped Independent sensation Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) to the top ahead of the first round.
Loris Baz (76). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
Leading the way into the weekend, Jonathan Rea moved into top position and put in a strong lap time of 1’30.448, coming in the morning session. The Ulsterman used today for long runs, showcasing his ability to work well and return to first place. However, his day wasn’t without incident and was one of a handful of riders who crashed at Turn 4. He was OK and the bike was virtually undamaged. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) continued his switch to the KRT squad but was down in 12th and suffered a crash at Turn 6 in the morning, giving him plenty of work ahead of the racing weekend.
Flying the flag for the Independent teams once again was Loris Baz as the Frenchman continued to be quick in the pre-season tests and finished second. What is impressive for Baz is that he hasn’t used the 2020 engine yet, so his pace is done purely on the 2019 engine; he expects a big step forward come Friday and his race pace is already looking strong. Other Independent revelations inside the top ten included Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team GOELEVEN) in eighth.
2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) led the BMW charge as he continued to shine at the sharp end. Having struggled with rear grip in the 2019 races, Sykes can now run comfortably for longer in the 1’31s. He’s been working on the balance of the bike, whilst also using a new rear shock, placing him third. Teammate Eugene Laverty (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) completed his swingarm and chassis work and is now focused on electronics and short runs. He finished ninth overall.
Having been flying high at the head of the field on day one, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team’s day two was slightly different. Toprak Razgatlioglu couldn’t replicate his day one pace in the tricky conditions, but was focused on settling in a good race pace and not just setting a strong one-off lap time. However, his ability to set a strong one-off lap time with the Q tyre itself confirms the strides he has made over the pre-season at a time attack in Tissot Superpole style. Michael van der Mark crashed in the morning session at Turn 10 but was OK. The Dutchman didn’t put a fast time in on Monday but set 15 consecutive laps in the 1’31s, demonstrating a good race pace. Toprak was fourth whilst van der Mark was seventh.
‘Pocket Rocket’ Leon Haslam (Team HRC) was once again in the top six, making it all six manufacturers inside the top half dozen once again. His lap time of a 1’30.882 was right on his race pace from last year, so there’s plenty of promise from Honda and their new CBR1000RR-R already. On the other side of the garage, Alvaro Bautista wasn’t up at the sharp end and suffered a crash at Turn 4 during the morning. He was in the top ten however, which is an important step forward ahead of the weekend.
There was a vast improvement in lap time from Scott Redding, despite the more inconsistent weather at the start of the day. The WorldSBK rookie managed to get into the 1’30 bracket as he perfected the balance of his bike. Still learning the Q tyre, Redding is aiming to be on the pace come the start of the weekend. His teammate Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) struggled to keep pace with his rookie teammate but worked away nonetheless. Redding finished in sixth but with big gains, whilst Davies was 11th on combined times.
Garrett Gerloff (31). Photo courtesy of GRT Yamaha.
Sandro Cortese (OUTDO Kawasaki – TPR) was just outside the top ten in 13th, 0.005s behind Lowes. Cortese was impressive, considering this was his first testing on the ZX-10RR. Behind Cortese in 14th was returning Spaniard Xavi Fores (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), whilst Maximilian Scheib (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) continued to impress in 15th. He was just ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team) and his teammate Federico Caricasulo, whilst Leon Camier (Barni Racing Team) and Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea Honda Team) were just behind. In all, the top 17 were covered by just 1.5s.
Andrea Locatelli topped the times and left the field to battle for second in his wake.
Andrea Locatelli (55). Photo courtesy of Dorna WorldSBK Press Office.
After a disrupted second session on the opening day of the FIM Supersport World Championship, teams and riders were hoping for a smooth day’s running. Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) topped the times on the second day of running having done the same yesterday in a day that was disrupted by several red flags.
Locatelli was the only rider to break into the 1’32 brackets across both sessions as he finished ahead of reigning champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who was second overall, more than half-a-second back from Locatelli. Krummenacher’s day was not without trouble as he suffered from a technical problem with around 30 minutes left to run in the afternoon session, with valuable track time lost as he and the team looked to work on the set-up of the bike.
Krummenacher’s MV Agusta Reparto Corse teammates, Raffaele De Rosa and Federico Fuligni, finished in fourth and 14th respectively. De Rosa’s day also ended early as he had a crash at Turn 9 with around 20 minutes remaining in the afternoon session while Fuligni also suffered from a technical issue during the session – although he was able to return to the pitlane.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) finished in third place in the combined classification from today’s two sessions after working to find a good balance for his bike in the morning. Cluzel had lots of tyres to use today after not running too much yesterday morning. Cluzel’s GMT94 Yamaha teammate, Corentin Perolari, finished in fifth place despite a trip through the gravel at Turn 2.
Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was sixth overall, and the fastest Kawasaki rider, just under a second behind pacesetter Locatelli with teammate Lucas Mahias finishing 11th in the combined classification, having been top Kawasaki on day one. Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) was seventh over the course of the two sessions despite a crash in the morning session at Turn 2. Odendaal’s fastest time came in the opening session of the day despite the incident at Turn 2.
Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) finished in eighth place with his teammate Patrick Hobelsberger in 18th place, both on Honda CBR600RR bikes. Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) was ninth on his Kawasaki ZX-6R with Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) completing the top 10 of the session. Vinales was trying some chassis and clutch parts during the test, as well as using the race engine, but with a focus on the whole season and not just the Yamaha Finance Australian Round and at Phillip Island. Vinales’ Kallio Racing teammate Hannes Soomer finished two places below Vinales in 12th place with about a tenth of a second separating the pair.Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) finished in 13th place with his teammate Loris Cresson completing the session in 21st place. Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) was 15th, just behind Fuligni, as the sole WRP Wepol Racing entry as he finished just ahead of Christoffer Bergman (Wojcik Racing Team).
Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was classified in 17th place, ahead of Hobelsberger, with Andy Verdoia (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) one place behind in 18th place and 19th respectively. Australian wildcard Oliver Bayliss (CUBE Racing) finished in 20th place after a focus on testing tyres for today’s session. Bayliss had yesterday gone faster than he had done in the past at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit after following some of the full-time riders when they were on the same part of the track. Jamie van Sikkelerus (MPM Routz Racing Team) was 22nd in the classification while Galang Hendra Pratama did not compete in the test following a visa issue.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Scott Redding 6th and Chaz Davies 11th as official WorldSBK testing concludes at Phillip Island (Australia).
Two days of official WorldSBK testing for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, ended today at the Phillip Island Circuit (Australia), with Scott Redding and Chaz Davis in 6th and 11th position respectively.
Scott Redding got off to a great start on Day-2, staying in P1 for a long time. A crash at turn 10 at the start of the afternoon session (after a good lap in 1’30.8 and the best T4 overall) delayed the work programme for the second testing day. His team, however, did an extraordinary job allowing Scott to get back on track for the final run.
After the comparison work between the 2019 and the 2020 version of the Ducati Panigale V4 R, on the second day of testing, Chaz Davies focused on the set up by putting together 65 laps.
Both Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders also received positive information about the race pace ahead of the first round of the 2020 WorldSBK season which will kick off on Friday with the #AusWorldSBK free practice at the iconic Phillip Island circuit in Victoria State, Australia.
#45 Scott Redding – Combined Standings Day 1-2: P6
Day-1: P6 (1’31.236, +0.496, 46 laps)
Day-2: P6 (1’30.885, +0.362, 45 laps)
#7 Chaz Davies – Combined Standings Day 1-2: P11
Day-1: P10 (1,32,113, +1,373, 44 laps)
Day-2: P11 (1,31,533, +1,085, 65 laps)
Scott Redding (45). Photo courtesy of Aruba.it Racing Ducati.
Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #45)
“I’m very pleased with what we’ve done. They were two important days in which we worked on many aspects. We have closed the gap to front guys and the feeling with the bike is definitely positive. It’s a shame about today’s crash but the important thing is that there were no consequences. Maybe we still need to improve on the single lap but the race pace data is very positive”.
Chaz Davies (7). Photo courtesy of Aruba.it Racing Ducati.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“It’s been a busy couple of days. If I’m honest, I think I found a good feeling, maybe not great but still positive even if we still have to perfect the set up for the race. Compared to the first day of testing, however, today the feeling was better. It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do but there is a lot of confidence and above all a lot of desire to start the season in the best possible way.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are ready for the 2020 season opener of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty to compete in the first WorldSBK race of the year on Phillip Island, Australia.
Two productive test days with the BMW S 1000 RR round off pre-season preparations. Marc Bongers: “I think that we have the chance to get onto the podium”.
Phillip Island. The countdown is on for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: This weekend (28th February to 1st March) sees the team start its second season in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) on Phillip Island (AUS). The two BMW S 1000 RR will be ridden by Tom Sykes (GBR) and his new team-mate Eugene Laverty (IRL) this year. After an intense winter, Team Principal Shaun Muir’s (GBR) crew are now ready for the first WorldSBK 2020 races.
On the Monday and Tuesday before the start of the season the team took part in a two-day test on Phillip Island. The objective was to evaluate new components and fine-tune Sykes and Laverty’s RRs. The opening weekend of the WorldSBK 2020 gets underway on Friday with the first two free practice sessions. Then, after another free practice session on Saturday, it’s the Superpole; the first race will be held in the afternoon. Sunday’s schedule starts with the warm-up, followed by the Superpole race and race two.
Ahead of the first race weekend of the season, the modified BMW S 1000 RR for the WorldSBK 2020 will be presented at a media BBQ in the paddock on Thursday. BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers, Team Principal Shaun Muir and the two riders Sykes and Laverty will be on hand to answer any questions.
Quotes ahead of the season opener on Phillip Island.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “In general, we are well prepared for the season opener. After the tests in Jerez and Portimão we had some open points that we were able to continue and to confirm here in good conditions. Now we have to make our choice for the race weekend. Tom’s pace is strong and we now have to try to keep it over the race distance. With Eugene, we have identified a few things we will work on for the weekend to also further improve his pace. Our goal for the opening round is: we want to start from the front row and I think that we have the chance to get onto the podium.”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We’ve had two good days of testing here in Australia. On Eugene’s side, we’ve had a lot of information to work through and we had satisfying results, mostly with the electronics and his feel for the delivery of the power. That has been his focus area and while we are happy so far we will take some of this work into Friday. On Tom’s side we’ve had a huge list of items for him to test over the two days. We are pretty happy with where we are. We’ve not managed to do much race simulation due to the extensive test items, so that will be Fridays focus. We know we can qualify very well and aim to be on the front row in qualifying. But it’s not about qualifying, it’s about the race and we know that to be in contention for a podium position, we need to do consistent fast lap times in the latter parts of race. To do so and to be on the podium is definitely the goal for the season opener.”
Tom Sykes (66). Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Tom Sykes: “I’m very happy with the way things have gone. We had very successful winter tests, didn’t get too carried away with the lap times and really focused on the set-up of the BMW S 1000 RR. We really got through a strong test programme and when we came here to Phillip Island, it has paid off. As soon as I rolled out, the bike felt very good and we were able to work on the little parameters that we had in store before the race weekend. Overall, I’m happy with the outcome. We have a lot of information that we will study over next days and we will try to come back strong for the race weekend with a good base set-up. Regarding my goals for the season opener: obviously everybody is here trying to win races. I just want to be more consistent throughout the season but we always have to aim for the podium, always have to try to make that podium into a race win and obviously here it is not different.”
Eugene Laverty (50). Photo courtesy of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Eugene Laverty: “I’m a typical rider, I always want more time, an extra day to be ready but it has been a good couple of test days. We’ve worked a lot towards race preparation because you have concentrate on 20 laps not just on one lap and that has been our focus. We still have some work to do to do that fast lap time as for example Tom has been able to do but I’m confident that we will get there. We need to be fighting up there for the podium because this bike’s capable of it at this track. We’re feeling prepared. We need some more dry time on Friday to find our one lap pace but I’m confident that for the long distance, we will be there.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:
KRT Riders Complete Final Tests
The Phillip Island circuit in Australia hosted the final pre-season test for the WorldSBK riders on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February, with Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes wrapping up their pre-race checks and set-up tasks in readiness for the first round of the year this coming weekend.
Rea took his official Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR to the top place overall on the time sheets, with Lowes 12th.
Light rain and several red flags prevented a full first day of action but on the second day the early morning and then afternoon sessions allowed the KRT staff to evaluate tyre options and set-up decisions looking to the imminent arrival of race weekend.
Rea worked on both tyre life and finding an optimum bike balance to take on the unique 4.445km Phillip Island circuit, which is always a tough test for tyre durability at race pace.
Lowes also worked on machine balance to find feel and feedback after realising that his previous set-up from the European winter test programme needed some modification at such a fast and flowing circuit. He and his tech crew have now settled on a base set-up to take into the start of race weekend on Friday.
Now the refreshed KRT line up of five times champion Rea and new signing Lowes will face three races at PI – two full distance events (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) and a ten lap sprint race on Sunday morning, 1 March.
The opening round of the 2020 championship is the first of 13 rounds, with the second one coming along at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, between 13 and 15 March.
Jonathan Rea (1). Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It has been a positive test all-in-all. Even though some sessions were hindered a bit by the weather, we have been able to confirm a lot of items from the balance side, to try to get the bike to turn more naturally. That was out focus coming here, knowing what we knew from last year. I felt good with the bike and tested two different front tyres. Both gave good but different sensations so it is more about understanding which one we go towards the weekend with. You never really know in this race. We have done race distance on all the tyres we used and I feel fast and consistent with all. But you never really know until the race. It is clear at this track that you can go all out and be really fast but you tend to run into issues at the end of the race. So it is more about trying to make your consistent rhythm easy and I feel like we have a bike that is quite user-friendly. That is positive to go into Friday with.”
Alex Lowes (22). Photo courtesy of Kawasaki.
Alex Lowes, stated: “Obviously it has not been as easy to find the right feeling and set-up on the bike as I would have liked coming here but also it is the first time on the bike on such a strange track layout. It is so fast here, with lots of changes of direction. How I felt on the bike earlier in the winter tests was not quite the same here, so we worked a bit on the set-up. I got a little bit frustrated a couple of times, made a couple of mistakes, but the last session it was a bit better and we have found a base set-up that I can go into the weekend with. I am looking forward to getting my first race weekend in green started in a few days from now.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “Before coming here, and it is the same as every year, we knew this is the real first time that you can see everybody – all the teams, riders and manufacturers – and there are some new bikes and riders – so before you come here you are expecting to see where everybody is. Now we can understand where everyone is. Last year was tough for us even if Johnny finished all the races in second place; Alvaro was really strong and riding really well. We struggled with the rear tyre so before we came here I studied this aspect and we focused 100% on the most important points of this track. Phillip Island is quite unique and we have to save the tyre for race distance. But at the same time you have to be fast. We worked calmly with Johnny and he understands what this track asks of him, so step-by-step we focused and followed all the items we wanted to test – all the plans – so we are happy.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “We did not finish where we would have wanted to finish in the timesheets but we were fast and competitive over race distance, which is very positive. We did most laps during this test, which was one of our targets. This is a special track and we did not have too many laps in the previous winter tests before we got here. The overall package of Alex and the bike are still fresh and therefore I am sure we can improve our performance for the weekend.”
Other Kawasaki WorldSBK riders at the PI test included Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Xavi Fores, who was overall 14th and Sandro Cortese from the Outdo Kawasaki TPR squad with the 13th fastest time. New rider for 2020, Chilean Maximilian Scheib from the Orelac Racing VerdNatura team, ended up 15th from the 19 riders at PI.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Pro Racing:
Team HRC makes progress as the final pre-season tests conclude at Phillip Island
Honda WorldSBK
25 Feb 2020
The final WorldSBK test sessions prior to the start of the 2020 Championship have now drawn to a close for Team HRC. On track at Phillip Island in Australia, Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam worked hard across Monday and Tuesday, despite rain conditioning proceedings on Monday afternoon.
With significant set-up solutions to test, the team adopted a methodical approach on Monday and made gradual progress on both sides of the garage. Back on what initially was still a wet track this morning, both Haslam and Bautista were nevertheless able to improve on their best times set yesterday, the Brit recording a 1’31.046 to finish sixth, the Spaniard lowering his time by more than a second to close eighth with a 1’31.453.
Conditions remained dry for the afternoon’ final session and, towards the very end of this last session, Haslam was able to further lower his lap time, setting a 1’30.882 to position fifth in the combined two-day standings. Bautista closed tenth overall with the time set during the morning’s stint (1’31.453).
Team HRC will return to the Phillip Island circuit on Friday, ready for the first practice sessions making up the opening round of the 2020 Superbike World Championship.
Leon Haslam (91). Photo courtesy of Honda Pro Racing.
Leon Haslam
We’ve made some steps forward today, despite the windy conditions being a bit of a problem this afternoon. Unfortunately, there is never enough time, especially considering how many elements we have to test but we’ve got a lot done here. Our lap times are not bad and I’m quite happy with our consistency in terms of the tyres. Overall, I feel we’re making good progress although the testing only tells us so much of course. We won’t know exactly where we are until we race, so we’ll know more come the weekend – it’s going to be interesting.
Alvaro Bautista (19). Photo courtesy of Honda Pro Racing.
Alvaro Bautista
This test has been very important for us of course and I think we’ve made progress. With respect to yesterday, my feeling with the Fireblade was a little better this morning, while this afternoon was a little trickier in the wind and on a more slippery track. We’ve also tested tyres today, finding positives and negatives as is always the case, and we also attempted a long run in order to collect as much data as possible ahead of the first races. All this information is really important as we move forward and I’m confident we can take another step forward this coming weekend. The potential, power and speed are all there, now we just need to work to be able to effectively harness it all.
More, from a press release issued by Team Go Eleven:
LAST DAY OF TESTING, AWESOME FEELING WITH USED TYRES!
On the night between Monday and Tuesday, a violent storm hit Phillip Island, where will take place the Round 1 branded WorldSBK. The track has changed considerably compared to yesterday, but the warm weather helped to quickly restore optimal conditions.
In the first part of the morning Team Go Eleven, together with the rider Michael Rinaldi, used the wet track for a shakedown with what will be the race bike. Everything turned out to be in order and ready for the debut. Thus, the test program has resumed, trying to make the V4-R Go Eleven more manageable. From mid-shift onwards Michael shows a step forward in his feeling with his Ducati, managing to significantly improve yesterday’s lap time; enters the top ten with a 1.31.438 that projects him close to the top.
Michael Rinaldi (21). Photo courtesy of Team Go Eleven.
Michael Rinaldi:
In the afternoon session, the number 21 from Romagna focuses on the race pace, making several passes on the “31” high, demonstrating great confidence with the bike, showing a good race pace with used tyres. There were some technical tests in this last available session, too: a new swingarm made its appearance on the rear of the V4-R Go Eleven. Despite a not too exciting first quick impression, Michael became familiar with the new technical characteristics and managed to push, improving the morning’s time in an overall slower session due to the strong wind.
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Positive Final Tests for Razgatlıoğlu and Van der Mark
Phillip Island, Australia (25 Feb 2020) – Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team with Rizla riders Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark completed the final pre-season test at Phillip Island in strong form, as they posted the fourth and seventh fastest lap times overall respectively.
Razgatlioglu once again showed real pace and confidence on the new 2020 Pata Yamaha R1 by finishing only 0.292 seconds from the fastest time, despite also working for long periods on used tyre pace and bike balance to carry into the three races at Phillip Island this coming weekend.
After a strong two days on track for Yamaha’s Official Team, van der Mark was satisfied with the seventh fastest lap, having focused on overall race pace and making final technical preparations – which included two very encouraging full distance race simulations.
Razgatlioglu set 123 laps in total against his main rivals, and van der Mark would have posted more than the 103 he ended up with were it not for suffering a crash earlier today in the final sector, on a lap that would have seen him challenge the outright best. He recovered well to get to within one-tenth of his personal best time, set in FP3 this morning, in the final session after some slick work in the pits from his technical crew.
The 4.445km long Phillip Island circuit witnessed light rain at times on day one, and several red flag incidents, but the team made the best of their available track time at a circuit which has a reputation for being very tough on tyre durability, especially on the left side.
With the potential for high tyre wear in mind, technical solutions and adjustments to riding styles were much more of a focus today than going for any class leading single lap time, after Razgatlioglu had been the fastest rider of all on day one.<
Now the attention of the Pata Yamaha with Rizla team is to focus on making a good start to the race weekend, on Friday 28 February, to prepare for the first race of what appears to be shaping up as an exciting new season on Saturday 29.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54). Photo courtesy of Pata Yamaha.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – Position: 4th Time: 1’30.740
“We worked to have good grip and a bike that turns well and again we will try more with these things with my R1 on Friday. We are happy because for me it is very important that I could ride the R1 at this track in dry conditions. This final afternoon I rode more in a race style and it was not bad; quite good really. But on Friday we will try another new set-up for even better grip. It is important to do race simulations and our laps were consistent. I felt good. Michael was also fast in race conditions so we will see how things are in the races. Phillip Island races can start slow, slow and then fast – I remember last year we started with 1’32 laps times then after some laps we went into the 1’31s. But we will have to see, because this is 2020, not 2019!”
Michael van der Mark (60). Photo courtesy of Pata Yamaha.
Michael van der Mark – Position: 7th Time: 1’31.077
“I am quite happy with our test and the 2020 R1. Our main goal was to improve our race pace and save our tyres. Yesterday we did a long run, which was really positive, and today we tried some different things with the rear suspension and the pace was there again, especially in a race simulation. So, I am really happy with how the test went but unfortunately this morning when I was on my way to my fastest lap I crashed, so that was a shame. But if you look back at the race simulations they were pretty good. Today I did 20 laps and the tyres were still fine. You have to start the race with a different approach than normal here but this is not my first time in Phillip Island, so we know this. At the beginning I think everyone will be a little bit conservative but at the end we will see who is the strongest. It is always going to be a surprise in this race!”
Paul Denning – Team Principal
“I don’t think any team or manufacturer finishes the Phillip Island test with all the boxes ticked and all the answers they might have been looking for put into place. However, despite a few more details still to improve, in general, we are very happy with the work completed and the raw pace of both riders and the R1. The crew have done a great job, including on Mikey’s side to get a badly damaged bike ready during the second free practice today. Now the job is to simply make a clear plan for the race weekend and find a couple of tenths where we can, but more importantly, provide the guys with an R1 that can do 22 strong and consistent laps on Saturday and Sunday – our goals are certainly higher than they were at this circuit a year ago.”
Maverick Vinales (12) during pre-season testing in Qatar in 2020. Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
Best Race Lap Record: 1:54.927, Jorge Lorenzo, 2016
All-Time Lap Record: 1:53.380, Marc Marquez, 2019
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Losail International Circuit
Doha, Qatar
February 24, 2020
Day Three Test Results (all on Michelin tires):
Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:53.858
Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:53.891
Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.068
Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.077
Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.105
Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.129
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.149
Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.239
Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:54.283
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.312
Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.326
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.332
Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.432
Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.623
Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:54.674
Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.752
Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:54.760
Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:54.830
Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.008
Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:55.301
Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:55.519
Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:55.916
Overall/Combined Test Results (all on Michelin tires):
Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:53.858
Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:53.891
Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.038
Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.068
Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.105
Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.129
Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.149
Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.239
Brad Binder, South Africa (KTM), 1:54.283
Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.312
Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.326
Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.332
Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:54.432
Johann Zarco, France (Ducati), 1:54.565
Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.623
Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.634
Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:54.674
Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:54.830
Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.008
Iker Lecuona, Spain (KTM), 1:55.301
Alex Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:55.519
Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:55.916
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Viñales rises to reign Day 3
Spaniard back on top as Yamaha and Suzuki lock out the top four
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
Monday, 24 February 2020
If there’s one thing 2020 preseason has taught us to expect, it’s some serious speed from Yamaha and Suzuki. At the close of testing before the first race weekend of the year that remained entirely true, with Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) getting into the 1:53s with a 1:53.858 to head the pile. And Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) wasn’t too far behind, just 0.033 in arrears, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in third a couple of tenths back. Fourth? Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), as the inline-fours came out on top.
At Yamaha, the Day 3 timesheets made for good reading and even more so overall, as Quartararo was third fastest in the combined standings. Viñales has looked like the man with the threatening race pace with Quartararo extremely close to him, Morbidelli has been consistently quick and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) seems happy and fast despite not being quite as far up the order (P12 overall). The ‘Doctor’ rarely is before race day, however…
It wasn’t all perfect reading for the Iwata marque though. Quartararo suffered a technical issue on Sunday and on Monday, and Rossi crashed on Day 3 – rider ok. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli was pleased with the progress made with improved grip and on acceleration, saying the 2020 package “is very competitive.”
Quartararo said his race simulation on Day 3 was very pleasing, pretty much every lap was in the 1:54s and the Frenchman didn’t go for a proper time attack – the 20-year-old going as far as saying “there’s margin for more”. That bodes very well for the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
The main job for Team Suzuki Ecstar, meanwhile, was to continue comparing the standard and new chassis, nothing radically new was on the GSX-RRs of Rins and Joan Mir as they focused on the finer details: adjustments in setup and gathering data for the race. Mir was sixth on Day 3 and the combined timesheets. Along with Yamaha, Suzuki look arguably in the best shape ahead of the Qatar GP with both the Sepang and Qatar Tests proving very good for the Hamamatsu factory. Rins confirmed he is “so happy” with the work done over the three days at Losail International Circuit – and Mir echoed his thoughts too.
Breaking the domination in the top five was a job for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) on Day 3. The Australian was the top Ducati in fifth, 0.247 off the top, and said he completed a couple of time attacks and two longer runs. The number 43 is “quietly confident” heading into the opening weekend of the season, and clocked the fastest-ever top speed at Losail, a ridiculous 355 km/h…
In the Bologna factory camp, Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was sporting new front aero on one of his bikes, while his other GP20 had the older aero fitted. The Italian said he was pleased with his 22-lap race simulation on Day 3, but the one-lap pace still needs work ahead of the Grand Prix. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso was still trying the new swingarm.
Ducati Team Manager Davide Tardozzi said the engine is working very well but corner speed – especially on maximum lean angle at the apex – still needs work. In addition, Tardozzi said they are experiencing some issues adapting to Michelin’s new rear tyre. After finishing P6 on Day 2, Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) didn’t improve his time as the Frenchman finished P14 overall, two places ahead of Petrucci, with Dovizioso – who was happy with his long run pace – P10 and Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) P11. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) was just 0.040 off Petrucci’s time.
Marc Marquez. Photo courtesy of Dorna.
It was a busy and intriguing day for reigning Champions Honda as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) started with three bikes in his garage, one of those being Takaaki Nakagami’s (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 2019 RC213V. Marquez was seventh overall, Nakagami less than a tenth off.
Nakagami’s teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completed 70 laps as HRC went in search of finding improvements on the final day in Qatar, with the Japanese giants testing things “from two or three years ago” according to Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig. Crutchlow said he was happy with his pace, but over one or two laps the number 35 is struggling with stopping the bike and grip with the new tyre.
Premier class rookie Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completed another 47 laps as the Spaniard admitted it was a difficult test for himself and the team, but the reigning Moto2™ World Champion was reasonably confident that he has a decent pace for the race weekend.
One of the riders of the test based on timesheets alone has to be Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Brad Binder, however. The South African slammed in a mighty impressive 1:54.283 on Day 3 to leave him ninth on the combined and Day 3 times, just 0.425 from Viñales’ pacesetting lap. As his teammate Pol Espargaro explained earlier in the test, KTM didn’t have anything new to try on Day 3 as they don’t want to start getting lost. Working for the race was the Austrian factory’s objective as it seems their initial 2020 base is pretty much sorted, however there was a slight blip for Espargaro on the final day as he crashed unhurt at Turn 2. Over in the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 camp, Miguel Oliveira and premier class rookie Iker Lecuona finished P19 and P20, but the gaps were only 1.150 and 1.443 respectively.
Speaking to motogp.com’s pitlane reporter Simon Crafar on Day 3, Aprilia Racing Technical Director Romano Albesiano confirmed their sole purpose was to decide on the engine spec they’ll use for the season. At the end of play, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) finished P13 on the timesheets, just over half a second off Viñales, with test rider Bradley Smith completing a further 55 laps on Monday as Aprilia continue to gather crucial data on their brand new RS-GP. Espargaro said he showed a strong pace on race simulation, lapping in mid-1:54s for plenty of laps was good news for the number 41. A busy test for both riders means Aprilia have a lot of analysing to do before the Qatar GP…
So that’s it for 2020 preseason testing. In simple terms, Yamaha and Suzuki have emerged as early Qatar GP favourites, with Honda seeming to have plenty of work to do ahead of Round 1. However, a Grand Prix weekend is a different kettle of fish and we will find out on judgement day – Sunday 8th March – as to how competitive each rider and team really are. The top 18 were split by less than a second, so let’s bring on Friday 6th March when the 2020 MotoGP™ World Championship will get underway!
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Oliveira and Lecuona complete final test day in Qatar
Ahead of the opening round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship season, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo of Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona had the chance to do some last-minute improvements during the last day of testing at the Losail International Circuit today. By the end of the ultimate preseason day, Oliveira managed to lower his lap time from Saturday by 0.729 seconds and Lecuona went 0.834 faster than on day one.
Miguel Oliveira (88). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Miguel Oliveira
Position: 19th
Time: 1:55.008
Laps: 48
“For sure, the last day was much better than the first two days, at least the lap time progression was there. About the time attack, we are still very far away from what we need to be. We couldn’t really use the soft tyre to make a lap time and we mainly focused on the medium tyre to find a race pace, which is right now much better than half of the riders in front of us. This is quite scary, but also positive in a way. Of course, we need to start the race a bit further in front. We have some ideas to work on the race weekend. Testing is always a bit tricky, because many riders do a quick lap time and they don’t really have a pace, so in real conditions, you can really see, who is faster and who is not. So, I hope in less than two weeks’ time, we can figure out a way, that we can extract a good lap time.”
Iker Lecuona (27). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM Tech3.
Iker Lecuona
Position: 20th
Time: 1:55.301
Laps: 40
“Overall, I felt good today, apart from a minor crash we had this morning. When I came back to the track in the afternoon, the wind had picked up quite a lot, which is a completely new situation for me. We also tried the new Michelin tyre, which I still need to understand further. I have to admit, that I’m not totally happy about today, as there are many factors to manage, from finding grip and staying in one direction to work on. When I see the three complete days of test here, I can say, that I’m satisfied, although there are still things to improve.”
Hervé Poncharal
Team Manager
“The final MotoGP test is over, which is exciting news because that means next time we are on track, it will be for round one, which is what everybody has been waiting for since end of the Valencia race. I believe the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team has had some productive winter tests, six days in Sepang and another three days here in Qatar. We knew that the Losail International Circuit was going to be more difficult than what we experienced in Malaysia, that this circuit is a tough one for us and although the final positions are not looking great tonight, the gap to the leaders is a lot smaller than last year. I can’t say that we are 100 percent happy, but I believe we gathered a lot of useful data. I trust Miguel, Iker and the whole Tech3 crew to find some solutions to get a few tenths, that will take us further towards the front. MotoGP itself is definitely a lot more competitive than it used to be in the past. We have 18 riders within a second, which is showing how close everything is and how small improvements can make you jump a few positions. As usual and always, I want to see the glass half full and not half empty, so we give ourselves a few days of rest, a few days of thinking, a few days of finding some good ideas and we’ll be back in Qatar and hopefully where we would like to be, which is in top 10/top 12 positions.”
More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:
Pre-season testing comes to successful conclusion for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT
The final pre-season test came to a successful conclusion today in Qatar for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, who ended the session second and fourth respectively.
Today saw the final pre-season test in Qatar come to a successful conclusion for PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team. Riders Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo finished the third and final day of testing at Losail International Circuit with the second and fourth fastest times respectively.
Franco chose to wait for the temperatures to cool slightly before working on the setup on his Yamaha YZR-M1. After completing the first phase of his testing programme, the Italian focused on a series of time attack laps and was only one of two riders to lap in the 1min 53secs. Franco ended the day with a positive race simulation of 20 laps. His fastest lap of the 52 he completed today was 1min 53.891secs and placed him second, just 0.033 seconds shy of first.
Fabio was once again the first rider out on the 5.4km long circuit today, as he tested the new front tyre from Michelin. The Frenchman was consistently among the quickest riders today and set a fastest time of 1min 54.077secs. Fabio closed the day with a 21-lap race simulation run, which brought his lap total up to 58. When the chequered flag was waved to signal the end of the final pre-season test his fastest time placed him fourth – third in the combined standings of the three days.
Now that the pre-season tests are over, PETRONAS Yamaha SRT now look forward to the first race of the year, which also takes place at Losail International Circuit in Qatar, in less than two weeks’ time (6-8 March).
Razlan Razali
Team Principal
It has been a positive final test in Qatar, before the first round in less than two weeks at the same circuit. Franco and Fabio are getting more comfortable on their respective machines and have simulated many different situations for the race. It looks tight at the top of the standings, especially the top-six, but we are confident that our boys will be there come the Qatar race.
Wilco Zeelenberg
Team Manager
The winter test is now finished and I can say that we did what we needed to do and both guys were in the top three, second and third, in this test overall. I’m very pleased with the result and of course we know it’s a test, but it’s important to have the speed and to do all the things that we did. It was also very important to have the right feeling for the race simulation. I’m very pleased with both riders’ results: Fabio was clearly fast like last year but now Franco has made a step up and also proven how quick he is with a top three result. Yamaha promised us two good spec bikes and clearly they have given us this. We are now looking forward to the race next week.
Franco Morbidelli (21). Photo courtesy of PETRONAS Yamaha SRT.
Franco Morbidelli
2nd (1:53.891)
It was a positive test for us overall. We closed the gap to the top little by little and today the pace was really good. The hot lap was also very good, so I’m happy about that. We will take the positives and try to improve even more and make a good job in the race, which is the most important thing. I’m very happy about this pre-season and I think that we have a good feeling straight away from Sepang. I felt more comfortable with the bike, maybe because I know it better, and here in Qatar we made progress and we just have to keep on going like this.
Fabio Quartararo (20). Photo courtesy of PETRONAS Yamaha SRT.
Fabio Quartararo
4th (1:54.077)
We did a race simulation and the pace was really good so I’m very happy, the pace was in the 1min 54secs for almost all of the simulation. We didn’t do a real time attack but we are still quite fast, less than two tenths behind the other guys. I think we can improve this as I made a mistake on my fast lap. For the GP weekend I want to improve the fast lap as we know it is normally our speciality but today we didn’t do it. I know we can do it for the first round though and I’m really happy about the job we did today.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
THE BRAND NEW 2020 APRILIA RS-GP CONFIRMS ITS PERFORMANCE IN QATAR
ALEIX CLOSES OUT HIS PRE-SEASON WITH A GOOD RACE SIMULATION
LOTS OF WORK ON THE NEW APRILIA V4 FOR BRADLEY SMITH
After the positive début at the Malaysia tests, anticipation was high for the RS-GP at this test on a new circuit, and the fledgling Italian V4 did not disappoint, confirming for riders and team the good performance demonstrated during the first outing. The three days of testing in Qatar were the final act before the world championship season opener scheduled for March eighth, on this same track.
For Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, the testing schedule was extremely intense. Aleix Espargaró and Bradley Smith, besides increasing their own confidence on the bike, worked a lot both to consolidate the technical base and to begin developing the RS-GP in race configuration, completely virgin terrain for a project that is less than four weeks old.
On the last day of tests, Aleix did a long run that left him very satisfied, having lapped with a nice pace in the mid and low 1’55s. His best time of the three days was 1’54.432.
Bradley tested a lot of different setups and electronics solutions, but since everything is new on the RS-GP 20, there are really no comparisons to be done, so it is just a matter of feeling out its reactions on the track. The Brit finished up with a best time of 1’55.916.
Aleix Espargaro (41). Photo courtesy of Aprilia Gresini.
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ
“These were three intense days. We did not turn a lot of laps, but we did a lot of work, also taking into account the inevitable hiccoughs that come with the youth of the RS-GP. Overall, we confirmed the potential that had already been seen in Malaysia on this track as well. Especially today in the race simulation: I was able to maintain a good pace. In fact, the feeling improved lap after lap. Now we’ll need to do a good job analysing the data over the next ten days and make the right choices, putting together a package that will allow us to be competitive already in the first race weekend. Aprilia wants it, I want it and I am confident that we will succeed.”
Bradley Smith (38). Photo courtesy of Aprilia Gresini.
BRADLEY SMITH
“We did a good job. We concentrated first on testing functionality and then on a few development ideas, not only short-term, but also to give the engineers a direction for the evolutions in the coming months. On a completely new bike, every lap is as precious as gold. The first race on the calendar is just around the corner, and we need to speed up the growth process to have a good base to start from. In terms of the ride, I am pleased with the progress made concerning the pace, whereas I am still lacking a bit of confidence when it comes to doing a flying lap. That is not the most important thing right now, though.”
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
MotoGP pre-season comes to an end in Qatar
After three days of running under the lights of the Losail International Circuit, the 2020 MotoGP pre-season is officially finished and the opening race awaits.
With the chequered flag at 20:00 Local Time, the 2020 MotoGP pre-season officially drew to a close as the Repsol Honda Team saw the end of the Qatar Test. The three days of running allowed the factory Honda team to explore a variety of different options in order to be in the best position possible for the first race of the year.
The final day of the 2020 pre-season proved a busy one for Marc Marquez who continued to relentlessly work through his testing programme. Quickly finding his speed from day one, the eight-time World Champion made consistent progress over the final day of running. Towards the end of the evening Marc turned his attentions to pushing for a lap time, ending the test with a best time of 1’54.149 and only 0.291s from the fastest time overall and less than a tenth from third place as the MotoGP field continues to tighten. The reigning World Champion leaves Qatar with a positive feeling.
Again, it was rookie Alex Marquez who was the first Repsol Honda Team rider out on track. As he had done on the previous two days, the Moto2 World Champion was able to improve his fastest lap time from the previous day. Not focusing on a time attack, Alex completed a total of 152 laps around the 5.4km long track and set a best time of 1’55.519.
A handful of days for final preparations now face both riders and the team as the first race of the 2020 MotoGP season looms large. The paddock will return to Qatar for the first Grand Prix of the year on March 06 to 08.
Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Marc Marquez
7TH 1’54.149
“After the first two days I was a little worried in all honesty as we were struggling to understand how to improve where we needed to. But today we have made a big breakthrough and now we understand what we need to do, I’m really pleased with what we have done. I was able to be really consistent and I was happy with my rhythm. I have to say a big thank you to Honda, the engineers and my mechanics because they have worked a lot this test and the results are showing for us. We have a direction to follow when we return here for the race.”
Alex Marquez (73). Photo courtesy of Repsol Honda.
Alex Marquez
21ST 1’55.519
“Today again I was feeling better physically, and the first 30 laps were quite good. We didn’t really have a chance to do a proper time attack today as we were busy with other things and I am still not physically at my best. We were strong in Sepang and here we haven’t been as close as I would have liked to the rest of the field. Thanks to our work this test my team think they have some solutions for the GP next week, I am pleased with this. Now I’ll return home to prepare in the best way possible for my first MotoGP race.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR COMPLETE WINTER TESTING ON TOP FORM
Alex Rins: 4th – 1:54.068 (+ 0.210)
Joan Mir: 6th – 1:54.129 (+ 0.271)
Monday saw the final day of testing before the 2020 season commences, and Team Suzuki Ecstar are leaving Doha with a clear sense of their potential and with satisfaction following the hard work done by the riders.
Alex Rins used this last day to string together a series of laps in a race simulation. He also confirmed some settings and is prepared for the race day, which will take place in just under two weeks’ time. Finishing the day in third place, Rins feels confident and satisfied with the work done.
Joan Mir spent time working on tyre comparisons and he also did a time attack in the latter part of the session. He showed great consistency throughout the day, closing with a sixth place which was just 0.271 seconds from the top spot. He also reported feeling content and ready for the season start.
Both Rins and Mir improved their lap times over the course of the test, setting their fastest laps towards the end of Monday’s session.
Team Suzuki Ecstar will be back in action at Losail International Circuit in two weeks for the opening race weekend of the season that will take place on Sunday March 8th.
Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:
“It was a good test, both riders have finished the winter testing on good form, and they’ve done very well. We were able to confirm important things to do with the engine spec. and the chassis and now everything is in place for us to start racing with this package. I’m really looking forward to the first round!”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager:
“The testing has gone well, and we feel positive because we followed our plan to create and confirm the final package – but the true test will be when we start racing! Now we can homologate the parts that we’ve confirmed and begin preparing for the start of the season. Both our riders have shown really good pace, so we’re happy with that, especially as it was only testing. Both Alex and Joan are feeling relaxed and well prepared.”
Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy of Team Suzuki ECSTAR.
Alex Rins:
“I’m so happy; I was first on day one, second on day two, and third on day three! Sincerely, we tested everything we needed to, and the team worked so well. We’ve taken a step forward compared with last year and I feel confident, at least for the first race. I like to take things step-by-step, so I’m not thinking long term at the moment, but I’m certainly ready for FP1 in less than two weeks! The Top 15 riders are really close, so I think it will be an exciting Grand Prix.”
Joan Mir (36). Photo courtesy of Team Suzuki ECSTAR.
Joan Mir:
“It’s been a successful test; I improved my lap times and my pace each day and I feel really happy with the bike. Now we just have to continue like this because everything is going in the right direction. We’re really close to the top guys and we have strong pace, but in the race it can be a different story. The Team have done an incredible job, so let’s see what happens!”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP WRAP UP WINTER TESTING IN QATAR ON TOP
Losail (Qatar), 24th February 2020
QATAR MOTOGP TEST
Today Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi completed the third and final day of the 2020 MotoGP Official Test Losail. The Factory Yamaha duo finished the test in 1st and 12th place respectively in the overall standings.
1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’53.858 / 84 LAPS 12th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’54.332 / 47 LAPS
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team successfully concluded their winter testing programme on the last day of the MotoGP Official Test Losail in Qatar. Continuing their strategy to wait for the temperatures to mimic the expected conditions for the upcoming Qatar GP, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi spent the day perfecting their racing packages, setting the 1st and 12th fastest time of the day respectively.
Viñales used today‘s session at the Losail International Circuit to its full capacity. Already happy with the balance of the YZR-M1 on the first two days, he again managed to up his pace on Day 3. He focused on riding with used tyres for most of the time, but in the final hour he put in a time attack. He set a 1‘53.858s on lap 69 that catapulted him into P1 and also earned him first place in the combined Day 1-2-3 results, 0.033s ahead of his closest rival.
Rossi worked on tyre life today. He was inside the top-3 midway through his runs, demonstrating that his hard work over the last two days paid off. With the race setting provisionally locked for the Qatar GP, he then decided to push a bit further, but got caught out by the cooler and more humid conditions. It resulted in a small crash in Turn 2, but fortunately no injuries for the Italian. He was able to head out again but didn‘t improve on his fastest time so far. His best lap, a 1’54.332s, set on lap 28/47, left him in 12th place in today‘s and the combined timesheets, 0.474s behind his teammate.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
Overall, we are very satisfied with the work done over the last three days. This test was crucial to make sure we are in a competitive condition before we return here within two weeks for the Qatar GP. We‘ve seen both our riders make good steps and we managed to finish the entire 2020 testing programme, so we feel ready to start racing. Maverick is looking really strong. Of course, it‘s a nice confidence boost to have him in first place in the timesheets, but it‘s mostly his race pace that we are pleased with. Valentino suffered a small crash, which is easily done when the humidity increases and the temperatures go down, especially since he was pushing. Luckily, he was uninjured and could continue riding. Over the next week we will analyse his data and focus on improving his tyre life. Anyway, he is not far from the top, so we expect him to be in contention at the front. All in all, we feel eager to start the season!
Maverick Vinales (12). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
Today has been a really good day for us because we have been working with very used tyres, especially when the conditions were difficult. We were trying to adapt ourselves when the conditions weren‘t good. I tried my best with used tyres because sometimes in the race you get a kind of difficult feeling. So, I tried to understand what I have to do when the condition is not good on the track. I‘m very happy, the team has been working in a really good way. Six days of testing, and I feel good with the bike. I feel the bike is there, and now we need to continue working, because there‘s a good progression but it‘s still not enough. Honestly, I enjoyed these last three days on the bike so much. For sure it‘s going to be a long week, so I can‘t wait for next Friday and especially Sunday on the grid.
Valentino Rossi (46). Photo courtesy of Monster Energy Yamaha.
VALENTINO ROSSI
First of all, it is incredible because also today we have fifteen riders within maybe half a second. It‘s like Moto2, so this is very good for the championship, the fans, and the races, because it looks like there‘s a good balance between the different riders and bikes. Today we are a little bit worried, not so much about the position – unfortunately I crashed with the second tyre and I think I could have improved the lap time – but more about the pace. We tried to make some long runs, but we had some problems with the tyres very similar to last year, so it looks like, that after some laps, unfortunately I have to slow down and this is not good news. But now the tests are finished we will see during the race weekends. In the races it‘s always different.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
KTM CLOSE MOTOGP PRE-SEASON PREP WITH OPTIMISM AFTER THREE-DAY QATAR TEST
MotoGP 2020 IRTA test Losail (QAT)
The lights are excitingly hovering on red for KTM’s fourth MotoGP in the immediate wake of the the second and final pre-season test at the Losail International Circuit. Brad Binder was the fastest KTM RC16 rider after three days at the venue that will now open the 2020 campaign in two weeks on March 8th.
For the second day in a row (and of three) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro clocked more than 110 laps of the 5.4km layout as afternoon turned to dusk and the crew completed their set-up work towards the first Grand Prix of twenty to come.
Rookie Binder (9th) was the surprise act after more modifications to his works KTM RC16 allowed the determined South African to register an effort that would stand less than half a second from the quickest lap of the day and be three tenths better than Pol Espargaro (14). The Spaniard, who worked diligently towards his race configuration across the three days but suffered a small crash on Monday afternoon and was ultimately denied a strong time-attack, was still just 0.7 of a second from the #1 spot.
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira (19th) and Iker Lecuona (20th) also dropped their lap-times to nudge closer to the top half of the leaderboard; less than 1.5 seconds covered the top twenty riders.
KTM continue their MotoGP adventure with the Grand Prix of Qatar in a fortnight’s time.
Pol Espargaro (44). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Pol Espargaro: “A good day but not such a great ending. We worked well and got some good info with a lot of things but then got a bit lost and it affected us going for a time attack. We made a couple of mistakes and had some issues and then I lost the front on Turn 2 which meant we could not have the happy end we wanted. Overall it has been a great test though and I feel very ready for the race weekend and that’s the most important thing. Brad did very well with a good lap at the right time and that shows we can be there.”
Brad Binder (33). Photo courtesy of Red Bull KTM.
Brad Binder: “I was quite surprised to be honest. I felt comfortable and we made some changes today that helped me a lot and sorted many of my issues. I put in a new set of tyres and ‘bam!’ the lap-time came. The bike was good. I felt way more comfortable to get it stopped, turned quicker and also get on the throttle earlier. Once we figured that part out then it was a lot easier to put a fast lap together but it was still quite difficult to do 22 of them, so I have a long way to go! We made some good steps these three days and the team has been awesome. I’m looking forward to continuing at the GP.”
Miguel Oliveira: “For sure, the last day was much better than the first two days, at least the lap time progression was there. We couldn’t really use the soft tyre to make a lap time and we mainly focused on the medium tyre to find a race pace, which is right now much better than half of the riders in front of us. This is quite scary, but also positive in a way. Of course, we need to start the race a bit further in front. We have some ideas to work on the race weekend. Testing is always a bit tricky because many riders do a quick lap time and they don’t really have a pace, so in real conditions, you can really see, who is faster and who is not. So, I hope in less than two weeks’ time, we can figure out a way, that we can extract a good lap time.”
Iker Lecuona: “Overall, I felt good today, apart from a minor crash we had this morning. When I came back to the track in the afternoon, the wind had picked up quite a lot, which is a completely new situation for me. We also tried the new Michelin tyre, which I still need to understand further. When I see the three complete days of test here then I can say that I’m satisfied, although there are still things to improve.”
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager: “We still had a lot on the list after Sepang and we managed to get through it here, so the team and the riders did a great job. The focus was to work hard on the bikes to find the final configuration for the race weekend. Generally, we are happy and it is important that all four riders are fit for the start of the season. I think there is clear proof that we made a step with the bike from 2019 to 2020. The lap-time from Brad was very impressive by a rookie but we have been looking at the longer outings and he did well there also. Pol didn’t go for a super-fast time today but we are not worried about his performance at all. The Tech3 guys made some good steps and, as we have seen in the past, lap-times are not always the priorities at winter tests.”
Sebastian Risse, Technical Coordinator MotoGP: “From a technical point of view we are ready. We managed to do most of the large items on our test schedule in Sepang and we know Losail is quite special in terms of the conditions and the way it changes with day sessions and night races and so on. So, we focussed on race distance and knowing the tyres specs better and for this place in particular: this all worked out quite well. You have to look behind the list of times when you are here. I think we are quite well-prepared but we did struggle a bit with Pol today to make the ultimate lap-time; however we know what we have to look for and what we need to do so we are confident.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
The Ducati Team concluded the last MotoGP preseason test in Qatar with Dovizioso tenth and Petrucci sixteenth
The final 2020 MotoGP preseason test concluded this evening at Losail, in Qatar. The same race venue, situated just a few kilometres away from the capital city of Doha, will host the opening Grand Prix of the new season in less than two weeks.
During the three days of testing available, the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were able to work consistently on the development of the Desmosedici GP20 bike as they kept testing the new tyre solutions brought by Michelin this year.
The last day for the two riders was mostly dedicated to making the final arrangements ahead of the upcoming race weekend. In the late afternoon, they headed back out on track together to complete a long run that gave positive feedback.
Andrea Dovizioso ended the day with the tenth fastest time, in 1:54.312, closing in tenth position also in the combined classification of the three days.
Danilo Petrucci ended the last day of testing in sixteenth position with a fastest lap time in 1:54.752 that he posted on his 36th lap out of 56 put in today. In the combined rankings, the rider from Terni also sits in the same position with his fastest lap time on Day 1 in 1:54.634, 0.776 seconds off today’s pacesetter.
After completing the preseason test, the Ducati Team riders will resume action at Losail Circuit from 6th-8th March for the first MotoGP Grand Prix of the season.
Andrea Dovizioso (04). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.312 (10°)
“I am really satisfied with the work done today. We were able to try different setups that helped us understand that we still have some room left for improvement. The most positive aspect of today was the race simulation. With used tyres, I was able to cover the race distance without problems. On top of that, I did a few laps behind Danilo, which helped me to understand how to manage better the tyres. My race pace is good, and I am sure that if we can be fast as the front guys, then we will be able to fight for the top positions during the race weekend”.
Danilo Petrucci (9). Photo courtesy of Ducati.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.752 (16º)
“I am happy about this final day of testing here in Qatar. We tried to manage our last session well without focusing on lap times and giving priority to the long run. We were able to cover the same distance as the race and to remove the doubts that we still had. Now we need to work well during the race weekend to be able to secure a good starting position for the race. As we were fast during the race simulation, I am sure that we will be able to be competitive also in the race”.
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:
Qatar Test – Qatar Test is ended, now focus on the first GP.
Jack Miller (43). Photo courtesy of Pramac Racing.
A positive day for Jack Miller who improved by staying on track until the end of the day, finishing in fifth position with a time of 1’54.105 (+ 0.247 from the leader) and 69 laps with the best top speed of 355.2km/h. Pecco Bagnaia also did a good job, he made a long run in the afternoon to gain as much confidence as possible with the bike and more data to analyze in race configuration. It was a positive day that highlights the good work done during these three intense days, he closes in eleventh position with a time of 1’54.326 (+ 468 from Leader) running 55 laps.
Pecco Bagnaia
It was a test where we improved a lot, in particularly about race pace, I’m sorry for the time attack today, because I found traffic in my best lap. What makes me happy and confident is the race simulation. For sure we can improve, but after this test I have a clear idea about the race approach and I have more confidence with my bike .
Jack Miller
It was a good day, we did 2 long runs and the second one was better, where I improved my race pace. With the medium tires my feeling was much better, we can still improve a lot and I am confident that before GP we will find the answers we are looking for.
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW BRAVES MAMMOTH FINAL DAY OF TESTING DESPITE INJURIES
MotoGP pre-season testing came to a close at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Monday evening, with Cal Crutchlow toughing out 70 laps of the desert track, in spite of the painful arm injuries he sustained on Sunday afternoon.
The LCR Honda Castrol star was forced to sit out the remainder of testing on day two, but made up for it considerably by riding through the pain barrier on the final night to improve his previous best time from the test by one and a half seconds.
The three-day Doha test completes the team’s on-track preparations for the up and coming 20-race MotoGP season, with the racing action kicking off at the same venue in less than two weeks’ time. Free practice for the Grand Prix of Qatar begins on Friday the 6th of March ahead of Sunday evening’s opening race at 6pm local time.
Cal Crutchlow (35). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
#35 Cal Crutchlow – 18th
(1’54.830 – lap 61 of 70)
“Today was a very difficult day because of the injuries I suffered in yesterday’s crash. My arm is still very swollen and there is a big haematoma on the elbow. So to do 70 laps today, I’m not sure there are many others who would have been able to do that. My team work really hard, as we all do, but then it’s down to me to tough it out and just get on with the job at hand.
“Overall, we managed to get through a lot of things this evening, some positive and some negative. We just need to keep working on those negatives by giving HRC all the feedback and information we’ve collected here, so that they can improve the bike for the first race next week.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
NAKAGAMI WRAPS UP SUCCESSFUL FINAL TEST SESSION
The MotoGP pre-season testing programme came to a close on Monday evening at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, and for LCR Honda Idemitsu man Takaaki Nakagami that meant the completion of an excellent return to on-track action.
The Japanese racer has spent much of his winter in recovery mode following a shoulder operation towards the end of 2019, but with six days of testing now under his belt he declared himself ready to take on a gruelling 20-race 2020 season.
On the final day of three in Doha, Nakagami completed another 33 laps of the desert venue, setting the eighth fastest time of the test and was less than a tenth behind Honda colleague and reigning world champion Marc Marquez.
The MotoGP World Championship kicks off at the same venue in less than two weeks’ time, with free practice beginning on Friday the 6th of March ahead of a Sunday evening race.
Takaaki Nakagami (30). Photo courtesy of LCR Honda.
#30 Takaaki Nakagami – 8th
(1’54.239 – lap 24 of 33)
“I’m really happy with these three days of testing, we have been improving every single day. The lap time is good and close to the top – only three-tenths away from the fastest. We’ve seen quite an improvement, and I’m happy with the feeling on the bike. With the new tyres for this year, from the second day to the last we have made improvements when they are well used.
“The physical condition of my right shoulder has also improved significantly, and I’m happy about how it feels because I’m in less pain. At the end of the day I still have energy, so this is a good sign. We still have one week left, and we will try and recover even more before the start of the season, but we will be ready for Qatar.
“I really appreciate the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team’s efforts throughout testing. Not only are they having to work through the night for tests here, but they have lots of work to do in the daytime also. All the mechanics have done a great job. I’m really happy and hopefully we can show our potential over the race weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
THE REALE AVINTIA RACING TEAM COMPLETES SUCCESSFULLY THE QATAR TEST
Reale Avintia Racing returned to action from February 22nd to 24th at the Losail International Circuit for the final pre-season MotoGP test. The team continued to work on the evolution of the Ducati Desmosedici GP19 and completed three very productive and useful days.
Johann Zarco was able to continue working on the adaptation and set-up with his Ducati for 2020. During the three days, the French rider managed to complete a total of 186 laps, almost 1000 kilometres. In the combined classification, Zarco finished in 14th position and the best time was set in Saturday’s session with 1:54.565.
Tito Rabat continued with the set-up work and improved his feeling on the Ducati. The Spanish rider clocked almost 920 kilometres thanks to the 170 laps accumulated over the three days of testing. Rabat set his best time on the third day with 1:54.674 and finished 17th in the combined.
With the end of the test in Losail, the Reale Avintia Racing puts an end to the preseason. Next March 6th, the 2020 season will start in the same track on the occasion of the Qatar Grand Prix.
Tito Rabat (53). Photo courtesy of Reale Avintia Racing.
TITO RABAT
“It was a positive test. It will be a hard-fought championship as we are all in the same second. On the one hand, satisfied with the time, we have to improve lap by lap. We have to stay calm and keep working day by day as we are doing. I begin to have ideas about the structure of how to drive this Ducati to go fast. Now to recover and go back to Qatar at full speed for the race.”
JOHANN ZARCO
“It has been a good test. Compared to Malaysia I had a better control of the bike and when the tyres are new, I can get a good lap time. The third day I cannot improve the second day time because I’ve been working in other things, sometimes we have small problems that don’t help us to continue with the plan that we have. I’m happy with the test and I can’t wait for the first race.”
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as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
