Dovizioso tops the timesheets in MotoGP™ test at Catalunya Following an action-packed race weekend at the Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, it was Andrea Dovizioso who topped the timesheets at the first in-season MotoGP™ test at the Catalan circuit on Monday, ahead of Ben Spies and Héctor Barberá. After heavy downpours on Sunday night, the track proved too wet for the majority of teams early on, with only a few riders heading out for a sighting lap to test the conditions. However, as the sun came out and the track dried, riders started to filter out for the day. It was misery early on for Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, as the pair crashed out on their opening laps on a damp-patch on the track. While Abraham was unhurt, Crutchlow walked away from the crash slightly bruised, yet able to re-join later in the day. There was no set theme for the day, as most teams worked on different areas to improve either their immediate, or future pace. The Ducati Team, which has been the most vocal about the need for testing predominantly worked with a new swingarm and the coinciding bike set-up. Nicky Hayden finished the test in tenth, while Valentino Rossi was behind him in 11th. The Repsol Honda Team’s sole goal was to test the new specification Bridgestone front tyre, as they sought to tune their bike’s settings for Silverstone, after which the new compound will be available as a full allocation. Both Stoner and Pedrosa went quickest in the morning session, though were relegated down the order in the afternoon with Pedrosa fifth and Stoner sixth. Yamaha Factory Racing’s Lorenzo, yesterday’s race winner, was targeted with establishing whether Yamaha’s future developments should focus more on traction or an increase in power. Ben Spies on the other hand was evaluating different engine specs, frame variations and some electronics settings. Lorenzo ended the day in eighth, while Spies put a positive note on his season finishing second. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s aim for the day was to also test a new-spec engine and its corresponding electronics. Despite Crutchlow’s early morning detour into the gravel, the team had a positive day as Andrea Dovizioso, who recorded his first Yamaha podium on Sunday, set the fastest time of the day with a 1.41’997. A slightly bruised Crutchlow grit his teeth to post the seventh quickest time. San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Álvaro Bautista, who was working on new suspension settings, looked on form all day, and was rewarded with a fourth place on the final timesheet. Michele Pirro, on board the team’s CRT machine in the shape of an FTR-Honda, continued to search for the best settings on the still relatively new bike. He finished the day in 16th. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl used the morning session to work on front end feel, while in the afternoon the team worked on improving traction coming out of corners, focussing on both the suspension and the electronics. The German rookie set the ninth fastest time overall, and will no doubt be looking to improve further at the next text. Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham, whose team were keen to try some new set-up ideas, recovered from his morning disappointment, yet could not finish higher than 12th. Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá, like Abraham, solely focussed on his Desmosedici’s set-up, and had a terrific day as he was third fastest of the bunch. Paul Bird Motorsport were making use of their British Superbike rider Shane Byrne, who took it in turns with official rider James Ellison to work on the team’s ART machine. It was Byrne who rode most of the day, with Ellison only running five laps with a new swingarm. Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini and the Power Electronics Aspar pair of Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró also had no new parts to test for their ART bikes, focussing solely on obtaining the best bike settings for the next round at Silverstone. De Puniet was quickest CRT in 13th in front of Espargaró, whilst Pasini finished in 19th. NGM Mobile Forward Racing continued their work on dialling in the electronics package and evaluating two different spec engines, with Colin Edwards finishing the day in 15th. Avintia Blusens’ Iván Silva worked with both the FTR and part-carbon Inmotec chassis, in the hope that the team can start deciding which one to use in the future. This will however not be decided until at least after the mid-week test in Aragón. Yonny Hernández continued his work on reducing chatter on the FTR chassis. The next official MotoGP test will be held in Aragón on Wednesday 6th June. More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Dovizioso quickest in Catalunya MotoGP test Fresh from his first podium for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team in yesterday’s Gran Premi Aperol de Catalunya, Andrea Dovizioso topped the timesheets at the end of a productive test session at the Montmelo circuit today. The Italian rider, who claimed a fantastic third in the 25-lap race, set a best time of 1.41.997 in the 42 laps he completed to finish ahead of factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies by 0.146s. Warm but overcast conditions enabled Dovizioso to work on a range of set-up options with his YZR-M1 machine , including a new electronics package, which produced positive results in prolonging tyre life and managing grip on worn tyres. He was also able to evaluate an upgraded engine spec and gave Yamaha technical staff vital feedback to aid future development. Today’s test ended in positive fashion for British rider Cal Crutchlow after a difficult start this morning. Heavy overnight rain meant the track surface was still littered with damp patches and it wasn’t until after 11am that Dovizioso and Crutchlow were able to commence their work. Crutchlow unfortunately suffered a heavy fall at Turn 4 on only his second flying lap, the 26-year-old losing the front on a wet patch in the braking zone. Fortunately Crutchlow escaped injury and he was able to return to the t rack after midday, setting a best pace of 1.42.378 to finish seventh quickest. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now heads to the Motorland Aragon circuit for a further one-day test on Wednesday. Andrea Dovizioso 1st 1.41.997 42 laps: “Today was very positive and despite missing a bit of time while the track dried this morning, we were able to work through our schedule. Finishing fastest means we have shown once again our potential and I am now starting to feel really confident and comfortable with the YZR-M1. Yamaha gave us a new engine to try and I was able to give my impressions of it and help with some comments for future development. The most positive point of the day was the electronics package. It doesn’t help for a single lap but it makes the life of the tyre signif icantly better and that is really important for us. We made another step forward with the set-up of the bike compared to the race and now I am looking forward to the Aragon test. This track has not been the best for me so I am curious to check my level on the Yamaha there. I am looking forward to confirming the results of the race and the test here in Catalunya.” Cal Crutchlow 7th1.42.378 48 laps: “Today certainly could have got off to a better start and the crash made it quite tough. We had a lot of work to do but I crashed on only my second lap. It was my fault because we knew there was likely to be some water under the bridge at Turn 4 after the overnight rain. The problem is you can’t see the wet patch and as soon as I touched the brakes I crashed. It was a very fast crash and I’ve lost some skin on my r ight leg and back. Luckily though I am fine and I was able to go back out and build up my confidence again. Losing one bike made it difficult because it meant we had to put all the new parts we had on one bike, so I wasn’t sure exactly where the improvements were. If we had two bikes it would have made it easier to understand specifically what felt better. But I was able to work a lot on used tyres and my pace at the end of the day was pleasing. I wasn’t going to push too hard and risk another crash so I’m sure I could be higher than seventh. Now I’m looking forward to Aragon where hopefully I can get a better understanding for the new parts Yamaha delivered here.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Ducati Team completes Barcelona post-race test and heads to Aragon In Barcelona today, the Ducati Team completed the first of two days of testing scheduled to take place in Spain this week, and tomorrow they travel to Aragon, where they’ll take to the track again on Wednesday. Nicky Hayden and Valentino Rossi completed 78 and 56 laps, respectively. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 10th, 1:42.941 (56 laps) “It was definitely nice to get in a good day of testing, even if it was mainly just confirming things like fork settings, geometry and a couple of electronic settings. It’s a shame we got a red flag at the end of the day because we had one new tyre ready so that we could go out one last time and check to see if we had made any real progress, but that’s how it goes. Nonetheless, it was definitely a useful day. Now we’ll move on to Aragon and give it a go there.” Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 11th, 1:43.252 (56 laps) “We didn’t have much new stuff, so we concentrated on testing settings, trying many different configurations. In the end we understood that the setup we settled on for yesterday’s race was really the best one for this track. We tried the aluminium swingarm, which could help us in terms of grip on acceleration, but it triggers too much chatter, as opposed to during the Mugello test, where it proved to be advantageous. It will be interesting to try it again at Aragon on Wednesday.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Intense testing day for the Repsol Honda Team The Repsol Honda Team was back on track this morning, taking part in the one day test for all MotoGP teams. Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa began their testing programs around 11 o’clock this morning, after some small patches of water had dried up from the rain last night. The main target for both Honda factory riders was to improve the chattering issues, but also to learn how to set up the bike for the new Bridgestone front tyre that will be the standard tyre provided from Silverstone GP. Today, Dani completed 234 kilometres at the Catalunya circuit with a best lap time of 1’42.342, on lap 52 of 53. Casey finished very close behind, with a lap time of 1’42.369 after 51 laps. The Repsol Honda Team will not attend the test that will be held on Wednesday in Aragon. DANI PEDROSA 5th 1’42.342 “It was good to have a dry test to try some things on the bike. We made some improvements, but not enough to make a big step forward. We were basically trying to get the new front tyre working. We did many laps and tried different things with the chassis and forks, weight distribution on the bike and so on. We already had issues with chattering on the rear and now we have also with this new front. I will keep my mind open and keep trying hard with my team to improve the situation, but it’s just an unfair situation for Honda. The reason they say for changing the tyre is safety, but at the moment it’s not safe for us, we are riding on the limit every lap. We decided not to go to Aragon because we don’t have the option to test the new front tyre there”. CASEY STONER 6th 1’42.369 “It’s been a long day and we had a lot of things to test. We were in and out of the box a lot and each time we had something new, something different, to try and resolve the issues that we’ve been having. We didn’t work on set up at all, we just tried everything we could think of to reduce the rear chatter. To a certain degree we seem to have improved it, which is a positive step for the future, but until we get to the next track it’s going to be hard to tell. It’s still there to a certain degree, so we still have work to do but we’ve definitely made a step forward. The new front tyre has created more chatter in the front, we don’t like it but we’ll make our bike work around it”. More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL ON TRACK FOR ONE DAY OF TESTING AT THE CATALAN SURFACE Montmeló, 4th of June: Following a crowded race weekend at the Gran Premi de Catalunya, the MotoGP premier class remained at the circuit for a one-day test with Stefan Bradl taking to the track aboard his RC213V no.6. After the cancellation of the official in-season test in Portugal due to heavy rain, riders and Teams spent the extra day on track working on different settings. LCR Honda racer Stefan Bradl, 9th in the session, had reserved the morning session for working on front end feel, while in the afternoon the team worked on improving traction coming out of corners, focussing on both the suspension and the electronics. Stefan 1’42.769 “It has been a productive day of testing for us. Our TO DO list included front-end feeling and traction control adjustments. I was looking for a better front feeling because it helps me a lot with my riding style especially when I get into the corners and we had some good results. Then I was expecting the same trying to find more rear grip but we did not get such a big step there. I am not worried about it because on Wednesday we are doing another test in Aragon and I am having more track time to fine tune the bike”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing Complete Successful Catalunya Test The Yamaha Factory Racing Team wrapped up the one-day test at Catalunya yesterday with both riders successfully testing all required items. Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo spent the day testing a different engine specification along with some electronic and chassis settings on their YZR-M1s. The team now move to Aragon today to prepare for a second one-day test to be held on Wednesday. Ben Spies Position : 2nd Time: 1’42.143 Laps: 45 “We worked on some interesting things yesterday and got going pretty well. The main focus was on distance with the bike. We got a decent pace going, especially with lots of laps on the tyres. I was happy with what we tested so now we go to Aragon and try to keep going forward. We tried a different engine spec and played around with the electronics. The engine spec was a little improvement but you know riders, we always want at least 10km faster on the straights!” Jorge Lorenzo Position : 8th Time: 1’42.635 Laps: 51 “We tried a new engine spec yesterday that in theory is more powerful. Until now we didn’t find any big improvement, some little advantages and some little disadvantages. In Aragon we will try some modifications to the electronics to see if we can gain something.” FINAL TEST RESULTS 1. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 41.997s (Lap 31/42) 2. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 42.143s (44/45) 3. Hector Barbera ESP Pramac Racing (GP12) 1m 42.186s (56/57) 4. Alvaro Bautista ESP Honda Gresini (RC213V) 1m 42.309s (46/46) 5. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1m 42.342s (52/53) 6. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda (RC213V) 1m 42.369s (33/51) 7. Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 1m 42.378s (38/48) 8. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 1m 42.635s (32/51) 9. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) 1m 42.769s (50/62) 10. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP12) 1m 42.941s (57/71) 11. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Team (GP12) 1m 43.252s (20/56) 12. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing (GP12) 1m 43.926s (41/46) 13. Randy De Puniet FRA Aspar (ART CRT) 1m 44.326s (33/39) 14. Aleix Espargaro ESP Aspar (ART CRT) 1m 44.487s (29/48) 15. Colin Edwards USA Forward Racing (Suter-BMW CRT) 1m 44.979s (38/39) 16. Michele Pirro ITA Honda Gresini (FTR-Honda CRT) 1m 45.080s (31/46) 17. Yonny Hernandez COL Avintia (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 1m 45.701s (38/52) 18. Ivan Silva ESP Avintia (FTR-Kawasaki CRT) 1m 45.841s (52/56) 19. Mattia Pasini ITA Speed Master (ART CRT) 1m 45.870s (45/50) 20. James Ellison GBR Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT) 1m 46.047s (34/54)