FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana

Valencia, Spain

November 10, 2015

Day One Test Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:31.551

2. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:31.639

3. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:31.681

4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:31.720

5. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:31.767

6. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:31.911

7. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:31.937

8. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:31.997

9. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:32.005

10. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:32.073

11. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:32.214

12. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:32.401

13. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:32.442

14. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:32.468

15. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:32.594

16. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:32.673

17. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:32.721

18. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:32.943

19. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:33.046

20. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:33.061

21. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:33.253

22. Takuya TSUDA, Japan (SUZUKI), 1:34.591*

23. Nobuatsu AOKI, Japan (SUZUKI), 1:36.338*

24. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), no time recorded*

* – test rider

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

Yamaha Successfully Start Valencia Testing

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were back in action today at Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo to get underway with the 2016 preparations and test the Michelin tyres, wrapping the day up in fifth and twelfth place respectively.

Valencia (Spain), 10th November 2015

Though the 2015 World Championship was decided only two days ago, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi returned to Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo today to test the 2016 YZR-M1 machines for next year‘s season.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team made full use of the first day of pre-season testing in Valencia to get to know the Michelin tyres better. Lorenzo and Rossi both went out on 2015 YZR-M1 first so the data derived from this year’s bike could be used as a point of reference for when they switched to the 2016 machine later on.

Newly crowned triple MotoGP World Champion Lorenzo was the first of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team-mates to enter the track nearly two hours into the session and focused on balancing the bike. Without the pressure to do a time attack, he gradually picked up the pace over a total of 41 laps. His best time of the day was a 1‘31.767s for fifth place, 0.216s off the front.

Rossi appeared on the scene not long after Lorenzo and followed the same approach to the session as his team-mate. After getting a feel for the new tyres on the 2015 bike, he moved on to the new edition. His pace steadily quickened towards the end of the day and after completing 57 laps in total, his best efforts of a 1’32.401s put him in twelfth place in today‘s testing results, 0.850s from the front.

JORGE LORENZO

It is fantastic to ride around as the World Champion. It‘s an unbelievable feeling, I couldn‘t be happier. The situation during the whole championship and especially the last race couldn‘t have been more emotional, but I still have to test the Michelin tyres and I can‘t relax and enjoy it completely because I need the tension to not make a mistake and crash. We started the test with completely the same bike as the race, just with the Michelin tyres. At the beginning it was difficult to get good lap times, but by changing the setting of the bike little by little, we improved the feeling of the front quite a bit. We didn‘t solve the problem completely. I now have a feeling that I think everybody has; at the entry of the corner we lose a bit of stability and also when reaching the maximum lean with throttle the front can close suddenly if you push so much. It‘s the opposite for the rear tyre, it‘s fantastic! It‘s unbelievably grippy and it gives you a very good feeling. We need to work a bit more on the front.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It‘s a big change and it will be interesting, especially the tyre will make a big difference for next year. A lot changed, especially the setting, the weight distribution of the bike and everything. It looks like our competitors are a little ahead, because they‘ve made more kilometres with the Michelin, but it‘s just the first day. I also tried the new electronics and also that, as I expected, was quite a big step because it‘s like going a little bit into the past. However, that too could be interesting and it‘s only the first day, we have a lot to work on. The rear tyre is very similar and Michelin is good, it has very good grip. The front is the big difference. We need to understand how much weight this tyre needs to turn at the maximum. We need some more time.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

The 2015 season has barely ended, but today we already started our preparations for next year. The riders spent most of the time on the 2015 bikes, adjusting the setting to the Michelin tyres and getting a first impression. So far our riders are quite satisfied with the rear tyre that provides good grip. There is still some work to do to improve the feeling with the front. It was very important to let the riders do a few laps with the 2016 prototype bike before the end of the day. Tomorrow we will continue work where we left off.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

#2016StartsNow with Valencia Test and Marquez on top

Just two days after the end of the 2015 MotoGP™ season, the 2016 season got underway with the first Official Test in Valencia on Tuesday.

On Tuesday the 2016 MotoGP™ season kicked off with the first Official test at the Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo circuit. The new season not only sees a new rider join the MotoGP™ paddock in the shape of Tito Rabat, but also a raft of technical changes aimed at levelling the playing field along with some team line-up changes.

The technical changes include the introduction of a Spec ECU that all teams must use, Michelin taking over as the sole tyre supplier, a fuel limit of 22 litres for all and the use of seven engines for the year, plus the bikes now have to weigh a maximum of 157kg compared to 158kg in 2015. The wheel diameter has also been increased by half an inch to 17” by Michelin, as they look to bring them more inline with road bikes.

So with this in mind and after the incredible finish to the 2015 season, all eyes were once again on Valencia today as riders took to the track for the first time in anger for the 2016 MotoGP™ World Championship season.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez ended the day on top of the timesheets with a 1’31.551 as he spent the morning on his 2015 machine assessing the new Michelin tyres, before swapping to the 2016 RC213V in the afternoon. Impressively the Spaniard managed to lap within a tenth of his best time from the race at the track just two days previously despite a crash early on at turn 3. His teammate Dani Pedrosa (0.130s) finished in third as he also assessed the new machine in the afternoon, although both riders set their best time on the 2015 bike.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone (+0.088s) was second fastest despite crashing twice at turn 3, as he and his teammate Andrea Dovizioso (10th) tried out the new software and tyres on their respective GP15 machines, but they will have to wait for the Sepang test to get their hands on the Desmosedici GP16.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Rookie of the Year Maverick Viñales (+0.169s) ended the day in fourth, just over two-tenths quicker than his teammate Aleix Espargaro in seventh. The duo were focusing on the setup their bikes to run with the new tyres, with Viñales managing to improve his best time from the Valencia GP by over half a second, while Suzuki Test Rider’s Takuya Tsuda (22nd) and Nobuatsu Aoki (23rd) worked on the new software.

Movistar Yamaha’s newly crowned 2015 MotoGP™ World Champion Jorge Lorenzo finished 0.216s off the pace of Marquez in fifth. The man who he beat to the title in Valencia GP, his teammate Valentino Rossi, ended the day in 12th. Both riders spent the morning on the 2015 versions of their M1’s, before switching to the 2016 version in the afternoon and setting their best times of the day.

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow (+0.360s) had a crash early on at turn 5 but ended up going went three tenths quicker than during the race as he tested out some Nissin brakes, ending the day in an impressive sixth.

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith occupied seventh and eighth respectively on the timesheets, as only six-hundredths of a second separated the teammates despite the former also crashing just before lunch at turn 1.

Scott Redding got his first taste of the Ducati GP15 as he made his debut with the Octo Pramac Racing team. The British rider clearly liked his new bike as he improved his best lap time from Sunday’s race by over half a second to finish in 11th. This was over two tenths quicker than his new teammate Danilo Petrucci in 13th.

The Avintia Racing team were working with the Ducati GP14.2, with the 2015 Open class champion Hector Barbera in 14th and his new teammate Loris Baz in 18th.

Jack Miller completed his switch to the Marc VDS Racing Team by finishing in 15th. The Australian improving by almost a second on his best lap time from Sunday. The test also saw the full debut of Tito Rabat in the premier class on the EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda. The 2014 Moto2™ World Champion completing an incredible 84 laps throughout the day – 17 more than anyone else – to finish in 15th.

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Stefan Bradl ended the day in 17th and 20th respectively, as they too chose to stick with their 2015 machines to help them work on the new tyres and electronics.

The Aspar MotoGP Team have switched to Ducati machinery for 2016, meaning that Eugene Laverty (21st) and his new teammate Yonny Hernandez (18th) both got their hands on a GP14.2 for the first time at the test. Both riders managed to improve their best times from the GP by over two-tenths as they put their new bikes through their paces.

Check out the full results from day one of the Valencia Test. The riders and teams return on Wednesday for the second day of the two-day test, which kicks off at 10am local time in Valencia.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez and Pedrosa commence 2016 season in Valencia

With barely time for the dust to settle on the emphatic 2015 MotoGP season, today the 2016 season commenced in Valencia, Spain.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa began this first day of testing aboard the 2015 RC213V machine, with the new specification 2016 Michelin tyres and HRC software. As the day progressed, they began to carry out a comparison between the 2015 bike fitted with the Magneti Marelli ECU and the new 2016 prototype machine equipped with the new Honda engine and same software.

It was a productive first day and Marc finished fastest with his time of 1’31.551 on lap 10 of 47. Dani was just 0.130 seconds off his teammate with 1’31.681 on lap 11 of 49, placing him third for the day.

Testing continues tomorrow at 10am local time.

Marc Marquez

1ST 1’31.551

“We went out on track and on the opening laps I lost the front. I realised that the Michelin tyres may have worked well for us in testing at Aragon, but they react differently on every type of asphalt. From that moment we started again, doing a run with the same bike we used during the weekend. Then we changed to the new software and we saw that there is definitely some work ahead for us. It’s only the first day and we have to adjust many things. At the end of the day we tried the new engine together with the Magneti Marelli software, but in order to draw any conclusions we first have to finish setting up the electronics and when we have a good base, then we will be able to evaluate the engine properly.”

Dani Pedrosa

3RD 1’31.681

“Today was a rather different day. We have done a lot of work, but it is also important to take things slowly. We had the new tyres, so at first we were careful with in order to progressively get a feel for them and understand their reaction with the asphalt at this track. Later on we tried the new Magneti Marelli electronics and the first feeling we have is that they are very much in the preliminary stage and certainly a step backwards. Right now the electronics are still giving us a lot of problems and are difficult to use. We have to work hard to understand it and see what parameters we should concentrate on more. It’s also a job for the rider, because you must gain experience in order to understand what you have and what you don’t, compared with the previous version.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

2016 season gets underway for Ducati Team at Valencia. Dovizioso and Iannone on track at the Ricardo Tormo circuit for first day of IRTA test

Winter testing got underway for MotoGP today, just two days after the end of this year’s championship. The Ducati Team took to the Valencia track with its two factory riders, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, aboard the Desmosedici GP machines they had raced on Sunday in the final round of the season.

On this first day of testing, both Ducati men mainly worked with their engineers to adapt the chassis set-up of their bikes to the 17” tyres made available by the new one-make championship supplier Michelin, while continuing to use the “factory” software.

Andrea Iannone, who had an unfortunate crash at Turn 3 towards the end of the session, completed a total of 61 laps, setting a best time of 1’31.639 and ending the day in a positive second place behind Marquez. His team-mate Andrea Dovizioso did a total of 66 laps, the Italian clocking a quickest time of 1’32.073 to finish tenth in the overall standings.

Also present at today’s test was Michele Pirro, the Ducati Test Team test-rider who finished twelfth in Sunday’s race. The Italian went out for a few laps on Iannone’s Desmosedici GP and will also remain at the disposal of the squad tomorrow.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29): 1’31.639 (61 laps) – 2nd

“I think that today was a positive day, because we did a lot of laps and understood a lot of things, so it’s a good start. This is only the second time that I have tested the Michelin tyres and in the end I am quite satisfied because, even though we still have to work to optimize the details, I think that we have responded well to this important change. I’m sorry about the crash, but at the end of the session we made a modification that clearly did not work. Today the 2016 MotoGP season got underway and next year I expect to be up there fighting at the top with the best riders. I’m very confident and convinced I belong to a great group of guys.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04): 1’32.073 (66 laps) – 10th

“These testing days are very important because this time the change is a really big one. The Michelin tyres have very different characteristics and so we also have to adapt our riding style, because the corner approach and the lines cannot be the same as the ones we were used to. For sure there is still a lot of work to do to adjust and understand the direction to take for the future, but it’s important to start off well and up at the front, and in any case first sensations are positive.”

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Yonny Hernández makes POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team debut at Ricardo Tormo circuit

Medellín man joins up with Valencian outfit in shakedown with Michelin and Ducati, the Aspar Team’s new package for next season

Like every season following the GP de la Comunidad Valenciana, the MotoGP teams were back on track today for the first test of the 2016 preseason. The only difference this year was that the riders were given a day off before resuming activity, which will continue for a second day tomorrow. The conditions were again perfect, as they were all weekend, and the riders were able to take advantage from the moment the track opened at 10am until it closed at 5pm, with most taking a break for lunch around 1pm. As well as some riders switching teams and the odd new face stepping up from Moto2, the main news today was the return of Michelin, who replace Bridgestone as sole tyre supplier for next season. So far it seems rear tyre performance is excellent whereas the front tyre is more critical, with several riders suffering front-end crashes today. However, this is just the start of a long road ahead.

There were some new faces in the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team garage today, as the Valencian team rejoined forces with Ducati, the factory it began its premier-class adventure with back in 2010. Colombian rider Yonny Hernández also joined the team today, after recently signing up for the 2016 campaign, working with his new crew on adapting to the new Michelin tyres. With last Sunday’s final Grand Prix of the season still fresh in the memory, the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team spent today getting to know the new material in their possession. Both Yonny Hernández and Eugene Laverty were delighted with their impressions today, even though the Irishman was one of several riders to suffer a crash.

19th Yonny Hernández 1.33.046 (57 laps): “Today we worked with the Open electronics, which are different to what I used last season. The team didn’t know the bike so it was a shakedown test, a chance for us to try a few things. I also made the most of the day to get to know the team and the first impressions are great. Also all the riders were on Michelin tyres today. They are completely different, the front feels a little strange and I didn’t have a good feeling so I didn’t push it too hard or take risks on the first day. There were quite a few crashes today so I took it steady. We worked with the Open electronics today but at Jerez we will have the 2016 material. There were a lot of new things today like the team and the tyres, so tomorrow we will pay more attention to the lap time. We gathered a lot of information that will allow us to take a step forward tomorrow. I am very happy to have joined the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team. The first impressions are great and I think we have huge potential to achieve big things together next season.”

21st Eugene Laverty 1.33.253 (46 laps): “From the first few exits on the Ducati I really enjoyed it. I didn’t expect the transition to be so seamless. It’s a nice bike to ride, with plenty of power out of the corner, which is always a good thing. The power is there right through the range and that allows you to build the speed progressively. I wasn’t sure if it would suit my style because I like to pick the bike up out of the corner, whereas I noticed other Ducati riders this year using quite a lot of angle, but it was fine. This is the first time in twenty years of riding motorcycles that I have used a seamless gearbox so it was something special. Changing gear in turn 12, I had to be a little careful because the power is there right away, whereas I’m used to a slight delay. Like a lot of other riders are saying I feel like the new tyres have a lot of grip on the rear, even when it is worn, but I don’t have a good feeling with the front yet. We need to change our front fork setting to allow me to push the front a little harder, I had a small crash in the first right hand corner so at least I know to take it a little easier there! But I can’t really say the problem in the front is the tyre, it is just a matter of adapting the suspension how I like it. It has been nice to see some red shirts in the garage today, even Gigi [dall’Igna] himself paid us a visit so it is clear we have the support of the factory and that is really important.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

FIRST ‘TREADS’ WITH MICHELIN FOR ESPARGARO AND VIÑALES

The 2016 season started today for MotoGP™ at Valencia in Spain as Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales took to the track for the opening session of the official tests.

The main change for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR and the other teams was the use of Michelin tyres – today marked a change in the Official Tyre Supplier – with the French brand coming back into MotoGP™.

Espargaro has already had the opportunity to test them during the year, but the new tyres were a ‘first’ for Viñales, who was impressed and very positive by their performance. Today’s work mainly focused on getting the riders’ first impressions about the new characteristics; and running their machines with the same set-ups from Sunday’s race.

Both the riders reported a positive feeling; not only the GSX-RRs will have to be adjusted, but also the riding style will need modifications, as the reported feeling from both riders is that the grip has improved on the rear, while the front still needs further improvements.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s positive feeling is backed-up by the positive results in terms of lap times: Viñales scored a personal best at 1:31.720, which set him in the fourth place of the classification, only 0.168 from the leader. Espargaro was well in the top-10 also, with a personal best of 1:32.005 that put him in ninth place, less than half-a-second from the leader.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR was joined at Valencia by SMC test team riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Takuya Tsuda. The two Japanese are supporting the Factory riders in the development of the set-up for the new tyres but they are also testing the new unified software that will be introduced next year.

According to the team’s plan, Espargaro and Viñales are focusing only on tyres and will start testing the new software later, hopefully in a private test that will take place in Sepang, Malaysia on November 23rd and 24th.

Maverick Viñales:

Position: 4th

Best lap: 1:31.720

“Today we have focused mainly in finding the feeling with the new tyres and my judgement so far is very positive and I feel comfortable with them. I could have been more effective in the braking as the rear is so stable, allowing me to be effective in the entrance of the corner and also in corner-speed. The character of these tyres is different from the previous ones, we need to better-understand how they react and the crash I had today is proof of this: I suddenly lost the front without any warning; my feeling is that they have much-more grip at the rear but still some uncertainty about the front. This will affect my riding style because I will probably have to load the front more to keep it more stable.

“In the afternoon we started to introduce some little adaptations in the set-up and the electronics to see the reactions and to prepare tomorrow’s job. But I think we can be satisfied with today, we did a good job with a good fast lap-time, but also the consistency is very good, when the tyres get worn I still feel I can trust them.”

Aleix Espargaro:

Position: 9th

Best lap: 1:32.005

“This day has been a little strange because it’s the very first time in my career that I have crashed twice in the same day. Of course, new tyres mean a lot of work to adapt the riding style because their behaviour is pretty peculiar; now we have a very good performing rear-end and a front that still needs improvements. In fact, the two crashes I had were due to a sudden lack of grip at the front.

“For sure, the riding style has to change; I need to push more in the front and to take advantage of the positives of these new Michelins. To have much-more grip at the rear means that I can take the bike up immediately at mid-corner and open the throttle earlier. Of course we need to also change the machine’s set-up; so far we focused to get our impressions of the tyres without major improvements in the bike, so we will now start to change the machine.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

 2016 season preparation kicks off for Espargaro and Smith

Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro launched into his testing programme today during the first day of track action after the Valencia GP as the 2016 season preparations got underway. The young Spanish rider focused on sampling the new Michelin tyres and then set about exploring setup options on his MotoGP bike. At the close of the day, his best time was just under three-tenths from third and left him in 7th as he now confidently looks forward to riding his updated 2015 Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time tomorrow in the final day of track action this year.

Meanwhile, Bradley Smith continued the positive momentum from his impressive 2015 season where he finished 6th in the standings as he started to get to grips with the new Michelin tyres. Similarly to this teammate, the Briton took steps forward in modifying the base setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1 to suit the French tyre manufacturer. The 24 year old rider’s best time was just 0.060 back from his teammate and left him in 8th. He now aims to make further advances tomorrow after a tireless effort today.

Pol Espargaro

Position : 7th Time : 1’37.937 Laps : 40

“All in all it has been quite a positive first day as the lap times of the whole field were competitive compared to this weekend’s times. Yet, there were a lot of crashes as we are all trying to adapt and we can’t expect everything to be perfect as soon as we start. However, I’m happy that we have another day of testing as we need to progress and try more options so that I will have a better feeling before we head into the winter break. I know that Michelin are working hard to improve the front tyre, which is the main issue at the moment, but I must also say that the rear compound is already really good. We have my new bike for 2016, which is the Factory Yamaha’s bike from this season that I will finally ride tomorrow and therefore, I’m fired up to close the test in a positive manner.”

Bradley Smith

Position : 8th Time : 1’37.997 Laps : 67

“Day one has been completed here in Valencia and I feel that we had a really productive time. It goes without saying that for everyone today, the circumstances were new as we were all using Michelin tyres. Yet, from the information that we already had from Malaysia and Aragon, we were in a better situation to start from. I began this morning with this year’s bike and we worked to find a base setting in order to try and explore the potential of the tyres as much as possible. For my final run, we sampled my 2016 bike which we will really start to work with tomorrow in order to understand it’s capabilities as five laps was just a small appetiser of what is to come. It’s very early stages but we can already see that we have a bike for next year with more potential as I ran similar lap times on both versions. I am confident in saying that we are heading in the right direction and we have a clear development plan that we want to continue to test. So, I am happy with the work from myself and also from the team and I look forward to getting back on track tomorrow.”