FIM MotoGP World Championship Misano, San Marino September 16, 2013 IRTA Test Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Marc Marquez, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.264 2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:33.502 3. Valentino Rossi, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:33.660 4. Cal Crutchlow, UK (YAMAHA), 1:33.780 5. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.877 6. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.892 7. Stefan Bradl, Germany (HONDA), 1:34.015 8. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (DUCATI), 1:34.118 9. Nicky Hayden, USA (DUCATI), 1:34.252 10. Andrea Iannone, Italy (DUCATI), 1:34.378 11. Bradley Smith, UK (YAMAHA), 1:34.414 12. Michele Pirro, Italy (DUCATI), 1:34.652 13. Randy De Puniet, France (SUZUKI), 1:35.097 14. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:35.501 15. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (CAME/IODA-BMW), 1:35.671 16. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:36.277 17. Hector Barbera, Spain (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:36.348 18. Colin Edwards, USA (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:36.402 19. Claudio Corti, Italy (FTR-Kawasaki), 1:36.540 20. Michael Laverty, UK (PBM-Aprilia), 1:37.699 21. Michele Magnoni, Italy (CAME/IODA-BMW), 1:39.107 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: Marc Marquez was quickest in Monday’s post-race test at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. As the championship leader moved ahead of Jorge Lorenzo, Suzuki continued its programme ahead of a MotoGP™ return and Yonny Hernandez made his first appearance in Ignite Pramac Racing colours. The full day of testing gave those present a perfect opportunity to put right what had not worked over the San Marino Grand Prix race weekend, as well as trialing new and updated components both for the rest of this season and for 2014. For the record, Marquez’s last-gasp lap of 1’33.264 demoted Lorenzo by two tenths of a second, with Valentino Rossi completing the top three on the second Yamaha Factory Racing bike. For Repsol Honda Team, the programme revolved around a non-liveried evolution bike of the one first sampled in the Aragon test that followed the Catalan GP in June; this was the first time that particular version of the machine had been ridden, as rain had prevented Casey Stoner from doing so at his last Motegi test. Marquez and Dani Pedrosa also worked with the current bike, focusing on a new swingarm and new rear shocks. While Yamaha Factory Racing looked into a 2014 configuration engine, Monster Yamaha Tech3 worked on braking improvements for Cal Crutchlow – whose confidence had been knocked over the weekend – and new suspension parts for Bradley Smith, who had struggled with balance and finding the ideal riding position over. They would end proceedings fourth and 11th quickest, respectively. Suzuki stuck to their usual plan in terms of rider roles, with Randy de Puniet serving as the main tester alongside Nobuatsu Aoki. Ahead of the company’s return to the World Championship in 2015, running at Misano is likely to come as a great help in order to extract data from a new track in a bid to define chassis development to a greater level; the marque continues to test with Mitsubishi ECU software for the time being, but is working with the Magneti Marelli spec system back at base. Individually, Suzuki will continue testing at Misano across Tuesday and Wednesday. There was a new challenge for Yonny Hernandez, as the Colombian is now riding for Pramac Racing Team to cover for the injured Ben Spies. He used the test as an opportunity to adapt to the bike ahead of the Aragon race, while teammate Andrea Iannone looked into Brembo brake discs and smaller components, experimenting with settings ahead of specific upcoming race events. Brakes was also the prime focus for Ducati Team, with Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso then looking into both software development and clutch settings. Michele Pirro was back in Ducati Test Team colours, sharing his bike with Franco Battaini to analyse a 2014-spec engine plus new software, in order to share feedback with engineers who continue to work on the development of next year’s machine. GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista made the top five, placing the emphasis on Showa front forks and his Nissin brakes, as he and LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl sandwiched Pedrosa into sixth position. In Bradl’s case, the workload consisted of mapping and bike geometry, including suspension modifications. At Avintia Blusens, Hector Barbera resumed work with the new pneumatic valve engine, having suffered chatter during Sunday’s race, while teammate Hiroshi Aoyama began the day with his more conventional engine that had failed during Free Practice on Friday. The timesheet was completed by Michele Magnoni, currently competing in the Superstock 1000 championship. The Italian rode Lukas Pesek’s Came IodaRacing Project machine and could soon become the team’s official reserve rider, while compatriot Claudio Corti was involved in trying out a Magneti Marelli ECU software upgrade at NGM Mobile Forward Racing; this was also run by Michael Laverty, who was otherwise kept highly occupied with back-to-back comparison runs between the PBM in-house bike and the ART machine previously ridden by Hernandez. Although Marquez shook things up by posting the eventual quickest time with the 2014 prototype Honda right before the chequered flag signaled the end of an eight-hour day, activities had started very calmly as the circuit had been left drenched by a heavy rainstorm during the night. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team: Yamaha Complete Successful One-Day Test in Misano Misano Adriatico (Italy), 16th September 2013 Following straight on from yesterday’s stunning victory by Jorge Lorenzo in the Grand Prix of San Marino, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team were straight back to work this morning. Riders Lorenzo and teammate Valentino Rossi spent the day evaluating an engine spec for the 2014 YZR-M1 along with a number of setting options on the current 2013 machine ahead of next week’s Aragon Grand Prix race. The test proved to be a positive one, the riders completing an exhausting 142 laps between them. At the end of the session Lorenzo sat in second on the timesheets with a 1’33.502 and Rossi was not far behind in third with a 1’33.660. Jorge Lorenzo 2nd / 1:33.502 / 67 laps “Happily we got a great sunny session. The weather was perfect to test and we were able to make many laps to check our latest issues on the bike. We were pretty focused on the settings thinking about the next race at Motorland in a couple of weeks and we found some good feelings. We also tested a new spec engine for 2014 that worked really well and we are quite happy with the result. Furthermore there were some new pieces for 2013 but small details to improve our performance. Nevertheless the most important issue was to work on the next GP in Aragon, another good challenge for us, especially because in the last years we’ve struggled a bit.” Valentino Rossi 3rd / 1:33.660 / 75 laps “Fortunately it was a good day, the weather was good. It was important to make a day of testing at Misano like this, because we had much we needed to try. I used the race bike and a bike where there was also something new for next year. At the end it has been a good test. It was important because we found some improvements in some points of view, small details but a good way to continue. We made a lot of comparisons between the two but at the end more or less the performance is very similar. Now a few days of rest and then we will be ready for Aragon!” Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli Team Director “Fortunately, the weather has allowed us to do a good job today in Misano. The main goal we had marked for today was to test the 2014 prototype engine and seek all the information that the Japanese needed without any problem and we focused also on some settings already thinking about the next race at Motorland, including a larger brake disc. Now we look forward to reaching Aragon to continue our fight for the championship.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Ducati Team back to work at Misano IRTA test The day after the GP di San Marino e Riviera di Rimini found all of the MotoGP teams taking part in a busy test at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden were on hand with the Desmosedici GP13 machines that they used in the last few races, while Michele Pirro was back in his test-rider role with the Ducati Test Team after having taken part in the last three races with Team Pramac Racing as a substitute rider for Ben Spies. Following the rain that fell overnight, the two Ducati Team riders got on track at approximately 1 p.m. and finished riding at 6 p.m. The bulk of the work was focused on electronic and software strategies, different settings and on testing larger brake discs, the latter with an eye toward the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on 27 October. They also tried a new hard tyre for Bridgestone, the championship’s sole tyre supplier. Pirro, meanwhile, tested some parts for next year’s engine. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) 8th, 1:34.118 (53 laps) “Today’s test was interesting because you can always work on small details after a race, as you have all the parameters from the weekend. We didn’t try any new parts, but we did some small tests with the balance that helped us to understand some things. We tried the bigger brakes, which we might use in Japan, and they work very well. There was also a new tyre that Bridgestone brought; it could let us also use the hard option during the weekends, as we normally just use the soft. The conditions today were good and we dropped our fast lap time a bit, so we hope that these small improvements will help us at Aragon.” Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 9th, 1:34.252 (72 laps) “We got a late start because of the weather, but then we just worked through the day and pretty much tested everything we wanted to try. We didn’t have anything too major, just some different setup options that we may want to use at some races later in the year. On a positive note, we tried the new hard Bridgestone tyre, which seemed to work pretty well and should definitely be good for some tracks later in the season if it’s available. We also tested brakes for Motegi. In general, we didn’t find any big breakthroughs, but we got some good information.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Marquez and Pedrosa complete post-race Monday test in Misano After yesterday’s double podium in the San Marino GP, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were back on track today testing at the Misano circuit. It was a productive day for the Spanish riders who had a busy test programme. Honda Racing Corporation brought the next evolution of the 2014 bike to test, complete with new Magneti Marelli hardware. Both Marc and Dani reported positive feedback on its development but agreed there were still areas to improve. The HRC engineers will now return to Japan with the data collected in order to complete the final stages of the 2014 project in time for the Valencia test. Marc and Dani also tested a new swing arm and some other small parts on the current 2013 RC213V machine to assist them in the final five races and their battle for the Championship. Marc, who had a small crash in turn twelve whilst trying a new geometry on his current bike, set the fastest time of the day, on the new 2014 machine, with 1’33.264 on lap 70 of 71, just three tenths off his record pole time from Saturday of 1’32.915. Dani was sixth fastest for the day with 1’33.892 recorded on lap 57 of 74 on his current machine. Marc Marquez 1st 1’33.264 “The day went well and we tried out a lot of things with the setup – above all the geometry – and we made considerable improvements. We’ve also gathered some useful data, so this test has been very useful ahead of the five remaining races. We also rode next year’s prototype, which I feel fairly comfortable with already. We’ve worked well and the important thing is that we have a good foundation” Dani Pedrosa 6th 1’33.892 “We’ve tried out a lot of things today, with a view to solving the rear grip issue that we’ve been having. Generally speaking, that was the focus for today and some things we experimented with worked well – and others not so well. As for the new bike, I only put in three or four laps with it and we still need to make various changes for the next time we ride with it, after Valencia. Making adjustments to the new machine wasn’t our main objective today” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL ENDS POST GP TEST IN 7th POSITION AT MISANO Misano, 16 September: Monday’s post-San Marino GP test at Misano, scheduled from 10 am till 6 pm, had a delayed start this morning with the MotoGP riders waiting for the track to dry up after heavy rain last night. After yesterday’s strong performance, LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl lapped the 4.226 Km race track 75 times posting the 7th fastest time overall (1’34.015). The German and his squad worked to resolve the front-grip issue that cost him confidence and speed at the last few races. Stefan Bradl “Well… we have done a lot of work today: at the end I lapped the circuit 75 times but it was necessary to gather important data ahead the following races. Our TO DO list included mapping and bike geometry and suspension modifications. Our target remains the same: to improve the front and rear grip at the maximum lean. We started a bit late as the asphalt was damp but I think we have done a good job today”. More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: The first day of collaboration between Yonny Hernandez and the Ignite Pramac Racing Team, began today at 11.00 am taking advantage of the IRTA test held at the Misano World Circuit, although the track was still mainly wet because of the heavy rain that fell yesterday evening. The Colombian rider, aboard the DesmosediciGP13 used by Texan Ben Spies and by Michele Pirro during the GPs at Assen, Silverstone and Brno, completed a total of 65 laps throughout the day, recording a best time of 1.36.277. This positive first contact with the bike and the team will enable Yonny to approach the Aragon round, scheduled for September 29th, in the best possible way. Yonny Hernandez – Ignite Pramac Racing Team “I am happy because this bike has much more power compared to the one I was used to, the electronics are totally different and I need to change my riding style to be faster, but today I rode the best bike of my life. I need to work hard, to learn a lot because the electronics are really different from CRT. I need to work hard on the feeling, and I’ll do my best. I need to do a lot of kilometers to achieve a good pace for the race, but I am faster than with my other bike. It’s too early to say anything, I need more time to learn, and to improve. I feel good physically right now, for a first day it has been not so bad. I need to understand this bike that is really different from mine and it has a lot of power too. I really thank Pramac and Ducati for the opportunity they have given me.” More, from another press release issued by Pramac Racing: After waiting for an improvement in the track conditions, due to the heavy rain that fell last night a few hours after the end of the San Marino GP, Andrea Iannone and all the MotoGP riders went back to work at the Misano World Circuit. The rider from Vasto concluded the IRTA test day with a best time of 1’34.378 which he clocked on lap 38 of 53 completed. Today’s test was useful for the Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team rider to continue the work carried out so far and to identify some small changes with an eye toward the upcoming Grand Prix of Aragon, scheduled for 29 September. The team and Andrea also tested new Brembo brake discs that will eventually be used during the Japanese GP at Motegi, whose layout—characterized by long straights followed by sharp turns—strains the brake system. Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team “It was a good and important day. I was faster than I was over the weekend, I recorded a good time and in the end it wasn’t bad. The bike is basically the same. We changed some small things, and I’m happy because my feeling is improving. We also tried the new brake discs, which could definitely help at Motegi. I didn’t have a lot of confidence this morning, maybe due to the track still being damp, or to my fall yesterday, but then I slowly improved and rode pretty fast and consistently. The shoulder is hurting a little bit now, but I’ll undergo therapy and training during the week.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Crutchlow and Smith complete valuable one-day test at Misano Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith enjoyed a successful one-day MotoGP test session at the Misano track today, the British pair completing over 130-laps between them to make big progress with the set-up of their YZR-M1 machinery. Once damp patches left over from heavy rain last night cleared by the late morning, Crutchlow and Smith were able to take advantage of near perfect conditions to evaluate a range of set-up options to help their competitiveness in the remaining five races of the 2013 campaign. Crutchlow built on an encouraging top six finish in yesterday’s 28-lap race to set the fourth best time today, the 27-year-old satisfied with modifications that helped with braking performance. A best time of 1.33.780 was less than 0.2s outside of the top three, while teammate Smith also enjoyed a positive and productive day at the San Marino venue. The rookie was able to set a best time of 1.34.414 that put him 11th on the final timesheets. Smith was delighted with progress made in improving rear grip on worn tyres thanks to a successful rider position experiment in his 69-lap stint. Both Crutchlow and Smith also tested a new hard compound Bridgestone rear tyre option made available today and they gave positive feedback on the new spec. Cal Crutchlow 4th 1.33.780s – 65 laps: “I am very happy with how the test went today. I think the chance to ride without the pressure of a race weekend came at a good time for me and I was able to gain more confidence with my YZR-M1. I now need to make sure we carry on the momentum gained at the next race in Aragon. I found some good improvements with the braking. Not so much in the initial braking but certainly in the last phase of braking and that will help me in future races. I went faster and I was able to stop the bike in a shorter distance than I could all weekend, so that is positive. I am pleased with the progress because my pace all day was consistent and a lot better than the race weekend. The new hard rear tyre from Bridgestone was also very positive. I did 28-laps on it and I did my fastest time right at the end, so Bridgestone has done an excellent job and it is great they have taken our feedback on board and made a good change in the right direction.” Bradley Smith 11th 1.34.414 – 69 laps: “Today was all about trying to figure out what went wrong during the last couple of races and I believe we found a good direction. We have come back more towards my base setting with some specific changes for this track. I changed the rider position and that definitely helped me. Maybe not so much on new tyres but definitely on worn tyres and with a full fuel load as well because more of my weight was over the rear. I also tried the new Bridgestone hard tyre and they have done a great job and I am really impressed with the performance of it. I am excited to try it in the future because normally we can’t use the hard tyre because of edge grip, so they have taken a good step forward. I rode fast on it today and I am happy. It was a very positive day and we leave here for Aragon a lot closer to where we need to be and more confident for the rest of the season.”