FIM MotoGP World Championship
Brno, Czech Republic
August 18, 2014
Test Results (all on Bridgestone tires):
1. Marc Marquez, Spain (HONDA), 1:55.411
2. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:55.566
3. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (HONDA), 1:56.014
4. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:56.173
5. Valentino Rossi, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:56.446
6. Bradley Smith, UK (YAMAHA), 1:56.451
7. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:56.502
8. Stefan Bradl, Germany (HONDA), 1:56.519
9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (HONDA), 1:56.806
10. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:56.988
11. Michele Pirro, Italy (DUCATI), 1:57.375
12. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (HONDA), 1:57.659
13. Scott Redding, UK (HONDA), 1:57.772
14. Leon Camier, UK (HONDA), 1:58.179
15. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan (HONDA), 1:58.327
16. Alex De Angelis, San Marino (FORWARD YAMAHA), 1:58.759
17. Mike Di Meglio, France (FTR-KAWASAKI), 1:59.662
18. Loris Capirossi, Italy, 2:00.649
19. Kenny Noyes, USA (FTR-KAWASAKI), 2:03.442
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Tech3 pair ready for glory after constructive Brno test
Today the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team embarked on a thorough and in depth test programme at the Automotodrom Brno with a series of specific aspects targeted in the final test before the end of the season. The session began at 10:00 at the 5403 metre circuit with dry conditions allowing the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team’s schedule to run uninterrupted until 15:00 in the Czech Republic.
Britain’s Bradley Smith accomplished today in 6th position with a best time of 1’56.451 after completing a positive and confidence boosting test in preparation for the seven remaining races of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. The 23 year old rider relentlessly undertook 60 laps as he worked to improve the feeling of his Yamaha YZR-M1 with full fuel and new tyres as he felt this is where he had a lot of margin to improve. In addition, he explored the race setup of his MotoGP bike with his Monster Yamaha Tech3 team as well as completing some tyre testing. His final time of 1’56.451 was only 4 tenths of a second from 3rd, as he now sets his sights on his home Grand Prix at Silverstone with supreme confidence where he will battle for a high end result in front of his fans.
On the other side of the garage, Pol Espargaro meticulously analysed and examined his riding style, specifically to improve his corner speed with the Yamaha YZR-M1 at the post GP test in Brno. The reigning Moto2 world champion undertook a colossal 61 laps around the undulating Automotodrom Brno as he further increased his experience and confidence. In addition, he tested the new Bridgestone tyre compound with positive outcomes before completing the successful test in 7th with a best time of 1’56.502. This was set towards the end of his testing schedule on the 54th lap and a mere five hundredths of a second from 5th position. The information gathered today will aid the rookie who intends to close the gap to the leading bikes during his inaugural season in the premier class and potentially clinch a podium position.
Bradley Smith
Position : 6thTime : 1’56.451
“I am really happy with the end results from today’s test as we have identified a few areas where we were struggling as well as undertaking some refinements which will help us at the beginning of the race. We now know what went wrong on Sunday, but we definitely have the pace to fight in the top five. So we mainly focused on this and I rode a lot of laps with full fuel loads. I did a low 56.4 at the end of the day with a full tank and brand new tyres like at the start of the race, which was really constructive. It was more of a case of amending at this test and not trying lots of new things and we have definitely found something with the rear shock setting to help with the full fuel load. Also, I explored a few tyre options and we know the direction to take there now. It was an information gathering day, so it’s onwards to Silverstone where I will use this new knowledge to get closer to the front and give British fans something to cheer about.”
Pol Espargaro
Position : 7thTime : 1’56.502
“All in all it was a useful day today as we really looked at my riding style which was the biggest factor I wanted to work on even if this track is not one of my favourites. We tried to improve my line around the circuit, going through every turn but the most important area where I wanted to advance is the corner speed. I am happy with my performance with braking and exiting the bends but during the curves, I need to refine how I ride the corners and make some changes to my style accordingly. After all the Yamaha is strongest in the turns and you have to be smooth. I think I am a bit too aggressive but I am learning a lot and it goes without saying that there is a big change from Moto2. There’s still some work to be done to be smoother but we made progress today focusing on specific parts of the track which I found tricky. I tried the new Bridgestone tyre which was positive with good stability plus great in braking. I can certainly use this to be quicker. Overall, we are prepared for Silverstone and I am sure we can use this information to our advantage for the next round.”
More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:
De Angelis continues to work on board of the Forward Yamaha
It was a productive day of test for the NGM Forward Racing Team at Brno.
After the positive 8th position claimed yesterday in the GP of Czech Republic, Aleix Espargaro was back on track today to test some new electronics settings. He completed 52 laps, setting his best lap time of 1.56.173. The Spaniard was satisfied of the solutions tested today and he is confident to fight with the front guys in occasion of the next GP that will take place at Silverstone in England in less than 2 weeks.
It was an important test session for Alex De Angelis who focused on improving his confidence with the new bike. Alex improved his race pace and tested also the Forward chassis with a very positive result. In total he completed 57 laps, setting a promising 1.58.759.
Together with the NGM Forward Racing riders, Loris Capirossi took the occasion of the MotoGP test session to make some laps on board of the Forward Yamaha.
Aleix Espargaro
“We arrive from a difficult weekend, so it was important to test some solutions in order to improve my feeling with the front and to work on the electronics settings. I’m satisfied with the work done today especially regarding the electronics. I’m optimist for Silverstone”.
Alex De Angelis
“It was a productive and useful day. Lap after lap the feeling with the bike improves and I can be faster. Today we focused on the race pace and I’m satisfied of the progress we have done. I could ride in 1.59.00 with a tyre that had 23 laps on and this means that we have improved of more than one second. I have a better feeling under braking and I can keep the line. I’m sure that we will arrive in Silverstone more competitive”.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Step forward for 2015 machine in Brno post-race test as Marquez logs new record lap
Championship leader, Marc Marquez, and yesterday’s race winner, Dani Pedrosa, were back on track today in Brno for the post-race test.
This was a chance for the Repsol Honda riders to confirm some modifications made on the 2015 prototype after the initial test at this track just over a month ago. Despite a brief afternoon shower, track conditions were noticeably better than during the July test – after the action from the weekend – and both riders reported positively on the RC213V evolution, especially the chassis, and set their fastest times of the day on the new machine.
Marc, who finished off the podium for the first time in his MotoGP career yesterday, was back on top today working on setups on his current 2014 bike this morning. This afternoon he concentrated on the 2015 machine and set the fastest time of the day – 1’55.411 on lap 54 of 65 – and a new lap record, 0.116 faster than Crutchlow’s 2013 pole position (1’55.527), and 0.174 faster than his own pole time from Saturday (1’55.585).
Dani worked on suspension settings and engine mappings on his 2014 RC213V in preparation for the remainder of the season. However, he also set his best time of 1’56.014 (lap 23 of 38) on the 2015 prototype, and finished 3rd fastest for the day. The next chance Marc and Dani will have to ride the 2015 RC213V will be in Valencia at the end of the year.
Now the team will head home for a week’s rest before returning for round twelve in Silverstone.
TEAM QUOTES
Marc Marquez
1st – 1’55.411 (65 laps)
“Today went very well and I am very happy, because we’ve erased the doubts that we had after yesterday’s race. We didn’t understand what had happened. We reached the conclusion that many factors combined yesterday, because today we were fast from the start and had a good pace with the same setup as yesterday. This morning we focused on work with this year’s bike, using some different setups, and I immediately felt very comfortable. Later we tried out the new bike again, which has great potential, and we set a good time with it. The best thing is that the pace we had today was back to that which we had over the entire weekend – except for Sunday.”
Dani Pedrosa
3rd – 1’56.014 (38 laps)
“We used today to try different setups, using the data gathered during the race yesterday here at Brno. Above all we focused on suspensions and on engine mapping, bearing in mind the races we have remaining this season. We also tested next year’s bike, which has a few updates compared to the last time we rode it here in July. After the first test we made a few changes; some worked out positively and others didn’t, but we were able to take a further step forward with its development and the next time we will test it will be at Valencia.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
Movistar Yamaha Complete Successful One-Day Test in Brno
Time18.08.2014
18:00 Local time GMT+2CloudyCloudyTemperatureAir 21°C
Track 26°CTemperatureHumidity 60%
Free Practice
Brno (Czech Republic), 18th August 2014
Fresh from their second consecutive double podium yesterday in the Czech Moto Grand Prix, Movistar Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were back on track today. The two spent the day focused on testing both a 2015 prototype M1 motorcycle and also a 2015 M1 engine placed within the 2014 frame.
The result of the test was positive overall. Lorenzo was first to test the 2015 machine, and was quick to rise to the top of the time sheets where he remained for most of the day, finally ending in second place, just 0.155 seconds from the front.
Teammate Rossi spent a productive day testing various details and was able to ride the 2015 prototype at the end of the day. The Italian was unable to replicate the same lap times as his teammate as the track conditions had dropped form the morning and finished in fifth place 1.035 seconds from the top.
Jorge Lorenzo
2nd / 1’55.566 / 52 laps
“We tried a few things for the bike for next year and it’s quite good in some aspects, negative in others but in general better. We also tested some factors for this year. The chassis for next year seems a little more stable which is good.”
Valentino Rossi
5th / 1’56.446 / 63 laps
“The first prototype of the new engine is a small step but it is a little bit better. We also tried the prototype of the new bike. We improved some things, brake and entry is not so bad but in acceleration my feeling is that we lose a little bit. So we have something good and something bad. We have to do some more work but it was important to test today. We also tried some small details for the next races but not so important for the rest of the season. Now we have to take the data from myself and Jorge who was very fast in the morning when the conditions were a bit better.”
Massimo Meregalli
“Today was a very important test as we were able to evaluate the prototype 2015 machine for the first time. It’s been a very positive day overall, we have managed to get a lot of useful data from both Jorge and Vale which our engineers will now take back to make the next steps with. The team will now take a short rest and after two very intense back to back races be ready to challenge again at Silverstone in two weeks time.”
More, from a press release issued by Drive M7 Aspar Team:
Camier finds another half second in Brno test
DRIVE M7 Aspar rider to continue in place of Nicky Hayden at Silverstone
A single day of MotoGP testing took place at Brno today, less than 24 hours after the Czech Republic Grand Prix ended. It was a physical challenge for the riders to get back on their bikes after back-to-back races on opposite sides of the Atlantic but the traditional mid-season session is always an important opportunity for teams to experiment going into the decisive stage of the championship. Other than a brief rain shower at around 4pm conditions were perfect through the day, with the track open from 10am to 6pm. Marc Márquez set the fastest lap of the day with a 1’55.411, which was faster than his pole position time (1’55.585) from Saturday.
It was a busy day in the DRIVE M7 Aspar garage, especially after an early crash for Leon Camier, who slid off after hitting a bump in turn one. The Brit returned to the track to set some consistent laps in the 1’58s, including a 1’58.1 that was half a second quicker than his best effort from the weekend. It was a pleasing day for Leon, who had the added bonus of the confirmation that he will continue in place of the injured Nicky Hayden for his home Grand Prix at Silverstone. Hayden’s recovery remains on schedule but the American does not want to rush his return and take any risks. Hiroshi Aoyama made some improvements to his chassis set-up and electronics today, the Japanese rider satisfied with his day’s work at Brno.
15th Hiroshi Aoyama 1.58.327 (41 laps): “Today’s test was a good chance to make some comparisons to the set-up we used in the race yesterday. We were happy with the bike over the weekend but we tried to improve it in terms of the chassis response, on the front and the rear. We tried a lot of things and managed to improve the feeling on the front and the grip on the rear. Overall it has been a positive and satisfying test, we’ve also managed to try some things with the electronics that seem positive.”
14th Leon Camier 1.58.179 (36 laps): “It was a busy day, which started off with a crash virtually as soon as I went out. I wasn’t sure what had happened but looking at the telemetry it seems I hit a bump that unsettled the bike and I went down. It was just bad luck and it cost us some time but then I was able to get back out and make some good progress. I managed a 1’58.1, which was faster than I had gone all weekend, and a few more consistent laps in the 1’58s so I am happy. The improvements today have shown us the way forward. We still needed the bike to be a bit less aggressive over the bumps to improve our speed in corner entry but overall I am happy with the job we did. I still have to learn the bike and adapt my style to it but I think we’re doing a great job. Today we have confirmed that I’ll be riding at Silverstone for the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team, which is great news and a dream come true for me to ride in my home Grand Prix with such a great team. I know the circuit well and I really like it so hopefully we can take another big step forward there.”