More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Bagnaia top, KTM and Yamaha on the chase at the Misano Test
MotoGP™ gets back down to business on Monday, with plenty to see in pitlane
Monday, 09 September 2024
The Misano MotoGP™ Official Test has concluded and it’s a familiar name on top: reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Italian entered the mid 1:30 bracket on a day of hot pace and crucial track time for many manufacturers, ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), who rounded out the top three spots.
There was plenty to see and talk about up and down pitlane, from KTM’s wildcard bike going back out to Yamaha and Honda’s new parts rolled out on Monday.
Ducati Lenovo Team, Prima Pramac Racing, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team & Gresini Racing
Although Ducati continues to reign supreme, there is no rest of the Italian factory as Bagnaia worked hard throughout the day, with some new parts to try as they rolled out a new chassis. On the other side of the box, Bastianini also put in a long day, but there were no major new parts for the #23, who will leave the factory at the end of the season.
There were also very few changes to see at Pramac, but Morbidelli completed over 40 laps in the afternoon session, taking a late second place. Meanwhile, Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) ended the day in P6.
There weren’t many new parts to see for Marco Bezzecchi, but he also had a solid day of running – placing eighth. The Italian was the sole Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team machine on track after Fabio Di Giannantonio decided to focus on his left shoulder recovery as well. Over at Gresini Racing MotoGP™, work continued for San Marino GP winner Marc Marquez, who claimed seventh, with Alex Marquez in 12th.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing & Red Bull GASGAS Tech3
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had an experimental machine to try today, which we have previously seen in the hands of San Marino GP wildcard Pol Espargaro. The ‘new’ bike has a different engine, different aero and exhaust, and the South African eventually ended the test in 11th. Meanwhile, test rider and Legend Daniel Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took over Miller’s side of the garage as the #26 returned to action. He finished in 13th. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took part in the afternoon session, ending the Test in 15th.
Over at Tech3, there were some new parts to see for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who showed pace throughout the day – finishing in fourth. One of the #31’s machines was spotted with a different tail unit and a new top exhaust, Acosta also had one of the experimental machines to try, just like 2025 teammate Binder. Meanwhile, Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) only took part in the morning session, sharing the day with Miller and finishing 20th.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team
Yamaha had plenty to work at during the test, bringing new parts to Misano, including a new engine and chassis. The Iwata factory had already tested many parts in private tests throughout the year, taking full advantage of their concessions. This allowed the Japanese manufacturer to do some back-to-back runs to confirm where the improvements were.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team’s Fabio Quartararo showed great pace on the timesheets too, ending the day in fifth after improving in the final hour of action. Meanwhile, teammate Alex Rins was “satisfied” with the parts that were tried on Monday, and he finished up the session in P16.
Aprilia Racing & Trackhouse Racing
It was a busy down at Aprilia, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and teammate Aleix Espargaro spending the day trying to find improvements with their set-up and ergonomics as the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix nears. Viñales also said a key focus was improving in braking. He took ninth as Espargaro placed 14th. Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) was also out on track, working towards the development of the 2025 package.
Over at Trackhouse Racing, Raul Fernandez put in the miles, with the #25 having both an RS-GP23 and an RS-GP24 in his box and some different parts to test during the day. he claimed 11th, while teammate Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) completed a solid number of laps and was P17 at the end of the day as the #88 tried to refine his current package.
Repsol Honda Team & CASTROL/IDEMITSU Honda LCR
A lot of today’s attention was surrounding HRC, and Repsol Honda Team’s Joan Mir and Luca Marini returned to action after suffering from illnesses during the San Marino GP weekend. Mir had three bikes on his side of the garage, including one of wildcard Stefan Bradl’s, and was 22nd at the end of the day, finishing behind Marini in 21st. Bradl was also back out, working with one machine.
At LCR, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) trialled a new side fairing, using it first during the morning session. He was positive overall about the direction he reported they’d found too, in some contrast to comments from Mir – watch their thoughts below. Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) was also spotted with some carbon fibre colours on Monday, with all hands on deck at Honda to start moving forward towards the fight for the top ten.
That’s a wrap on the Misano Test, but not on Misano! The Adriatic classic hosts the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in just over a week and a half, and there are plenty of scores to be settled. Who’ll come out on top? Join us for more from the 20th to the 22nd of September to find out!
