FIM MotoGP World Championship Test
Circuito De Jerez Angel Nieto
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
November 28, 2018
Day One Test Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:37.968
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:38.185, crash
3. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:38.348
4. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:38.376
5. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:38.517
6. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:38.659
7. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:38.749
8. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:38.816
9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:38.830*
10. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:38.956, crash
11. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:39.008, crash
12. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:39.097
13. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.150
14. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.157
15. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:39.241
16. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:39.414
17. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.564
18. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:40.174*
19. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:40.192
20. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:40.438
21. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:40.630
22. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), 1:40.743*
23. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:41.699
24. Matteo Baiocco, Italy (Aprilia), 1:42.766*
* test rider
More, from a press release issued by KTM Tech 3:
Productive opening day of the final test in 2018 for Syahrin and Oliveira
For KTM Tech3 Racing with their riders Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira 2019 pre season testing resumed today at the Circuito de Jerez. Both experienced a fruitful day stuffed with various new perceptions, although they were just able to go out on track around lunchtime due to cool temperatures in the morning.
While becoming acquainted with the KTM RC16, Syahrin did 51 laps and concluded the first of two test days in Jerez just 0.438 seconds behind factory colleague Johann Zarco. Hardworking MotoGP rookie Oliveira meanwhile lapped the circuit 61 times and missed out on his teammate by one second.
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 21st – Time: 1’40.630 – Laps: 51
“The first day here is already over and I have the feeling that we are going in the right way together with my crew to set up the new bike. We start to understand it step by step, the character and how to ride it. We did quite a good amount of laps and began to find out how the suspension works, what we can change about it and how we can use it. We believe that we could have improved the lap time if we would have changed the tyres again, but we saved them because I wanted to do a long run in order to simulate a race. Even by the end, my lap times were quite good. So, I’m very happy and I hope we can make another step forward tomorrow, trying to get closer to the top.”
Miguel Oliveira
Position: 23rd – Time: 1’41.699 – Laps: 61
“Today we rode here in Jerez de la Frontera for the first time. We made some good progress in the course of the day. We didn’t do huge steps, but went one small one by another. We were able to understand the bike better and better, found some things that are missing, which also refers to the riding side. Now we focus on improving tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Petrucci the pacesetter on Day 1
Italian makes it a 1-2 for Ducati – with Nakagami fastest Honda in third
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) topped the timesheets on Day 1 at the Jerez Test after setting a 1:37.968 in the afternoon, heading teammate Andrea Dovizioso – the 04 Italian crashing at Turn 5 late in the day – by 0.217, with Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) having a very positive opening day to finish P3 on the timesheets – and just 0.380 splitting the top three.
A cold morning in southern Spain meant the track action didn’t get going until 11:30am local time (GMT +1), but conditions soon improved in the afternoon as the premier class riders continued their crucial 2019 preparations under sunny skies in Jerez. By the half way mark it was Repsol Honda Team’s Jorge Lorenzo heading the pack, but times would tumble further – and Petrucci would emerge fastest.
At Ducati, Petrucci completed 53 laps on Wednesday to be the only rider to dip below the 1:38 bracket. Both he and Dovizioso had a 2018 spec and 2019 spec bike to compare on the opening day in Jerez, but according to Team Manager Davide Tardozzi, both riders soon switched to the 2019 Desmosedici.
On his last run, however, Dovizioso crashed at Turn 5 to end his day prematurely, although he was ok and had already managed to get 53 laps in as he and Ducati concentrated on electronics, chassis and the engine. The returning Alvaro Bautista – the Spaniard replacing injured test rider Michele Pirro – had a full 2019 spec at his disposal, with the Aruba.it Ducati WorldSBK rider ending the day ninth on the timesheets. Just ahead of him was Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) in P8, the Australian on a part-2018 and part-2019 Desmosedici for the time being as he worked on the geometry.
Miller’s rookie teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing) had another good day on track and was 14th fastest on Day 1. The reigning Moto2™ Champion has the 2018 Ducati available to him and he completed another 51 laps, finishing 1.189 off Petrucci. Bagnaia described Jerez as a “more difficult” track than Valencia to rider a premier class machine, but he also confirmed he’s progressing in the right way.
For Honda, Takaaki Nakagami was the leading name on Day 1, continuing his impressive start to the 2019 preseason. The Japanese rider completed 66 laps on board a 2018 RC213V, the same bike teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was using last season. The number 30 rider said the improvement in the engine between the 2017 Honda and the 2018 Honda is quite big, and he was also able to set consistent lap times on the used tyre. Overall, Nakagami was delighted with his progress so far.
Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) wasn’t far off, though. The second fastest Honda after the first day of action, the Spaniard ended Wednesday P5 on the timesheets. According to Team Manager Alberto Puig, the bikes were the same as they had in Valencia as the Japanese factory continue to mix parts in order to find the best combination to take to Japan. Marquez ended the day 0.549 from the top after completing a half-century of laps, while also sporting a new aero package on the front of his Honda.
New teammate Jorge Lorenzo, who led in the morning for a time, was seventh fastest on his third day riding a Honda. The Spaniard set a quickest time of 1:38.749 to finish 0.781 off Petrucci after getting another 56 laps under his belt. Lorenzo is still not 100% fit, adding to the challenge of adaptation from the Ducati.
At Yamaha, work continued on the engine. Maverick Viñales (Yamaha Factory Racing) was a threat at the top throughout the day and put in 58 laps before the end of play – with the number 12 finishing up just over four tenths off the top in P4. He said they were working on race pace, but also said they’re not yet sure about one of the two different spec engines they’re testing – with more work to do on Thursday. Teammate Valentino Rossi was a later presence pitting out, but the number 46 put in 50 laps on Wednesday once out on track. He ended the day just over a second off Viñales, in P17, but didn’t put in new tyres. He also suffered a technical problem that brought one run to a halt, with Rossi pulling off track after hearing a problem in his M1.
Petronas Yamaha SRT, meanwhile, had another solid day. Franco Morbidelli was sixth overall after 70 laps and a best of 1:38.659, and rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo ended the day in sixteenth. The Frenchman’s best was a 1:39.414 as he continues settling into the premier class.
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was another entering a new era who impressed – and he was the fastest rookie. He led the way for Suzuki in Jerez to finish the day tenth on the timesheets, although, the 2017 Moto3™ World Champion suffered his first MotoGP™ crash after going down at Turn 7 just after 13:00 local time. The Spaniard was ok and headed back out later in the day to improve – a hot 1:38.956 his best time, putting him under a second from the top.
His teammate Alex Rins, alongside test rider Sylvain Guintoli, had a lot of new parts to try on Wednesday. The new engine and the chassis has been the main focus for the Hamamatsu factory, with the new engine more powerful than last season’s. According to Team Manager Davide Brivio, Rins was on an aluminium chassis, while Guintoli was testing a carbon-based chassis – with Brivio also confirming the plan is to build an aluminium chassis that has the same stiffness as the carbon one. Rins ended the day P13 on the timesheets after completing 87 laps – the most of any rider – while the Guintoli was P22.
At Aprilia, the test got off to a tough start as Aleix Espargaro missed Day 1 through illness – although he’s hoping to ride on Thursday – but new signing Andrea Iannone put the Noale factory in P11 overall with a 1:39.008. He was only able to complete 24 laps, however, then sitting out the rest of the session after a crash. Test rider and new arrival Bradley Smith, meanwhile, did 69 laps. He was working with Aleix Espargaro’s bikes, with a new spec engine focused on power delivery and torque, and each Aprilia rider had two chassis to compare. CIV Superbike superstar Matteo Baiocco was also on track for the Noale factory, and he did 49 laps.
Finally, for KTM, it was all hands on deck as the Austrian factory look forward after a more difficult 2018 – Valencia notwithstanding – and they had six bikes in the garage. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider was the lead Orange machine on Day 1 in Jerez too, in P15 with a best of 1:39.241 after 58 laps. New teammate Johann Zarco was in P19, but the focus? Development and definitely not the timesheets. KTM are working on a huge list – seamless gearbox, chassis parts, aerodynamic parts, a slightly different engine…and they’re using the new IMU.
Their two Independent Team riders at Red Bull KTM Tech 3, meanwhile, were working on the best bike from 2018 – although they’re expected to receive an update in Sepang. Hafizh Syahrin did 51 laps with a best of 1:40.630 and rookie Miguel Oliveira put in 61 laps, ending the day around a second off his more experienced teammate.
That’s it from Day 1 – check back on Thursday for more updates from Jerez, and click below for the timesheets!
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Repsol Honda Team satisfied with a productive first day of testing in Jerez
The Repsol Honda Team started their final test of 2018 today, before the mandatory winter break. The first day of the two-day session, held at Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), was blessed by perfect weather conditions. Only in the morning were the asphalt and air temperatures a bit chilly, prompting 2018 World Champion Marc Marquez and teammate Jorge Lorenzo to wait until noon before taking to the track.
Marc stopped one and a half hours before the official end of the session at 5:30 p.m. and was fifth-fastest on the day with a best time of 1’38.517”, recorded on lap 28 of 55. Jorge was a close seventh after completing 56 laps, with a best time of 1’38.749”.
The test will end tomorrow.
Marc Marquez 93
5TH 1’38.517 (LAP 28/55)
“We started with this season’s bike before swapping to the new one. We did that in order to try and better understand a few things, because the feeling is different. Tomorrow we’ll concentrate more on the new version. Today we mainly worked on the bike’s base setup and tried some new details. Our race pace was good. I already feel comfortable on the bike, and tomorrow we’ll work to further adjust the setup and geometry, besides continuing to try new particulars. I think the base is good and that we’re going on the correct direction.”
More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:
Jerez MotoGP™ Test – Day 1
#JerezTest D1. The first day of Test at Jerez came to an end with Jack and Pecco placed 8th and 14th respectively.
The last two days of activity of the 2018 MotoGP season began today under the sun of Jerez de la Frontera. Jack Miller has worked hard on the set up of his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2019 and has completed 72 laps – only Rins (87) has lapped more than the Australian – also getting an encouraging P8, eight-tenths of a second from the super chrono notched up by Petrux.
After the Valencia tests, which were mainly used for a first contact with the new machine, Pecco started today to work on the details of his Ducati Desmosedici GP 2018, obtaining his best time on the 50th of the 51 laps completed.
P14 – Pecco Bagnaia
“This track is more demanding than Valencia and you need to control the bike a lot. I’m pleased with the progress made on the setup but I still have some difficulties in braking: I have to be able to use the rear brake more like Dovi does. We did a lot of laps with used tyres and the pace is good”.
P8 – Jack Miller
“It was a good day for us. We have been on track a lot and lap after lap I feel more and more comfortable on the bike. The chrono is not bad even if I have to do better in the fourth sector where I think I have left at least three tenths of a second. Tomorrow we will also work on this”.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:
TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR COMPLETE USEFUL DAY 1 IN JEREZ
Joan Mir: 10th – 1:38.956 (+ 0.988)
Alex Rins: 13th – 1:39.150 (+ 1.182)
Sylvain Guintoli: 22nd – 1:40.743 (+ 2.775)
•Joan Mir puts in impressive hot laps towards the end of a tough day.
•Alex Rins able to make useful progress with 2019 bike.
•Another day of testing at Jerez follows tomorrow.
One week after the Valencia test days which saw Joan Mir make his Team SUZUKI ECSTAR debut, the paddock headed swiftly on to Jerez de la Frontera for another two-day test.
Both GSX-RR riders had a useful and positive day under the Spanish sunshine, although a couple of hours were lost in the morning due to cold and damp track conditions. Alex Rins was able to try the new 2019 chassis and engine spec, which was particularly useful in the team’s quest for finalising base settings for next season. Alex closed the day in 13th place and completed a whopping 87 laps.
Joan Mir suffered a heavy crash at Turn 7 which brought out the red flag. Thankfully, after a trip to the medical centre, the young rookie was not found to have any serious injuries. The Mallorcan didn’t let the scare hold him back and he continued to push for fast laps. In fact, his 52nd and final lap was his fastest, and he closed the session less than a second from the leader.
Test Rider Sylvain Guintoli is also present at Jerez and he was able to try some different parts to the two main factory riders, therefore gleaning further information.
The riders will be back on track tomorrow (Thursday) for a second day of testing.
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“Today was a good day, despite Joan’s crash. Fortunately he was OK and able to test again in the afternoon. He set some very good lap times and he tried a few different parts, he did a good job after the crash. Alex had a tricky day with a lot of hard work on testing; back-to-back comparisons with chassis in order to get as much information as possible. So we feel good about today and everything is on schedule. We’re looking forward to working again tomorrow.”
Joan Mir
“The important thing is that I’m feeling good. I have some bumps and bruises but nothing worse, despite it being a hard crash. After the crash I was able to get my good feeling back straight away and recover my lap times, and I continued to put in laps until the end of the day. I set a time in the 1:38 bracket and I’m very satisfied with that for the first day. I also worked a bit on the electronics and a few new parts. We’re happy with what we’ve achieved today and how it’s all been going, and we hope tomorrow will also be good.”
Alex Rins
“I tried the 2019 chassis today and I’m quite happy. The new chassis has some positives and some negatives at the moment, but we’ve only just started to test it so there’s plenty of time to make more comparisons and improvements. I also had the new engine to try, the one I already had in Valencia last week. I feel that the new spec. engine has more power than the old one. We’ve improved it since Valencia, because there it felt a bit aggressive, but now the power delivery has been made smoother thanks to the electronics. So now I feel really good with this engine, but we’ll continue working on it to get the perfect feeling. We got a lot done today and we’re happy.”
More, from a press release issued by Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team:
Super sixth for Morbidelli on first day of Jerez test
Italian rider continues his impressive adaptation to the Yamaha, as rookie team-mate Fabio Quartararo also progresses and finishes 16th.
The PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team kicked off a two-day test at Jerez today, their final track outing of 2018 before the winter break. After their promising debut with the Yamaha YRZ-M1 at Valencia, Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo continue their adaptation at the Spanish track and continue to improve their feeling.
Morbidelli was again one of the surprise packages on the timesheets at Jerez as he continued with his good form on the Yamaha. The Italian rider completed 70 laps and was third fastest with an hour and a half of the session remaining, before eventually dropping to sixth with his best lap of 1’38.659. Quartararo completed 59 productive laps, the young Frenchman continuing his early work on setting up a MotoGP bike. More comfortable with every outing, Fabio finished sixteenth fastest with a 1’39.414 and is convinced he can make further improvements tomorrow.
The second and final day will see action from 10am to 6pm local time, before the MotoGP grid sign off until 2019.
#21 Franco Morbidelli
“I am very happy with today. We have backed up the good feeling from Valencia at a different circuit, which is not as suited to the characteristics of our bike as other tracks. It has been a good day in terms of our speed, we have to improve our consistency but the feeling on new tyres was good. We have to work out what else we can improve and I also have to keep learning but it’s a case of ‘so fast, so good’. Today we basically focused on working with the electronics at this circuit, especially on our first runs. We also tried some set-up changes but nothing really new compared to last week.”
#20 Fabio Quartararo
“Today we took another step forward in terms of corner speed, in comparison with Valencia, which is important. Now we need to analyse corner by corner where we are losing the most time – some in the exit, some in the entry – and see from the data what we can work on. The important thing is that we are improving and especially here at one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar, where I have not ridden a MotoGP bike before. I am really happy with today and I hope we can continue improving tomorrow. We have saved some new tyres with the second day’s work in mind.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT ON TEST DAY 1 IN JEREZ
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi carried on with their 2019 pre-season testing programme today. The teammates took 4th and 17th place respectively in the Jerez MotoGP Official Test timesheets whilst working on the new engine spec.
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 28th November 2018
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were back in action today at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto for the first day of the Jerez MotoGP Official Test. They continued to compare the new engine evolution, taking 4th and 17th place respectively in today’s rankings.
The riders had to be patient at the start of the eight-hour session. The cool track conditions made for a two-and-a-half hour wait before they could put their YZR-M1s to work.
Viñales was joined in the pit box by new crew chief Esteban García for the first time today. Once the track was sufficiently warm, they decided to work on race pace and making a lot of kilometres as preparation for the 2019 season. The Spaniard soon found a good rhythm and he comfortably began chipping away at his time, while leaving the base setting the same. With a bit more than an hour left on the clock, he decided to pick up the pace. He soon posted a best lap of 1’38.376s to temporarily take over the top of the standings.
At the end of the session the times dropped and the number 12 rider was pushed back to third. He couldn’t resist to make a last push on his final three-lap stint, bringing his total to 58 laps, but he still ended the day in fourth position, 0.408s from the front.
Rossi joined the track just before 1pm today, eager to further improve the acceleration, the smooth power delivery of the engine, and the overall performance of his Yamaha. The Doctor had set himself the objective to only focus on the testing and got straight to work. He completed 50 laps in total, which he solely used to compare the new engine specs and new Michelin tyres.
Though the Doctor put a halt to one of his late afternoon runs, he was able to finish today’s testing programme. His best lap, a 1’39.564s set on lap 28, put him in 17th place in today’s standings, 1.596s from first.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
We tried the same engine as we used in Valencia, to try to understand which way we should go. This track is even more difficult for us than Valencia, there it‘s easier to make a good lap time, so I‘m quite happy that today we were so consistent with many laps on the tyre. The track was a bit slippery for our bike today, but the M1 was working well, so I think the decision is more or less made, but we still have to check. I prefer riding with more engine brake, because for my riding style it helps a lot. I‘m quite curious to see what happens tomorrow when we start modifying the set-up a little. Let‘s see if we can be more competitive. I think we can still improve the electronics and the base set-up a lot, because the bike works a bit different now and it permits me to enter the corner faster, so we need to change the setting, because I can ride more naturally now. It was a good first day with Esteban. It was good to reconnect, he‘s a really calm person, so we work well together. We were on top for a while today, so I‘m happy.
VALENTINO ROSSI
At the end my position in the timesheets is really bad, also because we had some problems with the new tyres, so I didn‘t do a time-attack. My pace is a little bit better, but I have to check the data more thoroughly. We continued to test the engine, we made some comparisons. The direction to go in and the decision is quite clear. I started riding on new tyres, but at one point I heard a strange noise, so I stopped. I sincerely don‘t know what happened yet.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
FINAL TESTS OF 2018 IN JEREZ
ANDREA IANNONE, BRADLEY SMITH AND MATTEO BAIOCCO ON THE TRACK FOR APRILIA
In the final tests of 2018 for MotoGP, Aprilia’s plans changed a bit, given the unavailability of Aleix Espargaró on this first day. The Spanish rider is recovering from a bout of gastritis and in his place today was tester Bradley Smith, whereas Matteo Baiocco worked in the garage with the Aprilia Test Team.
For Andrea Iannone, on the other hand, the programme was confirmed with the rider turning 24 laps today until a crash forced him to return to pit lane. In his process of adapting to the Italian bike, Andrea finished with an encouraging eleventh best time at 1’39.008.
The tests will continue tomorrow with Aleix who, physical conditions permitting, will be back in the saddle.
BRADLEY SMITH
“This type of test with Aleix’s material was planned, but his physical problem sped up the timeline. It was important for me to test all the material available to Aprilia in order to complete the programme and provide the technicians with the best possible indications. Compared to Valencia, some big steps forward were made. I feel much more at ease with the RS-GP. Today I compared to different types of engine and tomorrow morning I’ll continue with Aleix’s bike before going back in the afternoon to work with the test team.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
NAKAGAMI FASTEST HONDA AT JEREZ TEST
The final on-track action of 2018 sees the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team testing their RC213V prototype at the Angel Nieto-Jerez Circuit in southern Spain this week. The team’s Japanese star Takaaki Nakagami ended day one of the test in third position overall and as the fastest Honda rider in the field.
Today’s result followed a positive test last week at the Valencia circuit, and with 2019’s pre-season tests reduced to just two three-day sessions, this final outing is crucial for the team heading into the imposed winter break.
Nakagami focused on improving his feeling with his new machine, especially as regards rear-end grip, and completed 67 laps of the 4.423km circuit, with his best time coming on his 57th lap.
Takaaki Nakagami – 3rd
(1’38.348 – lap 57 of 67)
“I’m really happy with today’s first day of testing, and in particular with my feeling on board the bike. The lap time was really consistent both with new and old tyres. We focused on trying to improve rear grip, and Öhlins gave me a different shock and some other new items to test which were quite positive for me, because I had a really good feeling with the machine”.
“Still we have to try to make myself more consistent in my riding with the used tyre. Tomorrow we have a few small things to try, but I am happy with the progress we have made on this first day.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
MotoGP testing gets underway at Jerez de la Frontera, with Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso leading the way on Day 1. Álvaro Bautista ninth with the Desmosedici GP of the Ducati Test Team
Day 1 of MotoGP official testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit concluded today at 17.30, after sunny weather and mild temperatures allowed the teams and riders to put in some vital track time in this last round of tests in 2018.
The Ducati Team riders continued development work on the 2019 version of the Desmosedici GP, both riders completing 53 laps and setting good times. Danilo Petrucci ended the day at the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1’37.968 while Andrea Dovizioso, who crashed at turn 5 towards the end of the session, was just behind in second with a time of 1’38.185. In the evening Andrea went for a check-up with the Clinica Mobile doctors, who diagnosed him with a bruised left thumb, but the Italian rider should be able to go out on track again tomorrow.
The test also saw the presence of Álvaro Bautista, who on Monday and Tuesday had made his debut with the factory Panigale V4R of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team with whom he will compete in the 2019 Superbike World Championship. In this two-day MotoGP test, Álvaro is standing in for Michele Pirro on the Ducati Test Team’s Desmosedici GP, because this afternoon the Italian underwent surgery on his right shoulder, which he injured in a crash during practice at Mugello. Bautista did a total of 64 laps, the best of which was 1’38.830, and he finished the day in ninth place.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team #9) – 1st – 1’37.968 (53 laps)
“I’m very pleased with the way things went today, because it’s always good to finish the day in first place, but in particular I really like the feeling with the used tyre. I always felt good on the bike, like at Valencia, and for me this was important because we changed almost nothing in the set-up and in any case we always went well. Today we didn’t focus on lap times, but instead worked a lot on our pace and also tried some new components that gave us very useful information. Overall I’m really happy with the way we are working together as a team.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd – 1’38.185 (53 laps)
“Today we were able to do several tests and we were very quick, even on used tyres, and so I’m pleased about that. Unfortunately at the end of the session I crashed at turn 5 while I was improving my time and I hurt my left thumb. Luckily nothing seems to be broken and if the pain is bearable tomorrow I’ll continue with our work load because we still need confirmation on some of the new components.”
Álvaro Bautista (Ducati Test Team #19) – 9th – 1’38.830 (64 laps)
“I’m very pleased to be able to help Ducati to develop the new bike and collect some important information, but it was also nice to get back on a MotoGP bike once again. It’s been two months since I raced the GP18 at Phillip Island, but today I felt good on the bike, even with the gearbox that created a few problems for me in Australia.We managed to test everything we had planned and I believe it was a positive day from all points of view. Tomorrow we’ll continue to try some new parts in view of the next season.”