Current Race Lap Record: 1:54.927, Jorge Lorenzo, 2016

Current Pole/Circuit Best Lap Record: 1:53.680, Johann Zarco, 2018

FIM MotoGP World Championship Test

Losail International Circuit, Qatar

February 25, 2019

Day Three Best Lap Times (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:54.208

2. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.441 – R

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.613

4. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.651

5. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:54.653

6. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.660

7. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.770

8. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.789

9. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.818

10. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.851

11. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.852

12. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.997 – R

13. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.074 – R

14. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.229

15. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.233

16. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:55.343

17. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:55.690

18. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.773 – R

19. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:55.814

20. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:56.072 – T

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:56.121

22. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:56.162

23. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:56.371

R= Rookie, T=test rider

Best Overall Test Lap Times (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:54.208

2. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:54.441 – R

3. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.593

4. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:54.613

5. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.651

6. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:54.653

7. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:54.660

8. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:54.770

9. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:54.789

10. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:54.818

11. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:54.851

12. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:54.997 – R

13. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.074 – R

14. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:55.173

15. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:55.205

16. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:55.229

17. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:55.247

18. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:55.343

19. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:55.716

20. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:55.773 – R

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:55.951

22. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:56.072 – T

23. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:56.371

R= Rookie, T=test rider

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:

Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo completes preseason preparation in Qatar

With the third and final day coming to a close, Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin finished their track action today at the Losail International Circuit with positive perception ahead of the first round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, taking place at the same site in less than a fortnight.

Yet Oliveira was working towards a decent lap time today, which he managed to achieve with a 1:55.773, 1.118 seconds quicker than on day one, following 28 laps. On the other hand, Syahrin likewise improved a lot although stronger winds made life hard for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider and his competitors today. With 42 laps under his belt, the Malaysian eventually was 1.088 seconds faster than on Saturday.

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 18th – Time: 1:55.773 – Laps: 28

“Today we definitely found harder conditions than the two previous days because of the wind. We started a bit slow in terms of lap time, but then I was picking up the pace and riding quite good. Unfortunately, a crash ended the test, but I felt I was coming stronger and also the team made quite a few changes to the bike, with which I was very satisfied. I think we ended this test without really arrive at the limit and extract the maximum of the bike, so we leave an extra few tenths in the pocket for the GP.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 23rd – Time: 1:56.371 – Laps: 42

“I’m very happy to improve my lap time and as well about the work on the last day with the team. We know, that we are still very far, although we were quicker. I started to understand a little bit how to adapt to the bike. We tried a race simulation, which was not really bad, but also not very fast, as we needed to understand the bike. At the same time, I did a race distance for the very first time with the KTM. We need to push harder during the race weekend, this is sure. Let’s see what we can do there. Now I start to understand the feedback of the machine, I try to explain everything to the team and also they start to understand it. Step by step I get more confidence, I feel like I found the limit with the front tyre. Still, there is much to do.”

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

#QatarTest D3 – Great work on race pace for Jack and Pecco. Ready for the 2019 MotoGP season!

If the target of the last official tests was to improve the feeling in view of the first round of the 2019 MotoGP season, both Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia can return home satisfied.

At the Losail circuit, where the first race weekend will start in 10 days, Jack and Pecco have worked hard on the race pace and the results have been very interesting. Jack lapped consistently in 1:55 for an excellent long run of 14 laps. Pecco also did a positive race simulation that gives great confidence in view of the MotoGP debut of the reigning Moto2 World Champion.

In the final standings of the third day of #QatarTest, Miller finished in the Top 10 (P10, 6 tenths of a second from the leader) while Bagnaia finished 13th, two tenths off his teammate.

P13 – Pecco Bagnaia 1:55.074

“All things considered, I’m glad about these days of testing. I think that day after day we have improved in many areas. We only did one time attack but the chrono was not a goal. The important thing was to be confident about the race pace and we did a good long run. I’ll be back in Qatar in 10 days with great motivation”.

P10 – Jack Miller 1:54.851

“I’m satisfied with these three days of testing. We did a good job and the race pace was very good. At the end of the day, we tried a time attack with a good lap time even if the conditions of the track were not the best. There are still some details that we need to improve but we are in the right direction”.

More, from a press release issued by Mission Winnow Ducati:

Testing concludes for the Mission Winnow Ducati team with Petrucci 10th and Dovizioso 15th in the combined rankings in Qatar, where the 2019 MotoGP Championship will begin in two weeks’ time

The Mission Winnow Ducati team concluded tonight the official MotoGP pre-season tests at Losail (Qatar). In the three-day test, which is crucial to define the technical base ahead of the opening round of the Championship, scheduled for March 8-10 on the track on the outskirts of Doha, both Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso made the most of the available track time to work on the development of the Desmosedici GP19, completing 126 and 132 laps respectively.

Both riders tried first and foremost to optimize the setup for the race, a work that culminated today in another joint race simulation in light of the interesting data yielded by this method during the first tests of 2019 in Malaysia. With a personal best of 1:54.818, Petrucci finished the tests in 10th position in the combined rankings, which were characterized by narrow gaps as the first 15 riders finished within one second. Dovizioso closed in 15th position, +0.387 behind his teammate, with a personal best of 1:55.205.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:54.818 (10th)

“Today we faced a bit more difficulties than expected as the conditions were quite windy, which prompted us to change the setup of the bike. However, we reacted quite well because, once I put the soft tyre on, we were able to post the best provisional time right away. Then, we switched our focus back to the race, running a simulation together with Andrea and trading positions, like what we did in Malaysia. I’m happy with the feeling with the bike: despite the colder track temperatures, we managed to be fast and I’m confident we’ll be ready come race time.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:55.205 (15th)

“This closing day was complicated a bit by the wind, which didn’t allow to completely follow our program. We focused on some aspects and, while we’re not far from our rivals, there is still room for improvement. Honestly I can’t say I’m completely satisfied, but I’m also convinced we have strong potential and I’m confident we can have a strong race. We collected plenty of interesting data and it will be important to make the most of it to make sure we’re as ready and competitive as possible in two weeks’ time.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action at Losail for the opening round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for March 8-10.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Repsol Honda Team satisfied as pre-season testing ends

Both Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo leave Qatar pleased with progress made ahead of round one, finishing the test in fourth and sixth respectively.

Incredibly high winds were waiting as the Repsol Honda Team arrived at the Losail International Circuit for the final day of pre-season testing. This delayed Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo slightly as the track opened, but both riders were able to make up the lost time during their remaining time on track. Temperature fell during the night, causing a spate of late crashes.

When the wind did drop, riders began to fly. Marc Marquez led the charge and set a succession of quick laps, settling on a 1’54.613 before the end of his run. A fall at Turn 6 with two hours remaining did little to dent his confidence and he soon returned to running. With 144 laps completed, Marquez’s time of 1’54.613 saw him end the Qatar Test in fourth.

Jorge Lorenzo remained focused on steadily improving his feeling and pace with the Honda RC213V, again bettering his lap time from the previous day. A 1’54.653 late in the test showed clear progress for the pairing. Despite a fall at Turn 2, Lorenzo ended the test in sixth after 115 laps.

The Repsol Honda Team now return to their respective homes before travelling back to Qatar, ready for Free Practice 1 of the Qatar GP on Friday, March 8 and the opening race on Sunday, March 10 under the floodlights.

Marc Marquez

4TH 1’54.613

“I feel ready today, ready to start the season. Like yesterday we did a lot of laps, worked well and made some more steps. We’re still not 100% but we have a good feeling. Qatar is a track where normally we struggle, but at this test we are there with everyone else. It was a bit difficult with the wind and the temperature on track tonight but we still did what we needed to.”

Jorge Lorenzo

6TH 1’54.653

“We started the test not adjusting the setting. When we started to work on the setting we were able to improve the bike and our speed. I could ride the bike better, we improved things a little here and a little there and made a big step to be competitive already. We’re very satisfied, the potential is certainly there and it is just my third day as an official Honda rider because before I wasn’t fully fit. When I’m fit and riding better, we can be even stronger.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

QATAR TEST COMES TO A CLOSE WITH POSITIVITY ALL ROUND

Alex Rins: 3rd – 1:54.593 +0.385 (in Session 2)

Joan Mir: 12th – 1:54.997 +0.789 (in Session 3)

•Alex Rins feeling prepared for Qatar GP.

•Joan Mir learns rapidly to set impressive times.

•Team happy with the winter work done ahead of season opener.

The third and final day of testing in Doha, Qatar saw the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR duo lock out the top two positions on the time sheets for a time towards the end of the day.

The pace shown by Alex Rins and Joan Mir points to the ever building confidence the pair have found in their 2019 GSX-RR package.

Alex Rins used the last day to try finalise his settings, as well as putting in some quick laps and longer runs. He explained that a useful step has been taken ahead of the new season, and he feels ready to tackle the races and continue his great pace. The Spaniard had a small crash without consequence.

Meanwhile, Joan Mir spent Day 3 working on lap times and overall race pace, the rookie has also used the Qatar test to further accelerate his adaptation and learning process, and he feels a lot has been achieved since the first tests at the end of last year.

The team will be back in Losail in just two weeks’ time, where the 2019 MotoGP season will begin.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager

“This was the last test before the first race, and we’ve selected all the parts that we wanted to use. Alex had a crash today which meant we couldn’t follow our schedule exactly, but we feel it hasn’t had a big impact on our performance, because we’ve already done a lot of work. Joan has done very well during these three days and has improved his performance.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“Our winter preparation has now ended, and overall the feeling is a positive one. Unfortunately Alex had a crash today which meant we stopped for a while and then returned to the track in the last minutes. Joan has continued to learn and improve and today he did well and bettered his lap time from yesterday, as well as keeping good pace over a long run. We’ve selected our 2019 package and put all the pieces together, from this point of view we feel ready for the race weekend. We can’t wait to be back here and start the season. Thank you very much to all the team and the engineers in Japan, they’ve done a great job and we will try to use the package they have provided in the best possible way.”

Alex Rins

“My feeling was incredible and I’m very happy. As you can see from the time sheet, my pace is there, but when pushing for my best lap time I had a small crash. All of the requests I’ve given to Suzuki this winter, they have fulfilled. I feel very positive about the way the bike has been developed – it was a challenge to improve it because the base was already very good. For sure it will be tough when we start the first race, there will be a lot of fast riders and everybody is excited to start.”

Joan Mir

“I’m really happy about the pace we have, and also about my feeling with the bike. We’ve made another step forward, which is really important for the race. We feel well prepared for the start of the season, although I couldn’t quite get the lap time I wanted due to a small mistake on my flying lap. But I feel I have potential and I’m close to the pace of the top guys, just a couple of tenths per lap down on them. There’s always more work to do, but overall I feel positive about what we’ve achieved in these days.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

CRUTCHLOW COMPLETES TEST PROGRAMME IN QATAR

MotoGP pre-season testing ended at a blustery Losail International Circuit in Qatar this evening, with Cal Crutchlow completing 39 laps of the track on board his factory LCR Honda CASTROL RC213V.

Crutchlow focused on improving his feeling with the 2019 machine, and was happy with the progress made over the last three nights of work. Like many other riders, the British rider suffered a crash in the tricky conditions, but was fine to continue testing once his machine had been fixed.

Having focused on race pace, he didn’t fit a softer tyre to score a fast lap and ended the session as the 17th fastest rider overall, but his time from Sunday was still just a second behind the fastest lap of the entire test.

The next action for the LCR Honda CASTROL team will be the opening round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championships, at the same Losail venue for the Grand Prix of Qatar in 10 days’ time.

Cal Crutchlow – 17th

(1’55.690 – lap 21 of 39)

“Today my feeling was a little bit better with the bike, but we only had limited resources as realistically there was only one bike to use. Overall, I felt we improved the setting of the bike. Unfortunately, halfway through the session I had a crash, and it took us quite a bit of time to rebuild that machine. We went back out and did a couple of runs, and then we wanted to make a bigger change and that took some time again.

“We’re very pleased with the work we have done, and while we’re not pleased with the position, we never went after a lap time today. Overall, I think we have a better pace than what the position says because we just stuck with the medium compound tyres tonight. We’ll see what we can do in a couple of weeks’ time back here in Qatar, but we are all looking forward to being back racing.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:

SUCCESSFUL END TO PRESEASON TESTING FOR MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team concluded the final day of the Qatar MotoGP Test at the Losail International Circuit today, producing strong results for both sides of the garage.

1st

MAVERICK VIÑALES

1’54.208 / 50 LAPS

4th

VALENTINO ROSSI

1’54.651 / 38 LAPS

Today the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team completed the third and final day of the last 2019 MotoGP preseason test. Despite less than desirable riding conditions, Maverick Viñales let his consistency shine again and set the fastest time of the day, also claiming top billing in the combined timesheets. Valentino Rossi likewise elevated his bike’s performance level and finished his preseason campaign with a positive fourth place in today’s ranking order, and a fifth in the combined times.

Viñales didn’t let the strong wind get to him and was focused as ever on getting the job done. He successfully worked on acceleration and set a stunning 1’54.208s on lap 25/50. He went on to complete five further runs, until a little after 9pm local time, and wrapped up the test in first place, both in today’s and in the combined standings, with a 0.233s margin over his closest rival.

Rossi found his strong form again during the third day of riding at the Losail International Circuit. He laid a final hand to the setting of his YZR-M1 and showed he is on the right track when he improved his fastest time to a 1’54.651s, set on lap 35/38. He finished in fourth place in today’s rankings and in fifth in the combined, 0.443s from teammate.

Thanks to the progress made today, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team find themselves in a strong place to start the 2019 MotoGP season at the first round in Qatar, held from 8 – 10 March.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“In the end, this test has been very productive. We came here to confirm the good points we found in Sepang. The riders’ feedback has been positive, even though the condition of the track has never been good during these three days. As this was an aspect that caused us to suffer in the past, we’re satisfied with our performance. Maverick has been impressive throughout the test, both with his best flying lap, a 1’54.2s, and his consistency. Vale, however, suffered a problem on Day 2, but today they were able to solve the issue and we found a good improvement, resulting in a 1’54.6s. We were able to try different items, including a new rear seat with different aerodynamics. We weren’t able to complete our entire schedule – due to the strong and bothersome wind – the race simulation included. Our engineers will use the coming break to analyse all the data in order to finalise the best set-up for FP1, that we are really looking forward to.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“Honestly, I have been riding really good on the track, I felt like I was going very fast with the amount of grip that the track provided today. But we need to improve. I don’t have really good grip on the edge, so we need to keep working, especially in that area. On the acceleration side we improved quite a lot since Sepang, and at the moment I’m quite satisfied with what we have in the braking area. My race pace is not bad, I tried ten laps just to understand how the bike is doing, but it was very cold for the medium tyres. Anyway, I rode quite well, with quite a good rhythm. Maybe I could have pushed a little more. However, we still need to improve for the race. I think we are going to be ready. The race will be very important for us. Our bike has really positive points, but also a few negatives, so we now need to come to a conclusion and see where we can improve.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“Today was a good day, we worked in a good way and I was quite strong. Also, with the race tyres my pace is quite good, and in the time-attack I was also OK. I’m in P5 at the end of the three days, which is not so bad. For me, also the race pace is quite good, although I think we will need something more to be able to try to fight. But today we already closed the gap by a lot, as we put it all together, with all the staff. I think that, for this night, we’re done, and we’ll see in two weeks if it’s enough.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Viñales, Quartararo and Marquez close out the Qatar Test on top

…but they’ve got Rossi, Lorenzo, Morbidelli and more for close company as 15 riders conclude testing within a second

Monday, 25 February 2019

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) leaves Losail International Circuit after the Qatar Test having topped two of the three days, the first and final, and on Monday it was with a 1:54.208 to end the test 0.233 clear. The top spot was again under threat from an incredible performance from rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in second, however, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top three. And, after a tougher Day 2 for Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the ‘Doctor’ was back inside the top four just behind Marquez, with Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) another resurgent runner as he completed the top five.

So it’s Yamaha who leave Qatar on top despite a windier Day 3, with Viñales putting in 50 laps on Monday and Rossi 38. The Italian was pretty positive and said it came from putting “everything together”, but the Spaniard did still insist they need to improve and one of the big things he pointed out was edge grip, where he said the Yamaha is lacking a little compared to other manufacturers. Quartararo, meanwhile, did 48 laps and showed his Day 2 showing was far from a fluke, with teammate Franco Morbidelli shooting up the timesheets to sixth on Monday too. That makes good reading for both the Iwata marque and the new Petronas Yamaha SRT team, with all Yamahas in the top six.

Repsol Honda were the only other team and manufacturer to mix it with them on Monday, although both machines took tumbles – riders ok. Marc Marquez was third with a 1:54.613 and did 53 laps, again showing the capacity to put more mileage on his shoulder, and teammate Jorge Lorenzo took P5 just 0.040 off Marquez and 0.002 off Rossi. After two much tougher days on the timesheets hovering outside the top 15 as he both changes bike and comes back from a scaphoid broken only a month ago, the five-time World Champion catapulted himself up to a 1:54.653 on Day 3.

Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), meanwhile, also had a solid final day as he finished the Qatar Test in eighth despite a crash, and the Japanese rider concludes testing with a sheet of consistent top tens. He did 50 laps with a best of 1:54.789, with teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) down in P17 after 39 laps.

Another big headline on the last day of preseason came from the consistently impressive Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who was a stunning seventh on a best effort of 1:54.770. The Spaniard put in 37 laps as the Austrian factory continue working on the details, and the second quickest KTM was actually Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on Monday as the Portuguese rookie was within around a second of Espargaro. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was a little further down the timesheets on Monday in P22.

(Above) Andrea Dovizioso (04) and Danilo Petrucci (9).

Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati Team), meanwhile, retained his stronghold on the timesheets amongst the Borgo Panigale machines. The Italian was ninth on Day 3 after another 43 laps, with teammate Andrea Dovizioso down in P15 after 50 but they focused on long runs and race setup. The engine and fairing and bigger decisions were already made before the end of action. Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) improved to tenth on his final of 57 laps, and his teammate, rookie Francesco Bagnaia, wasn’t far off in P13 – just two tenths in arrears. He was closely followed by Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat.

Between that Ducati invasion were nestled both of the Team Suzuki Ecstar machines. Although third overall from his Day 2 laptime, Alex Rins ended Monday in P11 on a 1:54.852 after 41 laps and rookie teammate Joan Mir was the second quickest rookie in P12. The gap between the two Hamamatsu factory machines was only a tenth and a half…

Aprilia, meanwhile, were happy with their improvements and although Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was P16 and Aleix Espargaro P19, they were focusing more on longer runs, for Espargaro especially – and overall across the test Espargaro was P14. The Noale factory were also happy with the adaptation shown by Iannone after the Italian had to sit out much of Sepang with illness, which is a big positive after a difficult recent run.

That’s it from Qatar and preseason is officially over – now all that remains is to race. With fifteen riders ending the test within a second, KTM in the top ten, the likes of Quartararo looking incredibly fast…what will the VisitQatar Grand Prix bring? Find out from the 8th to 10th March.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

THE FINAL TESTS AHEAD OF THE MOTOGP SEASON ARE CONCLUDED AT LOSAIL

RACE SIMULATION FOR ESPARGARÓ AND NEW SETUP TESTS FOR IANNONE

SMITH CONSISTENTLY AT WORK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE RS-GP

The third day on the track concluded the final tests ahead of the race which, right here on the Qatar circuit, will open the 2019 season. For the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini these were three days of extremely intense work, moving forward according as scheduled by the three teams participating.

For Iannone, these were the first true work sessions astride the RS-GP. Andrea progressively increased his confidence with the bike, session after session, and today he lowered his time even more (he finished with 1’55.343) but more than anything, he worked constantly with a view to the race, choosing, along with the team, which direction to go to define the settings that he will use at the Losail opener in just two weeks.

Aleix Espargaró, after the good sensations yesterday with a flying lap that earned him sixth place for the day, focused today on a race simulation, 22 laps which – as had already happened in Sepang at the beginning of the month – put the fledgling 2019 RS-GP to the test, highlighting the qualities of the bike compared to last year’s version, as well as the rough edges that still need to be smoothed out. The large amount of data collected will now be used to prepare for the opening race. Aleix finished the day with a best time of 1’55.814.

Over the three days in Losail, the test team and Bradley Smith were able to complete a significant workload of trials, working both on race pace and on more long-term goals such as chassis settings – including electronics – to then pass on to the factory riders.

It is a nice sign that Bradley also improved his lap times consistently. In fact, of the 35 laps he turned today, his best time was 1’56.072.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“Today we had a true race simulation planned to prepare the base for the first race. I was obviously unable to be fast on the flying lap like I was yesterday, but that was definitely not the goal. It was also important because we brought to light a few things that need to be sorted for the race. That is why you do the simulations and now the engineers will have a large amount of data to work on. The 2019 RS-GP is significantly better than the 2018 version. Now we need to work to make the bike fast throughout the entire race distance.”

ANDREA IANNONE

“Today was the most positive day of this test session. I am not focusing on the standings. We had another tyre available to do a time attack, but I think that it is more important to keep working on the RS-GP. Our priority is to arrive at the race with a bike that is more manageable and to successfully improve turning – aspects we need to focus on. I generally don’t make predictions and I like to keep my feet on the ground. We’ll need to take full advantage of the technical package we have available to us and then draw the sums at the end of the race.”

BRADLEY SMITH

“I think that the package Aprilia has for the season start is good. These were three days of rather intense tests. I worked both on solutions to use already here in Qatar and on developments focused on the mid to long-term. This latter aspect kept me rather busy. In two weeks I’ll be on the track in a wild card slot, but I think that improving the RS-GP over the long term is the most important thing. I kept the guys on the team busy, both with the many changes and with a little crash today, but I have to say that they did a fantastic job.”

More, from a press release issued by Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team:

2019 preseason ends in style for PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team

Fabio Quartararo finishes in an impressive second position with Franco Morbidelli sixth at the end of the Qatar test, with both riders in good form ahead of the new season.

The PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team wrapped up the final test of the 2019 preseason at the Losail International Circuit with both riders posting some impressive results. Fabio Quartaro went one better than his impressive third place yesterday, finishing tonight in a sensational second, whilst Franco Morbidelli took a big step forward to finish sixth fastest on the night.

Quartararo went out with the same set-up on his Yamaha YZR-M1 that he used yesterday, making gradual improvements before fitting new tyres and posting an impressive best effort of 1’54.441 on his 28th of 48 laps. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider also put together a positive long run of 15 consecutive laps in preparation for the first race of the season. It allowed the Frenchman to learn more about the performance of the bike with a full fuel tank, as well as the overall performance of the tyres, and he finished very happy with the results.

Morbidelli’s main objective for tonight was to solve some chatter issues from yesterday, the Italian taking a big step forward and making a notable improvement to his best lap, which he set on his 42nd lap of 61 in a time of 1’54:660. Sixth on the night and seventh over the three days of the test here in Qatar, Morbidelli completed his preseason preparations with a run of 12 laps.

The PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team signs off from its first ever MotoGP preseason on the back of a very positive final test, with confidence and excitement now high ahead of the Grand Prix of Qatar on 10th March.

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager

“The test here in Qatar has gone even better than we expected. We know that the Yamaha is quite suited to this track but obviously the lap times from Fabio [Quartararo] have been incredible and were beyond our expectations – everything went very smoothly for him. With Franco [Morbidelli], we have struggled quite a bit on crazy things. These things happen at testing, so I hope we have solved the majority of the issues. Even though the first few days didn’t go perfectly, he did a great job that allowed him to set a good lap time tonight.

Looking back on our preseason as a whole I can only say that I think we can be proud of what we have created and everything we have achieved as a team so far. At the same time, we also need to be realistic and remember that we haven’t scored any points yet in the championship. It looks like things are under control for the moment, so let’s start racing!”

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“I am really happy with this three-day test in Qatar, we have tried a lot of different configurations. I have struggled a little to get completely comfortable with certain aspects but today we managed to get to the bottom of a few little problems. Now we just have to put it all together for the Grand Prix. Finally we have been able to make a good time attack. In general we have done a good job, now we just need to refine a few details to make sure we are competitive over race distance and also over one lap. With the data we have been able to gather here I am confident we can find the perfect package for the race and I am really happy with the job done by the whole team.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“It has been a very positive day for us. This morning the day wasn’t looking so good because it was cold and there was sand on the track, but in the end the wind dropped and once again every time I went out on track I felt better. So far this year I have only had six days on the bike and to be honest I feel very comfortable with it. I have managed to do a couple of really fast laps and that is what we were lacking at Sepang. Here we have not struggled to do the lap times, we were on the pace quickly and they have been fast. It was also good to get a race simulation in. Compared with the one I did at Sepang, this one was better in terms of my pace but it was also difficult because I was riding alone virtually the whole time. I think we are making gradual, non-stop progress.”

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:

KTM CONCLUDE QATAR TEST WITH SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE FOR 2019 MOTOGP

MotoGP 2019 IRTA test Losail (QAT)

KTM ended a busy pre-season after three evenings of laps and testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar and can now set their sights on the first round of the 2019 MotoGP season at the same track on March 10th. Today Pol Espargaro further improved his pace to classify just half a second away from the fastest lap.

Day three of the second and last IRTA test of the 2019 MotoGP pre-season took place in windy and cool conditions at Losail. The climate permitted around four hours of work and laps as the grid took the final opportunities to try ideas and race set-up adjustments with one eye on the fifteenth Grand Prix of Qatar.

Red Bull KTM’s Pol Espargaro again made qualitative gains with the KTM RC16 and ran consistently among the leaders through the timed period. His 27th lap (of 37 in total) was his best of the test at 1min 54.770 and the former world champion capped a decent month of work by sitting just half a second away from countryman Maverick Viñales. Pol’s lap was also a second faster than his best at the same test twelve months earlier.

Teammate Johann Zarco’s evening was effectively halted by a crash at Turn 2. The Frenchman was one of many riders to slide into the Losail gravel as the temperatures dropped below 20 degrees. Zarco (who finished the session down in 19th) continues his quest to find more corner speed but was also pleased with his ability to post regular lap-times.

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira (20th) was another to go even faster but also fell while Hafizh Syahrin posted 42 laps and tried a race simulation to further acclimatise to the RC16 for what will be just his second term in the premier class of Grand Prix.

Three days in Qatar completed 2019 tests that also included five days at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia earlier this month. In just over a week the KTM teams will be travelling back to Doha and to Losail to launch the 2019 season for the first race of nineteen.

Pol Espargaro: “I’m impressed by the potential of our bike and what we have done here. This is normally a track where we have struggled the last two years but to see us just half a second away is great. We did a good job, a good lap and a good rhythm. The conditions can change for the race but we can take a positive feeling from this test and have a good target for the GP. We still need to work carefully and concentrate on what we are doing. The conditions at the end were tough with the humidity going up and the temperatures dropping. There were a lot of crashes. Anyway, I think we can think big, and we have to do the best we can in the race but also be safe to not lose those first points of the season.”

Johann Zarco: “A bit sad with the crash. It was colder and the Medium tyre was not good enough for me so I could not improve my performance. It was a shame because it was then hard to make another step. Anyway, I got more information and experience and maybe we found a limit, so we need to work more and move that onwards. I’m too slow at the moment – for the final day here anyway – but in consistency I am not too bad and we’ll see where I can be for the race weekend. I’m quite impressed by Pol’s performance today and I’m happy for him.”

Miguel Oliveira: “Today we definitely found harder conditions than the two previous days because of the wind. We started a bit slow in terms of lap time but then I was picking up the pace and riding quite good. Unfortunately, a crash ended the test, but I felt I was coming stronger and also the team made quite a few changes to the bike, with which I was very satisfied.”

Hafizh Syahrin: “I’m very happy to improve my lap time and as well about the work on the last day with the team. We know, that we are still very far, although we were quicker. I started to understand a little bit how to adapt to the bike. We tried a race simulation, which was not really bad, but also not very fast, as we needed to understand the bike. At the same time, I did a race distance for the very first time with the KTM. We need to push harder during the race weekend, this is sure. Let’s see what we can do there.”

Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “I think we did a great job over these six test days in total. It was tough for the riders and also the company to deliver all the parts and suggestions we wanted but everyone was pushing hard and there were not many runs where we used the same bike spec! The last day was about focussing more on race set-up and looking for a good lap-time but Johann still wanted more from our bike so we looked at more ideas. He understands now what he will mix together for the GP. The Tech3 team also did a great job. Losail has not been an easy track for us but we started our project here two years ago and it is really good to see how much closer we are to the fastest lap: before we did not manage anything better than 1.2 or 1.3. It’s still hard for us here and especially for a single fast lap but this shows we made a great improvement. The goal now will be to make better results and to start the season strongly when we come back here.”

Qatar IRTA Test Day Three final times

1. Maverick Viñales (SPA), Yamaha 1:54.208

2. Fabio Quartararo (FRA), Yamaha +0.233

3. Alex Rins (SPA), Suzuki +0.385

4. Marc Marquez (SPA), Honda +0.405

5. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha +0.443

7. Pol Espargaro (SPA), Red Bull KTM +0.562

19. Johann Zarco (FRA), Red Bull KTM +1.508

20. Miguel Oliveira (POR), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.565

23. Hafizh Syarin (MYS), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +2.163

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

NAKAGAMI EAGER TO GET RACING AS TESTING ENDS

The MotoGP winter test programme came to a close at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this evening, with the next action for the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team the opening grand prix of the 2019 season at the same venue next week.

Ever since his rookie season finished in mid-November, Takaaki Nakagami has impressed with his progress on his Honda RC213V, and once again ended the Qatar test in the top ten positions.

The Japanese rider was one of several crashers on a night when the wind created difficult conditions under the floodlights. However, he dusted himself down to set the eighth fastest lap time of the evening, and ninth fastest of the whole test, leaving himself and the team excited about going racing in just over a week’s time.

Takaaki Nakagami – 9th overall

(1’54.789 – lap 48 of 50)

“I had a pretty nasty crash during the test, but fortunately I am ok. When I had the crash I took a fair bit of impact to my body, but I am thankfully fine apart from a little pain. In few days I’ll be good again.”

“After the crash it was difficult, but we were able to improve the feeling and the lap time, so I am really happy to end the test like this.”

“Now the pre-season tests are over, and I think we are ready for the season to start. I am hugely motivated to go racing, and happy with the whole LCR Honda IDEMITSU team. They have done a great job during testing, and I want to thank them for their efforts.”

“Next weekend we will be racing, and I am looking forward to it so much!”