MotoGP Race Lap Record: Jorge Lorenzo, 1:40.021, 2018

MotoGP All Time Lap Record: Jorge Lorenzo, 1:38.680, 2018

2019 FIM MotoGP World Championship

Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain

June 17, 2019

Best Test Lap Times (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:38.967

2. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.014

3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:39.257

4. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.334

5. Fabio Quartararo, France (Yamaha), 1:39.428

6. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.466

7. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), 1:39.555

8. Joan Mir, Spain (Suzuki), 1:39.670

9. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:39.745

10. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:39.903

11. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.917

12. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:39.925

13. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:39.938

14. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:39.968

15. Johann Zarco, France (KTM), 1:40.197

16. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:40.201

17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Honda), 1:40.357

18. Bradley Smith, UK (Aprilia), 1:40.564

19. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Aprilia), 1:40.606

20. Miguel Oliveira, Portugal (KTM), 1:40.862

21. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:41.100

22. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (KTM), 1:41.162

23. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suzuki), 1:41.243

24. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), 1:41.429

25. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (KTM), 1:41.824

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Viñales strikes late to top the Official Test

A one-day test for the premier class saw the number 12 top the timesheets, but not by much

Monday, 17 June 2019

After a dramatic Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, it was time for more laps on Monday as the premier class got back on track for a one-day Official Test. On the more general agenda, MotoGP™ tyre supplier Michelin brought four different rear tyres to test, added to those which were in the allocation for the race weekend. Three of them are being evaluated for use in 2020, and the other is being tested ahead of possible use at the Red Bull Ring and Buriram. And then, of course, teams had their own agendas.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP were testing electronics to improve engine braking and want to improve the smoothness of power delivery. The fastest man of the day with a lap much quicker than pole position, Maverick Viñales did a staggering 98 laps with a final laptime of 1:38.967, the lap with which he topped the timesheets. Teammate Valentino Rossi was testing a new exhaust and a new finger-operated rear brake, putting in a best of 1:39.968 after 71 laps.

Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli ended the day in P2, just 0.047 behind Viñales and another who improved late in the day, on lap 76 of 78. First time podium finisher and teammate Fabio Quartararo headed out later in the day to aid his recovery from arm pump surgery, but he put in 56 laps and did a best of 1:39.428. He practiced some starts and also focused on working with the tyres.

At Repsol Honda, reigning Champion Marc Marquez had three different bikes in the garage, and there was also a new swingarm attachment spotted. Marquez did 80 laps and his best was a 1:39.257 after 80 laps, but the Catalan GP winner also had a crash in the early afternoon at Turn 4, rider ok.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was another who crashed, this time in the morning, and the five-time World Champion went down at Turn 9. His best lap was a 1:40.357 and he did 65 laps, ending the day in P17. Lorenzo was seen with a new black front fairing to test.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) those aero parts from HRC to test, the same as seen on Lorenzo’s machine, and both he and teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) were working on race setup. Crutchlow was P10 after 73 laps, Nakagami P7 after 59 – and the Japanese rider also tried the 2019 bike. HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was also out on track, doing 84 laps.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins led the way at midday, and he was P4 by the end of play. He was testing an upgrade to Suzuki’s chassis, the same one that test rider Sylvain Guintoli used throughout the weekend at the Catalan GP.. The Spaniard did 75 laps and rookie teammate Joan Mir did 67. After his best MotoGP™ finish yet on Sunday Mir was back out on track to continue his adaptation to the premier class and he did a fastest lap of 1:39.670, improving later in the day. Guintoli was also at the test and did 69 laps.

At Mission Winnow Ducati, meanwhile, a carbon reinforced chassis was spotted. Andrea Dovizioso did 63 laps with a best of 1:39.917 to take P12, with teammate Danilo Petrucci doing 57 laps. The Mugello winner was 0.008 quicker than his teammate at the test to end the day in 11th.

Pramac Racing had rookie Francesco Bagnaia up in sixth overall as he did 54 laps, the best of which was a 1:39.466 set before a crash at Turn 13 next time around, rider ok. He tested the tyres and worked on improving setup. Teammate Jack Miller ended the day in P9 after 60 laps, and he had a new unit at the rear of the bike and worked with the new tyres. Tito Rabat (Real Avintia Racing) was first out on track and was P13 after 75 laps, and teammate Karel Abraham did 35 laps – with the Czech rider suffering a crash and the bike coming off pretty worse for wear.

KTM certainly had something high profile and pretty new on track: test rider Dani Pedrosa. The Spaniard appeared for the first time at an official test and did 51 laps as he worked through his program. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) tested a new chassis and put in 70 laps, moving up the timesheets late in the day to depose teammate Pol Espargaro from P15 by just 0.004, with Espargaro putting 57 laps despite a crash. Portuguese rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) did 61 laps and ended the day just behind Iannone, with teammate Hafizh Syahrin putting in 52 as both continue adapting to the KTM MotoGP™ machine.

Finally, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were represented by Andrea Iannone and test rider Bradley Smith, with the Noale factory working on the engine and with some small items to test in a host of different areas. Iannone was working more on short terms solutions and did 76 laps with a best of 1:40.606, with Smith focused more on the long term. He did 88 laps and was just half a tenth quicker than Iannone. Aleix Espargaro is sidelined after the crash near the start of the Catalan GP race.

That’s all from Monday, MotoGP™ returns at the classic TT Circuit Assen from the 28th to 30th June.

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

Action continues as Oliveira and Syahrin test at Barcelona

Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today for one day of official testing following the seventh round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship season. Thereby, premier class rookie Oliveira did 61 laps in total with a fastest time of 1:40.862 minutes. At the same time, Syahrin clocked a 1:41.162 after doing 52 laps in the Catalan sunshine.

Miguel Oliveira

Position: 20th

Time: 1:40.862

Laps: 61

“Today has been a very productive day. We confirmed some parts that we already tried in the past, but because it was in race condition, we couldn’t really validate, what we tested and we did some tyre tests for Michelin and finally we also tried some different setups suggested by KTM.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 22nd

Time: 1:41.162

Laps: 52

“This has been a truly good test. I was able to improve my riding a bit, but we had to start a bit later with a mechanical problem on the bike. Everybody already set a time in the morning, therefore, we were not concentrating on doing a fast lap anymore. I didn’t use many new tyre, but a new one from Michelin, which was really good and even better than the one we chose in the race. I was able to do very consistent laps. I know, they are still far off, but with the race condition from yesterday, it would have been very good. Overall, this test has been positive. We also tried some things with the electronic, which was a bit better, but also the same at some places. We need to keep working hard and try to be better in Assen next time out. I’m happy with this test.”

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

NAKAGAMI COMPLETES DAY OF TESTING IN BARCELONA

Japanese star Takaaki Nakagami and his LCR Honda IDEMITSU Team were back out on track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday, joining the rest of the MotoGP field for a one-day test. Having taken a sixth top-ten finish of the year in Sunday’s challenging race, Nakagami and his crew had lots of positives to build on having dealt well with the tricky, hot conditions.

With track temperatures soaring past the 50°C mark again, the track surface was greasy as it had been for Sunday’s 24-lap race. Nakagami put in a total of 59 laps as he focused on fine-tuning his own RC213V, as well as spending time testing a 2019 factory version of Honda’s MotoGP machine. With a best time of 1’39.555, Taka ended the day seventh overall on the timesheets, and was the second Honda behind runaway championship leader Marc Marquez.

Takaaki Nakagami – 7th

(1’39.555 – lap 52 of 59)

“It was a very important test for us today, because we tested the 2019 Honda RC213V – actually one of my team-mate Cal’s (Crutchlow). We only did three or four short outings in the afternoon, but HRC asked me to test it and it was positive. During the season, during races and practices I have seen the differences when fighting with the factory Hondas, and today I got chance to jump on it, which I enjoyed”.

“It’s a good package and I’m really happy that HRC gave me the opportunity to test it, I’d like to thank them for that. The lap times were good with my 2018 bike as well as the 2019 machine, so that’s a positive too. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU team have done a great job”.

“Having finished this test in a decent way, I’m really looking forward to Assen now as it’s a track I’ve had success at before. However, our target is still trying to put together the best package we can, and to show the best of our abilities. I like the layout in the Netherlands, and even if it is physically hard the straight isn’t too long and our bike handles well. The only concern will be the weather, but you can’t control this!”

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

PRODUCTIVE DAY BACK AT BARCELONA TRACK FOR CRUTCHLOW

Cal Crutchlow was back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday with a full day of testing with his LCR Honda CASTROL RC213V. The Brit slid out of the Catalan GP on Sunday whilst battling for a podium finish, and he and the team were aiming to build on the positive progress made during a difficult race in terms of track conditions.

In similar searing heat as experienced during the race, Crutchlow switched between the setting he used to claw back numerous positions in Barcelona, and the one used two weeks previously in Italy. Putting in 73 laps of the track, he worked on a variety of geometry settings, engine brake mapping and tested some aerodynamic parts for HRC.

Crutchlow and his LCR Honda CASTROL team now head home before reconvening for the classic Dutch TT at Assen in under two weeks’ time.

Cal Crutchlow – 10th

(1’39.903 – lap 34 of 73)

“Overall we’re happy. We’ve been doing a lot of work today. We had a lot of small items to test, and we were evaluating the setting of the bike from the last race to the one yesterday because they were completely different set-ups. Again, I can do the same lap time on both settings, so we are none the wiser in that area”.

“I felt good with the bike today, just as I did in the race yesterday. We’ve assessed some parts for Honda and had some good results. As always with testing, there have been positives and negatives, but that’s why we do it!”

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

The Mission Winnow Ducati team concludes a one-day official test at Montmeló, next stop Assen

On the eve of the Grand Prix of Catalunya, the Mission Winnow Ducati team resumed action at Montmeló for a one-day, collective test. In hot weather conditions, with 30 degrees in the atmosphere and 55 on the tarmac, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso clocked 57 and 63 laps respectively to try several chassis, electronics and aerodynamics upgrades on the factory Desmosedici GP 19. Petrucci finished with a personal best of 1:39.917 in eleventh position overall, with Dovizioso (12th) just eight tenths of a second behind him in 1:39.925.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.917 (11th)

“I’m satisfied with how this test went. We tried several upgrades in terms of chassis, electronics and aerodynamics, finding some solutions that gave me better sensations on the bike. In particular, we improved the feeling with the front and mid-corner turning. The track may have been a bit quicker compared to yesterday, but we were fast with used tyres, which is never something to take for granted. We’ll utilize some of these upgrades starting from next round at Assen, where we’ll resume from this base to keep the positive momentum.”

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 1:39.925 (12th)

“It’s been a positive test, in which we focused on several areas. We tried some new tyres brought by Michelin ahead of the next races, and a chassis upgrade that gave us a good feeling especially in corner entry, even though we’ll be able to gauge its true advantages only during a race. Yesterday didn’t go as planned, but it’s important to keep working hard to understand where we have more room for improvement and to further increase our competitiveness. Starting from Assen, we’ll try to use these upgrades to our advantage.”

The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action at Assen (Netherlands) for the eighth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for June 28-30.

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

PRODUCTIVE CATALAN TEST FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR

Alex Rins: 4th – 1:39.334 (+0.367)

Joan Mir: 8th – 1:39.670 (+0.703)

Sylvain Guintoli: 23rd – 1:41.243 (+2.276)

•Alex Rins continues great pace around Montmelò as he tests chassis.

•Joan Mir working on fine-tuning settings and building confidence.

•Team end the test on a high following positive findings.

Following a successful race day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in which Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s riders brought home 4th, 6th, and 13th places, it was time to get back on track on Monday morning for a one-day test.

The three riders present at the test had three slightly different agendas for the day.

Test Rider, Sylvain Guintoli, continued working with the chassis he used throughout the Catalan race weekend, and he also tried some different set-up configurations. The Frenchman felt much quicker than during yesterday’s race and he gave positive feedback about the modified chassis.

Alex Rins left the pit box feeling confident and comfortable with his GSX-RR, and he set some quick laps early in the session, topping the time sheets for much of the day. He then had the opportunity to try the chassis which Guintoli debuted, and he also found an improved feeling with the bike, especially under braking.

Rookie, Joan Mir, concentrated his time on fine-tuning his settings around the technical track, before turning his attention to electronics. Joan reported that his confidence is building lap-by-lap and he was happy to spend more time on his bike at a circuit he likes.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager

“We gained a lot of information today with Sylvain and Alex both trying our newly modified chassis. During a race weekend it’s difficult to properly test new parts and settings, so test days like these are really important and useful for us. All three riders felt improvements today, and that means we’ve worked well.”

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“It’s been a good test day, especially following a good race weekend. Alex and Sylvain tried a modified chassis and we found it quite helpful. We think it will improve braking stability; it could be useful in some circuits so Alex will probably try it again in Assen. We also tested electronics, ergonomics, and a tyre from Michelin. Overall a positive test with good pace from Alex. Joan tried some different settings, including suspension, but also he was just working on his riding style and some basic things.”

Alex Rins

“Today I found that the modified chassis had a lot of positive points, but also there are some things about it that I would like to improve. There’s not a lot to change with it, but we will evaluate it further to try and get the best from it. I’ve done quite a lot of laps today and in general I think we can feel very positive about the way things are going.”

Joan Mir

“I’m happy because I’ve improved my general pace and my fast lap pace. We’ve worked well all day, improving every area of the bike a little bit. We didn’t focus on any one thing really, more just my overall feeling with bike and building my experience up.”

Sylvain Guintoli

“I’ve done quite a bit of work today, continuing to test this modified chassis we have – trying to adapt it and find the strongest points and the weaker points. We also made some good discoveries with the bike in general, so we feel it’s going well. I was much quicker than yesterday, so I improved my pace. It’s great to test following a race because I already felt comfortable with the track and the conditions so I could put in quicker laps right from the start of the day.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

 Busy Catalunya Test for Repsol Honda Team duo

Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo completed 145 laps between them at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, gathering valuable information on the Honda RC213V.

Fresh from his fourth win of the 2019 MotoGP season, Marc Marquez was straight back to work with the Repsol Honda Team on Monday. A multitude of components to compare had the seven-time world champion completing an extensive testing program across his 80 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A crash late in the session saw Marquez avoid injury. His fastest time of 1’39.257 placed him third overall.

Jorge Lorenzo’s test was interrupted by a fall a Turn 9 several hours into the day. The five-time world champion visited the medical centre for precautionary checks but was able to return to the circuit soon after. Despite some pain from the crash, Lorenzo completed 65 laps with a best time of 1’40.357 before the fall.

The team now enjoy a brief pause before action resumes with the double-header of the Assen TT, June 30 and the German GP, July 07.

Marc Marquez

3RD 1’39.257

“It has been a very good test and we were able to get a lot of information after trying a few different things for the future. We were looking at not only this year but also the future and what direction we need to take. We looked at both 2020 and also the second half of the season. We tried a new chassis and some new aerodynamics looking to try something for the future. Like always, there were some positives and also some negatives with everything. In the afternoon we made another step and we’ll see how we can use it in Assen.”

Jorge Lorenzo

17TH 1’40.357

“The crash affected my speed and my stamina a lot during the test, it was a very big crash at Turn 9 and I rolled a lot in the gravel. I was lucky not to break anything and I’ve had pain in my elbows, fingers and back all day but we needed to keep working. We worked more on the ergonomics and on some small chassis details, some things for the next races and some things for next year. I want to say thank you again to Honda for organising the trip to Japan we had and their rapid developments.”

More, from a press release issued by PETRONAS Yamaha SRT:

Morbidelli places second on official testing day in Barcelona

Italian is second fastest rider in post-race test, with team-mate Fabio Quartararo fifth.

2nd FRANCO MORBIDELLI +0.047

5th FABIO QUARTARARO +0.461

After a great weekend at the Catalan GP, PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team were back out on track on Monday for an official post-race test in Barcelona. Franco Morbidelli set the second fastest time of the day, less than a tenth of a second off the fastest lap. Both he and team-mate Fabio Quartararo – who placed fifth – used the one-day test to work more thoroughly on different aspects of their Yamaha YZR-M1.

Morbidelli enjoyed a positive day, which he ended with a quickest lap of 1min 39.014secs that put him second on the timesheets after eight hours of action. The PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider focused his work on electronics from early in the morning, with the aim of finding an explanation for the race pace and performance challenge he faced in Sunday’s race. The Italian, who completed a total of 78 laps of the Catalan track, also tested a new rear tyre.

Fresh from his first premier class podium, Quartararo continued his quest for further improvement from the performance of his bike. The Frenchman had his first outing on track after noon, and devoted much of the test to electronic settings and strategies. Over the course of 56 laps, he also tried out several different tyre compounds, and finished the day as the fifth fastest rider with a time of 1min 39.428secs.

The MotoGP riders will return to action from June 28th-30th at the Dutch GP.

#21 Franco Morbidelli

“Today we had the opportunity to work on aspects of the bike that we didn’t have the chance to look at during the race weekend. In particular, we tested different electronics set-ups. We took a step forward with engine braking, especially in the afternoon, so this has been a very positive point of this test. I’m also very happy with the results from the tyres we tested, and I think it is a step in the right direction. Today has been a positive day for us and we hope to be able to use everything we tried today at Assen – especially the electronics.”

#20 Fabio Quartararo

“Today we tried out some changes to the electronics, some different settings for Assen and some new tyre compounds that have been brought here specially for the test. We haven’t put in many laps, since today I felt that my arm was very stiff after a weekend of riding. However, it was a positive day because we were able to work more thoroughly on the electronics, something that is always interesting to manage. In addition, I think we found something special on corner exit that can help us to prolong the life of the tyres at the end of the race. We hope to be able to put it into practice at the coming races.”

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

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP CLOSE CATALUNYA VISIT WITH SUCCESSFUL TEST

Barcelona (Spain), 17th June 2019

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi got back into action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today, completing the IRTA test in 1st and 14th place respectively.

1st MAVERICK VIÑALES 1’38.967 / 98 LAPS

14th VALENTINO ROSSI 1’39.968 / 71 LAPS

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were back at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya today to try new items for their YZR-M1s. The team-mates finished in 1st and 14th place respectively in the timesheets.

For the test, the Yamaha Factory riders were each able to evaluate new electronics and a new exhaust, both aimed at making the acceleration smoother, as well as some new prototype Michelin tyres.

After an abrupt end to his Catalunya challenge yesterday, Viñales was keen to get back on his bike. His goal for today was to find an improvement in acceleration. He focused on this task for most of the session but couldn‘t help but put in a time attack at the very end. The Spaniard rode a total of 98 laps and set a best time of the day, a 1‘38.967s, on his final try. He was the only rider to get under the 1‘39-mark and finished 0.047s ahead of his closest rival.

Rossi also made strides during the test. He started the day a little after eleven and got straight down to business. He focused on fine-tuning his bike and comparing the testing options, and rode most of his stints on hard tyre specs to work on race pace. His efforts resulted in positive findings and after completing 71 laps, he ended the day in 14th place with a fastest lap of 1‘39.968s, 1.001s from the top.

Following today’s progress, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will evaluate the gained data in preparation for the Motul TT Assen held in two weeks‘ time.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

“After the unlucky end to the Catalan Grand Prix weekend, it‘s important to get straight back into the saddle again, with the same motivation we always have. Today‘s weather and track conditions were similar to those of the previous days, so this gave us the opportunity to compare our testing items with the data we collected over the weekend. Our main goal was to evaluate the new electronics, try the exhaust again, and improve the smoothness of the acceleration. Both riders mainly focused only on this objective. Some parts they liked more than others, but they gave positive feedback overall. They are especially enthusiastic about the new prototype Michelin rear tyres. Maverick had time to put in a time attack at the end and topped the timesheets, but the feeling on the bike in general is the most important today. Since both riders feel good on the bike, we feel confident as we prepare for the next race in two weeks‘ time.”

MAVERICK VIÑALES

“I’m quite satisfied about the test, not because of the lap time, but because of the way we handled this test, because it was important to try many things. The whole team put in hard work and we changed many parts of the bike. To end at the top is important for us, also for the mechanics, who worked very hard today. But the most important thing is that my feeling on the bike was really good and let’s see if we can keep this momentum, which we had here in Barcelona, going at the next race in Assen. We changed the settings on the bike quite a lot because we think we found one area here that helped us for the race, and it seemed to work, so we will continue to work in that direction and get more confidence on the bike. The feedback on the new Michelin tyres is good. The grip from the tyres is good, so I was able to do really good laps, and I hope they will bring these tyres in the future, because for our bike that will help a lot. But for now we are in 2019 and we keep improving race by race.”

VALENTINO ROSSI

“We tried some different things, especially with the electronics, traction control, and engine brake, to make some improvements. We also tried some mechanical things, some parts on the bike. Some things were good, others normal, but overall, we found something positive. We worked a bit with an eye on the future, also for next year and also for the next race, so we noticed a small difference already and I hope we can be faster. The Michelin tyres are fantastic! They did a good job, because they improved the grip in acceleration. You can open the throttle earlier and go faster, so the new tyres are better.”

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

RED BULL KTM CONTINUE WORK AT CIRCUIT DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA

MotoGP 2019 IRTA test Catalunya (ESP)

Today’s official IRTA test represented the first of two days of work for Red Bull KTM in the direct aftermath of the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco were joined by test rider Dani Pedrosa for the first time as work on the KTM RC16 pressed forward.

High temperatures and windy conditions remained in place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the MotoGP field formed again the day after the seventh Grand Prix of the season.

Pol Espargaro worked through chassis, electronic and aerodynamic updates and the Spaniard managed 57 laps with the 16th fastest time before a small tumble ended his day late in the afternoon. Johann Zarco was 15th quickest and posted 70 laps as he also assessed a list of ideas and solutions to improve his comfort and speed. The pair counted on the presence of Dani Pedrosa who was busy through the whole day building up his knowledge of KTM’s factory machinery and imparting his vast experience where necessary.

Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo Miguel Oliveira and Hafizh Syahrin were also diligent with the next phases of development and adaption to their RC16 race bikes.

KTM will continue with a private testing day in Barcelona on Wednesday before turning their attention to round eight of 2019 MotoGP at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands.

Pol Espargaro: “We tried a lot of chassis parts and also electronics because we had problems at the weekend through Turns 12 and 13. I had a small crash and could not make a faster time. We’ll have to see in the races to come if we have found some more improvements but we did some work on the aerodynamics and other aspects such as the change of direction with the bike. I’m happy. The bike we finished the race with here we will use in Holland because we have a good package and it will be interesting to see what we have now works in cooler conditions.”

Johann Zarco: “I got a new chassis and a different seat to try and improve. It is not an easy job because when I change things I feel better but it is not immediately visible so I need to push myself to get the faster lap-time and use the parts. I improved today compared to my qualifying time on Saturday so I am quite happy. Everyone was very fast today and it was pretty tough but we must keep working hard. I’m quite satisfied.”

Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Team Manager: “Another productive test day and we had five riders on the track and each of them had their special items to test. We have some positive and some negatives. In general we are happy. Pol had a small crash at the end of the day but it was not too dramatic. Johann focussed on certain things on his bike and re-checked some settings with suspension and chassis as well as aerodynamics. It was quite interesting, and now we plan for Wednesday. It’s good the riders will have one day off now because it can be tiring after a busy race weekend to test all day.”

Sebastian Risse, Technical Director MotoGP: “Conditions tend to be difficult here and we’re happy to take this chance to improve our bike. We tried a lot of hardware: frame, swingarm, suspension and I think we made some progress, especially with Johann; I think we found some items that can really help him. With Pol the day was cut short unfortunately but we also confirmed some useful items. Overall, I think there was bigger progress for Johann. We’ll do some more work on Wednesday.”