Valencia test ends on a high as Márquez shines on debut The second day of testing got off to a slow start as a wet track stopped the majority of the grid heading out, yet with two hours left a dry enough line had formed for Dani Pedrosa to set the fastest time of the day and for all MotoGP™ newcomers to make their debut. Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Márquez, one of the most hotly anticipate switches this year, made an instant impact on his first ever outing on a MotoGP™ machine, as he set the seventh quickest time of the day, just over one second off the top. His teammate Dani Pedrosa, who was the first out on track with slick tyres, was evaluating the 2013 Honda against the one he raced with last Sunday. He topped the day with the fastest time of 1.32’322. Ducati Team’s new-boy Andrea Dovizioso continued to familiarise himself with the Desmosedici on day two, finishing sixth, whilst teammate Nicky Hayden carried on his work evaluating new parts and chassis settings and ending the session in fourth. Pramac Ducati’s Andrea Iannone had been one of the riders to brave the wet track in the morning, yet continued with his familiarisation process in the afternoon, ending the timesheets in ninth. New Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, in for the injured Ben Spies, was well on the pace once the track dried out and finished in eighth place. Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith was the first Rookie out on track this morning as he made his debut on the M1 Yamaha. The Brit looked pleased with his first outing, and ended the afternoon in 11th, just over two seconds off the front. His teammate Cal Crutchlow, still nursing an injury in his hand from his crash on the weekend, took to the track with just under an hour remaining to evaluate some minor upgrades on his Yamaha, finishing in second place overall. Go & Fun Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista was pleased the track dried out in time, as the Spaniard set out evaluating his 2012 machine against an upgraded version with some new parts. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl on the other hand was lapping on a similar machine to Pedrosa, the new 2013 model, where the only significant difference is the electronics package. It was however announced today that the German will continue with his team in the 2014 season as well, although the bike with be a “full factory” version. Bautista was fifth fastest and Bradl third. Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaró, who was one of the busiest riders out on track in the morning, put in a number of laps early on, whilst teammate Randy de Puniet was more active in the afternoon in the dry, as both continued work on their respective chassis. Espargaró ended the day in 15th and De Puniet in 10th. Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci was able to start work on his new Suter chassis for the final few hours, though commented with the introduction of standard electronics available from next year, the team may switch to those in future tests. Petrucci was 13th fastest at the conclusion of the test. Avintia Blusens’ Hiroshi Aoyama decided to sit out the day and will return in Jerez with the team for a test later this month, while Héctor Barberá kept putting in the laps to familiarise himself with his new BQR-FTR machine. His time saw him end the day in 14th. NGM Mobile Forward Racing riders Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti decided not to go out on track. Elsewhere, the Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi had a difficult session at their test in Aragón, which was marred with rain and a crash for Lorenzo. Lorenzo was fortunately unhurt in the crash. Rossi commented afterwards that he was happy with the bike, and that apart from the increase in power, not much had changed from the last time he rode the 800cc bike in 2010. More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing: Edwards and Corti finsh their two day test with the FTR The two first days of testing for the 2013 season have come to an end at Valencia for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team, who for the first time has had in the same pit box the American rider Colin Edwards and Italian Claudio Corti. The first day of testing for Edwards was focused on getting a good feeling riding the FTR bike on a wet track, while Corti had the chance to test both the FTR and the Suter BMW. Both riders had very positive experience with the FTR. The bad track conditions on this second day of testing provided the NGM Mobile riders with the chance of going over data and working alongside the mechanics and engineers. Colin Edwards – 5 “Yesterday we had terrible conditions and did 20 laps in the raining. The feeling is really good; I think I went a second and a half faster than this past weekend in the same conditions. It just feels more relaxed with a bigger bike, just the imputes on the bike make a difference. I am really happy and excited to collaborate with Marc Taylor from FTR, it’s going to be a good venture; I’m excited about it. The FTR guys are really keen. As far as the engine power, it feels good, good off the turns, it’s a different character but I think that as far as the race bike it’s the right character engine wise. I look forward to it.” Claudio Corti 71 “It’s a real shame that is rained but considering that last weekend we had the same conditions, I was able to see the differences between the bikes that I have tested on Tuesday and the one I raced with this past weekend. Alsowork on getting a better feeling with the Bridgestone tires. This is only the first step; we have yet to get more laps in order to get more data to use for the next test. Generally speaking I am very happy because I have started to understand the differences between the three bikes I have tested these last few days.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: On the second day of the 2013 pre-season test in Valencia, Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez were finally able to complete some laps of the Ricardo Tormo track. The main use of this test was for Dani to have his first taste of the 2013 bike and for Marc to begin his learning curve on the bigger 1000cc prototype machine. It has been a frustrating few days in Valencia, especially for Moto2 champion Marc Marquez, who has been waiting patiently for his first experience on the Honda MotoGP bike. Bad weather prevented any track action yesterday but today at around 15h00, Dani went out on track on slick tyres to see if it was drying up at all. After recording a 1’34.911 on his first run, Dani proved the track had a reasonable grip level and Marc followed him out on track at 15h30. Dani tested the new 2013 machine and completed 30 laps recording the fastest time of the day, 1’32.322, two tenths quicker than the circuit lap record (1’32.582). Marc tested the 2012 bike and did an initial run of 5 laps with his first flying lap timed at 1’44.934. By the final lap of his first run he had brought this down to 1’35.846 and he continued to shave time off this for the rest of the session. In the end, his fastest lap was 1’33.403 placing him 7th fastest of the day after a total of 28 laps and just 1.081 off his teammate. The next opportunity for Marc to test will be in Sepang on the 26, 27 and 28 of November, where he will get a chance to test the new 2013 prototype and Dani will be back on track on the 5, 6, 7 February 2013. DANI PEDROSA 1st 1’32.322 “In the end we were lucky because after almost two days doing nothing due to the bad weather we were able to go out on track for two hours and do the basic work we needed to do to have the first feelings on the new bike. It’s been a useful test for me; I started with the bike I raced on Sunday and then switched to next year’s bike. It’s basically the same but with more weight to adapt it to the new regulation for 2013. We had pretty good feedback and now the engineers will check the data and analyse if we need to move something on the bike to better adapt to the extra weight – I could feel it on braking and also on the straight. Now it’s time to relax a little after a strong season and be fresh and ready to start working again in Fe bruary at Sepang, which will be the first test in 2013. It’s always good to finish the year and the test in front, but even more to know that everything works well and what we need to do to improve a bike that has finished at a very good level in order to start the next season strongly”. MARC MÁRQUEZ 7th 1’33.403 “I feel so happy! We waited the whole day for the track to dry so that we could finally try the bike, but it took such a long time. In the end I began to get impatient and the track was drying up so we decided to go out. In the beginning it was quite difficult but very nice to feel the power of the bike! I had a lot of wheelie on the straights but I gradually gained confidence on each exit and got faster and faster on every run. I tried to adapt my riding style from Moto2 because there was quite a big difference. There are many things to improve and try, the front tyre was also very different to what I’m used to but the main thing is that we have had good start and I have a very good feeling with the team”. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team: Yamaha Factory Racing moved to the Motorland circuit in Aragon today hoping to enjoy good weather for a final test opportunity before the winter break. Unfortunately the inland Spanish track is suffering from the same changeable weather conditions as the Valencia circuit, making a full day’s dry test impossible. 2012 MotoGP world Champion Jorge Lorenzo completed just a handful of dry laps before the rain came down again, eventually opting to venture out in the wet after lunch. Unfortunately as a result of car testing yesterday there was an excess of rubber on parts of the track, causing him to lose grip and have a low-side crash on turn 16. Lorenzo was uninjured in the crash. Jorge Lorenzo Laps – 9, Time – 1’57.725 “For sure these last two days we’ve been unlucky with the weather and couldn’t practice for many laps. It was important to get practice here because we have things to try for the chassis and engine for the new season so we can give as much information as possible to the engineers so they can keep working over the winter in Japan. Now we will have to wait until the next opportunity.” Massimo Meregalli Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director “Unfortunately in these two days we haven’t been able to test the majority of things we needed to. We don’t want to dwell on it and most importantly both riders feel confident in the base set up of the bike. We will now have to wait until Sepang to continue. The critical testing is for the engine development so our test rider will continue with that in Japan.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Ducati Team completes weather-affected test at Valencia As was the case yesterday, today’s second and final day of the post-race MotoGP test at the Valencia circuit saw track time limited by weather conditions. Overnight rains dampened the circuit, and sprinkles throughout the morning had the Desmosedicis of Ducati Team riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso confined to the garage. Finally, just before 3:30 p.m., the slow-drying asphalt was in good enough condition for both riders to head out on slick tyres, and they rode off-and-on until the track closed at 5:00 p.m. The American tested a new frame with a different stiffness than the standard version. Meanwhile, his new teammate had his first experience with the bike in dry conditions, and in the brief time at his disposition, he worked on an initial electronic setup. The Ducati Team and its riders will return to the track for a test at the Jerez circuit November 28-30. Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 4th, 1:32.956 (33 laps) “It looked like we might not be able to go out today, so I’m happy that we got to do some riding. That’s why you don’t give up and go home early! We didn’t make any huge gains or anything, but I got to test some things, and it was time well spent. I think the new frame helped improve the turning, and I also tried some things with the electronics, as well as a different suspension link that I had already tried earlier in the year. The track actually wasn’t bad, apart from a couple of wet patches. Anyway, it’s too early to draw any conclusions, but we look forward to the next test.” Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) 6th, 1:33.238, (31 laps) “We only had about an hour and a half and it was pretty overcast, with wet patches, so the conditions were difficult for my first impression in the dry. It wasn’t the occasion to try lots of changes, so we weren’t able to set the bike up perfectly. Still, the lap time is quite good, and so is the feeling. Of course it’s always a big change to switch bikes, and it takes time to understand. Hopefully we’ll have good weather for the test in Jerez.” Filippo Preziosi, Technical Director “I’m very happy with the test. Unfortunately, the weather was bad, so today we only had four or five exits in dry conditions. Still, Nicky had a reasonable gap to the front, and Dovi did his best lap times with a tyre that had some laps on it. Nicky liked the new frame, which seemed to improve turning, but we have to try it again at Jerez. Considering the circumstances, we got some good information, and the mood is very positive. I’m pleased with the way the team is working, and I’m optimistic for the future.” More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3: Crutchlow second, Smith makes MotoGP debut in Valencia test The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team ended a successful 2012 on a high note today after Cal Crutchlow and squad newcomer Bradley Smith were able to complete a brief but positive test session in cool and cloudy conditions at the Ricardo Tormo track in Valencia. Cold temperatures and intermittent rain meant Crutchlow and Smith didn’t even complete a single lap yesterday when preparations for the 2013 MotoGP World Championship got underway. The weather played a pivotal role again today after to rrential rain overnight soaked the Ricardo Tormo track, which was slow to dry despite glorious sunshine and a strong breeze this morning. It looked like there would be no opportunity to test on Bridgestone’s slick tyres as heavy cloud cover descended over the track in the early afternoon. Forecast rain though never materialised and the asphalt dried sufficiently for testing to begin in the final two hours, with Crutchlow completing a 28-lap stint to finish second fastest on the timesheets. The British rider was able to check the strength in his left hand, which suffered a small fracture after he fell out of second position in Sunday’s season finale in Valencia. He ended with a best time of 1.32.671 to finish behind Sunday’s race winner Dani Pedrosa. Smith was able to get his first taste of the YZR-M1 machine when he was one of only five riders to lap on Bridgestone ‘s wet weather tyres earlier in the day. He completed 16 laps in tricky conditions before returning later to get his first chance to ride on Bridgestone’s slick tyres with carbon brakes. The 21-year-old completed an additional 27-laps and declared himself satisfied with 11th place on the leaderboard, as he impressively got to grips with the heavier and more powerful MotoGP machine to set a best time of 1.34.538. Cal Crutchlow 2nd 1.32.671 28 laps: “It was good to finally get out on track after a frustrating first day. I thought today was going to be the same but the track finally dried and I could go out. I only did 28-laps but I was able to gather some information for Yamaha on a couple of set-up options and it was nice just to get back out and do some good laps. I didn’t want m y last memory of 2012 to be crashing out of second in the race on Sunday, so now I can go into the winter in a positive frame of mind. I’m happy too because I could check my left hand that I injured in the race. I have a small fracture on an old injury but it didn’t feel too bad. Now I am looking forward to a good winter break, training hard and being ready to see what Yamaha brings out for 2013 in Sepang next February.” Bradley Smith 11th 1.34.538 43 laps: “Today was a fantastic moment in my career and it is great to finally get chance to test the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 bike. Today more than made up for yesterday’s disappointment when I couldn’t ride because of the weather and it actually worked out great for me because I rode in the wet and dry, and this is brilliant to help me build up m y experience. Obviously the bike is completely different to anything I have ridden before, but it is an unbelievable machine. The power is incredible and in the dry when I came on the straight for the first time, I just had a huge smile. The level of technology is really impressive but I was able to consistently improve my time with every run and I am leaving very satisfied with my performance and confident in my potential for the future. Cal followed me for a couple of laps and gave me some tips and I really appreciate that. Cal had a fantastic season and I know I can learn a lot from him. I can go into the winter break now knowing what I need to work on in the future and I am glad we have plenty of testing ahead of us because there is so much to learn.” Herve Poncharal Team Manager: “It is a shame that the weather played such a big part here because everybody had a lot of anticipation and excitement ahead of the first test for 2013. We certainly did because we have been keen to let Bradley begin learning about the YZR-M1. He did a few laps in the wet in the early part of the day and that would have given him some confidence because he has so much to learn about the tyres, power and electronics. It couldn’t have been easy making his MotoGP debut on a wet track but he looked immediately at home on the bike. I’m pleased that he could get some time on slick tyres and carbon brakes, so at least he knows what to expect when we resume testing in Sepang next February. He has a big challenge ahead of him but today was a very promising start. We were doubtful the track would be dry enough for Cal to go out on slicks but the rain stayed away and it was good for him to do a few laps and get his confidence back after the crash on Sunday. It has been a long but incredibly successful season for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team and now we are looking forward to a thoroughly deserved winter break before we return refreshed and raring to go at the next test in Sepang in February.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL ENDS VALENCIA TEST SESSION IN THIRD PLACE Valencia, 14th November: ultimate day of testing on Valencia surface for MotoGP grid saw the majority of the riders taking to the track late in the afternoon when the asphalt dried out and LCR racer Stefan Bradl was capable to complete 25 laps producing the 3rd quickest lap time of the day (1’32.813) evaluating new parts of the 2013 prototype. Stefan: “This morning we were waiting for some potential dry track time to evaluate some 2013 bike parts but it took a long time for the surface to dry out and at the end I could ride only in the last two hours. The conditions were still pretty bad with some patches along the track but the first impact with the overall package was good and this makes me very confident ahead the next winter tests in Sepang”