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MotoGP: Bezzecchi leads Marini in VR46 1-2 in Jerez Test

01/05/2023

Marco Bezzecchi leads VR46 teammate Luca Marini in the MotoGP Jerez Test with Fabio Quartararo rounding the Top 3.

Morning:

Bikes are back on track in Spain and it was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) who sat fastest mid-way through the day, but with some incredibly close company as just over a tenth covered the top five completed by Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP). For the full top ten, scroll down!

Here’s a quick look at some highlights:

At Aprilia, there wasn’t much on display by mid-way through the session, with work continuing on what they already have. But Aleix Espargaro’s speed was clear, and teammate Maverick Viñales was doing practice starts, practice starts, practice starts whenever possible at the end of each run as he looks to improve his Achilles’ heel.

At CryptoData RNF MotoGP™ Team, Lorenzo Savadori is stepping in for the sidelined Miguel Oliveira at the Jerez Test, and there was a little more bad news for the Portuguese rider as it was confirmed he’s suffered a small humerus fracture after the incident on Sunday.

There was a new belly pan on Johann Zarco’s Prima Pramac racing bike, with a small inlet on the bottom… and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was another focusing on starts. There wasn’t much else to see during the morning on any Ducati machinery, but we’ll hopefully have some more information once action ends.

At Yamaha, there were two different chassis for Quartararo and Simon Crafar was confident he’s seen the different one before. Quartararo also rode the weekend with the newer swingarm – and has that at the test – having gone back to a previous version for the start of the season. Some interesting wings also sprouted on Franco Morbidelli’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP machine.

At KTM, tech novelties were first seen in the hands of Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) over the weekend and Binder was out on that aero. Our eagle eyes also thought there was a new chassis for Pedrosa. Finally, there was a sidepod that looks more like a vertical panel all the way to the bottom of the fairing. Oh, and someone from Red Bull advanced technologies was spotted in the box…

Our eyebrows were raised at Honda, as pitlane reporter Simon Crafar believes he’s spotted the long-expected Kalex chassis in the hands of Stefan Bradl. There was also some more aero on display from the Japanese giant. Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) was also seen with a chassis used before by Repsol Honda Team’s Joan Mir. There were also new downwash ducts spotted at Honda, and a new winglet on the side of the swingarm.

Afternoon:

Ducati Lenovo, Mooney VR46, Gresini & Prima Pramac

As can be expected, there wasn’t anything new for the 2022 Ducatis but that didn’t stop Mooney VR46 Racing Team from making it a 1-2. Luca Marini was just a tenth off Bezzecchi, who in turn was about four tenths off the all-time lap record from last season.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) had a good day on the timesheets in fourth, with reigning Champion and Spanish GP winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in sixth. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) was ninth, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) tenth and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) 13^th.

The sole novelty at Ducati, the home of novelty – a moniker now seemingly under threat from KTM – was a new belly pan on Johann Zarco’s Prima Pramac racing bike, with a small inlet on the bottom.

Monster Energy Yamaha

At Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, there were two different chassis for Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli. Pitlane reporter Simon Crafar was confident he’s seen the “different” one before, as it gets tested, tested again and then shelved. Quartararo also rode the weekend with the newer swingarm – and has that at the test on both machines – having previously gone back to a previous version.

Some interesting wings also sprouted on Morbidelli’s machine, and the sidepods were bigger. Meanwhile, Quartararo tested the new exhaust in the afternoon, taking it out on a couple of runs. El Diablo was third overall and top until the latter stages, with Morbidelli down in P16.

Aprilia & CryptoData RNF

At Aprilia Racing, it looked like the focus was more on fine-tuning what they have and working with setup. It also looked like both sides of the garage were more than a little preoccupied with practice starts. Maverick Viñales especially was taking every chance to try a launch, and teammate Aleix Espargaro put in a fair few after he also lost out at Turn 1 four times in a row this weekend. Viñales was fifth, and Espargaro seventh.

At CryptoData RNF MotoGP Team, Lorenzo Savadori stepped in for the sidelined Miguel Oliveira, and was unfortunately one of the few crashers on the day. Still, he put in nearly half a century of laps for some more information. Raul Fernandez, meanwhile, did over 70, and ended the day in P11.

Red Bull KTM & GASGAS Tech3

Headlines during the race weekend weren’t enough for the Austrian factory, so they thought they’d make a few more on Monday. Some of the new aero first seen in the hands of Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) over the weekend was put through its paces by Brad Binder and Jack Miller, and our reporters spotted a sidepod that’s more an extra, vertical panel all the way to the bottom of the fairing.

Our eagle eyes also saw a new chassis for Pedrosa. Oh, and someone from Red Bull Advanced Technologies was spotted in the box… Binder ended the day in eighth, Miller in P14 and Pedrosa near the back of the order, slacking off on the time attack heroics after he very much proved he was still capable of during the weekend.

GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez took the opportunity to put in 69 laps as he continues to adapt to MotoGP, and his temporary teammate – test rider Jonas Folger – did 63.

Repsol Honda & LCR Honda Castrol/Idemitsu

Our eyebrows were raised at Honda, as pitlane reporters Simon Crafar and Jack Gorst spotted the long-awaited Kalex chassis in the hands of HRC test rider Stefan Bradl. Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig said initial signs were good.

Bad luck hit when Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) was attempting to head out on it though, with a technical problem seeing the 2020 World Champion manage only five corners of his out lap. Mir also crashed earlier in the session before that, rider ok, but completed 67 laps for P15.

The number 36 had two of his normal chassis this morning but then had one of the chassis teammate Marc Marquez had been using. Mir also tried the small aero update that Bradl had throughout the race weekend, as well as new downwash ducts.

Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) was seen with a chassis used previously by Mir, as well as the downwash ducts. Honda also had a new “winglet” on the swingarm. Rins did 82 laps and was P17, suffering a crash at the end but rider ok. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Castrol) was top Honda in P12 after 70 laps.