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Category: Moto GP
Moto GP, the Motorcycle World Championship
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Jack Miller wraps up Qatar test with fastest on Day 5
The Australian remains fastest overall after Day 5 sees conditions worsen in the desert… but the top three are covered by less than a tenth
Doha, 12 March 2021: And just like that, 2021 pre-season testing for the MotoGP riders and teams is over. Five largely hectic days at Losail International Circuit see Jack Miller and Ducati Lenovo Team head into Round 1 as the combination to beat, with Miller’s 1:53.183 taking the honour of the fastest ever two-wheel lap in Qatar. The Bologna factory are chased by a trio of Yamahas who are all within a tenth and a half, as Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), teammate Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) enjoy a successful pre-season to complete the top four.
Unfortunately, the final day of the Qatar Test flattered to deceive. High winds caused dust to scatter across the track, which in turn meant barely anyone ventured out. With just over two hours of the first and only pre-season test remaining, Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) were the only two riders to have set a lap time, but eight seconds slower than Miller. The red flags then came out as cleaning machines ventured out to try and improve the conditions, but the majority of the work was already done and dusted for the teams and it was an early pack up.
Nevertheless, we’ve seen plenty of laps laid down across the other four days of Official Test action, as well as the Shakedown for test riders and rookies last Friday. So where are we ahead of Round 1?
In the hands of a charismatic Australian, Ducati will head into the first Grand Prix as the fastest. Miller’s blistering time attack lap on Wednesday evening was proof that he and the new GP21 are looking like a formidable partnership this season, with the innovation kings of MotoGP – of course – bringing plenty of new parts to test in Qatar. The most notable was some new front aero, a significant change and something we’ve not seen before. Elsewhere, the famous ‘salad box’ is a different shape on the new bikes, and another big change we’ve seen in 2021 is the front holeshot device that most of the factories have now got. Ducati, along with Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki have been seen launching off the line with the bike squatted at the front as well as the rear.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) ends testing inside the top five behind his factory teammate and the trio of Yamahas, and sounded very positive about his work at Losail. Pecco was visibly pleased with the race pace work he had done throughout and when he pushed for a qualifying-esque time, he wasn’t far away at all – 0.261s to be exact.
Thanks to Johann Zarco’s (Pramac Racing) 1:53.899, Ducati have all their non-rookie riders inside the top 10 ahead of Round 1. Consistently the quickest rider through the speed trap – Thursday seeing him reach a new unofficial record of 357.69km/h down the start/finish straight – Zarco was another rider who seemed happy with his performance overall. The Frenchman commented on Thursday that he had worked a lot on race pace and had plenty of things to try, not all of which were good, but that they got through a lot.
Zarco’s Pramac Racing teammate Jorge Martin ended the Qatar Test as the fastest rookie. The Spaniard sits P14 thanks to his 1:54.483, an incredibly respectable time from the Moto2 graduate who is just 1.3s away from Miller’s all-time – unofficial – lap record. Reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) finished just 0.022s behind Martin in P15, with Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) claiming P21 – 1.839s shy of Miller.
For the Ducati trio, the week in Qatar has been largely positive with lots of laps completed by all: Martin clocked 159 in the Official Test, Bastianini 178 and Marini 204. All will have been a learning curve as the trio now head back to Europe, do some homework and get set for their MotoGP™ Grand Prix weekend debuts.
Factory Team Manager Davide Tardozzi rated Ducati’s Qatar Test as a 9/10, the Italian was pleased with every aspect: speed, attitude, and morale of the team. Confidence is brimming in the red camp but one thing that must be said is that traditionally, Losail is a great circuit for Ducati…
At Yamaha, the marque once again proved that their one-lap pace is meteoric. The aforementioned Viñales, Quartararo and Morbidelli all pushed for a fast lap time when they set their best times of the test, and even though they lost out to Miller, things are still looking good for Yamaha in that department. However, it’s race pace and lots of other intricate details that all four of their full-time riders have been working on most in Qatar.
On Wednesday, Yamaha rolled out a new aero fairing and new mudguard. Top speed is still a slight weakness, and these updates seem aimed at reducing the gap to the likes of Ducati and Honda. Moreover, the Yamaha riders have been testing a new chassis and the signs have been positive. It looks like the decision has been made to use it this season.
Second fastest Viñales was seen working hard on his practice starts. On Wednesday and Thursday, pitlane reporter Simon Crafar reported that the number 12 must have been into double figures with the number of times he’d come to the end of pitlane, sink the rear of his Yamaha and launch himself down into Turn 1. It’s a point that Viñales has been focusing on in pre-season testing, as well as the opening handful of laps. We’ll see if his hard work will come to fruition in due course…
New factory recruit Quartararo said it took him a good 30-40 laps to get reacquainted with his YZR-M1 monster on Saturday, but once the Frenchman had regained his confidence at the controls, all seemed to go well. The 2019 Rookie of the Year said he felt comfortable on the new chassis and had tried “many things”, much like teammate Viñales, with race pace looking fantastic for all the Yamahas. Team Manager Massimo Meregalli said both of his riders are feeling very confident, with parts like the chassis and aero body approved by both.
Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) join their factory counterparts in looking good in race trim. Rossi, judging from the timesheets, was the only rider out of the quartet who didn’t look at slamming in a time attack, but The Doctor is sounding in very good spirits heading into his 26th Grand Prix season. The nine-time World Champion ends pre-season testing 11th overall, with his 1:53.993 proving his best-ever lap at Losail.
Sixth on the combined timesheets was Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro. As has been heavily reported, their 2021 RS-GP is almost completely new: the engine, chassis, two aero designs, exhausts and ‘salad box’ have changed, and Aprilia also have their first carbon swingarm – which means Suzuki are the only manufacturer that doesn’t have this feature. In addition, the aforementioned front holeshot device was being used to great effect by the Spaniard. A 1:53.640 best time was enough to get Espargaro within half a second of Miller, very promising signs indeed.
Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO, gave their pre-season a 7/10 rating. Understandably, the factory are trying to keep their feet on the ground after a promising 2020 season didn’t materialise into results in the season proper, but he was pleased with the progress shown in Qatar. Rookie Lorenzo Savadori ended the test in P26, 2.571s away, but the Italian has been nursing a shoulder injury throughout.
Meanwhile, it’s fair to say that World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar have gone under the radar somewhat at the beginning of 2021. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Joan Mir finished P7 overall, one place and 0.033s ahead of teammate Alex Rins. A new chassis and a new swingarm have been used in Qatar as well as all the other little bits that all riders and teams play with, and Suzuki also get a head start on next season with Mir, Rins and test rider Sylvain Guintoli giving a 2022 engine a run…
Mir has admitted that both Ducati and Yamaha look better on overall pace as it stands, but the GSX-RR duo aren’t far away at all. Losail International Circuit isn’t one that naturally goes hand in hand with Suzuki, but the riders are feeling good and have made improvements from last year’s bike – a worry for the other teams. In Mir’s own words: “We are competitive, we are not slow, and it’s only testing.”
Next, we come to Honda. It was a somewhat mixed Qatar Test for the Japanese giants, but the main and overriding positive is the efforts of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team). The Spaniard set the exact same time as ninth place Zarco to finish just inside the top 10, but the outright lap time shouldn’t be the main thing to look at – and that goes for all riders. Espargaro’s adaptation from KTM to Honda has been seamless; the number 44 impressing just about everybody in the paddock with his performance so far. Closing out the test, Pol Espargaro described his debut as a “pain release” from a winter full of anticipation.
Tech-wise, Honda brought three different chassis to Qatar: one ‘standard 2020’, one with carbon bonded onto the frame and a completely new one. Some new aero was testing by Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in the opening exchanges of the test, and we’ll wait and see if HRC bring it to the opening race weekend.
Nakagami was the second best Honda rider on the overall timesheets in P12, just ahead of Bradl in P13. Both of these riders suffered more than one crash, and a Turn 2 tumble on Wednesday saw Bradl sit out the afternoon session. Honda saw their riders hit the deck 10 times in total – more than any other factory. Unfortunately for Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), a big highside at Turn 9 on Thursday evening resulted in a small right foot metatarsal fracture, but the two-time World Champion should be fit to ride at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig didn’t want to give much away about his feelings regarding the Qatar Test, but he was very pleased with how “smooth” his new rider has adapted. One huge talking point over the next 14 days will also be whether Marc Marquez will be on the bike in Qatar after his latest check-up went very well. Are the signs there for the eight-time World Champion to link up with impressive teammate Espargaro and the rest of the Honda camp in the near future?
After an outstanding 2020 season, KTM haven’t hit the ground running in 2021 on the timesheets as yet, but it is testing. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the fastest RC16 rider and the double 2020 race winner was P16, 1.343s away from the time set by Miller. Teammate Brad Binder finishes 0.165s behind Oliveira on the timesheets in P17, but the Austrian factory have little data in Qatar: no race here last year with their new and improved package has seemingly hampered them and Losail isn’t KTM’s strongest layout.
They did bring plenty of new items to test though. Simon Crafar called them the “winners on the hardware front” and the most notable changes from the naked eye was the slimmer new front fairing that – seemingly – has a few more ‘shark teeth’ carved in. As well as this, test rider Dani Pedrosa was the first seen sporting KTM’s new seat unit.
Oliveira didn’t seem downbeat at the end of the test as the Portuguese star said there have been positive things to take and there are no specific worries at this stage. The number 88 did point out that KTM are struggling to exploit the maximum from the package at the minute, but it’s the timesheets don’t tell the story.
Danilo Petrucci, meanwhile, has completed his first test on a KTM machine and the Italian is pleased with the progress he’s made over the four proper days on track, with some clear ideas of what is needed to improve on his 1:54.895 best. Teammate Iker Lecuona says he has learned a lot and has improved a lot too, but also recognises that there is work to do to close down the faster guys.
So just like that, MotoGP 2021 pre-season testing is over. Next up: the Barwa Grand Prix of Qatar. In two weeks’ time the premier class warriors will be back on track at Losail, but it will be during a race weekend. Before that, the Moto2 and Moto3 riders will be taking part in a three-day Official Qatar Test.
Aleix Espargaro Jack Miller, fastest Martin Mir headed Rins by 0.033 by the end of play… Pol Espargaro has definitely adjusted well Oliveira was fastest KTM Rossi ends the test optimistic and said it was definitely a step forward on 2020 Viñales was at the head of a Yamaha trio hot on Miller’s tail
Photos from Day 5, the last day of the MotoGP Qatar test on March 12. All images by MotoGP -
Maverick Vinales tops times on Day 4: Qatar Test
Qatar, 11 March 2021: Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales shot to the top by the end of play on Day 4 of the Official MotoGP™ Qatar Test with a late 1:53.244, making it three Yamahas leading the way on Thursday as Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) both set 1:53.3s to cement their good form heading into the final day of pre-season testing, taking second and third overall.
In terms of new tech, nothing too new was seen on Thursday but track conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for Day 4, handing riders a fantastic opportunity to get some crucial laps under their belts with time running out before the start of the season.
Pitlane reporter Simon Crafar revealed that Yamaha have been looking excellent in race pace trim. One of those riders is of course Viñales and it was a busy day for the Spaniard, who had three bikes in his garage: his ‘standard’ one, a T1-plated carbon bike and the stunning white and red liveried package. Viñales was also once again seen doing plenty of practice starts at the end of pitlane and at the end of the day’s play, he set that table-topping time. The number 12 confirmed he is concentrating hard on his starts and the opening handful of laps, with a big race simulation coming on Friday.
Teammate Quartararo did sit top in the closing stages but was edged down to P3 at the chequered flag, the Frenchman not quite going as quick as yesterday and now third on the combined times behind Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Viñales. “Many things” to test was the order of El Diablo’s day, Quartararo confirmed that he feels comfortable on the new chassis and the pace he has is “great.” He’s looking for another step on the final day.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was very pleased after Wednesday’s track action and was pleased with the new parts that Yamaha have been trying so far. On Thursday, The Doctor set his fastest lap of the test so far – a 1:53.993 – and is in good spirits, with Rossi saying he feels like “a real rider” again. Petronas Yamaha SRT Team Manager Wilco Zeelenberg confirmed that Morbidelli has been trying lots of different settings to enable him to get the feeling he had in 2020, and the man himself confirmed he’s “really happy” overall but, as always, there’s areas to work on during the final day.
Ducati’s fastest rider on Day 3 was Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and the Italian was another to set his best time of the test so far. Speaking on After the Flag, Pecco was happy with his 1:53.444 but admitted it was by no means a perfect lap. Bagnaia was a lot happier with his race pace though, the new factory Ducati recruit has been quietly going about his business and confirmed he used Ducati’s new aero package in Thursday’s race simulation.
Second best Ducati was Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco. The Frenchman set the most laps of anyone on Day 4 – 71 – and ended the session in P9, with Zarco confirming that he worked a lot on race pace but had different feelings – not all good – than Wednesday. In addition, Zarco clocked an earth-shattering top speed of 357.69km/h down the start/finish straight – a new unofficial top speed record.
A couple of places behind the number 5 was Miller and after setting the fastest time of the test so far on Wednesday, Thursday looked like it was a day working more towards race pace with P11 for the Australian. Miller confirmed that they never put a new soft tyre in and it was another great day, with the race simulation going well. He thinks still there are a couple of little things with the setup to aid him and Ducati in race trim though.
Fastest of the rookies, despite a crash at Turn 16, was Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing). A 1:54.483 was set by the Spaniard, that’s over half a second quicker than he’d previously managed. 42 more laps are on the board for Martin who finished just 0.022s ahead of Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), the latter finishing P15 on another great day for the Italian. Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) also had a seamless day at the office by the looks of things, the tall Italian set a 1:55.022 to end Day 4 in P20, 1.778s away from Viñales’ pace. Overall, the three Moto2™ graduates have been looking great.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro finished P5 on the timesheets and was overall happy with his work. Stability and rear grip have been improved, as well as being able to go fast with used tyres so all remains positive in the Noale camp. Espargaro had a small crash at Turn 4 while teammate Lorenzo Savadori – who finished P23 on the timesheets – also suffered a crash at the same corner. Nevertheless, 40 more laps were completed by rookie Savadori.
Team Suzuki Ecstar duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins finished line astern on the leaderboards in P6 and P7, respectively. It’s been a relatively quiet test for the World Champions – outwardly at least – but both Mir and Rins dipped into the 1:53s for the first time at the test, so judging from the timesheets at least, it looks to be going pretty well.
The biggest news on Day 4 came from the Honda camp. In terms of updates on new parts, test rider Stefan Bradl, who recovered from a sore neck after his Day 3 Turn 2 crash, was seen debuting a new aero design for the Japanese manufacturer. The new-look design features some notable additions to the fairing, a big change from what we’ve seen before from HRC, who were already testing a different aero package earlier in the event with Bradl.
It was another tough day in terms of crashes for Honda though. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) suffered a nasty highside on the exit of Turn 9, which resulted in the double World Champion picking up a small metacarpal fracture in his right foot. The Spaniard headed to the hospital for some mandatory checks, but fingers crossed it doesn’t see him miss too much track time. Bradl crashed at Turn 1 and early on in the day and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) went down at the opening corner for his first crash in HRC colours – thankfully for both Repsol-liveried riders, no injuries were picked up.
Pol Espargaro was the fastest Honda on Day 3 and ended Thursday’s running in P10 after 65 laps as the Spaniard continues to impress ahead of the 2021 campaign. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) set his best lap on his 52nd and final circulation of the day too and it was P12 for the Japanese rider, one place ahead of Bradl in P13.
KTM’s quiet Qatar Test continued on Day 4. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the quickest RC16 rider out there, setting a 1:54.691 – his best lap of the test so far. Factory teammate Miguel Oliveira was P18 with a best time of a 1:54.735 as both 2020 premier class winners continue their workload.
In the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing ranks, 19th fastest Danilo Petrucci set his best time of the test so far too as he continues his adaptation from Ducati to KTM machinery. Petrucci crossed the line 49 times on Day 4, with teammate Iker Lecuona completing a further 40 laps. The latter suffered a crash at Turn 12, but the young Spaniard was perfectly ok.
Another busy day in Doha draws to a close. Four days down, one to go. 2021 pre-season testing for the premier class will come to an end on Friday evening, it’s going to be a huge day for every rider, team and manufacturer.
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Miller turns the tables on Quartararo as testing resumes in Qatar
The pace hots up in the desert as MotoGP gets back on track, with two familiar names beating the lap record at Losail International Circuit
Doha, 10 March 2021: After two days off, Wednesday welcomed the grid back down to business in Doha as the third day of official MotoGP testing got underway… and it was an absolute scorcher. The all-time lap record at Losail International Circuit fell first courtesy of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), but late on Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) hit back to go even quicker. The Australian stormed his way to a 1:53.183 to finish 0.080s ahead, making that a new – although unofficial, since it’s testing – lap record. Maverick Viñales made it two Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bikes inside the top three in P3, although a couple of tenths further back.
Thankfully for all the riders and teams, the second leg of the Qatar Test was greeted by the best weather conditions we’ve seen since the paddock landed in Doha. The wind wasn’t causing issues, the sun was shining before setting and the riders were raring to get going again after two days on the sidelines.
At Ducati, Miller stole the headlines once again but after seeing the factory riders testing the intriguing new Ducati aero, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) was giving it a whirl on Wednesday. Judging by the timesheets – although not all his laps were with the new package – the Frenchman was feeling good as he slotted into fourth overall with exactly the same laptime as Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team). Zarco was “pretty happy” with the progress being made, and the Frenchman added that the GP21 has “huge potential” – promising signs for the Bologna factory.
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) ended Day 3 in P9 as the third fastest Desmosedici rider on track, putting in 51 laps as he ended the day 1.053s off Miller’s time. Bagnaia was concentrating on his longer run pace and made a big step compared to the first two days of testing; pleased with his work on Wednesday.
A little further down the ranks, Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was the fastest rookie in P14, finishing ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) – impressive to say the least. The reigning Moto2™ World Champion was also just 0.120s behind nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and is settling into MotoGP™ life very well indeed.
The other two Ducati-riding rookies are looking great too. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) improved his previous best time by half a second and has been checking Miller and Zarco’s data, confirming that in “three or four corners” he could immediately go faster. Martin placed P19 with a 1:55.010, with Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) only three tenths behind Martin in P22.
In the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP camp, a new mudguard and front fork covers were getting put through their paces. Both Quartararo and Viñales were also doing back-to-back runs on the new and old chassis to get some final confirmation on whether any improvements have been made. The factory duo finished P2 and P3, with Viñales completing the most laps of anyone on Day 3. The Spaniard did suffer a crash at Turn 1 but rider ok, and he was also doing plenty of practice starts at the end of pitlane so it was a busy day.
Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi both finished outside the top 10 as the Italians ended the day 1.1 and 1.4 seconds adrift of the best time, respectively, but the focus was not time attacks. Rossi’s main concern was the rear grip previously, and The Doctor said that the new chassis was much closer to the 2020 one, rather than the 2019 one.
Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro’s adaptation to the Honda continues to be seamless. The Spaniard was leading the way at midday and eventually snuck into the 1:53s on just his third day on the RC213V. The number 44 is already only half a second shy of Marc Marquez’s official all-time lap record in Qatar. The new Repsol Honda kid on the block was also seen using Honda’s carbon bonded chassis and that could point towards that being chosen as the way forward. All in all, 53 laps were completed by Pol Espargaro on Day 3.
On the other side of the Repsol-liveried garage, Stefan Bradl’s day ended early after a crash at Turn 2 left the German with some pain in his neck. LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami also crashed, as did LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez, making it seven crashes between them in the Qatar Test. Nakagami was the quicker of the two and snuck into the top 10 though, and on a day where he tested some new items. The Japanese rider reported that they were working very well in some areas but that more time is needed, in his opinion, to confirm which chassis is the one to go with. He has a “much better” feeling on the bike than on Saturday and Sunday. Teammate Alex Marquez finished P15 on the timesheets.
Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini once again ended the day towards the summit. The all-new RS-GP in the hands of the Spaniard ended the day P6, although the number 41 completed the lowest number of laps of any full-time rider – 31. A couple of technical issues and a small crash on new tyres hampered his day, and he’s hoping for fewer problems tomorrow to complete the programme and do a race simulation. MotoGP™ rookie Lorenzo Savadori completed 39 laps to finish the day 25th, another day of valuable track time for the Italian.
Down at World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar, we saw an extra set of fairings on the side of their bikes, with Joan Mir and Alex Rins claiming P7 and P8 on the timesheets. Between them, 120 laps were put in by the 2021 GSX-RR as the Hamamatsu factory continue to rattle through their busy testing schedule in Qatar. The big focus so far has been a new chassis and we’re still no nearer to knowing whether Suzuki have fixed their main 2020 Achilles heel – one-lap pace. Will Thursday and Friday welcome some time-attacks?
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, was the leading KTM rider once again in P12. The gap between the Portuguese rider and Miller’s time was 1.343s and it’s fair to say it’s been a quiet test for the Austrian factory so far at the Losail International Circuit, with no hand shown. Oliveira’s teammate Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also suffered another crash at Turn 2, although he said he had started to get back a better feeling and just “seemed to be washing the front”. The South African was P20 but said the team have a good direction to work in. A new swingarm and mudguard – that test rider and MotoGP™ Legend Dani Pedrosa has been testing – has been spotted on Binder’s bike, with the KTM runners also using the new, skinnier fairing once again.
Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona were P17 and P21 on the timesheets respectively, with Lecuona suffering a small crash at Turn 2 early doors. Lecuona is expecting Thursday will be better and admits he need more time with the bike, but the Spaniard has tried many new parts during the test. And, whilst not a rookie, Lecuona’s first season was the shorter-than-normal 2020, so he’s still lacking the normal experience by this stage – as is Binder, despite taking KTM’s first premier class win in 2020.
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Quartararo and Miller split by just 0.077 on Day 2: Qatar Test
Yamaha and Ducati depose Aprilia as testing continues in the desert
Doha, 7 March 2021: Day 2 is done and dusted at the Official MotoGP Qatar Test and it’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo back in a familiar position: the top. The Frenchman was the first and so far only rider to dip into the 1:53s, but it was mighty close as Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller ended the day less than a tenth off. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was up at the sharp end on the brand-new RS-GP once again, this time in third but just 0.212 off Quartararo.
Sunday ushered in the best conditions the riders have enjoyed since pitlane opened at Losail International Circuit on Friday afternoon, with a bit of wind swirling across the track but nowhere near as much as the previous two days of track action. The improvements came quite early too as by the midway point, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl had beaten Aleix Espargaro’s Day 1 pace. It only got faster from there.
By just over half an hour to play, Quartararo struck in the first 1:53 lap time of the test as the pace intensified under the lights, with Miller slicing up into P2 not long after. That was all Day 2 wrote at the top.
Jack Miller in action on Day 2 of Qatar test posting top times on Sunday. A Ducati image So what was on the agenda barring simple speed? Fastest man Quartararo confirmed late on Saturday evening that Yamaha have a new chassis to try in Qatar, and the Frenchman was trying a carbon swingarm although he said he wasn’t using it when he set his best lap. After struggling to get the feeling on his YZR-M1 in the first “30 or 40 laps”, Quartararo was happy by the end of 59, but said that he needs a little bit more time compared to teammate Maverick Viñales to set that quick lap time from the off on new tyres, and it’s difficult to say whether the new chassis is better or not.
Viñales also confirmed that Yamaha have been trying plenty of things and his main focus so far has been rear grip. Judging from the timesheets, it’s going pretty well for the Iwata factory. Both riders seem to be very pleased with their progress so far with Viñales ending Day 2 in P7, 0.455s from his teammate. It wasn’t a totally slick day for Viñales though as both he and test rider Cal Crutchlow crashed at Qatar’s notorious Turn 2 – both were perfectly ok.
Both Petronas Yamaha SRT men also felt great after Day 1 and although Valentino Rossi’s was in P20 the day after, The Doctor seemed upbeat as he and Yamaha go through plenty of different things to try. After a “great first day at the office”, Morbidelli’s second day at the office also looked to have gone well after finishing up in P4 – a couple of tenths shy of former teammate Quartararo.
Ever the innovators, Ducati were seen with some more new toys on Day 2 in addition to the new aero we’ve seen Michele Pirro, Miller and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) riding wth. A new rear wheel that they’re using to monitor the forces going on at the rear end was seen, but this could just be for testing purposes and it remains to be seen whether this will be something the Bologna brand race with…
Their front-end holeshot device was confirmed today, however, and this is something that Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki have at their disposal too. The second fastest Ducati on track was Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in P6, with Bagnaia ending the day P9 on the timesheets. Chatting at the end of Day 2, Miller confirmed that he’s enjoying himself on the bike and was able to push a little for a time attack towards the end, and the Australian also ran with the new aero for pretty much the whole day – but hinted that something more is coming soon in classic Ducati preseason style.
Ducati’s trio of rookies were once again out on track finding their feet on the fire breathing Desmosedicis too, and it was reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) who was the fastest of the three on Day 2. The Italian took it by just over a tenth to teammate Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) as the Italians claimed P16 and P18 respectively, a good day for both. Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin, meanwhile, suffered his third crash in three days and completed the least amount of laps of any full-time MotoGP™ rider on the second Official Test day. Martin was perfectly fine after the Turn 16 tumble though and was able to claim P19, only 0.027s behind Marini. All three rookies have impressed so far to finish one and a half seconds off Quartararo’s pace.
Over at Aprilia, the Noale factory tried to play down their Day 1 success but on the evidence that Aleix Espargaro was third fastest on Day 2, there’s plenty of reason to be excited. The entire new package seems to be going well as Aleix Espargaro put 69 more laps on the clock, with teammate Lorenzo Savadori adding 41 to his tally. The latter finished P17, 1.630 seconds away from top spot.
Aleix Espargaro explained that he did a long run to understand what the bike is going to be like over race distance, and he had good reports but said he and Aprilia need to find a way to enable him to ride it more relaxed as the new bike is more physical than last year. The number 41 improved by half a second though and as expected, they’ve been trying lots of different things. Overall, it was a happy Aleix Espargaro with three days of pre-season testing left.
At Honda, there was some new aero to try on Day 2 and all four riders were seen sporting the new fairing during Sunday’s action. Repsol-liveried duo Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro were sitting pretty at the top of the timesheets at the halfway point as the latter’s adaption from KTM to Honda continues to be smooth. Eventually, Espargaro finished the Day in P12 after another 62 laps under his belt on the RC213V, with Bradl continuing to mix it with the top times to finish P5 and impress once again.
LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez crashed unhurt twice on Day 2, one at Turn 16 and one at Turn 2. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) also went down, the Japanese rider suffering his second crash of the Test – also at Turn 2 – but he too was ok. The duo were seen on Honda’s new fairing and finished together on the timesheets, P12 for Nakagami and P13 for Alex Marquez. Nakagami confirmed that some areas of the new fairings were good, others less so, with more testing needed to understand them better.
As aforementioned, Team Suzuki Ecstar were one of five teams to bring a front-end holeshot device to the Qatar Test. World Champion Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins were both comfortably sitting inside the top 10 heading into the final hour of the day, with test riders Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda out lapping as well. A new chassis is on the agenda for the Hamamatsu factory as well as some other as yet unconfirmed parts, but so far it looks like all is well in the silver and blue ranks as they packed up early on Day 2.
Mir confirmed that he enjoyed his second day on track, rediscovering his feeling from 2020 was on the agenda and the number 36 did exactly that. One of Mir’s main aims is to improve his qualifying pace, but the Spaniard said today wasn’t the day to properly delve into that. Rins confirmed he tried a new swingarm which made the bike a little more stable, and the number 42 also tried the 2022 engine that Guintoli has been testing. Great reviews, especially on top speed, were given.
KTM were another manufacturer that debuted a new fairing today in Doha. This was narrower than the previous one and it was pictured on Miguel Oliveira’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine, with initial feelings seeming positive. However, with the wind, the word was that it’s difficult to properly tell how useful it is. Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on circuit though, claiming P11, 0.726s from Quartararo.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, described his day as a “little bit challenging” and suffered two crashes towards the end of the day. The South African was fine and although P24 on the timesheets, he confirmed everything is running pretty smoothly. The number 33 also ran with the updated fairing. Danilo Petrucci and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing teammate Iker Lecuona were P21 and P23 respectively, a quiet day for the orange men as Petrucci settles in and Lecuona starts only his second MotoGP season.
That’s it for now! There are now two days of downtime before the action returns on the 10th of March in Qatar.
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Espargaro tops timesheets on Day 1 of Qatar test
The full grid roars back into action in the desert, with Aprilia leading the way as 2021 gets in gear
Doha, 6 March 2021: After the first day of action for the full grid at the Official MotoGP Qatar Test, it’s safe to say 2021 has started pretty well for Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as they finish top of the timesheets. The Spaniard set a 1:54.687 to beat Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) by 0.256s, with reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top three as the new MotoGP season officially got underway.
The wind played a key role on Saturday after also proving bothersome at the Shakedown Test, but all 29 riders on the ground in Doha enjoyed some valuable track time despite another blustery day at Losail International Circuit. And this time, having sat out the Shakedown, that included Aleix Espargaro on his near brand-new RS-GP he ended the day just a couple of tenths shy of Aprilia’s best time at 2020’s Qatar Test and put in 57 laps. Updates have been made to the engine, chassis and exhaust and there’s a new carbon swingarm at the Noale factory, as well as two new aero designs that the riders are putting through their paces. Aprilia also have a holeshot device on the front and rear – along with Honda and Ducati. Lorenzo Savadori, on the other side of the garage, completed 42 laps, ending with 1:56.511 as a best time.
Meanwhile, it was a huge day over at the Repsol Honda Team as Pol Espargaro made his eagerly awaited debut for the Japanese giants. A hefty 68 laps were rattled off by the Spaniard on his HRC debut as he, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) all headed out on 2020 Hondas, with each rider’s two bikes having different exhausts. Alex Marquez’ day didn’t get off to the best of starts after destroying his RC213V in a final corner crash, but the double World Champion was soon back out to spin some more laps. Marquez was the second quickest Honda on Day 1, behind the aforementioned Bradl, and finished P10 just ahead of Nakagami.
Bradl was again donning the famous Repsol livery on track and for a lot of opening day, the German was at the summit of the timesheets. He has three chassis to try in Qatar: the ‘standard’ 2020 chassis, the chassis he ended the 2020 campaign on which has carbon bonded to the main beam, as well as an entirely new chassis that we saw the number 6 testing in Jerez a few weeks ago. Bradl was very pleased with his and the team’s progress so far, looking for more of the same over the remaining four days.
Over at World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar, who officially unveiled their 2021 livery ahead of the test, Joan Mir and Alex Rins were the last riders to head out on track. Similar to most teams, we didn’t see many changes to the bike, but we also didn’t see much change to their impressive pace. Third for Mir is a solid start to his title defence, with Rins also inside the top 10 in P8. The duo recorded a combined 91 laps, with test rider Sylvain Guintoli adding another 50 and Takuya Tsuda another 26. Tsuda was the first rider out on track for the Hamamatsu factory.
The World Champion is back on track! Mir heads out under the spotlights. MotoGP images Further down pitlane, both Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia suited up and headed out in Ducati Lenovo Team red for the first time to begin a new era for both riders and team. Miller was fourth fastest at the end of the day, completing 54 laps in total and glowing that it felt “unreal” to be back. Both riders were on 2020 Ducatis as they got back into the swing of things but did try the new aero, with Miller saying he couldn’t find any faults. Bagnaia finished P13 but was only 0.8s off the top despite a crash at Turn 3.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was also circulating with new aero on the front of his GP21; a third extra aero vane was seen fitted lower down on the fairing. In addition, Ducati have a ‘salad box’ that looks slightly different to last year’s. Simon Crafar also reported that the Bologna factory are experimenting with a holeshot device at the front of the bike, along with Aprilia and Honda, so look out for that over the coming days…
Johann Zarco, meanwhile, was in Pramac Racing colours for the first time and from the outside, it looked like the Frenchman enjoyed his first day in his new office. The number 5 was atop the standings at stages in the afternoon, eventually ending Saturday sixth overall with less than half a second splitting him from Aleix Espargaro at the top. Zarco’s teammate Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was back on track for his second day as a MotoGP rider, albeit with a sore leg after his Turn 3 crash during the Shakedown Test. Despite this though, Martin was the fastest rookie in P18 after setting a 1:56.147 – just a couple of tenths slower than Pol Espargaro ahead of him.
Rossi starts a new era at Petronas Yamaha SRT The other two Moto2 graduate rookies also got plenty more valuable laps under their belts. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was less than a tenth away from Martin in P20 while Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) finished P24 on the times. It’s a huge learning curve for all three riders in Qatar and there’s no doubt even more improvements will be coming over the next few days.
Over at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were both sitting near the summit in the early stages of the test. By the end of the day, Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on track, the Portuguese rider setting a 1:55.084 to finish fifth overall on his first day as a factory rider. Binder fell at Turn 2 but was perfectly ok to head out, ending the day in P12 after 52 laps.
New KTM rider on the block Danilo Petrucci struck a bright figure out on track alongside teammate Iker Lecuona as the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing pairing lapped on their new orange RC16s too. Like the factory riders, there weren’t too many differences with the bikes they were riding compared to the 2020 model, and Lecuona and Petrucci finished P22 and P23 respectively.
Test rider Dani Pedrosa, however, was trying out some innovations for KTM. As Simon Crafar reported from pitlane, Pedrosa was riding an RC16 kitted out with a new chassis, a whole new tail section and a new exhaust inside that tail unit. The famous number 26 was 26th on the timesheets and completed 48 laps, obviously not focusing on outright speed.
Over in the Yamaha ranks, there was a headline stealer as Valentino Rossi headed out on a familiar bike but in unfamiliar colours. The new Petronas Yamaha SRT rider began his new adventure with the Malaysian team and was seen trying two different tank covers, likely for ergonomics, as he did more than 50 laps. It was teammate Franco Morbidelli who was the quickest YZR-M1 rider on Day 1, however, as the Italian finished P7 and 0.487s adrift. Rossi was P14.
It was a big day for Fabio Quartararo too, who officially began life as a factory MotoGP rider at Losail International Circuit. The Frenchman was the busiest rider out there on Saturday after completing 69 laps on his new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP machine, and was just over a second off the pace in P15 – one place behind Rossi. Maverick Viñales was the fastest Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP man on Day 1 though, notching up 51 laps and taking P9.
There doesn’t seem to be too much different to what we saw last season on the Yamahas so far, but there was plenty of data gathering going on. Test riders Cal Crutchlow, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane were once more sharing bikes, so it’s very hard to tell who set the fastest times on each of the bikes labelled ‘Yamaha Test 1’, ‘Yamaha Test 2’ and ‘Yamaha Test 3’ on the timing screens, but the Iwata marque have a wealth of information at their fingertips.
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Honda end Shakedown on top, Bastianini fastest rookie
Bradl rules a windy day in the desert and the Moto2 graduates get their first taste of the premier class as MotoGP™ shakes down in Doha
Doha, 5 March 2021: MotoGP is Back! The Shakedown Test officially got 2021 underway at Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Friday, meaning it’s rookies and test riders only until Saturday welcomes the rest of the grid to the party. At the Shakedown, it was HRC test rider Stefan Bradl who finished finished top of the pile, the German pulling 1.2 seconds clear at the top despite the pace staying a fair margin away from “normal” Qatar speed. His 1:55.614 is a couple of seconds down on the all-time lap record and he rode around with a carbon inserted chassis, the same one he finished the season so brilliantly on in 2020.
A big reason for the laptimes was the windy conditions, making it difficult for the riders to get a decent amount of running in and even causing their own Red Flag involving no riders. For three rookies – Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) – it was still first ever contact with their MotoGP machinery, however, and there was a buzzword for all: “FAST.” Bastianini was the quickest of the three, fourth overall after 35 laps. At this stage though, it’s all about gaining experience and the first one out was Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia), the Italian eventually finishing P8 after 33 laps. Martin, meanwhile, endured his first MotoGP crash, but the Spaniard was unhurt when he went down on the exit of Turn 3 after hitting a bump. Martin finished his maiden day as a premier class rider with a 1:58.875 in P10 after 31 laps.
Back at the top between Bradl and Bastianini, two Yamaha test bikes were inside the top three on the timesheets, and their testing duty was split between three riders: multiple Grand Prix winner Cal Crutchlow as he returns to the fold in a testing capacity, alongside Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane. The bikes were numbered and counted on the timesheets, not the riders – but Crutchlow seemed to be back on it! The third machine was registered in P6 and overall, the Iwata marque did more than 100 laps.
Bastianini (sporting his new number) was the fastest rookie. A MotoGP image Ducati Lenovo Team test rider Michele Pirro ended the day 0.005s behind Bastianini in fifth place, and the Italian was seen riding Jack Miller, Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco’s (Pramac Racing) machines during the Shakedown Test. Ducati debuted new wings, and we’re surely going to be seeing more innovations from the Bologna factory throughout the Qatar Test when all the riders are out on track. It’s become almost a tradition.
Meanwhile at Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Lorenzo Savadori is, like the Moto2 graduates, also gearing up for his first full season as a premier class rider and he was out on Aprilia’s pretty much all-new RS-GP. As Simon Crafar reported from on the ground in Qatar, the 2021 machine is basically a whole new package. It features a new engine that gives improved power across its range, a new seat unit, a new top and bottom exhaust along with a new tail unit, new front aero and in addition, Aprilia have a holeshot device attached to the rear linkage. Savadori wasn’t joined on track by teammate Aleix Espargaro, the Spaniard choosing to sit out Friday’s running, but the rookie Italian headed out on the number 41 bike at stages. He was seventh after posting a 1:58.273.
Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda were lapping on Team Suzuki Ecstar’s GSX-RRs, the duo finished P9 and P12 respectively. Guintoli said that Suzuki have a major programme ahead with testing new parts and the Frenchman was over the moon to be back on the bike after five months off. The reigning team World Champions will welcome reigning riders’ Champion Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins for the rest of the track action to join in the workload. Will they remain the team to beat in 2021?
At Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa was putting in the laps, the Spaniard finishing 11th on the timesheets. The number 26 was seen testing a new tail unit for the Austrian factory and he completed 34 laps. Pedrosa’s four teammates – including Tech3 KTM Factory Racing – will be on track tomorrow to join the programme.
With the wind causing plenty of issues for the Shakedown Test, an already busy and vital Qatar Test is about to become even busier over the next week! Saturday sees all the full-time riders get their legs over MotoGP bikes for the first time in 2021.
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Joan Mir, the profile of a champion: MotoGP 2020 winner
The year 2020 has been a difficult year, not just for sport, but in every sphere, for every country, and for every sport and MotoGP is not an exception. But like Formula 1, MotoGP too put together a season and had successfully completed the year conducting the races in a bio-bubble.
And beating all odds, it is one man who conquered all the glory. The 23-year old Joan Mir!
“A string of solid results culminated in a superb win at the European GP in Valencia and just one week later, at the same circuit, Joan took his first MotoGP crown in style. Becoming Suzuki’s first champion for 20 years.”
Born on 1st September, 1997, Joan Mir Mayrata (Palma de Mallorca, 1997) has not had the archetypal career path into MotoGP. In fact, his beginnings in motorcycling came much later than that of his rivals in the road racing championships. His first motorcycle was a Polini when he was 6-years old, until he received a small Honda QR as a gift one year later. But unusually, his family didn’t have an excessive fervour for bikes – everyone around him was more into off-road riding than on track, and most were enthusiastic about other sports. His father Joan, in fact, owns a skating shop in Mallorca, so little Joan grew up surrounded by skateboard decks.
It was not until he saw his cousin Joan Perelló, who was in the Stop & Go team in the World Championship, that he became fascinated with speed. An admirer of his countryman Rafael Nadal, Joan admitted in an interview that “like Rossi, I do not look-up to anyone”. And yet, paradoxically, his first experience of racing at the track arrived at Chicho Lorenzo’s school, where he remained for a year. From there, he moved to the Balearic Motorcycling Federation’s school in 2009. There someone discovered that Joan had more to offer than just his enthusiastic smile. It’s also where he met Daniel Vadillo, who advises him and has accompanied him to each race since then. “We saw that he had something different,” said Dani.
EARLY VICTORIES
He then started the adventure of the Bankia Cup in the XL 160 category, in 2011. The Mallorcan won the crown with two races left before the championship came to a permanent close. Then came the MotoGP Pre-GP 125 Cup, the next step in the arduous climb to the World Championship, and Joan did not hold back, securing another title. In 2012, Joan headed to the Red Bull Rookies Cup where he completed two seasons; 2013- 2014. During the first year of adaptation, the Balearic rider finished 9th in the general standings while in the second year he finished runner-up after a very close battle with Spaniard Jorge Martín.
FIGHTING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY
A somewhat turbulent 2015 arrived, in which some challenging circumstances arose. Joan, already prepared to start his career in the FIM CEV Championship, was left out because the Leopard Racing team cancelled the project at the last moment. Joan and his entourage got in touch with rider manager Paco Sánchez, and he helped the youngster to complete the CEV championship with a Ioda bike in the Team Machado but finally supported by Leopard Racing team. Then, just as the season was reaching its end and Joan was on vacation, he received a call from Leopard Racing team again, they wanted him to replace Japan’s Hiroki Ono, injured, at the Australian Grand Prix. A wild card appearance that was worth its weight in gold. After a low key debut Joan, who was 15th on the grid at Phillip Island, got a rocket start and placed himself in the lead group, but crashed out whilst in 4th. He had nevertheless left his mark. Leopard recognised his achievement and recruited him for the 2016 season.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SPOT AND TITLE
And so it was that the World Championship officially welcomed Joan Mir in 2016. And he quickly proved his worth; in Austria Joan surprised everyone with a superb race that gave him his first victory and his debut podium in the category. He finished the championship in fifth position, as Rookie of the Year, after getting three podiums, one pole, and two fastest laps. It turned out to be the perfect warm up for the 2017 season – 10 wins, 13 podiums, and a dominant title campaign. His strength and talent were clear and the Mallorcan won the Moto3 crown. An ideal way to graduate to Moto2…
MOTO 2
He entered Moto2 with Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS. Adapting quickly, Joan seemed competitive from the beginning and onlookers sensed a podium was coming. He did indeed secure his first Moto2 podium in France, and soon after in Italy. However, his promising start fizzled out a little for various reasons. All in all, Joan finished the season in 6th position and was awarded as Rookie of the Year just one day before testing in Valencia – his first experience riding the GSXRR with the Team SUZUKI ECSTAR.
MOTOGP CLIMB
Joan’s debut season in MotoGP in 2019 saw him adapting quickly to the Suzuki way of working, and he said his introduction to the team was like “finding a second family”. At his first race, in Qatar, he achieved a great 8th place. He went on to score a further nine Top 10 finishes, despite a debilitating mid-season injury which saw him miss two rounds. Joan returned to secure his best result, an impressive 5th place, in Thailand, he then backed this up with two further 5th place finishes in the last two races of the season in Malaysia and Spain. He completed his rookie season 12th in the Championship standings. With his focus on adjusting his riding style to better suit the GSX-RR’s own strengths, the youngster was ambitious and aiming high for the 2020 season.
100 YEARS CHAMPION
In a unique and strange season deeply marked by the threat of Covid-19, Team Suzuki Ecstar and Joan Mir kept their focus on racing. 2020 also marked Suzuki’s 100th anniversary and 60 years in competition. Despite the season getting off to a tricky start with a couple of DNFs, Joan bounced back quickly and continued to learn the traits of his GSX-RR with maturity and determination. A 2nd place finish at the fourth round in Austria set the tone for the remainder of the season, and before long the young rider from Mallorca found himself in title contention. A string of solid results culminated in a superb win at the European GP in Valencia and just one week later, at the same circuit, Joan took his first MotoGP crown in style. Becoming Suzuki’s first champion for 20 years.
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Mir, Quartararo, Miller rev up ahead of Qatar test
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya plays host as a few familiar faces blast away the winter cobwebs
Barcelona, 24 Feb 2021: With the Qatar Test fast approaching, the time is now to start getting bike and race ready. On Wednesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a few familiar faces were thinking the same as a host of MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 riders took to the track on road bikes to start warming up for the 2021 season. On the agenda? Getting back in the groove – and checking out the new Turn 10.
2021 is a year that sees a huge amount of changes, not least the man beginning the year as the reigning World Champion: Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). He was a headline presence, joined by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol), his teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) from the premier class.
There were a good number of Moto2 and Moto3 riders present too. Remy Gardner and Red Bull KTM Ajo teammate Raul Fernandez were in attendance, as were Marcos Ramirez (Tennor American Racing) and reigning Moto3 World Champion Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) as he gets ready for 2021 as a Moto2 rookie. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) repped for Moto3 as he gears up to settle into his new team, with the likes of FIM Enel MotoE World Cup rider Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) also joining the ranks.
Joan Mir: “I feel great on the bike, I’m happy because I was able to do a lot of laps today and try the new corner, it was important to understand how to do it and find the correct line to have an idea when we come back in future with the MotoGP bike. A productive day, I’m happy about that and I’m ready for Qatar.
“I’m preparing in the same way as before, training hard and trying to be healthy, working every day on what I want. To be a better rider, to be more complete. I’m happy about the preseason we’re doing!”
Fabio Quartararo: “Since Portimao I haven’t been on a racetrack, so I was feeling good, everything was standard so it’s quite easy to ride. I’m happy, just to get back the muscle on a road bike.
“The turn layout is quite different, but it feels good. It’s between the old one and the F1 layout. I like it, and I’m happy to be back, one step closer to Qatar.
“For the first two races it will be fine after less days of testing, the problem will be when we arrive in Portimao which is a totally different track and was quite difficult last year with the M1. For Qatar I’m not stressed, but it’s more about Portimao to see how the bike is working and everything. Let’s see but first of all we need to enjoy these moments, I’m happy to ride today and can’t wait to be in Qatar for the first test!”
Jack Miller: “It’s like an official test here! It’s really nice to get out here, the Montmelo circuit is fantastic and to have similar like the old layout is fantastic at Turn 10, you can carry the speed a lot, the asphalt has a lot of grip so 10/10 job for them. It’s great to be on track with all of these great riders again and super excited to do it all again in a couple of weeks in Qatar.
“I feel excited, Qatar has normally been a track I enjoy a lot although I haven’t had the best of luck there. But I feel confident leading into the Grand Prix, lots of work to do in a short amount of time but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Pol Espargaro: “It was cool, coming back from a long time… seeing rivals, Moto2 and Moto3 riders fighting each other! It’s nice to start feeling that racing spirit already before Qatar. All winters are long but this one has been especially long, waiting for that moment. I’m really looking forward to jumping on the bike to see what I can achieve where a lot of riders have struggled. I have the opportunity to wear these colours and for me it’s a big responsibility but a moment in my career I’ve dreamed a lot about. I feel like now is my time and I’m going to try and make it happen.
“This winter I’ve been pushing a lot on dirt bikes, motocross, I was flat out. For months, maybe a month and a half just riding the bike, and I really enjoy it. I’ve never ridden so much motocross. Every year I try and put in something different to be a better Pol and a better rider, and I think this year was the time to push with motocross more than other years and I’ve been training a lot.”Riders observe a minute of silence in honour of Fausto Gresini, paying their respects to the legendary Italian -
Two-time champ Fausto Gresini is no more
MotoGP and Dorna Sports are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Fausto Gresini. A two-time World Champion in the 125cc class and a key figure in the paddock as founder of the Gresini Team thereafter, the legendary Italian will be deeply missed.
Gresini began competing in the 125cc World Championship in 1983 and took his debut win the following season. The year after that he took more wins and podiums on his way to taking the crown for the first time as he won the 1985 125cc World Championship. Runner up in 1986, the Italian fought back to take 10 wins on his way to reclaiming the crown in 1987, cementing his place in Grand Prix history.
Gresini competed until 1994 and accrued 21 wins overall, becoming one of the most successful riders of his era in the 125cc class. After hanging up his leathers, he then found equal and impressive success as he began a career on the other side of the pit wall.
His journey as Team Manager began in 1997, and the Gresini team took a World Championship for the first time in 2001 with Japanese rider Daijiro Kato as the two dominated the 250cc class together. Further Championships came in 2010 in Moto2 with Toni Elias and 2018 in Moto3 with Jorge Martin, as well as 2019 as the team won the inaugural FIM Enel MotoE World Cup with Matteo Ferrari. The teams that bear his name compete across all three classes of the FIM MotoGP World Championship in 2021, from MotoGP to Moto3, as well as MotoE, and will race on in his honour.
Gresini’s memory will live on both in his achievements on track and his legacy as team founder and manager. MotoGP and Dorna Sports extend their deepest condolences to all those the legendary Italian leaves behind; his family, friends, colleagues, teams and more, at this most difficult time.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of Fausto. He was a very good friend and I liked him a lot. I have been following the news on his condition closely and I was lucky enough to be able to speak to him even as he was in hospital. I am so very sorry to suffer a loss like this in the paddock and I want to send my deepest condolences to his family, friends and the members of his team.”
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Repsol Honda team launches its 2021 campaign virtually
22 Feb 2021: Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro prepare for all new challenges in 2021 with the Repsol Honda Team, as the team launches its new livery.
With the world still working to overcome to Covid-19 pandemic, the Repsol Honda Team have launched their 2021 challenge with a fully online presentation for the first time in Honda’s history. A new style presentation for a year set to be full of new challenges.
After a season like no other, both on and off the track, 2021 presents the MotoGP World Championship with a chance to rally in the face of adversity and forge ahead. With a difficult 2020 behind them, the Repsol Honda Team are also out to reset and show they are ready for any challenge. Marc Marquez is joined on this challenge by Pol Espargaro, fresh from his best premier class season to date. The pair have grown up racing together, battling from local championships in Spain to the premier class and bring with them 446 World Championship starts, 184 podiums, 109 poles and 97 wins.
With the world still working to overcome to Covid-19 pandemic, the Repsol Honda Team have launched their 2021 challenge with a fully online presentation for the first time in Honda’s history. A new style presentation for a year set to be full of new challenges.
The 2013 Moto2 World Champion, Pol Espargaro, achieves a life-long dream in 2021 as he wears the Repsol Honda Team colours aboard the factory Honda RC213V. With over 100 premier-class starts, the 29-year-old is among the most experienced riders in MotoGP and arrives in the best form of his career. Fighting to fifth in the World Championship standings with five podiums and two pole positions, Pol brings not only experience but an undeniable fire to succeed to the team.
For Marc Marquez, the 2021 season is a new beginning as he is set to return from his season-ending injury sustained in Jerez. Focusing exclusively on his recovery from a broken right humerus, the eight-time World Champion has been working diligently to return to his best and comeback strong for the 2021 season. A champion’s spirit drives Marquez to succeed at everything he does.
The iconic Repsol Honda Team livery will be another constant in 2021 as Repsol and Honda continue their more than quarter of a century long partnership. With 180 premier class wins, 447 premier class podiums and 15 World Championships, the combination is without doubt the most decorated in Grand Prix Racing and is determined to return to these levels of success.
The Repsol Honda Team will now travel to Qatar for the MotoGP pre-season where Pol Espargaro will get his first taste of the Honda RC213V. Marc Marquez will not attend the Qatar Test as he continues to focus on his recovery.
Tetsuhiro Kuwata, HRC Director and General Manager Race Operations Management Division said: “We enter another season full of anticipation and desire. After what has been a difficult 2020, we are continuing to learn and to work to return to the top of championship. From the technical side, HRC have been working as hard as always to keep improving the RC213V. We have a new rider in the shape of Pol Espargaro this year who brings good experience and a desire for victory. We are all eagerly awaiting the first test with him. On Marc’s side, we have been closely following his recovery and will continue to do everything we can to support him to return as strong as possible.
“Finally, I would like to thank Repsol and all of our sponsors for their continued support. Without them we would be unable to go racing, they are not just sponsors but partners on this great challenge.”
“We of course look forward to achieving the results that have always been our trademark, like fighting for victories, podiums and championships. This is the reason why, after more than 25 years, we continue side by side with the best partner in MotoGP, Honda. The alliance between our two companies goes beyond a sponsorship agreement and is based on technology: collaboration between Honda’s facilities in Saitama and the Repsol Tech Lab in Madrid.
Ana Camps, Sponsoring, Media, Advertising and PR Deputy Director, Repsol said: “Our Tech Lab scientists apply the most avant-garde technology to our fuels and lubricants, and we take advantage of all the knowledge that high competition provides for our Repsol products. We know that Marc is an extraordinary rider and a unique person with a great ability to overcome anything, so we have no doubt that he will soon amaze us again. Marc, of course, has all our support to achieve the goals he pursues.
“We also look forward to the arrival of a new rider, Pol Espargaro. He is a great professional and a mature rider and will now have an opportunity to prove his amazing talent.”
Marc Marquez
“After a long time away it was nice to see my bike again and wear my leathers. 2020 was a difficult year for everyone and especially for me with the injury and watching the races from home. But I have continued to work with the doctors, with my team and with myself to recover and return to MotoGP. Of course, I would have liked to return sooner, but it is very important to listen to the doctors and my body until I am fully fit. I can imagine the best comeback that is to start riding again the bike and be the same, but it will be difficult to be like this. But we will see if it takes one race, two races, half the season to be the same Marc. I will not be at the Qatar Test as I aim to return only when I am 100% and there is still some work to do.”
Pol Espargaro
“The lead up to this season has been one of the most exciting of my career, it’s been like waiting for my first season or my MotoGP debut. To ride for the Repsol Honda Team is every rider’s dream and something to be truly proud of. Every few weeks I have taken another step, seeing the bike at my home, now wearing the leathers. The final step is to ride the RC213V for the first time at Qatar, this excitement is motivating me to train more and be the best I can be for the 2021 World Championship. I am here in the Repsol Honda Team in order to achieve success and fight at the top, this is the goal for 2021.”
