Regular MD readers who also happen to be obsessive fans of MotoGP or Superbike racing may have developed the habit of following the reports from these series’ test days, both through our press releases page and our occasional articles reporting on the results from these test sessions. Although these test days are supposedly intended for the teams to work on bike setup and tire development, if you read the press releases you will see that they have developed into their own sort of race, with every rider battling for the top time of the test. Although race fans and the media alike typically use the lap times from these tests as fodder for speculation about the performance of each rider and team during the upcoming racing season, it is debatable as to how meaningful the “fast lap” really is.
Not all the riders come into these test sessions focused on setting the fastest time of the day. Far more important are the “race simulations”, where the rider runs a number of laps equal to that of an actual race, using tires that he has decided are the same or similar to the ones he will run when the series actually visits the track for the race. These race simulations are typically run after the rider has spent some time using short (3-8 laps) stints to test any new parts, develop appropriate suspension settings, and evaluate race tires. When he arrives at a bike setup he is comfortable with, he will then do a race simulation to test his and the motorcycle’s ability to maintain a competitive pace over full race distance. Unfortunately, a complete set of lap times, as well as an overall time, from these race simulations are rarely made available to the media or the race fan.
What is the true value of the fast times of the session, then, and why do some riders try so hard to top the timesheets? Although a few fast laps during testing bode well for qualifying times later on at the same track, the main value of these times may be psychological, as they have an effect on the mental confidence of both the rider who sets the time, and his rivals. A racer who goes out on a super-soft qualifying tire (called a “Q” tire) and sets the fastest lap he can, only to see a rival top his time by several tenths, a half second, or sometimes even more, will probably have his mental confidence shaken by the defeat. Conversely, setting the fastest time at a test can be a huge boost to a racer’s confidence level, especially when a rider who might be considered something of an underdog is faster than a top finisher/championship favorite. For example, Nicky Hayden’s ability to lap faster than defending champion Valentino Rossi at last weekend’s MotoGP test at Jerez has to have been a big boost to the young American racer’s mental confidence.
The final factor to consider in determining how pre-season testing will affect the outcome once the racing starts is the weather conditions during testing versus those of the race. A difference of less than 10 degrees in track temperature can mean throwing out all the suspension settings which were so painstakingly developed during testing, as well as switching to a different tire than those which were chosen at the test. A situation like this will highlight each racer’s ability to adapt themselves to changing conditions – some racers are well known for having the ability to ride fast even when their setup isn’t quite right, and others are not.
Some or all of these things should be your “grains of salt” when you read all those “Fastest At…” press releases!
