Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi completed a successful day of testing at the Automotodrom Brno, finishing in first and second place, as the only riders dropping into the 1’55’s.
Not even 24 hours after the Czech Moto Grand Prix, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were already back on their bikes today at the Automotodrom Brno. The two teammates spent the one-day Official IRTA test focused on testing various part for their YZR-M1s and secured first and second place respectively in the time sheets.
The test started slow as the Brno circuit required cleaning after a fuel spill causing the session to be red flagged. Once the track conditions were restored, the session was back underway and with a little more than five hours of testing remaining Lorenzo was one of the first riders to venture out. He quickly rose to the top of the time sheets where he remained for most of the day, to ultimately secure first place with a best time of 1’55.933s, with a 0.371s margin.
Rossi was quick to follow Lorenzo’s lead and spent a productive day testing, completing 60 laps to compare various parts and details. The Italian held a solid pace throughout the day, being the only other rider besides his teammate to drop into the 1’55s with a 1’55.765s, and finished in second place holding a 0.383s advantage over his closest rival.
Massimo Meregalli – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“Today was a very important test as we were able to evaluate the direction we’re working towards. The day started slow, but has been very positive overall. Jorge and Vale were able to make enough laps to compare and contrast some new chassis, swingarms and two front tyres from Michelin that were brought here to test. We also tested and updated software with good feedback. The engineers will collect the data to prepare the next steps. It’s been a busy two weeks, the team and the riders have earned a small break so we will be ready to attack at Silverstone in a fortnight’s time.”
Jorge Lorenzo
1st / 1’55.394 / 43 laps
“We had more or less similar things to try and some of them gave us a benefit to go faster. It has been a positive journey because we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to test today because some corners were dirty in the beginning, but finally the bikes on track improved the grip, it was not the same as during the weekend and we were able to test many things. We tried both new Michelin tyres and they were better than the standard one, better stability and they have better grip in the corners.”
Valentino Rossi
2nd / 1’55.765 / 60 laps
“At the beginning of the day it was very difficult, because the track was dry but very dirty. The lap times were also quite slow but after, when some other riders also entered the track, it started to clean the circuit and at the end it was a very good test day for me personally because we tried different things, especially different chassis and swingarms and I like them. Now we have to speak and understand when we can start the use, but in general it has been a positive test and I was always quite strong with a good pace. At the end, during the time attack, I did a 1’55.7, that is fast, so it was a very good day and I enjoyed it. We had two new front tyres from Michelin, but unfortunately these are for next year. These tyres are very good, I like them and I improved my lap time and also the feeling. After that we worked a bit on the software and made a small improvement, but at the end it was OK.”
Tech3 pair leave the Czech Republic confident after positive Brno test
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith undertook a confidence boosting test at the Masaryk circuit today as he closed the session in 6th. The 25-year-old sampled new electronics, examined suspension options and also reconfirmed the setup configurations that he used at last week’s Czech Grand Prix. With no action for any MotoGP riders occurring in the morning due to a dirty track surface, the British rider got straight to work after midday and immediately began his efforts. Smith posted his personal best time in the final hour of the day and on his penultimate lap, which resulted in him finishing under half a second adrift from third. He now confidently looks on to his home Grand Prix at Silverstone where he intends to clinch the leading satellite position in front of his fans.
Meanwhile, Pol Espargaro made some encouraging steps forward in today’s test in the Czech Republic. The Spaniard got into gear just after lunch and proceeded to begin testing electronic settings as well as setup options to improve his feeling during braking. With progress being made, the top independent rider in the championship standings produced a personal best of 1’56.952 which left a gap three-tenths of a second to his teammate. The 2013 Moto2 World Champion now confidently looks on to the forthcoming round in Great Britain where he aims to increase the gap to the top independent rider rivals in the standings.
Bradley Smith
6th / 1’56.619 / 47 laps
“I feel that we have picked up some valuable knowledge that will certainly help us in the future even though we didn’t have a huge amount to test today. We spent the time clarifying certain aspects that we needed to look at so that we can head into Silverstone with a bike that has the best possible setup. We’ve learnt a lot in these past two races and we are starting to find our rhythm, hence why I wanted to check a few things again today. In addition, we’ve improved the bike in corner entry and the initial pickup of the throttle. I still think that we need to work on the sliding going into the corner and then the spinning on the exit. Moreover, for one lap on new tyres, I don’t feel too bad anymore and we’re going in the right direction. Yet, when the asphalt loses its grip on a Sunday, that seems to be where we struggle the most. Anyway, it’s time to head home but after the work that we completed, I am happy and confident as we head towards Silverstone.”
Pol Espargaro
8th / 1’56.952 / 43 laps
“We have made some good progress at this test and the work that we did leaves me feeling positive about my chances at future races. At the same time, it wasn’t ideal because we didn’t have too many tyres to use, the track surface was dirty and it was difficult to get into the rhythm this morning. Using only these few tyres meant that we struggled a little bit to get through everything that we wanted to go over. However, we tested some electronic settings, which I think will increase our performance so we will use these at some future GP’s. Furthermore, we also really improved how the bike behaves when braking which is very important because this is what we struggled a lot with this weekend and also in Austria, so it was the main accomplishment of the test. Due to the knowledge that we have gained, I am confident and I am looking forward to the next race.”
MotoGP Czech Republic Test 2016
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:55.394, 22 / 43
2. Valentino Rossi, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP, 1:55.765, 0.371, 0.371, 57 / 60
3. Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, 1:56.148, 0.754, 0.383, 39 / 46
4. Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda, 1:56.273, 0.879, 0.125, 55 / 63
5. Maverick Viñales, Team Suzuki Ecstar, 1:56.524, 1.130, 0.251, 29 / 37
6. Bradley Smith, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:56.619, 1.225, 0.095,46 / 47
7. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team, 1:56.857, 1.463, 0.238, 29 / 43
8. Pol Espargaro, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:56.952, 1.558, 0.095, 22 / 43
9. Scott Redding, Octo Pramac Yakhnich, 1:57.077, 1.683, 0.125, 44 / 47
10. Tito Rabat, EG 0.0 Marc VDS, 1:57.863, 2.469, 0.786, 75 / 83
11. Danilo Petrucci, Octo Pramac Yakhnich, 1:58.421, 3.027, 0.558, 9 / 18
12. Alex Lowes, Monster Yamaha Tech 3, 1:59.558, 4.164, 1.137, 15 / 15
