A final, official, MotoGP test took place at Jerez earlier this week in advance of the first race of the year at the same venue this weekend. The test resulted in two Yamahas posting the quickest lap times.
Maverick Viñales posted the quickest time overall on his factory Yamaha with Fabio Quartararo second quickest aboard his Petronas Yamaha (which is of equal factory spec to those ridden by Viñales and Rossi this year). Defending MotoGP champ Marc Marquez (Honda) was third on the time sheets. You can see full, combined test results here.
Practice begins tomorrow for this weekend’s opening race. Fabio Quartararo will miss the first 20 minutes of the opening practice session as a penalty for an off-season test on a modified Yamaha R1 superbike. Although MotoGP riders are allowed to ride, and practice on, superbikes that are close to showroom condition, unbeknownst to Quartararo, the bike he rode included modifications not allowed by the FIM. An appeal of this penalty was denied.
Stay tuned for race coverage on MD.
Just plain CAN’T WAIT to see MM running only between 4th-6th place for the first half, then slowly creep up toward the front during the next few laps, then finally, at the start of the last lap, “god in the machine!” Miracle of miracles! MM pulls way ahead in the last 1.5 laps, and somehow, some way, so unexpectedly, to our unending surprise, wins by a comfortable margin w/his front wheel in the air.
To be a fly on the wall in Team Honda’s office, laughing at the stooges paying money for this charade. And hugs and kisses from Dorna and the King of Spain to their little darling MM and Team Honda, for making it allegedly more “interesting.”
Admittedly, it reflects as much on the rest of the field as it does on Dorna and Team Honda, maybe even more so.
You are going to be disappointed…or maybe you won’t.
FP2 today was topped not by Marquez, not by the factory Yamaha squad, but by the Petronas satellite team followed by a KTM, then Marquez, then another KTM Strange year.
Yamaha has a full deck, not only riders, but if they have not caught up to Honda and Ducati in all the areas they were lacking last year, it will be another shameful year for the Yamaha boys.
The new rear tire might make this interesting.
Make what “interesting?” MM’s margin of points in winning the championship? Or a new record for the number of races remaining when MM has clinched the championship?
Again, this reflects on the rest of the field as much or more than it reflects on MM and Honda.
From what I understand it’s a better tire for the turning bikes (Yamaha, Suzuki) and less good for the point/shoot ones (Honda, Ducati).
Edit: HUH!
https://motomatters.com/results/2020/07/18/2020_jerez_motogp_qualifying_result.html
Huh, my previous reply went away? It might come back?
At any rate, interesting = new tire seems better for Yamaha/Suzuki and less ideal for Honda/Ducati.
And, as it turns out, Yamaha is 1st and 2nd on the grid.
Identical to today’s qualifying, Yamaha was 1st and 2nd on the grid last year at Jerez, with Fabio in pole position and Marc slotted 3rd.
We all know how that race turned out.
I’ll go out on a limb and predict Marc Marquez will win the championship,
And Goose dies every time leaving Meg Ryan heartbroken.
What is this the third year in a row Maverick has been on fire before the start of the season?
We will have to see what happens once the lights go out Sunday.
Maverick wins the testing championship every time. Oh, wait, there isn’t a testing championship. 😉
I guess it’s easy to forget that with only one exception (Rossi in 2017), Maverick is the only rider to win on a Yamaha in the past 3 years and he’s scored at least one win every one of those years.
Points are important but without Maverick, Yamaha is not in he same club as Ducati, Honda and (gasp!) Suzuki.