Test Catalunya: Quartararo stands up to Bagnaia

The MotoGP™ riders met this Monday at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit to participate in a post-GP test: a day whose objective was to prepare for the second part of the season, in which Alex unfortunately did not participate. (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu); one with a broken left wrist after the crash the day before and the other having spent the night under observation at the General Hospital of Catalonia. The same for Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac Racing), recently operated.

Others, on the other hand, will have fully benefited from it, such as Alex Márquez (LCR Honda Castrol), who will have done no less than 96 laps: by far the most assiduous on the track! To tell the truth, the #73 had a classic chassis and the one that his teammate usually uses. Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda Team) had a new one, with additional carbon inserts. And Stefan Bradl was riding an even different version, similar to the one Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team) had in Italy.

Three bikes had been made available to Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in the KTM box, one of which had a new chassis.

At Ducati, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team) were also entitled to a new one: an evolution of what Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) had the opportunity to test at the end of 2021. The Italian had on top of that, the 2021 swingarm mounted on his Desmosedici. During this time, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who will have done several test starts, and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) benefited from a new front fairing. Jack Miller focused on the front ride height device and the trigger device.

For his part, Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), the only Suzuki representative on the track, had received two new aerodynamic configurations… and a visit from convalescent Alex Rins, who had come to support him.

Aprilia, on the other hand, had a much busier programme, to the extent that its drivers introduced a new aerodynamic package, in addition to this famous wing seen last week at Mugello, which returned to Aleix Espargaró’s RS-GP (Aprilia Racing )… At the same time, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) also had the opportunity to experiment with a slightly different chassis.

In the Yamaha clan, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), winner a day earlier, was busy doing swingarm comparisons. The recent aluminum model was also offered to Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team); while Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) rode while waiting with the carbon one.

In terms of lap times, in the end nobody managed to beat the 1’39.447 lap set that morning by Fabio Quartararo. Francesco Bagnaia, however, significantly reduced the difference, as evidenced by these four thousandths that separate him from El Diablo. And the first three were held in just 53 thousandths, with a performance by Johann Zarco!

Aleix Espargaró and Pol Espargaró were moved to the fourth and fifth row, respectively. Jack Miller retained his sixth place. Behind unchanged: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) finished seventh today. Franco Morbidelli, Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) completed the final Top 10. The first RC16, that of Brad Binder signed on 11^me weather. In his wake was Joan Mir’s GSX-RR.

It should be noted that the day will have been marked by the crashes of Aleix Espargaró, Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Franco Morbidelli. Which fell respectively in turns 2, 9 and 5.

The drivers now have a few days to rest upriver from the Sachsenring.