In just under two weeks’ time, the MotoGP™ paddock will head to Misano for Round 13 of the season with the likes of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, Ducati Team and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP all testing there before the British GP.
But what were the three factory teams testing, and does this give them an advantage heading to the San Marino GP?
“At Misano, we mainly worked for the race," said Movistar Yamaha Director Massimo Meregalli to Simon Crafar at Silverstone. “We were focused on the development of the bike, we did not test anything again, but the situation looks promising."
Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) confirmed he had better feelings on his YZR-M1 that he did in Austria, describing it as a “perfect test”: “I wasn’t testing anything interesting but I was enjoying it a lot. I was happy that I was enjoying it on the bike and give my best every lap. That’s very interesting and important to record the feeling when you can put a lot. The lap times were good, we were really constant and it’s something that’s we’d lost. I could do some good runs and that was really positive.
“I think it [the test] was crucial because in Austria I had really bad feelings on the bike and, luckily, we did the test in Misano and I could recover a lot of confidence, especially with the team and with the bike so, for me, it was a perfect test.”
Teammate Valentino Rossi debriefed the test in front of the Silverstone media too: “The test at Misano was quite positive for Maverick who managed to be strong. We have worked hard and we have tried different things and also things more focused on the GP at Misano, it is an important race and I would like to be competitive.”
For both Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and teammate Andrea Dovizioso, the Misano private test went well, with the former lapping at track-record pace: “Misano was great. It was really hot but the track had really good grip and we were really fast with all of the tyres we tried. Even on used tyres, we had a great rhythm and in the end we did a lap that was pretty much a track record. To do so well at a difficult circuit like Misano is always something good and good for Ducati.”
Dovizioso also had positive things to say about his day in Misano: “It went particularly well. Misano is a distinct track, a bit difficult for us. However, from the first run out, we confirmed that our bike is better than last year. It's a nice surprise and the track conditions were particularly good on the asphalt. I expect to be more competitive than last year.”
Alberto Giribuola, Track Engineer for Dovizioso, shed some more light on Ducati's day: “The test before the race is always interesting because you can check how competitive you are and if the machine is working well with the base setup and also try different setups. Sometimes it is possible that the track condition changes between the test and the race, so maybe we will have to adjust something but it’s good to have a good idea and test the tyre that, this year, has been a key point in many races.
And what about Aprilia? Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) discussed what he tried as the RS-GP continues its development: “We tried many things. We tried more things in the last test than in the last year. We had a really busy day. We tried a new swing arm, we tried a new frame, we tried a different engine configuration. We tried many new parts and, at the end of the day, I was quite happy with the new frame. It gave me a little bit more stability, especially in the fast corners at Misano. So, it was a productive test.”