Valencia Test midday: new year, new bikes

The 2020 MotoGP™ World Championship is underway as the traditional test in Valencia commences. This provides the first look at new team line-ups, along with new motorcycles, that are rolled out and put through their paces, giving us the first glimpse of what is to come in the forthcoming season. As of 13:00 local time (GMT+1), Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo tops the times, with a lap of 1'30.599.

In terms of tyre allocation for the test, the same slick and wet compounds are available. For front tyres, there are five soft, six medium and five hard, whilst for the rear, there are five soft – with three being a new construction tested at Phillip Island – medium and hard. A new construction tyre aimed at 2021 is available to all. The medium compound, which is the same as the race weekend, with each rider having two. Designed to improve corner entry, this was tested at Misano.

HRC test rider Stefan Bradl was the first rider to take to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, as the German rider dialled in laps with a new 2020 chassis. Reigning Moto2™ World Champion Alex Marquez left the pitlane for his full-time MotoGP™ debut with just under six hours to go. Jumping aboard the 2019-spec RC213V for the first time, eight laps into his programme, Marquez crashed at Turn 10 – rider ok. Marc Marquez was also out on a new chassis and fired in a time to hit top spot.

For the Ducati Team, Andrea Dovizioso was out on the new GP20 machine.

Over at Yamaha, a new engine was at the disposal for nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi and 2013 Moto3™ World Champion Maverick Viñales. Having initially ventured out on the 2019 machine, both ‘The Doctor’ and Viñales took the 2020 YZR M1 out on to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Aprilia Factory Racing’s Bradley Smith had a crash at Turn 9 with just over an hour of the first session to go, which prompted a Red Flag in order to retrieve the RS-GP safely. Smith himself was ok. The session was soon back underway with most riders taking to the circuit and setting lap times.

Three-time World Champion Dani Pedrosa was on track for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, approximately an hour and a half after Pol Espargaro and Brad Binder first ventured out. Both Esparagro and Pedrosa are testing new KTM chassis.

At 13:00 local time the standings were:

1. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) 1:30.599
2. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.051
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.193
4. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.195
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) + 0.359
6. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.375
7. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) + 0.531
8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.550
9. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) + 0.834
10. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.909