Offseason testing – Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia –

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Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 test in Valencia

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

At the end of a first day of 2019 MotoGP testing cut short by the rain, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) sandwiched world champion Marc Marquez (Honda) against the clock, but the riders mainly tested the first evolutions. of the new 2019 engines. Report and classification.

Maverick Viñales, who abandons his No. 25 this year to regain the No. 12 of his motocross debut, set the best time of the first day of MotoGP 2019 testing in Valencia with a time of 1’31.416.

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The Spaniard is ahead of his compatriot and reigning world champion Marc Marquez (1’31.718) while Valentino Rossi narrowly achieves the third time (1’31.845) with a thousandth ahead of Andrea Dovizioso’s Ducati (1 ‘ 31.846).

"We compared the engines to try to have more flexibility and wear less the tires, because we still suffer from the degradation of the rear, but I am positive", explains the Doctor. "For me these two days of testing are important, but they are not crucial because we can still develop the engine until February".

Marc Marquez has tried three different motorcycles (the 2018 model, the 2019 model discovered in Brno and a second more advanced 2019 version) but regrets not having been able to test everything that was planned because of the weather. "We only do 25 laps, most of the time with the new bike," explains the world champion. "There is still a lot of work but we are on the right track. The balance of the bike changes a little, we still have to try to understand because everything is new, but we are moving step by step, it is just the beginning of the off-season ".

Bagnaia first beginner

HRC test rider Stefan Bradl, who is still replacing Cal Crutchlow, finished fifth ahead of Franco Morbidelli, sixth on the No. 21 Yamaha SRT satellite just 6 tenths behind the leader. Aleix Espargaro, 7th on Aprilia Gresini n ° 41, ahead of Danilo Petrucci on official Ducati n ° 9 in place of Jorge Lorenzo (1’32.100) and Pol Espargaro, on his official KTM n ° 44 (1’32.179) . Michele Pirro, Ducati test rider on the handlebars of the 2019 version, closes the top 10.

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

The first debutant in the premier class is Francesco Bagnaia on the Ducati satellite Pramac (11th in 1’32.396) ahead of Alex Rins on the official Suzuki n ° 42 (1’32.402).

Jorge Lorenzo, still recovering on his new official Honda, ranks 18th more than a second behind his teammate, just behind Johann Zarco (1’32.835) who was scared in his third lap, fortunately very well caught. . Long alone on the track at the end of the morning to tame his new official KTM, Johann had turned last year in 1’30.389 during testing on the Yamaha Tech3.

The other Frenchman in the 2019 world championship, Fabio Quartararo – who discovered the category on the handlebars of the Yamaha SRT n ° 20 -, set the 23rd lap in 1’33.850 while the other beginners Joan Mir (official Suzuki) and Miguel Oliveira (KTM Tech3) finished 15th (1’32.787) and 25th (1’35.118) respectively.

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

First reactions from the pilots

Maverick Viñales (Yamaha), 1st in 1: 31.416 : "We tried to improve on the engine and I felt really comfortable. We still have to modify it in terms of acceleration because it is very different from that of 2018. Tomorrow we should have another engine with d ‘other modifications. Maybe we will try it, but I’m quite happy with today’s one so I want to store laps and fine-tune the electronics because it changes a lot throughout the circuit and we don’t didn’t have time today. I had my best time with the new engine. I feel that we are in the right direction because I am much more comfortable in the corners and that is what ‘we had to improve, so now we can focus on the acceleration ".

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 3rd in 1’31.845 : "I am satisfied with this first day of testing, I was able to do 40 laps and finish what was most important today, compare the engines. We already have the engine with the evolutions tested during the 2018 season and we compared it to the standard version which is not that bad. It helps reduce stress on the tire so it’s a step forward ".

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), 4th in 1’31.846 : "Unfortunately the day was not very prolific because this morning the track was still partially wet and the conditions did not allow to start. We also had to prepare the basic settings on the 2018 bike, because we could not driving in the dry this weekend. We have to strictly follow our test program because the choices we will make during these tests will define the 2019 bike. In the afternoon we were ready but it started to rain, so I hope that tomorrow morning the track will be dry and we can ride all day ".

Stefan Bradl (replacement for Cal Crutchlow at Honda LCR), 5th in 1’32.015 : "We quickly found the right settings so we performed quite well. We tested everything quickly and made good use of the little time available. It’s positive. The track conditions were not ideal, but everything the world was able to ride and it went well. I’m happy with our work because we found things that could be interesting. I thank LCR Honda for their excellent work, I really loved these last two weekends race and these tests ".

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha SRT), 6th in 1’32.085 : "It was great, I felt comfortable with the bike from the start and I get along very well with the team. I was able to do some good quick laps this afternoon. I will still go gain in riding by better understanding the bike with its strengths and weaknesses to get the best out of these tests. I was surprised by the smoothness of the Yamaha and how easy it is to understand ".

Danilo Petrucci (Ducati), 8th in 1’32.100 : "It was fantastic to spend this first day in the official team. For me, it was like back to school day! The team made me feel very welcome and I immediately felt comfortable with it. them. We were able to work on both bikes and it’s a shame the rain came when I was riding hard and there was a lot of rubber on the track. We rode a lot on worn tires and we were pretty quick . The new bike is a great starting point and has no flaws, but I still have to work on improving my riding style. It was a good start and I hope to continue like this tomorrow ".

Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia (Ducati Pramac), 11th in 1’32.396 : "The rain unfortunately stopped us after only 38 laps, but I’m very satisfied with this first day. Honestly, we just tried to do as many laps as possible, we will start working on the settings tomorrow. My first feeling is this. is that the bike is impressive ".

Alex Rins (official Suzuki), 12th in 1’32.402 : "It’s a bit of a shame because when we were ready to go with the new engine, the rain came … We could still do a few laps and try little things, but we haven’t tested anything important yet . The grip level was quite low so it was not easy to ride today. I hope it will be drier tomorrow so that I can do more laps. I have a lot more experience now and that gives me greater confidence to help develop the bike and prepare for next season. As for Joan (Mir, his new teammate, editor’s note) he has potential, we’ll see how he evolves but he did an excellent job today ‘ hui ".

Takaaki Nakagami (Honda LCR), 13th in 1’32.539 : "My feelings on the bike are much better. I like the motor character, the 2018 version is much smoother than the 2017 and it offers more power. It’s easy enough to set a stopwatch but I didn’t Too much attack because we only did a few laps in the dry. We didn’t even put new tires on, but the lap times were correct. We have to go step by step, there are some details to check but the first impression is good. Tomorrow I hope it doesn’t rain to try a few more things on the chassis in terms of settings. But the engine is really amazing! "

Jack Miller (Ducati Pramac), 14th in 1’32.555 : "My feelings are very good, the novelties are better in many respects but unfortunately a technical problem forced us to stop the test. I can’t wait to resume tomorrow".

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

Joan Mir (official Suzuki), 15th in 1’32.787 : "I felt really good. It was my first real day as a MotoGP rider and my first day in Suzuki colors, I’m super happy. The team is great, I feel comfortable with them and on the bike. It’s a real challenge to switch from Moto2 to MotoGP, you spend more time braking and you have to brake really hard. Of course, the acceleration is much more powerful. The electronics will be the one of the things that I will have the most effort to learn about. It’s only day one, but I already found it interesting to compare the data with Alex. I can’t wait to start again tomorrow! "

Johann Zarco (official KTM), 17th in 1’32.835 : "It was nice to get on this bike, it was very different from what I have known so far in MotoGP. Even the colors, the suit, I was very excited! During the first run on wet tires j ‘I had a good feeling, then I passed the slicks. Today we had to find the basics of the bike. It was the most important but I’m happy. Maybe I would have liked a little better … but I think we have good potential ".

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha SRT), 23rd in 1’33.850 : "This first day of testing went very well. It’s a shame that we weren’t able to ride more because of the weather, but I’m happy because I made progress on each outing. now I’m pretty good in the middle and out of corners, but I’m losing time braking. The team tells me to trust the brakes because at first we think we won’t be able to stop, but in the end it works and I like it. The most impressive thing is the power of the Yamaha, especially in the first straight, as well as the brakes. I hope we will have good conditions tomorrow because I want to keep working on the brakes and improve my feelings ".

Hafizh Syahrin (KTM Tech3), 24th in 1’34.233 : "I am very happy to be at KTM! We could not ride a lot (20 laps, editor’s note) because the track was still wet this morning and this afternoon started to fall two hours before the end For the moment, I have the impression that the RC16 is rather easy to handle, it is more powerful, but it will of course be necessary to make modifications to adapt it to my driving ".

Miguel Oliveira (KTM Tech3), 25th in 1’35.118 : "I’m glad to be officially on a MotoGP for the first time, it all feels pretty strange to me. I’ve spent my time trying to get to grips with the controls like the throttle, the brakes and the gear changes, everything trying to understand the bike and how the electronics work. It’s clear that we’re still slow, but I’m taking my time to be able to make solid progress ".

Ranking of the first day of MotoGP 2019 test in Valencia

Offseason testing - Viñales, Marquez and Rossi lead the first MotoGP 2019 tests in Valencia -

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