Photography Gold & Goose
Marc Marquez used his 2015 race chassis to set the fastest time on day one of the 2015 end-of-season test at Valencia, fending off Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone and teammate Dani Pedrosa.
The test saw not just the long-awaited debut of the new Michelin tires but also the control ECU that all riders will be using next season, with the former two-time MotoGP World Champion setting his fastest lap on his fourth circuit before crashing at turn three.
“We went out on track and on the opening laps I lost the front,” Marquez told MotoGP.com. “I realized that the Michelin tires may have worked well for us in testing at Aragon, but they react differently on every type of asphalt. From that moment we started again, doing a run with the same bike we used during the (last) weekend. Then we changed to the new software and we saw that there is definitely some work ahead for us. It’s only the first day and we have to adjust many things. At the end of the day we tried the new engine together with the Magneti Marelli software, but in order to draw any conclusions we first have to finish setting up the electronics and when we have a good base, then we will be able to evaluate the engine properly.”
Second placed Iannone was almost alone in his happiness for the new Michelins. Despite two falls throughout the day, Iannone’s time on 1:31.639s was only 0.088s behind Marquez, and he insists the new French rubber will be good for his riding style.
“This is only the second time that I have tested the Michelin tires and in the end I am quite satisfied because, even though we still have to work to optimize the details, I think that we have responded well to this important change,” Iannone said.
Pedrosa knows there is a lot of work ahead with the new software and rubber.
Dani Pedrosa spent much of the day using his 2015-spec machine before switching to the 2016 chassis and electronics late in the afternoon.
“Right now the (new) electronics are still giving us a lot of problems and are difficult to use,” Pedrosa said. “We have to work hard to understand it and see what parameters we should concentrate on more. It’s also a job for the rider, because you must gain experience in order to understand what you have and what you don’t, compared with the previous version.”
The top five at Valencia was completed by the impressive Maverick Vinales and 2015 MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo. Both Lorenzo and teammate Valentino Rossi, who finished the session 12th fastest, struggled with the front Michelin tire and electronics, with Rossi especially critical of the new rubber.
“The rear tire is very similar (to the Bridgestone) and the Michelin is good, it has very good grip,” Rossi said. “The front is the big difference. We need to understand how much weight this tire needs to turn at the maximum. We need some more time.”
2015 Valencia MotoGP Test – Day One
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team 1m 31.551s
2. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team +0.088s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) +0.130s
4. Maverick Vinales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.169s
5. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +0.216s
6. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda +0.360s
7. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +0.386s
8. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 +0.446s
9. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar +0.454s
10. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team +0.522s
11. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing +0.663s
12. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP +0.850s
13. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing +0.891s
14. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing +0.917s
15. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS +1.043s
16. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS +1.122s
17. Stefan Bradl GER Factory Aprilia Gresini +1.170s
18. Loris Baz FRA Avintia Racing Ducati +1.392s
19. Yonny Hernandez COL Avintia Racing Ducati +1.495s
20. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini +1.510s
21. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team +1.702s
22. Takuya Tsuda JPN Suzuki Test Rider +3.040s
23. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Suzuki Test Rider +4.787s