Rennie Scaysbrook | November 21, 2018
2018 Valencia MotoGP Test Day Two Results—Maverick Vinales (Movistar Yamaha Factory Racing) completed the final test day of the 2018 season on top at Valencia. The 2018 Australian Grand Prix winner set the best time of 1:30.757 to edge out Andrea Dovizioso (57 laps) by 0.133 seconds to go with his top position on Day One, with 2018 MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda, 53 laps) third, 0.154 seconds adrift.
2018 Valencia MotoGP Test Day Two Results
The Yamaha team of Vinales and Valentino Rossi spent the day focusing on the second new engine specification will potentially use in the 2019 season, with Vinales completing 57 laps on the second day and Rossi clocking 63 laps.
“It has been a positive test,” Vinales said. “We’ve been working a lot on improving for the first lap of the race. I’m actually really happy because from the first lap I felt good grip and I could push. There’s still work to do to further improve the engine braking and the smoothness of the power, so that’s what we will work on in Jerez.”
In second, Dovizioso declared himself pleased with the work accomplished, saying, “Today went better than yesterday because we were able to do a lot of tests, including back-to-back ones, during which we found some interesting solutions. These were small details and now we want to try them in different conditions and on another track to get some more precise feedback. These two days of tests at Valencia have been very positive and now we will try and confirm the same sensations at Jerez.”
2018 Valencia MotoGP Test Day Two Results
Marquez admittedly took it a little easy in third, with crashing and potentially damaging his troublesome left shoulder “absolutely prohibited”.
“In the morning, I was really comfortable and I was already able to be fast,” Marquez said. “Then I stayed there, remained calm and kept the rhythm because to be honest, it was a must-not-crash situation today. We tried different combinations, spending a lot of time in the garage in the morning, but I was able to make a few consistent runs in the afternoon.”
Fourth on Day Two at Valencia went to a rejuvenated Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Ducati, 66 laps), as the Australian set a 1:30.939 on the GP18, just 0.182 seconds behind Vinales. Miller edged his former teammate and now factory Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team, 60 laps) by 0.020 seconds in fifth.
The new Petronas Yamaha SRT team had reason to smile at Valencia, with Franco Morbidelli cementing sixth fastest time after 58 laps to match the same position from Day One. The former Moto2 World Champion was 0.217 seconds off Vinales, and ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki ECSTAR, 69 laps), Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Idemitsu Honda, 70 laps), Rossi and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Gresini Racing, 55 laps).
2018 Valencia MotoGP Test Day Two Results
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