MotoGP: What was learnt at the Valencia Test

The 2023 MotoGP season got an early start as the teams and riders completed an eight hour test on Tuesday.

The twenty two riders that will be taking part in the 2023 season all got the chance to try out an early version of their 2023 machines. Riders had enough time to evaluate where their machines are for next season.

Ducati:

Ducati got all of their eight riders inside the top fifteen by the end of the test. The Mooney VR46 Racing Team riders set the pace as Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi finished first and third. Gresini Racing MotoGP riders Fabio Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez finished sixth and 15th.

While the GP22 riders were running at the top of the time sheets all eyes were on the GP23 riders. The Ducati Lenovo squad had extra eyes on them on Tuesday. Francesco Bagnaia being the new Champion and the new arrival Enea Bastianini had his first day in red drawing extra attention.

Bagnaia finished his first test as a MotoGP Champion down in 12th place completing 59 laps and testing new fairings. The new Factory Ducati rider, Bastianini, finished 10th but did crash in the afternoon. Pramac Ducati riders Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco finished eighth and 11th.

Aprilia:

Three Aprilia’s were in the top five at the end of the Valencia test. Both of the Factory Aprilia riders and one of the RNF Aprilia MotoGP Team riders. Vinales was the top Aprilia rider at the end of the eight hours as he sat second in the standings. Fellow Factory Aprilia rider, Aleix Espargaro, finished fifth place. The Factory Aprilia riders had next to nothing to test as the 2023 RS-GP is not yet ready.

Miguel Oliveira impressed on his first test with the RNF Aprilia MotoGP Team. The Portuguese rider finished fourth place and completed 75 laps while changing from the KTM to the Aprilia. Raul Fernandez finished his first test on an Aprilia in 21st place and completed 78 laps.

KTM:

The only continuing KTM rider from 2022 to 2023 is Brad Binder. The South African rider was the only KTM rider to finish inside the top ten as he set a lap time that placed him seventh in the standings. Fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider and KTM new boy, Jack Miller completed his first test as a KTM rider in 17th place.

Pol Espargaro made his return to Tech3 and KTM as he joins the new Tech3 GasGas Factory Racing Team. Espargaro finished 16th on his return to KTM and completed a total of 86 laps. The only rookie for the 2023 season is Augusto Fernandez, the new Moto2 Champion finished his first MotoGP test in 22nd, 1.698 seconds off of first place.

Yamaha:

Yamaha only have two riders for 2023 and their hunt to regain the MotoGP title has had a slow start. Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli had been praying for more top speed in 2023. Early developments of the 2023 engine had clear improvements. However, the engine tested at Valencia has clearly gone backwards.

Quartararo, who finished ninth, tested new aero which he found improvements in. But claimed the engine was not as good as it was in its first test in Misano. Morbidelli finished 14th and was also not impressed with the new engine.

Honda:

Honda did not have any of their four riders in the top 10 at the Valencia test. The top rider for Honda was Marc Marquez in 13th place, Marquez was less than pleased by the new RC213V. Even after testing new chassis’, exhausts, seats, tail units and a carbon clutch even Marquez does not believe this bike would win him a World Championship.

Honda new boys Joan Mir and Alex Rins tested the same parts that Marquez trialed throughout the test. Both Mir and Rins finished 18th and 20th. Takaaki Nakagami finished 19th also for LCR Honda.

Images from motogp.com