Honda HRC Castrol kick start 2026 in Valencia
The first day of 2026 produced reams of critical data for Honda HRC engineers to pore over as Joan Mir and Luca Marini finished in 12th and 14th respectively.
Overnight rain left the circuit damp in a number of spots, causing a heavy delay to proceedings as the Valencia Test began. A revised schedule saw action go until 17:30 Local Time to account for the lack of morning activity. After an early lunch, the Honda HRC Castrol team quickly got to work to make the most of the available track time.
Completing a total of 37 laps, Joan Mir ended the day as the fastest Honda rider in 12th place. Less than half a second off the top spot, times were deceptively close as the battle for 2026 supremacy began. Honda HRC’s objective for the one-day test was to confirm and finalise a number of items tried in recent rounds by Honda HRC riders ahead of the winter development program.
Luca Marini was able to complete a best time of 1’29.916 across his 44 laps of the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Like his Honda HRC Castrol teammate, Marini was able to tick off a number of different items. With the track in a unique condition due to the rain and a half day of running exclusively by MotoGP machines, Marini remained unphased by his position and lap time compared to other riders.
Now a winter of rest for some and intense work for others begins as the start of 2026 gets closer day by day.
Joan Mir
“A productive test, working on a few items for 2026 with a similar base to what we’ve had. Today was about understanding what we need for the Sepang Test, after a year like this it’s good to have a day where we can confirm everything after everyone has been working so hard to deliver as much material as soon as possible. Some positives and negatives as always, but we’re able to find the direction and let the engineers and Test Team get to work. I have a lot of trust and confidence in how the winter will go in Japan, now we need to enjoy the winter and arrive strong and healthy in Malaysia.”
Luca Marini
“Today we had a really busy day, trying a lot of things in a really short amount of time and it was easy to get lost in a situation like this. The team and engineers did a great job to keep everything focused through the day. Now we need to sit down and check what we have learned deeply, make a plan together and move forward over the winter. We made a good step in each area of the bike, it maybe doesn’t show on the times because the track condition and the tyres complicate everything. Now a little bit of time to recover before we arrive in Sepang and start again.”
Valencia Test Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 1'29.373 |
| 2 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.027 |
| 3 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.084 |
| 4 | Aldegeur Fermin | 54 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.177 |
| 5 | Acosta Pedro | 37 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.208 |
| 6 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 0.247 |
| 7 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.268 |
| 8 | Bulega Nicolo | 11 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.288 |
| 9 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.338 |
| 10 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.358 |
| 11 | Ogura Ai | 79 | JPN | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 0.461 |
| 12 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 0.499 |
| 13 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 0.521 |
| 14 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 0.543 |
| 15 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.554 |
| 16 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.621 |
| 17 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 0.918 |
| 18 | Razgatlioglu Toprak | 7 | TUR | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 1.294 |
| 19 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1.347 |
| 20 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Prima Pramac Yamaha | Yamaha | 1.491 |
| 21 | Moreira Diogo | 11 | BRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.824 |
| 22 | Vietti Celestino | 13 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 3.138 |
Location Information
The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana was completed in 1999 and held rounds of the MotoGP and Spanish Motorcycle Championships in the same year. The Cheste track has several layouts, running anti-clockwise with varying lengths. MotoGP events are held on a 4km track comprising of five right handed corners, eight… read more.
| Length | 4.005 kilometres / 2.489 miles |
| Width | 12 metres |
| Left corners | 9 |
| Right corners | 5 |
| Longest straight | 0.876 kilometres / 0.544 miles |
| Constructed | 1999 |
Circuito de la Comunidad Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, Cheste, Spain - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 28.809s (162.3km/h) Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia, 2025) |
| Race Lap | 1m 30.145s (159.9km/h) Brad Binder (KTM, 2023) |
| 2023 Race Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
| 2025 Sprint Winner | Alex Marquez (Ducati) |
