Day of positives and progress for the Repsol Honda Team as 2024 preparations commence in Valencia
Work for the 2024 MotoGP World Championship is already well underway as Joan Mir and the Repsol Honda Team sampled the 2024 prototype Honda RC213V for the first time, the double World Champion ending the day in 13th and positive about future progress.
Late November in Valencia made for a cold start to the first day of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship pre-season as wind whipped around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. This didn’t stop the Repsol Honda Team who were the first out on track just after 10:00 Local Time. Joan Mir would venture out not long after, starting the day on his 2023 machine before stepping onto the newest evolution of the Honda RC213V.
Completing a total of 69 laps, Mir posted a fastest time of 1’30.051 to end the day in 13th. Starting Tuesday assessing his physical condition after missing the Grand Prix due to a crash, Mir was able to ride without major limitations and diligently worked through his testing plan. Running until the final moments, the #36 left the test content with initial developments made by HRC engineers since the Misano Test. The busy schedule meant that Mir was unable to do a final time attack, but the overall pace he showed was promising.
Luca Marini finished the day in tenth with a best time of 1’29.956 and 72 laps completed.
All involved will now enjoy a well-earned break after the 20-race season, MotoGP action returning with the Sepang Test in early February.
Joan Mir
“It was a good day today and I am pleased with what we have seen from the protobike. The first success was being able to test because after the fall on Friday, it was not guaranteed. At the end of the day I did start to feel some pain but the important thing is we were able to have a busy and successful day, getting through a lot of items. We were trying things until the very end of the day and we didn’t have a chance to do a proper time attack, but this is not the focus – our pace was good and the developments are positive. There is still work to do, but the first steps are in the right direction and we can head into the winter looking forward what is to come.”
Valencia Test
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinales Maverick | 12 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 1'29.253 |
| 2 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.028 |
| 3 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.093 |
| 4 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.171 |
| 5 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | RNF MotoGP Team | Aprilia | 0.263 |
| 6 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.385 |
| 7 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.409 |
| 8 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.543 |
| 9 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.648 |
| 10 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 0.703 |
| 11 | Bagnaia Francesco | 1 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.717 |
| 12 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.769 |
| 13 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 0.798 |
| 14 | Fernandez Augusto | 37 | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing | KTM | 0.824 |
| 15 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.899 |
| 16 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.953 |
| 17 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.030 |
| 18 | Acosta Pedro | 31 | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing | KTM | 1.223 |
| 19 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1.311 |
| 20 | Crutchlow Cal | 35 | GBR | Yamaha Test Team | Yamaha | 1.512 |
| 21 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.723 |
| 22 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 3.059 |
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 28.931s (162.1km/h) Maverick Viñales (Aprilia, 2023) |
| Race Lap | 1m 30.145s (159.9km/h) Brad Binder (KTM, 2023) |
| 2023 Race Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
| 2023 Sprint Winner | Jorge Martin (Ducati) |
