Marquez and Pedrosa finish final test on top
The sun re-emerged today in Valencia, after rain almost completely wrecked testing yesterday. After the track had dried out, the riders finally took to the circuit around 12pm local time, with Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa looking to complete a busy test schedule.
It was Marc’s first outing on the updated 2015 prototype (since Brno test) and it proved very valuable for the HRC engineers. Marc reported positively on some areas, including the chassis front end, but admitted the engine braking, exit of corner and also rear of the chassis still needs work. His fastest time of 1’30.973 (just 0.130 off Rossi’s pole time on Saturday) on lap 58 of 68 (aboard the 2014 machine) placed him fastest on this final day.
Dani, who spent a few laps on the new machine on Monday, continued his test programme today and commented on the more powerful Honda engine. He also confessed the new 2015 RC213V needs some fine tuning before the lights go out in Qatar at the end of March. His time of 1’31.119 (lap 23/57) – on the 2015 prototype – put him in second place behind his teammate.
This is the final MotoGP test before the Winter testing ban kicks in at the end of November. The next time Marc and Dani will be on track will be in Malaysia in February 2015.
Marc Marquez
“Today went well because we were able to gather a lot of data. We tried out both bikes: this year's and the 2015 machine. The new prototype has more potential in some aspects but, as is normal, I felt better with the 2014 bike - with which I set my fastest time. It’s true that in one day we have not had too much time to work on setting up the new prototype, but I think that it has potential and that this test has been important for Honda because of the information obtained. The HRC engineers have also found out which way to go this Winter to try to improve for the test in Malaysia, which takes place in February. Thanks to all my team and to all the fans for an unforgettable 2014!”
Dani Pedrosa
“Today testing was a lot more productive. The weather allowed us to set better times and we were able to put in a lot of laps to try out things with the new engine and new bike. Overall the test has been positive and the job of all our colleagues in HRC this Winter will be very important. The technicians here in Valencia have gathered a lot of data to take back to Japan and I’m sure we’ll see a big development when we’re back on track in Sepang next year.”
Testing Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|
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) |
