Maverick Viñales Tops First Day Of MotoGP Preseason Testing At Valencia

Opening day of preseason testing for the 2019 MotoGP world championship began late and ended early. Overnight rain left the Valencia track wet—only Johann Zarco (KTM) ventured out before noon—and dark clouds blew in midafternoon. Maverick Viñales (Yamaha) posted the quickest lap ahead of fellow series regulars Marc Márquez (Honda), Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), and Honda test rider Stefan Bradl.

“We tried a one-step better engine, and I felt really good,” Viñales said. “Tomorrow we have another engine with another step, but I’m quite happy with what we have now, especially on braking. I felt much better going into the corner. I stressed the front tire much less and I could keep higher corner speed. That is what I need: to arrive faster to the apex. The problem is our opponents will make another step; we need to make two steps.”

Rossi intended to do 40 laps, and that is exactly how many he completed. “The most important work of the day was to compare the engine that we tried already during the season,” he said. “We always suffer from tire degradation, so we try to make an engine more smooth, more soft, to try to stress the tire less. The engine also changed in engine-brake, in the entry. It is a small help because the bike is easier to ride, and you can be more consistent.”

Márquez had three bikes at his disposal, alleged to be one 2018 and two ’19s. He rode only 25 laps. “I’m riding 100 percent,” he said, responding to questions about his nagging shoulder injury. “For short runs, it’s not a big problem. My priority is my physical condition and then I try the new things.” About the all-black bike, Márquez would only say, “It’s different—a different specification on the engine, also a few things in the chassis area."

Márquez also tried a next-generation electronic steering damper. “The first feeling when I went out on the track was the same level or slightly better than the current one,” he said. “This is the most important thing, but I cannot say if this is for the steering damper or another thing.” About his new teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, far down the order, Márquez said, “Normally the first time you ride the Honda is difficult. It’s opposite when you ride a Yamaha for the first time.”

Franco Morbidelli supported Márquez’s statement by delivering the sixth-quickest lap of the day on a Petronas Yamaha. The 2017 Moto2 world champion spent his rookie season in the premier class on a Marc VDS Honda RC213V, completing the year 16th in the standings, one spot ahead of Yamaha Tech3’s Hafizh Syahrin, to earn MotoGP rookie-of-the-year honors. The 23-year-old Italian is now teamed with ex-Viñales crew chief Ramón Forcada.

“To see myself in the top positions is nice,” Morbidelli admitted, “but it doesn’t matter a lot now because we are testing. What I immediately realized is that this bike—it’s [Johann] Zarco’s frame with a 2018-spec factory engine—is much more rider-friendly. My riding style is already quite smooth, and this bike just calls that riding style when you jump on it; it’s like riding on butter. The [Honda] was a bit more reactive; everything happened fast.”

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Joan Mir was not the quickest of the four MotoGP rookies on Tuesday (that honor went to 2018 Moto2 World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia) but the new factory Suzuki rider was clearly the most excited—and possibly least intimidated—by the move to the big-bike class. When asked if he enjoyed the first day of testing, Mir beamed, “Yes, a lot,” he said. “New feeling, new bike, new team, but I am so happy about today overall."

Prior to his first laps on the GSX-RR, Mir said he was most concerned about the MotoGP electronics “because it is something that I never worked with. It helps you a lot, and it makes it easier to work. It is difficult to understand, but it is something you cannot live without. I made almost 60 laps [59 to be exact], so I’m a bit tired, but I’m more relaxed now. MotoGP is more fun than Moto2, for me especially. Today, I was impressed.”

In sharp contrast to his rivals, Andrea Dovizioso, winner of Sunday’s two-part wet race, didn’t test any new parts today. “We couldn’t work on the new bike because we wanted to create a base on the dry with the 2018 bike,” he said. “With the work we have to do, it is not easy to feel the difference when you make a comparison. We have to be clear. We have to make good work to understand the difference.

“When we were ready to compare the new bike, it started to rain, so today we almost did nothing. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to rain again, so we have to see the condition. And the condition has to be good to make a comparison. This is not just about trying a new bike. We have to make decisions now for the next bike, so it’s very important to make the right tests to understand the maximum to make the right decisions.”