MotoGP Test Session in Barcelona

The weather for Monday’s one-day MotoGP test session was hot but clouds covered the sky, resulting in showers falling in the midday that dried up by the time testing started, so they weren’t a concern for the riders. The MotoGP’s four day stay at the Circuit de Catelunya got off to a fast start with the riders taking their bikes onto the track to work on their bikes, rather than trying to run the fastest. The war for the fastest time was never going to be the prime concern of the day because teams have an extensive list of new parts and setup concepts that they want to try.

MotoGP tests in Barcelona

Andrea Dovizioso had the fastest time of the day, with a 1′42′23 that was set early in the day on board his new chassis-equipped Repsol Honda RC212V. The next four fastest riders were Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who were separated by less than a hundredth of a second during their runs, and Mika Kallio and Casey Stoner.

Valentino Rossi decided to take the morning off and concentrate on getting ready to test his M1 bike in the afternoon, when he traditionally runs a little better. He spent the morning in his home away from home, going over plans to test bike components, and watching the other racers perform. He started testing after lunch and spent four hours testing a new engine spec designed to provide the improved endurance tracks like Barcelona require. At the same time he was testing out a new Bridgestone rear that’s still in development and has been designed for the demands of tracks like Phillip Island.

Valentino Rossi’s team mate, Jorge Lorenzo, didn’t join his team mate in testing of the new engine spec, instead he spent the day trying to figure out a few problems with his bike’s electronics that need to be corrected.

Casey Stoner decided to get out of bed Monday after fighting exhaustion and a sudden illness that was obvious during the podium ceremony, which shows just how much this champion loves to compete. This tough Australian racer opted to test his health with a few runs early in the day and then made short rides during the day to test his new setup and his bike’s electronics system.

The next opportunity for the racers and teams to implement any breakthroughs will be in the future Alice TT Assen round. After the tests at Barcelona the teams will submit their tire choices for the Dutch race to Bridgestone, which is according to the new regulations starting this week.

MotoGP racers and teams will conduct final testing for 2009 on the Monday following the Czech Republic race in August.

“Image: Zuma Press”