Stefan Bradl crashes while testing in Jerez with a new chassis

On the Monday after the Spanish Grand Prix, an official MotoGP test day was held at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the various manufacturers had the opportunity to bring technical updates to the track.

As is so often the case during testing, only a few drivers turned out in the early hours of the morning due to the colder temperatures. But as the day progressed, the track filled up.

Marco Bezzecchi (VR46-Ducati) clocked the fastest test time of 1:36.574 minutes and topped the classification ahead of teammate Luca Marini, who was 0.104 seconds behind. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) was third. He was missing a tenth and a half.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini-Ducati) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) completed the top five ahead of Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) who finished sixth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), Brad Binder (KTM), Jorge Martin (Pramac-Ducati) and Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) followed in the other top 10 places.

A total of 16 drivers were within one second. With 94 laps, Vinales covered the most kilometers. Quartararo completed 88 laps, Alex Rins (LCR-Honda) 82 laps, Marini 81 and Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha) 80. Dani Pedrosa rested after his KTM wildcard and only completed 35 laps.

Honda

At Honda, Stefan Bradl tested the Kalex chassis for the first time, which had been rumored about for quite some time. The visible design changes are subtle compared to the other Honda frames. With the Kalex chassis, Bradl crashed at Turn 5. He was also testing a new carbon clutch.

The aero parts used by the German during his wildcard appearance at the weekend were used by the other Honda riders today. Joan Mir came out with a new side panel but crashed at Turn 6.

LCR Team’s Alex Rins tested the latest Honda chassis (not Kalex), although he’s actually happy with ‘his’ version of the chassis that won in Austin. The new side paneling was also used on him.

Iker Lecuona, who replaced Marc Marquez during the Grands Prix, did not test.

KTM

New aerodynamic parts were tested at KTM, including two new side panels. One of them caught the eye with a long, vertical wing element.

Comparative tests were also carried out between the old rear wing and a new rear wing, which was already seen on Dani Pedrosa’s RC16 at the weekend. The new one has a more boxy design, while the previous model is more of a V-shape.

Yamaha

At Yamaha, Fabio Quartararo tested the new extended double exhaust system that Franco Morbidelli already drove with on Friday. Both tested new front wings, which are less curved than the previous ones, as well as different chassis variants.

Quartararo didn’t see much progress: “I drove 88 laps. We won’t use the new Aero. The new chassis is difficult to assess, as is the exhaust.”

Aprilia

At RNF-Aprilia, Lorenzo Savadori stepped in at short notice for Miguel Oliveira, who was injured in the crash at the start of the main race on Sunday and was not fit.

The manufacturer tested a new swingarm to which an additional aero element was mounted. Front wings, which were already used in the Portimao test, were also tested. Otherwise, Espargaro and Vinales concentrated on the starts to catch up with the quick starters Ducati and KTM.

During the lunch break, Espargaro explained: “I’ve been working on the weight distribution and trying to lighten the front end to save the tyre. It’s hard to say if there’s been an improvement or not because in testing you’re riding alone while problems arise in the group.”

Ducati

Jerez race winner Bagnaia didn’t have much to test. He was running a new fork to give the front more stability – something he had been looking for since Friday at Jerez.

Gresini rider Alex Marquez worked to find the right feel with the carbon clutch. Honda, where Marquez drove in 2022, still used steel at the time, but now, like KTM, Aprilia and Ducati, uses a carbon clutch. It saves about 500 grams, but is a bit more difficult to handle.

“Here in Jerez we didn’t have a bad start like in Austin and we improved today,” said Marquez. “The carbon clutch is more aggressive. It’s different from the one I used on Honda. It takes some getting used to.”

New radio system being tested

MotoGP also experimented on Monday with a new radio system that would allow race control to send messages to riders. Three riders were fitted with it to provide feedback: Quartararo, Espargaro and Folger.

This initiative takes up a path that has already been explored in the past and so far has not had the desired success. It was last tried with Stefan Bradl at a test in Misano three years ago, after the issue came up at one of the safety committee meetings.

In addition to today’s test in Jerez, there will be another official test day of the current season in Misano on Monday September 11th.

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