10 things we learnt from MotoGP’s post-race Valencia test

1. Jack Miller instantly gelled with the Ducati
Australian MotoGP fans held their breath as Jack Miller rolled out of pit land for the very first time aboard the Ducati GP17, eager to see if he could break the mould and instantly find pace with the notoriously difficult MotoGP machine. Pace he did find and by the time he arrived back at his box after his initial shakedown test, there was a hell of a lot of interest from the big wigs of Ducati. Huddled around the 22-year-old Australian after he first stepped off his new-for-2018 bike was Ducati’s sporting director Paolo Ciabbatti, Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall’Igna, Jorge Lorenzo’s crew chief (and Miller’s former crew chief) Christian Gabarini — even Loris Capirossi was there listening in! No wonder Miller’s fastest time at the end of the two-day test was 1.1 seconds and 1.2 seconds faster than the best time Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo managed during the race two days earlier. On top of this, his eventual seventh fastest time put him nine places and 1.1 seconds ahead of his 2018 teammate Danilo Petrucci.

2. Honda was the only brand with an all-new bike
Honda was the only brand to turn up to the two-day test with a 2018 engine fitted to a 2018 chassis, so it’s hardly surprising the Repsol Honda duo finished the second day on top. Ducati and KTM tested a hybrid-style bike, we won’t see their 2018 offering until at least Sepang (January 28-30, 2018) while Suzuki and Aprilia spent their time assessing parts. Honda, as usual, was cagey about its new machine but a shorter exhaust was clearly on show. LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello let slip that he feels like the Honda has finally “closed the gap” to the superior power of the Ducati during his stint in the commentary box and Cal Crutchlow said “the positives outweigh the negatives”.

3. Johann Zarco likes the chassis that has bugged Viñales and Rossi all year
Monster Tech 3’s Johann Zarco finished the two-day test in third place, 0.2 seconds slower than Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales in second place and 0.2 seconds than Valentino Rossi in fifth. While his quickest time was set on the 2016 chassis he raced with all year, he was quick out of the box on the 2017 chassis that the factory-backed duo has struggled with all season long. “The difference [between the chassis] is not big,” Zarco said at the end of the test. “I’m comfortable. Even if I’m not faster, I can play. At the same speed, we have potential to go faster [on the 2017 chassis]. It’s a competitive package.”

4. Valentino Rossi is very motivated
Four hours after Andrea Dovizioso had called it a day, two hours after Marc Marquez had hung his 2017 leathers up for the last time, when garages were closed, shadows were long and the sun was setting on the first of the three official winter tests, 38-year-old Valentino Rossi was still cutting laps. The nine-time world champ is desperate to find some improvement for the 2018 season and clearly had the motivation to achieve it, in what was a packed testing schedule which consisted of a mixture of a 2018 aerodynamics package, 2016 and 2017 chassis as well as a 2018 engine.

5. It’s a tough time to be a rookie
As LCR Honda Team boss Lucio Cecchinello pointed out, the 2018 season is probably the toughest for a rookie to make their debut and hope to make some kind of mark on the championship, such is the level of competition. As he rightly pointed out, if you think about how many former and current world champions currently make up the MotoGP category, you’d be hard pressed to find another year where the competition has been so strong. Of the 24 riders who are entered in the 2018 MotoGP world championship, 17 of them have been crowned an FIM world champion at some point in their career, with only Danilo Petrucci, Jack Miller, Bradley Smith, Xavier Simeon, Karel Abraham, Aleix Espargaro, Jonas Folger, Andrea Iannone and Takaaki Nakagami yet to loft a world championship trophy.

6. Fonsi Nieto has been hired by Ducati as Jack Miller’s rider coach
Grand Prix great Fonsi Nieto is the latest highly acclaimed rider to be drafter in to provide both on- and off-track advise to riders. The two-day test at Valencia was the former grand prix winner’s first day on the job as Octo Pramac Ducati’s technical coach for Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller. “I would like to share my experience with two riders like Petrux and Jack who already have an important career behind them,” he said. “I start with great motivation and I hope to be able to make my contribution, but also to learn a lot. I consider Pramac Racing one of the best teams in MotoGP: this is a dream come true.”

7. Franco Morbidelli has only ever ridden a 1000cc bike once before
The newly crowned 2017 Moto2 world champion’s debut on the Honda RC213V this week was the first time in four years the Italian has ridden a bike larger than a 600cc. In fact, he revealed he has only ever ridden a 1000cc machine once before in his life, a 1000cc production bike, which makes his 1:31.786 lap on the second day of the test even more impressive. He was quicker than the likes of seasoned campaigners Scott Redding (Aprilia) and Karel Abraham (Ducati), and even quicker than his Honda rookie rival Takaaki Nakagami who has not only heaps of big-bike experience as a test rider and Suzuka 8-hour veteran, but who has tested a MotoGP machine before.

8. Only Marc Marquez lead more race laps in 2017 than Johann Zarco
Just when you can’t be more impressed with Johann Zarco’s rookie year as a MotoGP rider, you go and hear a stat like that. It’s true, only championship winner Marc Marquez lead more laps in more races this season than the flying Frenchman. And, despite finishing the championship in sixth overall, he led more laps than title runner-up Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, and the factory Yamaha duo of Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi.

9. Alex Marquez will test a RC213V next week
Estrella Galicia Marc VDS team boss Michael Barthelomy let slip that Alex Marquez will again be testing the RC213V MotoGP machine at private test in Jerez next week. Although the younger brother of Spanish sensation and six-time world champ Marc Marquez has repeatedly stated he intends to win a Moto2 world title before making the step up to the premier class category, the Marc VDS squad has one eye on 2019 and beyond and says when that happens, they need the transition to be smooth and successful. He also let slip he expects his newly signed Moto3 world champ Joan Mir to be making a quick transition through Moto2 and suggests he could be filling a Marc VDS seat in the premier class as early as 2019.

10. Johann Zarco did a ride of shame
Johann Zarco is a dead set legend. Not because of his stellar performance which saw him claim 2017 Rookie of the Year honours, not because he led more race laps than Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi. But because on the Monday morning following the FIM Gala awards night, Zarco was spotted riding his scooter through the paddock still donning his suit and bow tie, dark sunglasses, and his Rookie of the Year medal still around his neck.