7 takeaways from the MotoGP Misano test

Reigning world champ Fabio Quartararo was all smiles before lunchtime on the last of the two-day test, having been clocked through the speed trap at 298.3km/h. That is 1.6km/h faster than the 296.7km/h the Frenchman clocked in qualifying, and around 2km/h slower than the fastest bike of the day, which was Jorge Martin’s Ducati GP22.

Fabio said he’s feeling positive about the 2023 engine. “The top speed looks good, so I feel super happy,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. I got a great slipstream to set the 298km/h top speed this morning. But the average of the speed was also good; this is super important. I’m looking forward to having this engine in a proper race.”

As well as the new engine, the factory Yamaha pairing were also testing a new chassis. Quartararo liked it more than teammate Franco Morbidelli, who said the negatives outweighed any improvements.

Quartararo was the opposite; he liked it so much there’s a chance he will use it in the next race at Aragon.

Quartararo ended the two-day test on top with a 1m31.054s, with Morbidelli in 12th with a best lap of 1m31.614s.

Related reading:
Bagnaia train rolls on in Misano MotoGP thriller
Miller to make ASBK cameo at The Bend
Bagnaia secures hat-trick in Austria

Despite being off a MotoGP bike for 100 days, the eight-time works champ was just 0.8sec off the pace in the very first session of the test, which didn’t surprise anyone. “He did exactly what I was expecting to see,” grinned Bagnaia. He took the afternoon of the opening day off to rest, before completing another 61 laps on day two.

The big news from the Honda garage was a new aluminium swingarm outsourced from Kalex, which is a significant departure from the fiercely proud Honda camp which likes to manufacture everything in-house.

Marc also tried a new air intake that LCR Rider Taka Nakagami has previously been testing, while Nakagami’s bike had a different intake again, as well as some new aerodynamics.

Test rider Stefan Bradl was on track with a 2021 Honda RC213V, showing the team has learnt that not all development pushes you forward.

On day two, Marc said the test was “really successful. “[It] was not easy yesterday, but today I started to feel the bike, which is important,” he said. “I was able to try some things for Honda for the project,” he said, adding he started to feel some pain in his shoulder.

Marc finished as the top Honda in 13th with a 1m31.642, one place ahead of teammate Pol Espargaro’s 1m31.707s. The LCR riders of Nakagami and Alex Marquez were 15th and 17th respectively.

The factory Aprilia rider suffered a crash in a fast corner on the morning of the second day with a check-up confirming he broke the little finger on his left hand. The Spanish rider said he feels some pain, but it won’t be enough to rule him out of Aragon.

The hard work continues in Noale, with Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori having two new so-called lab bikes at his disposal. And while both factory riders remained relatively tight-lipped about what they were actually testing, both were happy with the outcome.

“The progression continues, really pleased,” beamed a smiling Maverick Vinales.

Vinales ended the two-day test third quickest with a 1m31.189s, two spots ahead of Espargaro’s 1m31.333s.

Being the only rider in the current KTM line-up to stay with the manufacturer for next year, the South African had plenty of work to do alongside test rider Dani Pedrosa. He completed a total of 167 laps, 11 more than the next busiest rider in Franco Morbidelli. Quartararo completed 151 while Marc Marquez managed 100.

Reports said Pedrosa was riding a 2023-spec KTM RC16 at the Misano test, but team boss Francesco Guidoota denied this was the case, saying both Binder and Pedrosa were testing “some parts, but the new bike is not ready”.

Both riders tried a new seat and tail unit, while Guidotti said that Miguel was “working with what we can use this year”, and he also confirmed both Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro will get their first taste of the RC16 at the one-day test post-Valencia.

Other than a new chassis being evaluated, it was a relatively quiet test for the Ducati riders. Factory rider Pecco Bagnaia was quickest on the opening day with a 1m31.292s, with VR46 Mooney squad rider Luca Marini in second.

In combined times Bagnaia was the lead Ducati rider in second with a 1m31.172s, ahead of Gresini rider Enea Bastianini in fourth, the Prima Pramac pairing of Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco were seventh and 11th, with Miller’s best lap of 1m31.927s coming on Wednesday morning and only good enough for 18th overall.

Michelin used the tyres to evaluate a new compound for a front tyre which offers riders the grip of a medium tyre but with the same support and stability of a hard tyre.

All riders were pleased with the step forward and despite Michelin’s motorsport manager Pierro Tarramasso confirming they do need to conduct more tests at a different circuit in lower temperatures, he said the firm is ready to introduce the new tyre into the allocation for the 2023 season.

With no championship to fight for and no future in the sport, unsurprisingly Suzuki had very little in the way of new parts. Alex Rins tested ‘cooling parts’ and suspension settings, but the team didn’t even bother firing up a bike on the second day of the test.

Joan Mir was still recovering from the fractures sustained in Austria, which was advantageous for 2022 MotoE World Cup champ Dominique Aegerter, who got a spin on Mir’s GSX-RR on the opening day as a reward for his world title.

He ended his test in 27th, one hundredth of a second quicker than last-placed Andrea Dovizioso, who turned a few laps to test a new helmet from Alpinestars.