2
NEWS
Marquez on top, Miller excited
No surprises from the reigning world champion, while Aussie Jack Miller notched up plenty of track time on his new Honda production racerRepsol Honda’s double-MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez wrapped up three days of testing at Valencia the top of the timesheet with a best lap of 1:30.973.
From an Australia perspective, the debut in the MotoGP ranks off 19-year-old Jack Miller created the most interest, with the Queenslander taking to the track on the #43 CMW LCR Honda RC213V-RS just a day after he claimed his sixth Moto3 victory of the year and finished the title just 2pts behind Alex Marquez.
Day two of the test was ruined by rain, and Miller returned on the final day to log another 49 laps and set his best lap of the test with a 1:33.746. That placed his 25th out of 27 riders.
Having moved from a bike with less than a quarter of the power of his new MotoGP machine, this test was always about the Australian familiarising himself with the package he will race in 2015. Both he and the CWM LCR Honda Team were extremely happy with his quick adaptation and they will get another chance to improve that rapport when he joins other MotoGP rookies for an extra test in Malaysia at the end of this month.
“It’s been an impressive three-day test, and it’s a shame we only got to ride two due to the weather,” acknowledged MIller. “Nonetheless I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made with the bike over these days, everything has been new like the weight and the power, but it’s been a great experience.”
“I’ve improved every single time I’ve exited the pits, and I can’t wait to get more bike time in Malaysia at the end of the month. As we get more experience we will be able to work a lot more on improving the electronics and the set-up to get a better feeling with the bike.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) was second overall, followed by Pol Espargaro (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), Bradley Smith (Monster Tech 3 Yamaha) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha).
Pramac Racing pair Yonny Hernandez and Danilo Petrucci looked good inside the Wednesday top 10, with Hernandez enjoying his first dry session on the GP14.2. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro rode with a special mechanism to test swingarm torsion and ended Wednesday’s session in 12h place, 14th overall over the three days.
Cal Crutchlow’s first test with CWM LCR Honda on a factory-spec RC213V concluded with him 0.8 seconds off Marquez’s best time in 10th on Wednesday, with the Briton getting more laps under his belt on the final day.
Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales continued their adaptation to the new Suzuki MotoGP GSX-RR bike, Espargaro working on getting ergonomics right as his foot was touching the exhaust on Monday.
Meanwhile rookies such as Loris Baz, Eugene Laverty notched up further track time with their respective new rides.
Wednesday’s session wrapped up the official MotoGP group tests for 2014, though further private tests at Jerez and Sepang are planned for some riders before the winter test ban commences in December.
Tags
Share this article
Written byBikesales Staff
See all articlesStay up to dateBecome a bikesales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todayDisclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Consent
Download the bikesales app
