2012 Private Aragon MotoGP Testing
Five riders from three teams wrapped up a two-day private test at Aragon Motorland Wednesday, the MotoGP pilots looking to find something extra for the final six rounds of the 2012 championship.
During the unofficial private test, which included the Repsol Honda Team (Dani Pedroa and Casey Stoner’s substitute, Jonathan Rea), Yamaha Factory Racing (Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies), and LCR Honda (Stefan Bradl), all riders on Wednesay were asked to test new rear Bridgestone tires.
And leading the group on Wednesday was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, the current MotoGP points leader. Lorenzo experimented with different engine specifications and general bike settings for Aragon MotoGP held later this month. The 2010 MotoGP Champion completed 77 laps, posting a best time of 1:48.351.
Though he was fastest, he couldn’t beat Repsol Honda Dani Pedrosa’s Tuesday time of 1:47.983.
Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1 MotoGP) says: “Today was a very long day, we made a race simulation at the end of the session so I feel very tired but it was necessary to see the performance of the rear tire. In general we leave here with happiness and confidence as we’ve been one second faster than last time. We need to try and improve consistency over race distance here.”
Lorenzo’s teammate, the American Ben Spies, was fourth quickest with a best of 1:48.946 during 76 laps. On Wednesday, Spies worked on general base settings of his YZR-M1.
Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1 MotoGP) says: “We basically tested the bike over race distance and did a race simulation, and set the bike up more for the end of the race. We worked on some different fork and shock settings. A little bit of electronics but nothing major, just fine tuning with the bike. It seems OK and I’m positive for the rest of the year.”
Pedrosa was second fastest behind Lorenzo with a time of 1:48.499. Lorenzo completed 47 laps, trying a new exhaust in hopes to improve power delivery of the RC213V, and also testing a modified rear shock to increase grip.
Dani Pedrosa (Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: “Today I tested a new exhaust, just to see if we can get a better drivability from the engine and we found some positives that can help us in the next races. We also tried a different rear shock to get more grip.
“In general it’s been a positive test, so I’m happy about the work we did and now we are focusing on the next races, where we will try to maintain the same level. We were not looking for a lap time here, but on working on improving the bike. It’s been good to be back testing after the last two good races in Indy and Brno and now it’s time to recover some energy to go to Misano and push again to the maximum”.
The man who is currently substituting for the injured Casey Stoner, World Superbike’s Jonathan Rea, continued to familiarize himself with the RC213V and Bridgestone tires. The Northern Irishman completed 62 laps, posting the fifth-fastest time of 1:50.057.
Jonathan Rea (Repsol Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: “I’m happy with the test we did here in Aragon. Now we’re not looking at the lap times so much, but the gap to the front which is decreasing every test, so I’m happy with that. Yesterday we did a lot of work with the base setting and we confirmed that this morning. I’m still not completely happy finishing the corner, but this afternoon I did a long run and my fastest lap came at the end, so I need to push these tyres much harder and it’s a question of trust.
“It’s been a good opportunity to test before the race; the Repsol Honda Team gave me the best opportunity, knowing the bike and the circuit and I am constantly learning. Now I’m going to Germany to race in Superbikes this weekend, so it will be a busy period for me but I will try to take advantage of it and enjoy it as much as I can.”
The final rider of the test, LCR Honda MotoGP’s Stefan Bradl, was the third fastest rider Wednesday with a 1:48.834. The reigning Moto2 champion continued to work on rear grip aboard the RC213V.
Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V MotoGP) says: “I am exhausted but very happy. We worked a lot in the last two days but we found a new set-up which makes me very positive for the future races. We improved in different areas gaining more rear grip and corner speed. I can easily say that this is the most productive test we had so far. HRC required me to lap the circuit on the new prototype and I was pleased to give them my impressions of the next season machine”.
The 2012 MotoGP Championship continues at Misano in San Marino Sept. 14-16 for round 13 of 18.
2012 Private Aragon MotoGP Testing Results, Day 2:
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha: 1:48.244
2. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team: 1:48.499
3. Stefan Bradl, Honda: 1:48.834
4. Ben Spies, Yamaha: 1:48.946
5. Jonathan Rea, Repsol Honda Team: 1:50.057
