Submitted by David Emmett on
Andrea Dovizioso finished as fastest on Thursday at Jerez, the factory Ducati rider using the morning to break Jorge Lorenzo's pole record from 2015 - though as this is a private test, this is only an unofficial time, and so Lorenzo's record will stand until the race here in May - going over a quarter of a second faster than Lorenzo did on the Yamaha two years ago. Cal Crutchlow was second fastest, also under the pole record, having spent a full and busy day jumping between three different bikes and racking up a grand total of 90 laps, more than any other rider on the grid.
Jorge Lorenzo ended as third fastest, just outside his 2015 lap record, a little ahead of Andrea Iannone on the Suzuki. Pol Espargaro ended the day in fifth, the KTM showing well at Jerez, while Alex Rins was sixth on the second Suzuki. Tito Rabat was quick on the Avintia Ducati, the only rider to do a full race simulation, and less than three quarters of a second slower than Dovizioso.
Marco Melandri was the quickest of the WorldSBK riders, the Aruba.it Ducati man a tenth faster than Alex Lowes on the Pata Yamaha. Leon Camier impressed once again on the Red Bull Honda, fractionally slower than Lowes, and running consistently in the low 1'40s. Chaz Davies was absent, after suffering a knee injury in a big crash at Turn 1 at the end of Wednesday. The Kawasaki riders were also absent, taking a day off before returning to the track on Friday.
The track will be a good deal emptier on Friday, the last day of the test. The Factory Ducati MotoGP team are leaving, as are the Honda MotoGP teams and Avintia Ducati. The WorldSBK teams will be staying on, as will Pramac Ducati and all of the MotoGP manufacturers who are not subject to testing restrictions: Suzuki, KTM, and Aprilia.
Combined times from Thursday:
Pos | No | Name | Class | Bike | Time | Diff | Gap |
1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | MGP | Ducati GP17/18 | 1:37.663 | ||
2 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:37.818 | 0.155 | 0.155 |
3 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | MGP | Ducati GP17/18 | 1:37.921 | 0.258 | 0.103 |
4 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | MGP | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:38.067 | 0.404 | 0.146 |
5 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | MGP | KTM RC16 | 1:38.314 | 0.651 | 0.247 |
6 | 42 | Alex Rins | MGP | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:38.360 | 0.697 | 0.046 |
7 | 53 | Tito Rabat | MGP | Ducati GP17 | 1:38.387 | 0.724 | 0.027 |
8 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | MGP | Ducati GP17/18 | 1:38.688 | 1.025 | 0.301 |
9 | 43 | Jack Miller | MGP | Ducati GP17 | 1:38.876 | 1.213 | 0.188 |
10 | 38 | Bradley Smith | MGP | KTM RC16 | 1:38.900 | 1.237 | 0.024 |
11 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:38.923 | 1.260 | 0.023 |
12 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:38.992 | 1.329 | 0.069 |
13 | 45 | Scott Redding | MGP | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:39.295 | 1.632 | 0.303 |
14 | 41 | Eugene Laverty | MGP | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:39.485 | 1.822 | 0.190 |
15 | 33 | Marco Melandri | SBK | Ducati Panigale | 1:39.663 | 2.000 | 0.178 |
16 | 22 | Alex Lowes | SBK | Yamaha YZF-R1M | 1:39.770 | 2.107 | 0.107 |
17 | 73 | Alex Márquez | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:39.782 | 2.119 | 0.012 |
18 | 2 | Leon Camier | SBK | Honda CBR1000RR | 1:39.797 | 2.134 | 0.015 |
19 | 12 | Xavi Fores | SBK | Ducati Panigale | 1:40.002 | 2.339 | 0.205 |
20 | 60 | Michael van der Mark | SBK | Yamaha YZF-R1M | 1:40.199 | 2.536 | 0.197 |
21 | 10 | Xavier Simeon | MGP | Ducati GP17 | 1:40.332 | 2.669 | 0.133 |
22 | 59 | Niccolo Canepa | SBK | Yamaha YZF-R1M | 1:40.593 | 2.930 | 0.261 |
23 | 121 | Michael Rinaldi | SBK | Ducati Panigale | 1:40.606 | 2.943 | 0.013 |
24 | 104 | Dan Linfoot | BSB | Honda CBR1000RR | 1:41.018 | 3.355 | 0.412 |
25 | 122 | Jason O'Halloran | BSB | Honda CBR1000RR | 1:41.526 | 3.863 | 0.508 |
Times for each class:
Pos | No | Name | Class | Bike | Time | Diff | Gap |
1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | MGP | Ducati GP17/18 | 1:37.663 | ||
2 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:37.818 | 0.155 | 0.155 |
3 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | MGP | Ducati GP17/18 | 1:37.921 | 0.258 | 0.103 |
4 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | MGP | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:38.067 | 0.404 | 0.146 |
5 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | MGP | KTM RC16 | 1:38.314 | 0.651 | 0.247 |
6 | 42 | Alex Rins | MGP | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:38.360 | 0.697 | 0.046 |
7 | 53 | Tito Rabat | MGP | Ducati GP17 | 1:38.387 | 0.724 | 0.027 |
8 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | MGP | Ducati GP17/18 | 1:38.688 | 1.025 | 0.301 |
9 | 43 | Jack Miller | MGP | Ducati GP17 | 1:38.876 | 1.213 | 0.188 |
10 | 38 | Bradley Smith | MGP | KTM RC16 | 1:38.900 | 1.237 | 0.024 |
11 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:38.923 | 1.260 | 0.023 |
12 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:38.992 | 1.329 | 0.069 |
13 | 45 | Scott Redding | MGP | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:39.295 | 1.632 | 0.303 |
14 | 41 | Eugene Laverty | MGP | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:39.485 | 1.822 | 0.190 |
15 | 73 | Alex Márquez | MGP | Honda RC213V | 1:39.782 | 2.119 | 0.297 |
16 | 10 | Xavier Simeon | MGP | Ducati GP17 | 1:40.332 | 2.669 | 0.550 |
1 | 33 | Marco Melandri | SBK | Ducati Panigale | 1:39.663 | ||
2 | 22 | Alex Lowes | SBK | Yamaha YZF-R1M | 1:39.770 | 0.107 | 0.107 |
3 | 2 | Leon Camier | SBK | Honda CBR1000RR | 1:39.797 | 0.134 | 0.027 |
4 | 12 | Xavi Fores | SBK | Ducati Panigale | 1:40.002 | 0.339 | 0.205 |
5 | 60 | Michael van der Mark | SBK | Yamaha YZF-R1M | 1:40.199 | 0.536 | 0.197 |
6 | 59 | Niccolo Canepa | SBK | Yamaha YZF-R1M | 1:40.593 | 0.930 | 0.394 |
7 | 121 | Michael Rinaldi | SBK | Ducati Panigale | 1:40.606 | 0.943 | 0.013 |
1 | 104 | Dan Linfoot | BSB | Honda CBR1000RR | 1:41.018 | 1.355 | |
2 | 122 | Jason O'Halloran | BSB | Honda CBR1000RR | 1:41.526 | 1.863 | 0.508 |
Comments
More Great Reporting Deserves a Comment
Thanks for more interesting and diligent coverage!
My obsverations:
Laverty...
...keeps showing up as motogp?
Laverty is a test rider for MotoGP
Eugene Laverty was riding the Aprilia RS-GP bike as a test rider, because Aleix Espargaro skipped the test to let his hand recover. Aprilia didn't have anything radically new to test, so that's work Laverty is very good at testing.
Point well taken re #04 tony g
Tito Rabat was one of the most pleasing riders to watch in Moto2, smooth as silk, devastatingly efficient until he got on that 3rd tier Honda pig that Miller also had to court in GP. I recall our scribe noting Jorge wrapped around the M1 like a python at Jerez some years back. That was then, this is now. Dovi is the best and worst team mate he could wish for. The best because he has no egotistic aspirations, the worst because beating his team mate is his priority #1 within a happy camp. The pay gap between he and Lorenzo is probably not an issue. Beating his team mate out for the hell of it probably is...ask Cal...M1/D16 experiences alongside him. We can go back to his REPSOL/HRC days alongside the likes of the great #26 and later #27. Then there was the late # 58 in the stable back then. #04 was always the orphan yet the one you did not want to get into the square circle with when the playing field was level. Even Marc can attest to that circa 2017.