The final pre-season test at Jerez was the first time that all the MotoGP and CRT bikes were seen together and even the harshest critic of the Claiming Rule Teams has to admit they were somewhat impressed on how fast they bikes have become in a very short period of time, especially the ART bike in the hands of Randy de Puniet who was biting the tails of the slowest satellite Ducati bikes especially on the twisty Spanish track – but we expect the gap will be a lot bigger on tracks where horsepower counts like in the upcoming season opener at Losail, Qatar.
There are some mumblings saying the ARTs are in fact factory prototype bikes – thus letting in the Italian manufacturer in by the back door, however all the Aprilia’s are not the same as Danilo Petrucci of IodaRacing (who runs a Ioda frame and finished 15th today) can testify as his “CRT has 20hp less than other CRTs, and about 40hp from GP bike.
Here are more rider quotes from both satellite and CRT riders from the final day of testing:Cal Crutchlow – 5th “I’m really happy to finish this test in the top five with a very fast pace because we worked through a lot.
Today I only used three sets of tyres in 83 laps, yet I was fast and consistent all day, so it shows we are getting good endurance from the soft and the hard options.
The different electronic set-up also helped in acceleration, so it was a very positive and productive day after the rain washed out yesterday.
The good thing is we know the bike works very well on a completely different track.
The tests in Sepang were crucial but we needed to come to a completely different circuit like Jerez to understand if the bike has a goo d base level for a tighter and shorter track.
Yamaha has done a great job because the YZR-M1 works very well.
Finishing behind Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Spies is obviously good for my confidence and now I’m looking forward to going to Qatar and racing.
I feel ready and much better prepared than last year.
”Andrea Dovizioso – 7th “I’m really happy about the work we did today and thanks to my Tech 3 crew because they worked incredibly hard.
After the stomach illness I had on the first day and the rain yesterday, I really needed to get in as many laps as possible to understand the potential of the Yamaha on a completely different track to Sepang.
We d id some very good work in improving the stability of the bike on the exit of the corner and this is so important at a slower track like Jerez.
You can have a lot of sliding and wheelie on the exit but we have improved a lot in this area.
I think I could have gone faster but I only used the soft rear tyre in the final 30 minutes, so with more time I’m sure I could have been inside the top six.
Now I am looking forward to going to Qatar and racing the Yamaha for the first time.
I’m convinced we will be fast and competitive but the four at the top of the timesheets are really strong.
They are consistently fast, so it will not be easy to stay with them.
But I will be giving it my maximum to start the new season in the best possible way.
” Alvaro Bautista – 9th“It hasn’t been a great day for us.
We started out well and tried some interesting electronic solutions this morning, as well as two different Bridgestone tyres, to try and work out which gave me the most confidence.
Then in the afternoon we were doing a race simulation when I crashed not once but twice, when the front let go without warning.
I still don’t know what happened exactly and naturally that damaged my confidence in the front and I couldn’t push to the limit as I would have liked.
Anyway, we are not losing faith because we found some good things and now we just have to prepare for the first race in the best way we can.
Racing at night in Qatar is not easy but I still feel confident even after the worst afternoon of preseason testing.
My feeling with the team is perfect and I am sure they will help me to recover the confidence I lost today.
”Stefan Bradl – 10th “After yesterday’s adverse weather, we had a lot of things to test today.
So we tried several lengths of swing arms, several front fork adjustments and those things to get more braking stability and at the end we achieved a good base set-up which I am very happy with.
At the end of the day I did a long with a consistent pace and on soft tyres I could have even improved my lap time but I got stopped by some riders but we were not here for the fastest lap time and I think we made our best in the last 3 days”.
Hector Barbera – 11th“To be honest, these 3 days was a little bit strange, mainly due to the windly weather conditions.
We made numerous adjustments on our Ducati and we worked particularly on the electronic set-up.
After yesterday, we lost a lot of time, due to bad weather condition, but today we worked tirelessly to make a step forward.
I rided for 91 laps.
We found a good set-up and now I’m able to ride in a better way, in particolar with the tyres.
When I tryed to improve my best lap time, there was ,on track, a lot of riders and I lost my chance.
But I’m satisfied with how the test went.
We also tested the new Bridgestone tyres, which worked very well with our Ducati.
”Karel Abraham – 12th“Today went well, we nearly rode ninety laps and found a good setup.
I have a good feeling after having missed three days in Malaysia.
I would be happier if we could shave off another half a second, but we are closer to the top than on the first day and that’s good news.
Now we must focus on Qatar and first race in eleven days.
”Randy de Puniet – 13th“We struggled a lot this morning for front end grip and had to work hard to resolve the issue, it took almost three hours.
In the end we went with a tyre that we had tested on Friday and it made a big difference.
Apart from the setback this morning I am satisfied with the test, we have been fast and at the front of the CRT field, not that far off the factory guys.
Our pace is good and I think we’re ready for the start of the season.
I am really happy with the potential of the bike and I think we can perform to a high level on it this season.
It is consistent and ready to run race distance.
I crashed late in the day, probably pushing too hard on a worn front tyre, but luckily it was really slow.
”Aleix Espargaró – 14th “We have had a lot of chattering today, I don’t know why, but I struggled to get on the pace this morning.
We improved a lot with the new Bridgestone but not enough so we have to keep working.
I need more confidence in corner entry.
Little by little we managed to set a good pace on a new tyre but we need to find a better solution to improve our mid-corner speed.
We have done a lot of work on the chassis and suspension and improved my overall feeling so we’ll have to keep working along the same lines in Qatar.
The good thing is that I am amongst the fastest CRT riders but we only have to look at my team-mate Randy to see that I can still go faster.
”Danilo Petrucci – 15th“They have been three very hard days but at the end I am satisfied for the result that we have gotten.
I am third Italian in classification and the third one between the CRTs and I have not reached my target just for 0.
1 seconds.
It was to have a gap from the MotoGPs under the three seconds.
Today I have tested different tyres and we have worked a lot on the electronics, we had two small problems that have stopped us in the moment in which the conditions of the track were ideal to make the time, but at the end I have improved my lap time in the last minutes of the day.
I must thank my team because they did a fantastic job, the TR003 constantly grows and it also shows to be reliable considering that today I have did 87 laps.
Now we go to Qatar knowing that there is still a lot of work to do”.
Mattia Pasini – 18th “Generally speaking, these three days went quite well.
Friday we started off with the shakedown of the second machine, which was new for us.
We did few minor modifications, but mostly we tried to complete as many laps as possible, without really worrying about the time and the final position.
Yesterday on wet track we had a positive outing, we did a good job and now we have some important information for the next time it rains.
Today we worked on the bike and its setting, to try to improve it step by step.
We put together a lot of data.
It was a shame to crash out by the end of the test, we didn’t need it.
We had started working on a new direction for the chassis which, according to me, could have helped us to improve.
Now we’ll keep working in this direction, in the whole I’m happy with our preparation for Qatar.
”Michele Pirro – 19th“All I can say is that we have a lot to work on! Lap by lap I am building my confidence with the bike but I couldn’t really make the most of it because we had a problem with the bike and I had to come back into the pit box.
They are teething problems but it is frustrating for me because I want to squeeze out everything I feel inside.
It is a shame but I know that the guys are working hard, I have complete faith in them and I am sure that we will soon be reaping the rewards of all their effort.
We just need to be patient.
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