Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Top Misano Test

07-09-2022

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Top Misano Test

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli spent the second day at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli confirming their initial positive feeling with all testing items. They ended the Misano MotoGP Official Test in 1st and 12th place respectively in the combined timesheets.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli were back aboard their YZR-M1s today for the second and last day of the 2022 Misano MotoGP Official Test. They secured 1st and 12th place respectively in the overall combined timesheets.

The teammates used today‘s two sessions (09:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00) to get into the nitty gritty of the data required to evaluate the new testing items: including a prototype 2023 engine, a new chassis, and winglets.

Quartararo focused on electronics work in the morning. It was clearly to his liking. El Diablo completed 40 laps in FP3 of the Misano Test and clocked a 1‘31.116s on lap 39, the top time of the session, with a 0.056s margin. His improved feeling with his YZR-M1 put the Frenchman in a great mood as he tested fairings and winglets in the afternoon. He ran another 32 laps and bettered his personal best lap of the test to a 1‘31.054s on lap 26. It made him the fastest rider of the Misano Test, with a 0.118s advantage over his closest rival in the final combined results, although his morning time would also have done the trick.

Morbidelli had enjoyed the first day of the Misano Test, especially as the new engine ticked all the boxes of what he had hoped for, making for a smooth yet powerful bike. The Italian dedicated the FP3 practice time to gathering further data. He got in 35 laps and set a 1‘31.614s for ninth place in the FP3 results, 0.498s from first. Morbido continued work in the afternoon session until the chequered flag, riding another 33 laps, setting a 1‘31.714s for third place in the FP4 timesheets on his final try. However, he didn‘t improve on his best time. It was his morning lap that put him in 12th place in the overall results, 0.560s from the top.

The team will be back in action on 16-18 Sept at Round 15 of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship, held at the MotorLand Aragón circuit in Spain.

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"It was a good test. This morning we worked pretty well on the electronics of the new bike. In the afternoon we had fairings and wings to test. I‘m feeling pretty positive about next year‘s bike. The top speed looks good, so I feel super happy! It‘s a great feeling. I got a great slip stream to set the 298km/h top speed this morning. But the average of the speed was also good, this is super important. So, I‘m looking forward to having this engine in a proper race."

Franco Morbidelli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP

"It was a busy day, tough. Also today, we've gone over, analysed, and tested many things. I have to say that it was a positive day. Unfortunately, the hot lap didn't come out well. But anyway, our pace and our average level were really good. We found many different solutions. They are all interesting, so we need to make the right choices. But the team and Yamaha did a wonderful job in stepping up in terms of items for the bike. They did a great job at home, and these two days of testing were really good to appreciate the job they did."

Massimo Meregalli

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Team Director

"We are quite satisfied because the test went well. Overall, for what we‘ve tested – mainly a new engine for next year and also a new chassis – all the information we gathered was very good. We gained some top speed, and the lap times are becoming quicker and are coming easier for the riders. They are happy because they clearly felt the improvement with the new engine. This is very important for next year, but it‘s also important for the mindset of the riders this year. It puts their minds at ease, because they got to experience for themselves what Yamaha promised them for this test. We are really happy and are looking forward to the next step for the Valencia Test."