MotoGP Jerez Test Day 2: Francesco Bagnaia finishes test on top

Francesco Bagnaia finishes the first 2022 test as the fastest rider, the future looking strong for Ducati.

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia was the quickest man overall at the end of the two day 2022 MotoGP test at Jerez lapping only 0.288 seconds from the all-time record, someone needs to tell Bagnaia to calm down it’s only a test! It looks to have been a positive test overall with many of the riders getting their first taste of 2022 parts and even full motorcycles in the case of Honda who have showcased their new steed, Pol Espargaro confirming that the bike is much more “neutral”, words which will allow the Japanese manufacturer a sigh of relief after struggling with a difficult to ride, front end heavy, incredibly powerful beast for the best part of a decade now.

Honda’s new front fairing.

Honda showcased their brand new 2022 RC213V which boasts a completely new front end including a more centralised air intake and lower wings to improve downforce, the bike is completely different in every way from the engine, chassis, exhaust to the riding position. The bike is the result of multiple years of development and many laps spun by their superhero test rider Stefan Bradl.

Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami continued to compare the 2021 and 2022 bikes as Pol Espargaro got his first taste of the bike trying out some new aero. All of the riders have spoken incredibly positively about this new machine, it remains to be seen what Marc Marquez makes of it, the rider forced to sit out due to his ongoing eye condition. Takaaki Nakagami was their fastest rider in P2.

Francesco Bagnaia and the new aero.

Ducati continues to get stronger and stronger, pushing the boundaries of the sport to even higher levels with every test, they unveiled a new front end fairing today with a redesigned air intake, narrower profile, the middle protruding slightly to improve aerodynamics. Not only this but they also handed their riders a new engine to try out and a new exhaust, this is the last thing the Yamaha and Suzuki riders wanted to hear, both manufacturers crying out for more power and speed on their bikes. Bagnaia totalled 110 laps over both days to lead the way with the second-fastest Ducati of Johann Zarco in fourth.

Fabio Di Giannantonio ended the test as the fastest rookie finishing only 1.7 seconds away from Bagnaia’s time, fellow rookie Marco Bezzecchi worked tirelessly to learn his way around the MotoGP bike clocking in 115 laps over both days.

The beautiful carbon fibre of the Yamaha.

2021 champions Yamaha unveiled a new smoother fairing today with the goal of improving the cooling of the machine, unfortunately, this doesn’t look to have had too many positives attached to it with Fabio Quartararo continuing to be dissatisfied with the lack of power from his machine, he has only one goal for Yamaha which is to improve the power of the bike, something which must be achieved if he has any hopes of fighting with Ducati next year for the championship.

After trying out the 2019 and 2021 bikes yesterday, Andrea Dovizioso got his first few laps aboard the 2022 bike he will ride next year noting some positives with the braking and power.

Aleix Espargaro donning a new test suit on the RS-GP.

Maverick Vinales is clearly getting used to the Aprilia in P8 overall learning his way around the V4 machine after trying a new chassis and some various other new parts, he tested these alongside the 2021 bike and noticed that there were good improvements to his feeling on the bike. All three Aprilia riders tested different versions of aero.

Miguel Olivera tested a new air intake.

The factory KTM boys were once used as testing mules for the new 2022 machine alongside test rider Dani Pedrosa, they debuted a new aero system with both good and bad things being said about the direction the brand is heading in. Over in the Tech3 team the rookies finished up only 0.037 seconds apart in P20 and P22, Raul Fernandez the fastest of the two.

Sylvain Guintoli laying down the laps.