Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Successfully Complete Catalunya Test

Less than a day after the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team were back in action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for an official one-day IRTA Test. Maverick Viñales and Fabio Quartararo were eager to try some new solutions to improve their race performance for the remainder of the 2021 MotoGP season. They clocked the 1st and 2nd fastest time of the day respectively.

Maverick Viñales

Viñales once again showed his impeccable work ethic as he diligently set himself to the task of bettering his bike’s race and flying lap set-ups compared to last weekend. He completed a total of 85 laps, looking for improvements and testing various solutions. He ended the day by dropping a 1’39.400s on lap 78, which earned him 1st place with a 0.137s advantage over his teammate in second.

As he noticed some room for further improvement in certain corners during the last race, Quartararo arrived at the Montmeló track motivated to make another step. Rather than wanting to set a fast time, he worked on the race settings of the bike and also on practice starts. He completed 79 laps in total. His fastest time, a 1’39.537s set on lap 69, put him in 2nd place in the rankings, 0.137s off the number-1 spot.

Fabio Quartararo

The team will analyze the gained data in preparation for the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, held at the Sachsenring from 18th – 20th June 2021.

Massimo Meregalli (Team Director): “Our riders spent time following our test plans. We had a full-on schedule, which meant Maverick and Fabio had to put in a lot of laps. We worked on race set-ups, qualifying set-ups, the balance of the bike, practice starts, and tested some new solutions. The goal was to collect as much information as possible, so we can give our riders a package that makes them feel confident at the upcoming race at the Sachsenring. We will take all the data we gained on board for the next GP. The level of competition is really high again this year, so we will continue to work hard all season and leave no stone unturned.”

Maverick Viñales: “We were working on the feeling with the bike and riding with general settings of the bike. We also worked on setting a fast lap, because we missed out by quite a lot at the Catalan GP, and in the end, it cost me the opportunity to be on the podium. So, we were working quite a lot, also on the front, and the weight balance of the bike. Little by little, with the help of Silvano Galbusera, we are starting to understand a bit more what I like on the bike, and how I should ride it. This is the most important. We still need to improve, but this was only our first race and first test with Silvano as our Crew Chief. We tried many things, because the objective for us was to collect a lot of information, so we can prepare a competitive bike for the Sachsenring. On a good lap, we were able to be fast. To improve our rhythm we tried to work a lot between 2 and 3 o’clock in the afternoon, which is when the track is the most slippery. We improved a little bit, especially the last six laps of the tyre life.”

Fabio Quartararo: “I felt good. We tried some interesting settings on the bike and the electronics. We did many laps and also practice starts, so I’m happy. It’s great to be back here again. I feel good, like I did during the race weekend, so I’m looking forward to the German GP. I was trying to improve my riding style in the corners that I was struggling with a bit during the weekend. But honestly, my riding style was already quite good. I think that the new setting that we tested today was great. We need to check if it’s better to use it in the future, and in general I’m quite happy because we did close to 80 laps and everything was working well.”

credit: yamahamotogp.com

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