The test day that followed on the Montmélo track on Grand Prix of Catalonia offered a full MotoGP field but with very different ambitions. Thus, if on the side of Yamaha we offered nothing to resigned riders and while at Honda we were releasing an experimental black motorcycle with a view to the next campaign, at Ducati, we were already in deep reflection on the next GP19. The work was placed under the responsibility of the sole Danilo Petrucci, future teammate of Andrea Dovizioso. And Petrux coped, despite a fall which disrupted a busy program.
Suddenly, because of this accident at turn 9 which shook the driver into an intense roll, everything could not be completed. But a lot of things were nevertheless tested: judge: a new exhaust, a new gearbox, a chassis never before seen and a revised swinging arm... In other words, a new motorcycle!
On the new features, he comments: “ the gearbox and exhaust make a difference when exiting corners. The bike is much smoother. This is something Lorenzo and I have been asking for for a year. Because at the point of apex, we need a docile motorcycle. The couple arrives more gradually. On the other hand, I am sorry that I was no longer able to work on the swingarm because of my fall. But people will say that I made it undergo its crash test! »
« Nevertheless, I had time to feel a progression, as with everything I tested. That being said, because of my fall we lost two hours. » An accident which shook him, without apparently injuring him: « I have pain in a finger and ankle, but luckily nothing is broken ».
Despite this pitfall, Petrucci finished fourth in these tests, 0.572 seconds behind the Honda Márquez. The Italian does not know if he will benefit this year from one of the new features discovered in Barcelona. But he specifies that as much Lorenzo which Dovizioso already have the new exhaust...
MotoGP Test IRTA Barcelona: Chronos
| 1 | 93 | Marc Marquez | Honda RC213V | 1:38.916 | ||
| 2 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:39.020 | 0.104 | 0.104 |
| 3 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Ducati GP17 | 1:39.362 | 0.446 | 0.342 |
| 4 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati GP18 | 1:39.488 | 0.572 | 0.126 |
| 5 | 5 | Johann zarco | Yamaha M1 | 1:39.534 | 0.618 | 0.046 |
| 6 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda RC213V | 1:39.727 | 0.811 | 0.193 |
| 7 | 26 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda RC213V | 1:39.738 | 0.822 | 0.011 |
| 8 | 42 | alex rins | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:39.793 | 0.877 | 0.055 |
| 9 | 25 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha M1 | 1:39.797 | 0.881 | 0.004 |
| 10 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati GP17 | 1:39.799 | 0.883 | 0.002 |
| 11 | 41 | Alex Espargaro | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:39.915 | 0.999 | 0.116 |
| 12 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Honda RC213V | 1:40.004 | 1.088 | 0.089 |
| 13 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha M1 | 1:40.108 | 1.192 | 0.104 |
| 14 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha M1 | 1:40.124 | 1.208 | 0.016 |
| 15 | 38 | Bradley Smith | KTM RC16 | 1:40.462 | 1.546 | 0.338 |
| 16 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda RC213V | 1:40.541 | 1.625 | 0.079 |
| 17 | 44 | Espargaro Pol | KTM RC16 | 1:40.721 | 1.805 | 0.180 |
| 18 | 45 | Scott Redding | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:40.732 | 1.816 | 0.011 |
| 19 | 10 | Xavier Simeon | Ducati GP16 | 1:41.145 | 2.229 | 0.413 |
| 20 | 12 | Tom Luthi | Honda RC213V | 1:41.207 | 2.291 | 0.062 |
| 21 | 50 | Sylvain Guintoli | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:41.316 | 2.400 | 0.109 |
| 22 | 36 | Mika Kallio | KTM RC16 | 1:41.976 | 3.060 | 0.660 |
