MotoGP Test Qatar J2: It's here and live!

The tension is rising a notch for these official MotoGP tests in Qatar but you want to take advantage of the particularly mild weather which is bathing France this Sunday? Don't worry: as usual, we take care of everything!

This evening, when you return, you will find in this article constantly updated from 14:00 a.m. to 20:00 a.m., all the information available regarding this second day of testing on the Losail circuit.

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20h00:
This second session is now over.
The main statements from the pilots will be published this evening, the others tomorrow during the day.
Thank you and see you tomorrow from 14:00 p.m. for a new session!

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com

19:45 p.m .:
There were still 5 of them on the track in this last half hour before Johann zarco stays alone on the asphalt.
The French driver is once again the record holder for the number of laps (60!) but that is not enough to improve his position: 17th, 1,1 seconds from the lead and half a second behind Pol Espargaró.
For the moment, all the engines have stopped in Losail.
The new Aprilia wing…

19:30 p.m .:
With a 19th position in his pocket, Valentino Rossi remained on track.
The Yamaha rider managed to improve in T2 but not over one lap. Hard, hard, tonight...
Then Marc Márquez, 5th, completed the greatest number of laps of the day, with 58 units: visibly, his shoulder is much better!
Conversely, with only 38 laps completed, Andrea Iannone does not appear extremely motivated, leaving only Cal Crutchlow and his 35 laps behind him…
Note that in the field of convalescent pilots, Jorge Lorenzo is doing quite well, with 42 laps completed.

19h15: 
Small improvement for Takaaki Nakagami (7e) and Jack Miller (12e).
11 drivers are still on the track.
MotoGP transport tires: you can buy them!

19h00:
There are still a lot of drivers on track, which confirms that the conditions are a little better than yesterday, but if things do not improve, the debriefings of Jorge Lorenzo et Valentino Rossi will be eagerly awaited...

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com

18h45:
fabio quartararo jumped from 12th to 3rd position, 3 tenths behind the leader!
The Ducati use the 6 double wing fairings, but this time they are painted, which would tend to lead us to believe that they will be approved for the season, in two weeks, before the Qatar Grand Prix...

18h30: 
After the “Star Wars” fins, Marc Márquez now try a “salad box” on the back of your RC213V, like Stefan bradl did it at Sepang…
The Honda driver is currently 4th, 4 tenths behindAlex Rins.

18h15:
Apart from 5th placeAleix Espargaró and his Aprilia, no change in the ranking.
Simon Crafar (MotoGP.com) from Losail…

18h00:
Alex Rins directs the debates.
The time of Tito Rabat stopped in T4…

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com

17h45:
Marc Marquez wakes up using his “Star Wars” fins and comes to tease Danilo Petrucci to 5 hundredths, but it is Maverick Vinales which puts everyone in agreement in 1'54.781 then 1'54.650!
Takaaki Nakagami enters the Top 10.

17h30:
Pol Espargaro therefore places the KTM in 3rd place in 1'55.255, or 8 tenths better than yesterday!
The asphalt is still at 24°, which could make the useful driving period longer than yesterday...
New thinner saddle on one of the official Yamahas Maverick Vinales...

17h15: 
 Pol Espargaro, Joan Peace, Maverick Vinales et Franco Morbidelli have overflowed fabio quartararo who finds himself 8th.
Jorge Lorenzo heels Marc Márquez...
Ducati is testing a new, massive air intake on the front wheel (Photo: GPone). Cooling?

17:00 p.m .:
So ! We are faster than yesterday! Well, not us, but Danilo Petrucci !
Here, Maverick Vinales had managed a 1'55.051. The absolute record is 1'53.680 and belongs to Johann Zarco.
Alex Rins will it be the itchy hair of 2019? For the moment, the Suzuki rider is constantly at the forefront…

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com

16h45:
This is called the Long Lap Penalty and it will likely debut at the Qatar Grand Prix. Yesterday, MotoGP riders were asked to try a new type of penalty, which involves taking a longer line at Turn 6, slowing them down by around 2,5 seconds.
This measure would replace the fact of giving back a place or adding time at the end of the race to the punished driver.

Public chat GPone, Loris Capirossi, member of the race management, is still awaiting the opinion of the Moto2 and Moto3 drivers but seems inclined to adopt this measure.
“I collected the pilots' indications and most of them chose this solution. Next week, during the Moto2 and Moto3 tests, we will ask the other riders to try it and then we will decide. We realized that the penalty of forcing a driver to surrender a position is not correct, because time is lost by the one who is close and following him. This seems to us to be a more correct solution. Logically, this is only a test, and for the Grand Prix, this alternative route will be better traced, with a double line to delimit it. We have some problems on only 3 circuits, and in case there are not the necessary safety conditions to create this alternative, we will use the old method.

16:30 p.m .:
Andrea Dovizioso took the lead in 1'55.205 ahead Alex Rins to 5 hundredths.
fabio quartararo 4th by 4 tenths!

 

16h15:
Alex Rins improves a little and is positioned 3rd.
Danilo Petrucci et Marc Márquez share the best top speed: 345,9 km/h.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, we don't pretend...

16h00:
Andrea Dovizioso, Maverick Viñales, Aleix Espargaró, Álex Rins and Franco Morbidelli have overflowed Pol Espargaror.
Francis Bagnaia improved his time from yesterday.

At Ducati, Danilo Petrucci try the now famous swingarm spoiler…
At Honda, Jorge Lorenzo working on the layout of its half handlebars after returning to black grips…

 

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com

15:45 p.m .:
In the leading trio, Danilo Petrucci et Marc Márquez improved their times from yesterday while Pol Espargaro is approximately at the same pace. Jack Miller, currently 4th, improved by no less than 8/10 after spending yesterday testing parts for Ducati! We can therefore think that the track is already faster than the first day, and as a result, expect improvements that are as imminent as they are significant...
Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow took to the trail, and alone Karel Abraham and Andrea Iannone have not yet left their box.

 

15:30 p.m .:
In 1'55.365 in his 9th flying lap, Danilo Petrucci improves his best time from yesterday (1'55.594), takes the lead and begins to approach the reference set yesterday by  Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales (1). Behind him we find Marc Márquez at 4/10, but who has already improved his time from yesterday by 4 tenths. The Honda rider always has 2 different exhausts on his 2 motorcycles.
Francesco Bagnaia, Joan Mir, Jack Miller, Aleix Espargaró et Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales have just hit the track, which is not yet the case for Valentino Rossi, Cal Crutchlow ou Andrea Iannone...

15h15:
A16h00:
Andrea Dovizioso, Maverick Viñales, Aleix Espargaró, Álex Rins and Franco Morbidelli have overflowed Pol Espargaror.
Francis Bagnaia improved his time from yesterday. HASLex Rins will only have taken 2 turns to reach Danilo Petrucci.
fabio quartararo et Johann zarco also took to the track and Jorge Lorenzo starts a 2nd run, but it is clear that no one is really trying to look for the limit.
In front of the boxes, we warm up the Yamaha Valentino Rossi...
The hierarchy is currently composed of Danilo Petrucci, Álex Rins, Andrea Dovizioso, Marc Márquez, Franco Morbidelli, Pol Espargaró, Jorge Lorenzo, Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira, Fabio Quartararo, Hafizh Syahrin and Bradley Smith. Only the first 5 are in the same half second.
At Suzuki, we also have steel discs (rear?), just in case…

 

15h00:
Things are gradually coming to life with the arrival of Danilo Petrucci, Franco Morbidelli et Bradley Smith. The first two mentioned quickly moved to the top of the ranking, the Ducati rider achieving 1'56.247 in his 3rd flying lap.
Marc Márquez et Hafiz Syahrin have just hit the trail.

 

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com

14:45 p.m .:
Pol Espargaro therefore registered a first reference in 2'00.943 in his first lap launched at the moment when Miguel Oliveira also enters the track.
During the following passages, the Red Bull KTM Factory rider lowered the best time of the day to 1'56.888 while Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo also join the dance.

14h30:
Seoul, Pol Espargaro just hit the trail.
Maverick Vinales, the fastest man yesterday, gave some explanations about the work in progress in his box: “We are testing new parts, but they are not really new. We already tested them last year, but it wasn't really clear when we tested them. There are things I tested last year that I didn't like that work here with the bike. But ultimately the biggest improvement comes from the changes we've made since Buriram: more weight at the rear, to try to help the bike stop. Also, engine braking. Last year I struggled a lot with this. This year they brought something better so I could close the corner and I could accelerate better. But that's still not enough. So we are working very hard in this area. In Sepang we had two different chassis, very similar, but here I can feel the difference a little more because there is no grip. We are testing these things because they have to be clear for the first race, and today I feel comfortable on the bike and I can ride in my own way, more aggressively.”

14:15 p.m .:
The lights turned green a quarter of an hour ago but not a single motorcycle took to the track.
The temperature is 23°, just like yesterday at the same time. The humidity is 58% and a light wind blows at 11km/h.
fabio quartararo will he confirm his progress?

 

14h00:
What we know, before this second day of MotoGP testing in Qatar…

Weather :
Generally pleasant at this time of year, temperatures are around 16° at night and 25° during the day. A few drops fell on Friday evening, which made for a dirty and loose track during the first hours of Saturday's practice, but Sunday and Monday are expected to be pristine.

The references :
The circuit record is 1'53.680 and belongs to Johann zarco since qualifying in 2018. The French driver also set the best time in the 2018 pre-season tests, in 1:54.029. Yesterday, Maverick Casa Particular in Viñales achieved 1'55.051.

The context :
The final tests at Sepang were dominated by a quartet of Ducatis (Petrucci, Bagnaia, Miller, Dovizioso) also always looking for exotic technical solutions, while the Honda riders continued their physical convalescence (Márquez, Lorenzo, Crutchlow).
The situation has not changed, except yesterday the Yamahas of Maverick Vinales et Valentino Rossi, well and the Suzuki ofAlex Rins, seemed able to join the cast of the leading roles, while conversely the Ducati satellites remained subdued.
Great performance from Fabio Quartararo making full progress.
We are still in the tough at KTM, while Aprilia's results were marred by the fall of the two pilots.
With the exception of the Noale firm, all manufacturers will have to take advantage of the final test to finalize the engines they will use this year. And everyone, including Aprilia this time, will also have to define a first fairing and will only be entitled to an update during the season.
See the procedure below for checking the conformity of the fairing.

The tires :
Michelin communicated on the tires provided:
At the front, Soft and Medium are identical to 2018. The Medium/Hard features the new technology used at Sepang and providing consistency and durability.
At the rear, Medium and Hard are those used for last year's race, while the Soft uses the new technology used at Sepang.
Each driver also has 2 Hard new technology rear tires in order to evaluate them, and a final decision will be made by Michelin at the end of these tests to know whether they will be included in the annual allocation or not. We're talking about tires that are supposed to provide a response to the problems encountered by Yamaha last year...

The penalty test:
The Race Direction explained the study of a new system of penalties during the races. Currently, the penalty provides for the loss of a place during the competition, but another system is being evaluated. The affected drivers would be forced to cross a demarcated area off the track, which would take time.
In Losail, a path has been marked by two white lines outside curve 6. Passing through this area would take approximately 2,5 seconds.
During the meeting, the MotoGP riders were informed about this test. Everyone will have to go through this new area during testing. The pilots will then convey their impressions at a subsequent meeting, with the aim of assessing the validity of this alternative.

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