Last Monday was a busy day for the 2024 Regular MotoGP Racers after completing 6 Hours of annual MotoGP Testing at the Jerez Circuit. And the fastest was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) with a time of 1:36.405 followed by Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing). There were quite a lot of headlines that appeared when Yamaha launched their YZR-M1 which was highly anticipated and fresh looking and also the new Aero Shape of the KTM RC-16 of course.
As expected, Raul Fernandez managed to get his first taste of the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP. However, the Spaniard’s best time was set in his usual RSGP23 specification, a lap that put him in P12 overall. As we discussed previously, due to Homologas regulations, Raul cannot use the RSGP24 engine spec for the remainder of the season.
Apart from Pol Espargaro’s appearance, one of the important topics to discuss regarding the KTM Factory is the updated aero side fairing. Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta in the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 look to give it a go, with Brad Binder finishing the Test fastest of the Pierer Mobility Group full-time quartet. Jack Miller admits that they haven’t completely found a solution to KTM’s Chatter problem
Of course, much attention is focused on Japanese factories. Yamaha unveiled a fairly major aero update for Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, consisting of a three-blade front wing element in a similar style to the one they have now.
The new aero on the side fairings is also visible, and as mentioned by Team Manager Maio Meregalli at midday, the new chassis is also being tested by both Yamaha riders and we will discuss that in a future article.
Also in the spotlight is Honda. After witnessing Stefan Bradl’s modified RC213V during the Spanish GP, it was the turn of the four Honda racers, both Repsol Honda and LCR, to get the opportunity to try it. Nakagami admitted to motogp.com that his new bike “hasn’t changed much”.
Ducati itself, which dominates the Top-10 testing, does not present many updates that can be seen by the eye. However, Ducati Corse is committed to using the Jerez Test as an opportunity to find a better solution to the Chatter problem that has plagued the Ducati GP24 and GP23 throughout the opening three series of 2024.
