MotoGP Valencia Test
Focus on GASGAS
From orange to red in one night, Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing kicked off its 2023 MotoGP campaign on Tuesday at Valencia.
The experienced Pol Espargaro has joined forces alongside the new Moto2 World Champion Augusto Fernandez, who sampled a MotoGP engine for the first time on Tuesday.
“I love it” were the first words expressed by a smiling Pol Espargaro on his return to the pit after his first run on the GASGAS RC16. The Spaniard admitted feeling really well straight away as he first tried the 2022 machine before getting his hands on the 2023 RC16.
At the end of the first session, he had already registered a lap in 1’31.900. He continued to improve throughout the day as the main focus was adapting to his machine, and it went positively as he improved to 1’30.757, 0.725 seconds away from the fastest lap of the day.
After 86 laps, Pol Espargaro finished the first day of 2023 in P16 after recording a quicker time on the GASGAS than he had managed on the Repsol Honda during qualifying or the race at Valencia.
Witnessing a rookie trying a MotoGP bike for the first time is always something special, and it was again the case today as Moto2 World Champion Augusto Fernandez made his debuts on the GASGAS RC16, all suited in red. The smile at the end of the first run was priceless to see for all the team in the garage.
The rookie dedicated this first day to understanding the machine, the Michelin tyres, the carbon brakes, the suspensions, the electronics and to adapt his riding style to the bike. The laps were really positive as he ended the day only 1.698 seconds from the fastest lap.
Augusto Fernandez – P22
“It has been an awesome day and I am super happy with the work done with the team. Everything is very different from the Moto2 bike, so I have been working on my side to adapt to all the new things, such as the electronics. We just focused on adapting to the bike, getting as many laps as possible to get a feeling. The MotoGP bike is very demanding, so I will need to prepare physically for it, and I will also have to adapt my riding style. Many things to work on, and I can not wait to be in Sepang early in February.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 GASGAS Team Principal
“First day of the 2023 season and it has been like a dream. First of all, we were giften by perfect track conditions to get the work done, but most importantly, I saw smiles everywhere in the garage and it feels really good.
“Seeing Pol Espargaro dancing on his bike during the first run and hearing him saying ‘I love it’ when he came back to the pit was an incredible moment for us all. It set the mood for the entire day and the atmosphere was very good. Today felt like Pol never left and he felt at home directly. He smiled all day and was really happy to reunite with his crew chief, Pol Trevathan, and his old crew. The lap times were good, so was the feeling, and it has been a really constructive day.
“We were also amazed by the way Augusto Fernandez managed his first day on a MotoGP bike. He was steady, listening to our advices without trying to impress. He just kept progressing ‘poco a poco’ like we say in Spanish, and managed to lap in … less than 2 seconds from the fastest lap. The first day on a MotoGP machine is not easy because everything is so different : the electronics, the carbon brakes, the tyres, the suspensions, but he did very well. The practice start was challening as well because you have so many buttons to press on. It was his first day at school, and I would give a 10/10.
“Thank you to Pol and Augusto, a huge thank you to the whole Tech3 crew because it has been really tough to make the change from orange to red overnight but everything went well. We also had the incredible support of Stefan Pierer, Hubert Trunkenpolz and Pit Beirer all weekend long. They are all passionate and it is nice to have their support.
“We will now have a well-deserved two month-break because we are all so tired, but we already can not wait for the winter tests in Sepang early February to discover what 2023 has in store for us. Thank you to everyone, we’ll be back next year!”
MotoGP Valencia Test Times
- MARINI Luca ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 1’30.032
- VINALES Maverick SPA Aprilia Racing Aprilia 0.225
- BEZZECCHI Marco ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 0.230
- OLIVEIRA Miguel POR RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 0.335
- ESPARGARO Aleix SPA Aprilia Racing Aprilia 0.366
- DI GIANNANTONIO Fabio ITA Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 0.451
- BINDER Brad RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.464
- MARTIN Jorge SPA Pramac Racing Ducati 0.544
- QUARTARARO Fabio FRA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 0.546
- BASTIANINI Enea ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 0.560
- ZARCO Johann FRA Pramac Racing Ducati 0.594
- BAGNAIA Francesco ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 0.623
- MARQUEZ Marc SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.644
- MORBIDELLI Franco ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 0.659
- MARQUEZ Alex SPA Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 0.680
- ESPARGARO Pol SPA Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 0.725
- MILLER Jack AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.755
- MIR Joan SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.882
- NAKAGAMI Takaaki JPN LCR Honda Honda 1.049
- RINS Alex SPA LCR Honda Honda 1.196
- FERNANDEZ Raul SPA RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 1.308
- FERNANDEZ Augusto SPA Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 1.698
