MotoGP Test Times Mandalika

[weeksy]

Lap times as of 3pm during the opening day of the 2022 Mandalika MotoGP test, in Indonesia.

The inaugural MotoGP test at Indonesia's new Mandalika circuit began in wet (and dirty) conditions on Friday morning.

Johann Zarco was fastest by the end of the opening hour, when the rain had stopped, with the session then red-flagged to try and clean the dirty surface.

After a lengthly clean-up, the track re-opened for testing shortly before midday, with Francesco Bagnaia (on slick tyres) leading an all-Ducati top three by 1pm.

Improving conditions mean lap times have tumbled ever since, Marc Marquez leading a Honda one-two as of 2pm, but having dropped to 19th by 3pm - such was the pace of improvements - with world champion Fabio Quartararo now fastest from Jorge Martin and Miguel Oliveira.

Quartararo is also under the official WorldSBK race lap record, but one-second from the pole record.

The three-day outing, which follows hot on the heels of a two-day Sepang test, marks the final chance for official MotoGP track time before next month's Qatar season-opener.

Gresini Ducati's Enea Bastianini was a surprise fastest from the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro in the rain-interrupted final day at Sepang, which saw the fastest ever two-wheel laps of the Malaysian track and the top ten riders (from five manufacturers) covered by 0.299s

As well as the ever present threat of more rain, MotoGP teams and riders have the added challenge of learning a new circuit and working through an expanded range of Michelin tyres in preparation for the March 18-20 race weekend, the first Indonesian motorcycle grand prix since 1997.

Testing at Mandalika takes place from 9am to 5pm, but day one has been extended until 5:45pm due to the earlier clean-up…

1 ^3 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) 1m 34.074s
2 ^11 Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP22) +0.151s
3 ^3 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.196s
4 ^1 Enea Bastianini ITA Gresini Ducati (GP21) +0.231s
5 ˅3 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.326s
6 ^4 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP22) +0.630s
7 ˅4 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.760s
8 ^12 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Lenovo (GP22) +0.770s
9 ˅1 Raul Fernandez SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16)* +0.909s
10 ^2 Andrea Dovizioso ITA WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1) +0.990s
11 ^12 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +1.086s
12 ˅5 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +1.138s
13 ˅2 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +1.252s
14 = Remy Gardner AUS KTM Tech3 (RC16)* +1.560s
15 NA Maverick Vinales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) +1.672s
16 ^5 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) +1.720s
17 = Luca Marini ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) +1.753s
18 = Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Gresini Ducati (GP21)* +2.160s
19 ˅18 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +2.177s
20 ˅1 Marco Bezzecchi ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)* +2.251s
21 ˅12 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +2.303s
22 ˅7 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP22) +2.463s
23 ˅7 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) +2.532s
24 ˅2 Darryn Binder RSA WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)* +6.067s

[lostboy]

[weeksy]

fancy !

[lostboy]

Six different manufacturers in the top six.

I don't tend to put too much stock into testing times because you have no idea what set ups they're using or what they're trialling in terms of parts. But it's an interesting opening day in Indonesia.

[mangocrazy]

Strikes me as a bit of a lottery. A track no-one has ever been to before, dirty track to start with, threat of rain most days and they're supposed to evaluate setup direction and assessment of new parts based on that. They could easily find themselves heading down a development blind alley if the circuit is not representative of what they find at other tracks. Surely you want to test at a track that is a known quantity, especially as testing opportunities are being reduced every year.

[Yorick]

Strikes me as a bit of a lottery. A track no-one has ever been to before, dirty track to start with, threat of rain most days and they're supposed to evaluate setup direction and assessment of new parts based on that. They could easily find themselves heading down a development blind alley if the circuit is not representative of what they find at other tracks. Surely you want to test at a track that is a known quantity, especially as testing opportunities are being reduced every year.

They are racing there in 5 weeks so gotta learn the track

[mangocrazy]

Yeah I get that, but as a testing track it's far from ideal.

[weeksy]

Day 2.
1 = Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) 1m 31.814s
2 = Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.006s
3 = Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +0.070s
4 = Enea Bastianini ITA Gresini Ducati (GP21) +0.073s
5 = Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) +0.092s
6 = Jorge Martin SPA Pramac Ducati (GP22) +0.266s
7 = Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) +0.300s
8 = Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP22) +0.413s
9 = Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.417s
10 = Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.486s
11 = Luca Marini ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) +0.503s
12 = Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) +0.561s
13 ^2 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Lenovo (GP22) +0.572s
14 ˅1 Raul Fernandez SPA KTM Tech3 (RC16)* +0.587s
15 ˅1 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) +0.705s
16 = Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) +0.792s
17 = Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) +0.840s
18 = Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP22) +0.939s
19 = Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) +1.016s
20 = Andrea Dovizioso ITA WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1) +1.188s
21 = Remy Gardner AUS KTM Tech3 (RC16)* +1.296s
22 = Marco Bezzecchi ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)* +1.351s
23 = Fabio Di Giannantonio ITA Gresini Ducati (GP21)* +1.825s
24 = Darryn Binder RSA WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)* +1.860

[the_priest]

A Binder sandwich!!

[Yorick]

Final day2

gp.png (58.28 KiB) Viewed 383 times

[weeksy]

Eh?

[mangocrazy]

It's a bit like rider's positions are determined by a random number generator. But that's what you get when the track started off as basically unsafe and it's down to who feels bravest at any given time. When you're employing MotoGP riders and machinery as track sweepers something is seriously wrong.

https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/99632 ... lika-track

[mangocrazy]

It now appears that unless your surname ends in 'aro' you can't get on the podium...

[Yorick]

It now appears that unless your surname ends in 'aro' you can't get on the podium...

Yorickaro

[mangocrazy]

You-wish-o...

[weeksy]

Emergency resurfacing ahead of 2022 Mandalika MotoGP event

https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/99649 ... togp-event

Around 25% of the new Mandalika circuit needs to be resurfaced ahead of next month's Indonesian MotoGP.

As suspected, problems during the inaugural Mandalika MotoGP test have forced last-minute resurfacing to be carried out ahead for next month's Indonesian race weekend.

Aside from a very dirty surface, many riders spoke of being peppered by painful small stones as the asphalt apparently began to break up in some areas.

"Especially I think from Turn 1 to Turn 7, the tarmac is going away [breaking up]," said world champion Fabio Quartararo.

"But I think for the race, they [especially] need to resurface Turn 1, because it's a total disaster there. In three days, you can see the amount of ground that is coming lower and lower.

"For me the track [layout] is safe, just this big problem of the tarmac going [breaking] away."

The damaged surface had prompted rumours that the Indonesian race weekend, scheduled for March 18-20, might even need to be postponed.

[Skub]

I wonder if they got free daags with the tarmac. It's hard to credit they had substandard work done on a circuit hosting world events.