Maverick Vinales topped the times on the opening day of testing for the 2024 MotoGP season, while Marc Marquez lapped fourth quickest on his debut for the Gresini Ducati operation.
A chilly Circuit Ricardo Tormo hosted the final day of the official premier class running of 2023, with track action not getting underway for a good half hour after the green flag waved due to the low temperatures.
All eyes were on Marquez as he took to the controls of a machine other than a Honda for the first time in his ten-year MotoGP career. His delight was clear to see as he returned to the box following his opening seven-lap run, the Spaniard unable to hide a wide smile as he began his first debrief with crew chief Frankie Carchedi.
The six-time premier class champion also led the way for the bulk of the day having posted a time just two-tenths-of-a-second down on his best lap during qualifying on his Honda.
He was pipped in the latter stages by Vinales though, who managed to string together a 1:29.253s effort in the final couple hours. Many riders – including Marquez and freshly-crowned double world champion Francesco Bagnaia – decided to call it a day just within the final hour as the sun began to set.
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, who were out testing updated aero and engine packages on their M1, as well as Honda’s Luca Marini and Joan Mir also stayed out as they aimed to put significant mileage into their 2024 steeds.
KTM’s Brad Binder also remained on track as he backed-to-backed the RC16 he raced in Sunday’s Valencia Grand Prix with the Austrian brand’s updated machine, mainly featuring a tweaked aero package.
The South African looked set to snatch away the fastest time from Vinales on his final effort, though a crash at Turn 5 ultimately curtailed his chances. His earlier tour left him second by just 0.028s, while Marco Bezzecchi ended the day third-quickest on his first day of running Ducati’s world-title-winning GP23.
Marc enjoyed a positive first day campaigning a Ducati in fourth overall ahead of Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez, who got his first taste of the Noale-based marque’s 2023-spec RS-GP.
Alex Marquez was sixth on the other Gresini machine ahead of Fabio Di Gianantonio, who continued to show good form on his first day in VR46 colors.
Enea Bastianini was eighth on the best of the Desmosedici GP24s, which featured an updated engine compared to the previous iteration of the bike, while Jack Miller was ninth.
Marini completed a smooth first outing for Honda, the Italian posting solid times throughout the day to end up tenth and just 0.703s from the top spot. Honda ran several versions of its RC213V across Tuesday, with only Johann Zarco suffering a crash late in the session.
Bagnaia was 11th on the other Ducati ahead of Quartararo, who lost out on a potential top-five effort after losing a lot of time in the final sector of his best lap.
Jorge Martin had a rough day after crashing twice before packing up early, the 2023 vice-champion edging new team-mate Franco Morbidelli.
Zarco was 17th on his first day running the 2024-spec Honda for LCR, while rookie Pedro Acosta enjoyed a productive day as he lapped just 1.2 seconds from the top – though a late crash at Turn 2 ended his outing early.
Alex Rins was 19th on his Yamaha, while Aleix Espargaro was forced to leave the track early after beginning to suffer complications from the leg injury he sustained in Qatar last week. He ended the day 22nd, just over three seconds off the pace of his team-mate.
Ducati always has been my favorite motor brand (love the design). And Valentino my fave rider (style and personality). I am not a fan of Marc Marquez: i just don’t like his ‘i am the only one, just let me pass or I bump you our of the tarmarc’ attitude. In doubt about my loyalties, but looking forward to the next season!