Marini fastest in Valencia MotoGP test

VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini has set the pace in the MotoGP Valencia post-season test.

Ducati and Aprilia riders collectively took seven of the top eight positions on the timesheet, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder the interloper of sorts in seventh.

His new team-mate, Jack Miller, ended up 17th at 0.755s in his first outing on an RC16, after five years riding Desmosedicis.

Marini went quickest on a 1:30.267s with around two hours remaining and improved to a 1:30.032s on his penultimate run, which left him 0.225s up on Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales at the end of the day.

Marco Bezzecchi made for Mooney VR46 entries first and third at just another 0.05s slower, with former KTM rider Miguel Oliveira fastest of those to have switched camps in fourth on a 1:30.367s on his RNF Aprilia.

Next on the timesheet were Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Ducati), Binder at 0.464s off the pace, and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati).

This year’s championship runner-up, Fabio Quartararo, took ninth on his Monster Energy Yamaha, one position up on new factory Ducati Lenovo Team rider Enea Bastianini.

The latter had a crash in the afternoon, but still edged out Pramac’s Johann Zarco and his new team-mate, 2022 champion Francesco Bagnaia, who finished up 12th.

First of the Honda riders was Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) in 13th, with his fastest lap 0.644s slower than Marini’s.

With track activity now done for the year, the next official engagement is the Shakedown Test, for test riders and the sole rookie of 2023 in Augusto Fernandez (Tech3 GasGas), at Sepang on February 5-7.

Valencia Test