Johann Zarco has finished on top of the final pre-season MotoGP test at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
The Tech3 Yamaha rider ended Day 3 and the test overall 0.247s clear of Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso.
Zarco went fastest with two hours remaining and further improved to a 1:54.029s come just over 0.1s shy of Jorge Lorenzo’s decade-old pole lap record (1:53.927s).
Rossi shook off a crash earlier in the seven-hour session to move into second position in the final hour, during which Dovizioso also clocked his personal-best.
LCR’s Cal Crutchlow was the fastest Honda in fourth position while Maverick Viñales vaulted from 20th to fifth in the final hour on his Movistar Yamaha.
Friday pace-setter Andrea Iannone did not appear on-track due to illness but the Suzuki Ecstar rider’s efforts earlier in the test held up for sixth on combined times.
Of the 23 riders to cut laps on the Saturday, 22 set their respective best times on the final day.
Next-fastest were Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar), Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Ducati), and Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team).
Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati) was 10th on the day and 11th across the test, one position ahead of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).
Teams will return to Qatar for Round 1 on March 16-18.
Pre-season testing: Losail: Day 3
| Pos | Num | Rider | Nat | Team | Bike | Time | Gap 1st/prev |
| 1 | 5 | Johann ZARCO | FRA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1:54.029 | |
| 2 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1:54.276 | 0.247/0.247 |
| 3 | 04 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1:54.331 | 0.302/0.055 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | GBR | LCR Honda CASTROL | Honda | 1:54.457 | 0.428/0.126 |
| 5 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | ESP | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1:54.471 | 0.442/0.014 |
| 6 | 93 | Marc MARQUEZ | ESP | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1:54.591 | 0.562/0.120 |
| 7 | 42 | Alex RINS | ESP | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | Suzuki | 1:54.650 | 0.621/0.059 |
| 8 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | ITA | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1:54.659 | 0.630/0.009 |
| 9 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | ESP | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1:54.692 | 0.663/0.033 |
| 10 | 43 | Jack MILLER | AUS | Alma Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1:54.749 | 0.720/0.057 |
| 11 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | ESP | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1:54.774 | 0.745/0.025 |
| 12 | 21 | Franco MORBIDELLI | ITA | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 1:55.132 | 1.103/0.358 |
| 13 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | GBR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1:55.179 | 1.150/0.047 |
| 14 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | ESP | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1:55.232 | 1.203/0.053 |
| 15 | 55 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | MAL | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 1:55.273 | 1.244/0.041 |
| 16 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | CZE | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1:55.300 | 1.271/0.027 |
| 17 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | ESP | Angel Nieto Team | Ducati | 1:55.347 | 1.318/0.047 |
| 18 | 53 | Tito RABAT | ESP | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1:55.465 | 1.436/0.118 |
| 19 | 44 | Pol ESPARGARO | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 1:55.489 | 1.460/0.024 |
| 20 | 45 | Scott REDDING | GBR | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1:55.595 | 1.566/0.106 |
| 21 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | JPN | LCR Honda IDEMITSU | Honda | 1:55.763 | 1.734/0.168 |
| 22 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | BEL | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1:55.943 | 1.914/0.180 |
| 23 | 12 | Tom LUTHI | SWI | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 1:56.122 | 2.093/0.179 |
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