San Marino Grand Prix race winner Francesco Bagnaia topped the first day of post-race MotoGP testing at the Misano circuit for Ducati while a number of teams debuted 2022-spec bikes.
The first of two days of testing got off to a slow start following heavy overnight rain that continued into the morning, with a damp track that didn’t dry out properly until lunchtime, halting running until the afternoon.
However, while some MotoGP teams rolled out 2022-spec machines for the first time, it seems like the riders at the front of the time sheets were those who were still on the bikes they raced on Sunday, somewhat skewing the final standings at the end of the day.
The track has dried up! So our #MisanoTest is finally underway! 😉 ✊🏼#ForzaDucati@MotoGP @jackmilleraus pic.twitter.com/CRP077djGa
— Ducati Corse (@ducaticorse) September 21, 2021
Bagnaia ended the day 0.107s ahead of works Honda rider Pol Espargaro, with Aleix Espargaro’s Aprilia, LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami and Joan Mir (Suzuki) rounding out the top five.
All three Japanese manufacturers are believed to have brought 2022 machines to the test, with Suzuki confirming this morning that both reigning world champion Mir and team-mate Alex Rins would have new machinery available, while Franco Morbidelli also told the media that he had been able to test an evolution of his Yamaha.
Morbidelli’s factory team-mate and current championship leader Fabio Quartararo ended the test in eighth, just over half a second from Bagnaia, while Morbidelli, still recovering from knee surgery, was P18.
New bikes and new parts! 🙌
Day 1 from the #MisanoTest looked something like this 😎#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/2lnwTDbcFn
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 21, 2021
However, the most radical new machine to make an appearance at the test was Honda’s updated RV213V. The most notable of its changes were new side-mounted exhaust and a front fairing and air intake that closely mirrors its roadgoing Fireblade superbike.
Only Marc Marquez tried the new bike in anger today, finishing the test in 15th, while Pol Espargaro spent the day on his current race bike and will get the chance to try the new machine tomorrow on the second day of testing.
Honda’s test rider Stefan Bradl (pictured in the lead image) did run the new bike for a very short period at the time of the day but didn’t set a lap time.
Aleix Espargaro was the top Aprilia in third with a late lap right before the chequered flag, working mainly on its existing machine rather than on anything for 2022.
His team-mate Maverick Vinales is still working to find a comfortable base on the RS-GP after his mid-season switch from Yamaha and was 16th.
At KTM, it was Brad Binder who topped its quartet of riders in 10th, as the manufacturer continues to work through the issues that plagued them at the weekend.
Miguel Olivera was 12th, while the Tech3 duo of Iker Lecuona and Danilo Petrucci 20th and 22nd respectively on their single day of testing, as 2022 rookies Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner make their MotoGP debuts tomorrow.
