MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo topped the post-Catalan Grand Prix test day at Barcelona by 0.004s, as Aprilia trialled major upgrades for its RS-GP.
The manufacturer brought a package with what is effectively an F1-style sidepod cutout to the test, while also trialling what appeared to be aero appendages on the seat unit.
It also ran the single-seater-esque ‘rear wing’ first seen on test rider Lorenzo Savadori’s bike during his Mugello wildcard outing.
Aleix Espargaro, whose Catalan GP blunder has left him 22 points off championship leader Quartararo, was the lead Aprilia in fourth in the test, the leading quartet split by just 0.111s.
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, wiped out along with Alex Rins by Takaaki Nakagami in Sunday’s crash, was just 0.004s off Quartararo, having slotted in between the reigning champion and his compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) towards the end of the running.
As per MotoGP.com, Bagnaia tested a new aero set-up, while Zarco ran a new chassis.
Pol Espargaro was the lead Honda in fifth place, while the KTM contingent was headed by Brad Binder in 11th – with Binder crashing shortly after setting his time.
The only Suzuki representative on track was Joan Mir in 12th, with Rins present in the garage but unable to ride after fracturing his left wrist in the Nakagami-caused crash.
Nakagami was likewise not riding, having stayed overnight in the intensive care unit of the Hospital General de Catalunya, after having hit his head against Bagnaia’s Ducati in the crash. He confirmed on Monday that he sustained “no serious injury” and would, like Rins, seek to get fit in time for the next race at the Sachsenring.
Rider ok✅!!!
A huge thanks to Policlinico di Modena and Dot. Tarallo.
Get well @88jorgemartin and see you at Sachsenring💜 pic.twitter.com/n49gBHF33W— Prima Pramac Racing MotoGP (@pramacracing) June 6, 2022
Another absentee – but a scheduled one – was Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, who was instead in Modena undergoing surgery to alleviate a lingering nerve issue in his right hand.
