Just as the MotoGP season ended, the first test day for the riders was upon us. Riders in one team’s colors this past weekend are now in a completely new camp. With the 2024 MotoGP field now set, riders looked to get acquainted for the first time with their new machinery. One such rider was non other than Marc Marquez who crashed out of the final race of 2023.
The Valencia Test was the first opportunity to see Marquez on a Ducati alongside his brother Alex Marquez as the two will race for Gresini Racing in 2024. Marc did not disappoint. He was the fourth fastest on the day solidifying that the move was a positive one for him and he felt right at home. Fastest on the day was Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales who fell behind in the championship fight early in the 2023 season without ever finding the rhythm to make a meaningful run for the title. However, starting fastest in testing is always a good metric to see where you stand against the others in the early stages of development.
Acosta Makes Debut
Pedro Acosta made his MotoGP debut at the test day in Valencia. After winning the 2023 Moto2 championship Acosta was eager to get as much time on the new MotoGP bike as possible. He stated the following, “I am super happy with our first day because we improved all day and we leave Valencia with a big step made already!
The first run, we did not touch anything, we just tried to understand what it was being on a MotoGP bike, how the carbon disks work, and everything else in general. Then we tried to focus on the devices, on the brakes, then the electronics so I could have a clear idea of each area. This has helped us understand how we will need to approach the winter period, and what we need to do to arrive in Malaysia prepared, so we can make another step.” Acosta finished 18th fastest on the day.
Brad Binder Showing no Signs of Slowing Down
Brad Binder ran second fastest on the test day. After what seemed like a sure 1-2 finish in the season finale for KTM. Luck did not seem to fall their way. Binder however look hungry as ever for progress. He stated, “Today we tried a few different things with aero, some exhausts. We didn’t have anything big or radical but we learnt a lot about what we did use, and that’s the most important thing. We played with some electronics to try and put the bike a bit more ‘in our hands’ and that was cool but there is still some room to work. Everything was pretty much the first starting point towards the next test in Malaysia.”
Full Valencia Test Day Results