and it allows me to get the most
out of the track. Our speed isn't
bad either. I'm excited and can't
wait to get back to racing."
The test saw a number of new
innovations from the Ducati fac-
tory, namely a new aerodynamic
fairing that aims to produce more
downforce to aid in late braking
stability and top speed. As such,
Johann Zarco used his Pramac
Ducati to set an incredible top
speed of 221 mph on day four.
The test proved a breakout for
the Aprilia factory, as lead rider
Aleix Espargaro was a consis-
tent top finisher across the five
days, even topping opening day
on the heavily revised Aprilia
RS-GP. Espargaro finished the
test sixth overall with a best lap
of 1:53.640. It wasn't a similar
story, however, on the other side
of the garage as Espargaro's new
teammate Lorenzo Savadori fin-
ished the test last of the full-time
riders in 26th.
The Suzuki's of World Cham-
pion Joan Mir and Alex Rins were
next, as they continued to work
on race pace rather than one-lap
performance. Mir's 1:53.827 was
enough for sixth, just over half a
tenth faster than Rins.
Rounding out the top 10 was
Zarco with a 1:52.889 and
Honda's impressive new signing
Pol Espargaro with a 1:53.889.
Valentino Rossi's debut with
Petronas Yamaha gradually got
better as the test wore on. The
Doctor would eventually finish
11th after posting his fastest-ever
lap of the Qatar venue on day
four, his 1:53.993 time 0.8 sec-
onds slower than Miller.
Lead rookie for the test went
to Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin
in 14th. The 2018 Moto3 World
Champion edged out reigning
Moto2 World Champion and fel-
low MotoGP rookie Enea Bastian-
ini (Esponsarama Avintia Ducati),
who impressed with his consistent
speed across the five days.
The test was not a high point
for the KTM factory, with 16th-
placed Miguel Oliveira leading
Brad Binder in 17th. New boy
Danilo Petrucci topped the Friday
session, but only five riders
ventured out on track due to the
sandy conditions bought on by
heavy winds. The two-time Mo-
toGP race winner Petrucci came
home in 19th on his KTM debut,
four places ahead of Tech3
teammate Iker Lecuona.
While there were plenty of
IN
THE
WIND
P50
Aprilia's preseason has
been sensational as Aleix
Espargaro topped the
opening day and finished
sixth overall after the five
days of testing.
