VOLUME 61 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 13, 2024 P33
as well as evolutions of
its carbon-fiber chassis
updates.
Yet, come the final day,
Binder felt his package
was close to being race-
ready. "So far so good,"
said the South African.
"Things feel a lot better
than they look on the time
sheets. Probably one of
the best preseason tests
I've ever had. Last year's
test here, I was 14th, and
I did a 1 minute, 58.9
seconds [this test was a
1 minute, 57.3 seconds].
So, we made a good step
in a year. If we keep this
type of progress, we can
be good."
Aprilia was more difficult to
read. Trackhouse Racing's Raul
Fernandez ruled himself out
of the test by crashing on the
opening morning, and Maver
-
ick Vinales and Miguel Oliveira
never got fully comfortable on
the '24 RS-GP. Technical Direc-
tor Romano Albesiano explained
how the factory had prioritized
aerodynamics improvements,
bringing around 20 different
combinations to choose from,
including front and rear wings,
as well as side pods, ground
effect fairings and wings for the
swingarm, which complicated
testing. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia
Racing) was adamant that the
'24 bike is an improvement. "It's
more physical but better."
JAPANESE FACTORIES
PICKING THEMSELVES UP
The final times did little to indicate
whether either Yamaha or Honda
had turned their respective ships
around over the winter months.
Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) was top
Honda in 10th, 0.69 of a second
off Bagnaia's best. Fabio Quar
-
tararo (Monster Energy Yamaha)
was the fastest of the Yamahas
in 11th, eight-tenths of a second
off. And both were complaining of
similar issues that hindered their
respective machines throughout
last year.
For Mir, teammate Luca Marini
(19th), and the rest of the Honda
men, it was a lack of rear grip
and excessive wheelie on the
corner exits, especially with
increased tire wear. Meanwhile,
Quartararo and new teammate
Alex Rins (15th) were compli-
mentary of the M1's rhythm on
used tires and increased top
speed, thanks to a new and im-
proved engine, but extracting the
most of the bike in time attack
mode remains problematic. The
M1 also remains twitchy, ner-
vous and aggressive, no matter
the number of tweaks made to
the bike's electronics.
However, judging progress on
where they ended up overlooks
some real positives. Bosses of
both Japanese factories are
aware a change in mindset and
working method is needed to re-
gain their previous standing. Ya-
maha's aggressive hiring of two
leading lights from Ducati—new
Technical Director Max Bartolini
and senior Aerodynamics Engi-
neer Marco Nicotra—has already
resulted in a more aggressive
testing program. And Honda was
debriefing and pooling informa-
tion with all four of its riders at
the end of each day—a more
open approach compared to
recent years. In contrast to this
time a year ago, both appear to
be on the right track.
Neil Morrison
Joan Mir was on the top Honda in 10th.
Honda's Mir and new teammate Luca Marini
complained of a lack of rear grip.
