Final results from Mandalika MotoGP Test

Despite heavy rain on the first day of testing (Friday), the MotoGP boys and girls (just boys, actually) did get chance to put some decent laps in with two full days of track action on Saturday and Sunday. All three days saw a good variety of manufacturers putting strong laps in, but the stand out rider at the final official MotoGP preseason test had to be Pol Espargaro. The Repsol Honda riding Spaniard topped the time-sheets on day one and day three, and posted the fastest time of the test, a 1:31.060, just 0.014 quicker than reigning champ and one-lap-wonder Fabio Quartararo.

I know, I know, it’s probably unfair to call the current MotoGP Champion a one-lap-wonder, but he is really, really good when it comes doing to one lap as fast as possibly you can.

To me, Pol Espargaro is one of the many riders (of which I’d say there are probably 15) that I think definitely could win races in 2022. He’s not a championship contender in my book, but he’s obviously found something this weekend, so it wouldn’t be beyond then realms of possibility for him to prove me wrong and be one of the lads that fights for the title. And lets face it, you don’t actually have to win any races to be a champion, Joan Mir proved that (kind of) in 2020.

Bull

But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s not wise to get too drawn into who went fastest during testing. You don’t know who was going out there for lap times, you don’t know where people are with the development of the bikes (of parts thereof), and as we all know, when the flag drops, the bullshit stops.

And, as it happens, we don’t have long to wait before the flag does drops. In fact it’s less than three weeks until the flag drops at the first round in Qatar on 6^th March.

Until then though, here are the final testing results from day two and day three of the official MotoGP test at Mandalika. Day one results are here.

Mandalika MotoGP Test Day Two

Mandalika MotoGP Test Day Three