Source: Supplied.

With the MotoGP testing ban coming into effect at the start of December, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa took to the track today in Jerez for the first day of the three-day test.

A cold fresh morning greeted them but they were blessed with good weather all day remaining dry and sunny until the end of testing. Both riders spent this first day comparing different engines and working on the electronics set up.

Marquez finished the day with a best time of 1m39.92s, completing 65 laps in total. Pedrosa, who missed the race here this year due to injury, managed 56 laps and his fastest time was 1m40.12s. He had a small crash on the last exit in the final corner, but escaped unhurt.

“Every time we go on track it’s interesting because we try many things, starting with the software as our reference and with the Michelin tyres which is a big task to understand where the limit is,” Marquez commented.

“We did a few laps to understand a few things and we tried the new engine too which felt similar to Valencia but we must complete more laps to get the electronics working better, as it’s hard to understand the true character until we have that fixed.

“The electronics are still not consistent we have made progress, but it’s clear they are certainly a step behind the Honda software we are used to, but we know it won’t be the same so we must find a way to work with it, especially concerning the engine brake and traction control.”

Also on track Wednesday amongst a brace of WorldSBKs was Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl, new test rider Mike de Meglio, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro and Aspar Ducati teammates Yonny Hernandez and Eugene Laverty.