Combined times from the MotoGP test on November 28-29 at Jerez
Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami set the fastest overall time in MotoGP testing at Jerez on November 29. The LCR Honda Idemitsu rider did so on Cal Crutchlow’s 2018 motorcycle, finishing 0.025sec faster than Marc Márquez.
Jorge Lorenzo was 0.135sec slower than his team-mate but still “mightily fast” according to Mat Oxley.
Franco Morbidelli was marginally slower than fellow Yamaha rider Maverick Viñales, while Valentino Rossi was 11th-fastest overall. Rossi split with rider coach Luca Cadalora after the test. Cadalora and Rossi have worked together since 2016.
Álvaro Bautista replaced full-time test rider Michele Pirro (recovering from surgery) to finish 13th over the two days on his Ducati.
KTM pair Pol Espargaró and Johann Zarco finished 17th and 19th, respectively.
Samarth spent a couple of years honing his talents with Autosport's development scheme before becoming staff writer. He spends most of his weekends during the season watching NASCAR, so his patience for cars turning in one direction for hours on end is abundant. A degree in accounting was shunned for a (hopefully) lifelong career in motor sport.