After his private test in Cartagena and the end of year celebrations, some riders including Johann Zarco took pleasure in getting back in the saddle in Jerez de la Frontera taking advantage of the VIP track days organized by CBO.
Four days were on the program on the Andalusian circuit and many drivers responded to the call, taking advantage of the 5 sessions of 20 minutes daily, hoping to benefit from typically Andalusian weather. This was unfortunately only the case during the first two days, the rain then disrupting the 3rd day, the fog the 4th.
But everyone was able to make their mark, whether Johann Zarco who always takes them back almost immediately, those absent from Cartagena who are Corentin Perolari
et Hugh of Chancellors (Ducati V2), Alan Techer (Honda 1000), the GMT94 which not only aligned
Lucas Mahias but also Michael Rinaldi for his first ride on the R9,
Valentin Debise (Ducati V2), Loïc Arbel (MV Agusta), Martin Renaudin (Honda
1000), Emily Bondi and a few other names that enthusiasts already know.
Heterogeneous bikes but unanimous observation: no MotoGP rider wants, even on a production bike and against other professional riders, Johann Zarco being the fastest!
The second day is missing from the results site, and, even if it's only a little, it's a shame because that's where the best times were achieved. But whatever the case, the LCR rider is at the top of the list, on one of his two Honda CBR 1000s, with a best time posted of 1'41.748, or 4 and a half seconds from his 1'37.277 during his Practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Also on one of the two Hondas of the double French world champion, Corentin Perolari proved to be a worthy runner-up, at half a second. This half-second deficit,
Johann Zarco explained it on Saturday evening in a MotoGPaddict Quiz:
“a talent!” It manages to go quite quickly, but then it can stagnate. And now he is aware that he has this ability, but he is stagnating. And so, you feel that he wants to search, but as he is someone who can sometimes get stressed or too nervous, so you will have to help him in order to find the right words to change his way. Because there, I can't tell him “brake later, accelerate sooner”. He is beyond that level. It's now more about a way of approaching a turn, or a way of letting go of your body in the middle of the turn. These are things that are within you, and therefore almost even harder to change. But it is what can make the difference in this last second which will become very important. In terms of what he is going to do, the world endurance championship, what he can do is enough. But if he gains a margin of one second, he can curl his whiskers in the endurance category. And as a result, in an 8-hour or 24-hour race, he can manage it much better, and give his team the opportunity to win. »
Johann Zarco in his atavistic role as professor…
As for the GMT94, which ran without a transponder, the objective of
Lucas Mahias was to continue working with his team on the bike's settings after a short test in Cremona last November. For Michael Rinaldiit was the first time that he played with the French team and the Yamaha R9. The number 21 quickly integrated into his new team and, session after session, took control of his new machine, however for the moment showing himself to be much slower than his French teammate, the latter taking the best time of the category. The GMT94 Yamaha will now meet on January 27 and 28 at the Portimao Circuit (Portugal) to continue preparing for the 2025 season of the Supersport World Championship.
Lucas Mahias : “I am happy with the times I achieved with the Yamaha R9. Even though I haven't done all the laps I would have liked to do, I'm having a lot of fun riding this bike. I thank GMT94 for being able to schedule testing at the start of January, which will allow us to make the necessary improvements to be ready for the first race in Australia. »
Michael Ruben Rinaldi : “I am satisfied with the first impression with the new R9, but especially with the first test with the new team. I immediately felt very good with everyone at GMT94, from the mechanics to the team leader and electronics, but also with Christophe. I immediately felt very welcome and we approached this test in a very calm manner, to try to discover this bike and even if the last two days the weather was rather bad and we were not able to ride in the better conditions, we have always progressed day by day and that means a lot. This means that the work we do with the electronics and settings is going in the right direction. Of course, after many years in Superbike, I am trying to improve and adapt my riding style to the R9, but I think we have done a very good job and I want to thank the team because they were incredible. So now we're looking forward to the next test in Portimao at the end of the month, but I think we're off to a good start and that's the most important thing. »
Finally, if Valentin Debise focused on the settings of his new Ducati V2, Martin Renaudin unfortunately suffered a big highside, always unwelcome, during a recovery.
GMT photo credit: Studio La Makina
Zarco Jerez test
Zarco Jerez test
Zarco Jerez test
#Zarco
