It was a tough Catalan GP for Andrea Iannone and his team Suzuki, as the GP winner came home outside the points under the scorching skies of Barcelona – and the Italian says his trouble was with low grip. He crossed the line in P16, just outside the points.

“We are having a difficult time. We know it. Some races we are better, some others are worse. The only thing we can do is to keep on working. We have two testing days here and we will try to do our best." Said the maniac

"Today’s race was hard from the beginning; I had no grip at all, both at the front and the back, so it was complicated. I couldn't push it any harder, because I always felt like I was already at the limit."

"I tried to manage the situation without crashing, but the result was below our expectations and also our potential." He added

 KTM Factory  rider Pol Espargaro fought hard in the Catalan GP as he raced close to home, with the Austrian factory rider hailing from nearby Granollers and pushing for a good result.

It was a difficult weekend with low grip for Espargaro, however, and he came home just outside the points.

"I think we struggled here more than we expected. We knew it was going to be hard because of the long corners and when we need to turn," he said "we run into some problems, especially with this asphalt as it is quite old and the grip is so low."

"When we have less grip it's a bit harder to turn, but to our advantage we have a three day test after this race here at Catalunya where we can improve the bike and try some new parts to try to work forward with this project."

It was always going to be tough, as the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was off the test program last year as KTM prepared to join the grid - but the Austrian factory then stayed for the one day Official Test as well as two more private days of testing at the track, with some positive results ahead of the next round at the TT Circuit Assen.

"We've done a very very good job testing here in Barcelona. I think we've made a 'review' of the season so far with the parts we have tried as we just don't have enough time during race weekends." Espargaro added

"We tried things on Monday and then clarified a lot we had in our head. Maybe it weren't the best days to do 'a time' but it was good to confirm things and make a good step with the bike, particularly with the electronics."

"I am super happy because I think we've improved the bike a great deal and that is so important for Assen with more information under our belts."

source: motogp.com

Maverick Vinales had a busy day of testing with Yamaha on the Monday after the Catalan GP, as the Spaniard returned to action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The rider from Roses put in over 80 laps and was top for much of the afternoon, before a charge from key rival Marc Marquez saw him knocked down to P2 by the end of the session.

Vinales and teammate Valentino Rossi were testing two new chassis back-to-back, one each, with the plan to swap over tomorrow in a private test. Vinales also tried a new fairing at the end of the day - when he set his fastest lap.

"We tried many things today, many new setups and different settings on the bike." Said the number 25 "I was feeling comfortable all day and riding well, riding with confidence on the bike so it was a good day."

"Today the feeling was really good, in the afternoon in the hot conditions it was a lot better, I could do a lot of laps in the 45s and 46s."

Rossi armed with a lot more information

Rossi had a tough Catalan GP as he just missed the cut in Q1 and started P13, moving up to eighth in the race. Then it was back on track on Monday for the post-Catalan GP test - with the Yamaha team testing two new chassis, and finding some good positives.

Rossi ended the day in P10 after nearly 80 laps, now armed with a lot more information as the the team look to bounce back in Assen - and continue testing privately in Barcelona.

"It was a good day of testing because we had a lot of interesting items to try from the Yamaha side and I think it was a positive day because we have learnt a lot about the bike and where we can improve." Said the Doctor

"At the end, the feeling was better even if we have not yet solved all the problems. Tomorrow we will have another day, with some further test items so we will try to continue the work."

source: motogp.com

Repsol Honda Team riders Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were both fast, in P1 and P4 respectively. Pedrosa did 53 laps, Marquez 82, with the rider from Cervera blasting to the top late on. The two Spaniards focused on settings, getting ready for the coming rounds including the next stop on the calendar: the TT Circuit Assen.

Cal Crutchlow at LCR Honda worked on geometry, electronics and suspension to try and fix his problems encountered in the race with rear grip, ending the day sixth quickest after 60 laps despite a crash at Turn 10.

The Brit also tried a Repsol Honda liveried fairing for some laps. At EG 0,0 Marc VDS Tito Rabat did 59 laps and was an impressive P9 as he worked on chassis setup, with teammate Jack Miller in P12 after 52 laps and three tenths down on Rabat. Miller worked on the front suspension, and on agility in preparation for Assen.

Movistar Yamaha had two new chassis to test, with Viñales trying one back-to-back and Valentino Rossi the other. Viñales’ fastest was a 1:44.437 and he did 81 laps – improving at the end - with Rossi in P10 after 71 laps. Viñales also tried a new fairing nearer the end of track action.

Johann Zarco left it until the middle of the day to head out, as Monster Yamaha Tech 3 worked chiefly on suspension and setup. The Frenchman did 33 laps and ended the day seventh, with teammate Jonas Folger putting in a good number more on 42 laps completed.

The German was third fastest overall, and had topped the timesheets earlier in the day with his best of 1:44.972 despite a crash – rider ok. He tried a new chassis, but will stay with the one used until now.

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini focused on the front – for Sam Lowes the aim was to improve confidence when braking, for Aleix Espargaro it was to work on maximising one of the Granollers native’s strongest points on the bike. Espargaro also tried a new exhaust for a few laps and ended the day in an impressive P5 after 48 laps.

Danilo Petrucci did 28 laps and then called it a day before the end of the session, feeling some pain in his left shoulder. He ended the day in P11, with teammate Scott Redding finishing up in P8 after 59 laps.

Alex Rins was back in action following injury and focused on re-adaptation, with teammate Andrea Iannone working on settings. Sylvain Guintoli, who replaced Rins when the Spaniard was injured, was also on track for the Hamamatsu factory.

KTM Factory racing spent their day evaluating their chassis compared to the previous version, and working on improving the turning of the bike. Pol Espargaro was P13 after 75 laps and joined on track by test rider Mika Kallio, as Bradley Smith recovers from an injury to his finger.

Some teams remain for private testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalaunya this week, before the engines fire up for Assen.

Practice Result:

source: motogp.com