Lap times: Advantage Aprilia at 850cc Brno MotoGP test?
Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez are reported to have led MotoGP's first race-rider 850cc/Pirelli test at Brno.
Aprilia riders Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez are reported to have set the unofficial pace during Monday's private 850cc/Pirelli test at Brno.
Eight MotoGP race riders were selected by their manufacturers to make their debuts on prototype versions of next year's bikes and tyres.
World championship leader Bezzecchi, banned from Sunday's grand prix, returned to action alongside Trackhouse rider Fernandez at Aprilia, while Brno winner Marc Marquez and Gresini's Fermin Aldeguer represented Ducati.
Honda fielded Joan Mir and Luca Marini, with Pedro Acosta and Toprak Razgatlioglu the sole race riders for KTM and Yamaha respectively.
No media were allowed at the test, although some images have emerged, and there was no official timing, leaving teams to rely on their own stopwatches.
Five different front and rear tyre compounds were also on offer, complicating comparisons.
Aprilia on top?
According to Sky Italia's Rosario Triolo, Bezzecchi and Fernandez put Aprilia's new machine on top, both recording a 1m 53.9s.
That compares with Ai Ogura's new pole record of 1m 51.139s on the current 1000cc RS-GP. Ducati's Fabio di Giannantonio then set a race lap record of 1m 53.122s during Sunday's grand prix.
Sky Italia places Aldeguer third for Ducati, just 0.1s slower than Bezzecchi and Fernandez.
Razgatlioglu, who used Pirelli rubber for his three WorldSBK titles, is listed at 1m 54.2s for Yamaha, followed by Acosta on 1m 54.3s for KTM.
Reigning champion Marc Marquez is reported to have suffered an afternoon crash on his way to a 1m 54.4s lap, placing him sixth.
Ducati’s 850cc prototype stood out due to its large rear aero package at the Brno test, while Aprilia had big vertical vanes.
The Hondas of Marini and Mir are both thought to have set laps in the 1m 55.0s range.
As well as smaller engines and a switch from Michelin to Pirelli tyres, all ride-height devices will be removed for 2027 and new restrictions placed on aerodynamics.
KTM was the first manufacturer to release public images of its 850 on track, with test riders, last December.
The next Pirelli test will take place after the Austrian Grand Prix in September.
All riders are technically eligible for the Red Bull Ring outing although it remains to be seen whether manufacturers reluctant to hand 850cc machinery to riders changing teams will at least allow those riders to try Pirelli tyres on the current 1000cc bikes.
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