Jerez MotoGP test: Quartararo tries swingarm, fender but ‘nothing special’

Unable to directly work on the M1’s top speed problem due to MotoGP’s engine freeze rules, Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha spent the Jerez test trying a new swingarm and front fender.
Fabio Quartararo, Spanish MotoGP, 30 April
Fabio Quartararo, Spanish MotoGP, 30 April

The aim of the swinga🔯rm was to aid rear grip, while the revised fender was designed to aid engine cooling in hot conditions.

Quartararo, who leads the world championship standওings by seven points after his close runner-up finish in the Spanish Grand Prix race, descr𒀰ibed the changes as ‘nothing special’ as he finished the test third fastest.

“We tested front fender, swingarm and the [new larger] 355mm brak🧔e disc. We tested the swingarm back to back twice, which takes a lot of time. We also tried the setting of last year here and that's it. Nothing special,” said the reigning world champion.

“[The swingarm] looks like it is a little bit better by the number🉐s [but] the feeling is more-or-less the same. We will start in Le Mans with our standard one, but if we have some doubt about the rear grip it’s something we have in mind to test [again].”

Turning to the fender,🐻 Quartararo said it could “maybe have something extra when in really hot conditions. For me there was zero difference [when riding] and it’s more in🥀 the data that they have to see if it's better or not.”

Fabio Quartararo, Spanish MotoGP, 29 April
Fabio Quartararo, Spanish MotoGP, 29 April

“Basically [Yamaha] brought what they can and what they think is good for this year, but I'm still pushing so much to try to get something for the top💮 speed,” Quartararo admitted.

“Because I know that our potential is really good. Also this year, even if w⛦e don't make a big step with the bike, I feel I'm ridin🉐g much better than last year.”

Fairing upgrade last chance for top speed boost?

Quartararo’s best and perhaps only hope of a noticeable top speed dif🐼ference this season will come in the form of Yama🌳ha’s one allowed fairing upgrade.

To try and improve speed, it is expected that the ‘evo’ version will offer less downforce/draཧg than the current design with Mugello, following Quartararo’s home French round, tipped as the likely introduction.

🌄“Mugello and Barcelona is going to be really important to have at least 1 or 2 k more, that will make the difference with less aero [downforce],” he said.

Fabio Quartararo, Spanish MotoGP, 29 April
Fabio Quartararo, Spanish MotoGP, 29 April

Meanwhile, the brake work with the new 355mm discs had been to prepare for their use later in the season💞.

“We tried for the future in some tracks like Austri💫a,” he said. “Last year we had no problem with the 340mm but we were playing with the limit. I think tracks like Austria, Thailand or Motegi, will be quite demanding for the brake.

“I took a few laps to adapt [to the 355 discs] because the first time you brake is different, but in the en♈d I got used to it and with a tyre of 20 laps I managed to get 1m 37.8. So I adapt quite fast,” he smiled.

Quartararo als🌼o completed some practice starts with a modified clutch, but it only confirmed that what he has now is better.

“I had no problem. Lately, my ✅starts are really good, but I wanted to try something with the clutch that I had in mind during the race w♎eekend,” he explained. “I didn't want it to change when I was doing good practice starts, so I waited until the test and basically I tried it and it was worse!

“So now we know and are going bꦓack to our standard.”

Team✤-mate Franco Morbidelli was the next best Ya🐓maha at the test, in 17th place.

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