MotoGP | Rain welcomes Yamaha to Valencia for private testing

Yamaha is not having much luck in taking advantage of the benefits offered by the new concession system in MotoGP. In 2024, both the Iwata manufacturer and Honda are the ones that take advantage of the advantages of carrying out several private tests during the season, in which they have the freedom to test aerodynamic and engine innovations, unlike other brands that have more restrictions.

But neither Fabio Quartararo nor Alex Rins are finding the best conditions to carry out their testing program. Yamaha had planned to carry out a private test in Portimao after the Portuguese Grand Prix, but bad weather ruined the plans. The same thing happened on another day of testing reserved for the Barcelona Circuit, as well as at Mugello. In this case, however, it involved the collective tests following the Italian Grand Prix, in which everyone was able to participate.

Thus, Yamaha was only able to run in the official tests in Jerez, where the riders tested an M1 with various updates, and in Mugello, but in private tests that preceded the race on the Tuscan track. There they lapped with the aerodynamics tested in Spain, finding significant advantages in terms of lap time. In this way, after the collective tests prevented us from taking advantage of the time on the track, the Iwata company has scheduled other private tests at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia for Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 June, i.e. this week.

However, upon arrival in Spain, they were greeted by rain. This Monday, Rins published a post on his social channels in which he confirmed the rain on the Valencia track, underlining that luck is not accompanying them: “We don’t have any luck. We came a little early to Valencia to shoot in the late afternoon, but it started raining, so nothing… we’ll try again tomorrow,” confirmed the Catalan, revealing that they wanted to bring forward the test, but it was impossible.

Quartararo also published videos on his social media in which he saw himself on the track on the main straight, but, from the words of his teammate, it is assumed that he rode very little. The Japanese brand had a very busy agenda for the last Mugello test, including a new engine with different electronic management. The hope is that these tests can be carried out these days, if the weather permits. There is no Honda, which doesn’t have many new things to try at the moment.