Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was impressive on day one of the official test at Jerez, but the Japanese rider managed to surprise the field by going quickest on the final day of MotoGP testing for the year.

The Japanese rider’s 1m37.945s was unmatchable on day two and he put in 66 laps on his 2018 Honda. Reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was in close pursuit, however, ending the day just 0.025s off Nakagami’s best with a 1m37.970s, as Maverick Vinales (Yamaha Factory Racing) completed the top three and still within a tenth of the top.

At Honda, the devil was in the details – not just the logo on the number 99’s side of the garage – although there was a new airbox on show. Marquez said he was working more on refinements, as well as different tyres, with some good and some bad to report.

Overall though it was a satisfied seven-time world champion, happy with engine improvements. He did 56 laps – including a Marquez-style save – and says now focus will shift more towards the chassis. New teammate Jorge Lorenzo was also a force to be reckoned with on the timesheets. He put in a 1m38.105s and was just 0.039 off Vinales in third, with the number 99’s fourth day on the Honda seeing him take P4 after 65 laps – the third Honda in the top five.

The leading Yamaha on day two was Vinales after completing 78 laps, and he seems happy with 2019 development so far. Both he and teammate Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) have been testing two different engine specs, with Vinales clear as to which one they should go with.

While Vinales seems content, nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha Factory Racing) wasn’t quite as happy after day one, saying that it was good enough for fourth – if they can capitalise on others’ misfortunes. On day two though, Rossi finished 11th fastest after setting a quickest time of 1m38.596s, 0.651s from Nakagami’s benchmark after completing 67 laps. The factory pairing both agree on which spec engine they need to go for, but ‘The Doctor’ insists Yamaha need to find more if they are to challenge at the top next season.

In the Petronas Yamaha SRT garage, it was another good day for both Franco Morbidelli and rookie Fabio Quartararo. For the former, a P6 finish after 68 laps and just 0.173s from the top sees him continue his quick adaptation from Honda to Yamaha. For Quartararo, it was another vital 58 laps in the bag – and it was another hugely positive day. The Frenchman ended P12 on the timesheets after setting a fastest lap of 1m38.761s, just over a tenth off Rossi’s fastest lap and under a second from P1.

Meanwhile Ducati were the only manufacturer, according to Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who weren’t on engine duty – they were confirming, successfully, their results from the Valencia test. The Borgo Panigale factory were focused elsewhere, including some time working on a seat modification first seen on day one ridden by test rider stand-in Alvaro Bautista.

Despite a tumble on Wednesday, Dovizioso put in 44 laps – saying he didn’t feel limited by the crash – with a fastest of 1m38.292s to put him in P8, and it was new teammate Danilo Petrucci who flew the flag highest in fifth, a 1m38.109s his fastest of 68 laps.

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) had an impressive day on track, including a lot of time spent working on different setups that ‘seemed to work better and better’ every time they made a change. He was fastest for a brief time in the afternoon, and ended the day in P7 overall after 57 laps, the best of which was a 1m38.207s.

His rookie teammate Francesco Bagnaia, meanwhile, made for close company and was the quickest of the new kids on the grid. The Pramac duo were split by Dovizioso but ‘Pecco’ was only just over a tenth off Miller and the Italian debutant did 50 laps, just working on getting experience – especially on used tyres.

Tito Rabat was another impressive performer on Ducati machinery. The Spaniard, who is still coming back from his leg break sustained at Silverstone, managed 60 laps and ended the day in P13. The best lap from the recovering Reale Avintia Racing rider was a 1m38.876s – with teammate Karel Abraham putting in a 1m39.744s after 40 laps, taking P17.

For Suzuki, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was able to continue to test the new GSX-RR engine and chassis combinations, alongside test rider Sylvain Guintoli. Rins was able to post the 10th quickest time on day two, his 1m38.522s, 0.577s off Nakagami’s pace as he completed 63 laps on Thursday.

For teammate Joan Mir, it was another 55 laps under his belt as he continues to impress, bouncing back extremely well from a fast crash on day one. P14 on the timesheets for the Spaniard and under a second from P1 shows the 2017 Moto3 World Champion is continuing to adapt well, and he also got to try the new Suzuki engine and chassis on Thursday.

It was a tough test for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini with Aleix Espargaro missing the whole of day one through illness, while also missing the morning of day two to complete just 11 laps. In addition, after a crash on day one, Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was riding with an injured foot as the Italian completed 36 laps by the end of the second day to finish P18 on the timesheets.

This left new test rider Bradley Smith with the majority of the testing duties, the British rider getting 59 laps done on Thursday, and Matteo Baiocco was also on circuit for the Italian factory once again – with 48 laps completed for the latter.

At KTM, Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was once again the quickest Austrian machine as the Spaniard put in a best of 1m39.144s after 60 laps – putting him fifteenth on the timesheets. Work continued on many different parts of the RC16, with Espargaro testing what team manager Mike Leitner called ‘bigger items’.

Johann Zarco, meanwhile, was getting to better grips with his switch to the machine – with Leitner confirming his adaptation to the bike and vice versa. The Frenchman was seven tenths off his teammate on day two.

KTM Tech 3 Racing, meanwhile, had Hafizh Syahrin on a 1m40.520s and rookie teammate Miguel Oliveira with a best lap of 1m40.577s – only half a tenth off the Malaysian. They put in 54 and 61 laps respectively as they both switch machinery – the former from Yamaha and the latter from Moto2.

Detailed results

Reigning national Supersport champion Cru Halliday will return to the premier class next season after inking a deal to join Daniel Falzon at Yamaha Racing Team in the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).

Halliday, 30, replaces the outgoing Wayne Maxwell – who has been linked to Team Suzuki Ecstar – while multiple Superbike title winner Falzon will form part of Yamaha Motor Australia’s factory squad for a second term.

“Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward and that has certainly been the case over the last 18 months for me,” Halliday commented. “The last-minute call up to the 600 last year made me look at how I go about racing and then to put together the season we did as a team on a new bike leaves me more confident than ever that I can succeed in the Superbike class.

“To have this opportunity with John [Redding] and YRT at the top level is something I thought would never happen again, but it made me realise to not take anything for granted, work hard and create my own chances in life.

“I’m going to grab it with both hands and leave nothing on the table as racing is my passion and something I’m not ready to give up yet. It’s great to continue working everyone at YRT and although 2018 isn’t over yet, I know everyone is already working hard for next season and we all feel we have something to prove.”

Halliday has been a mainstay at Yamaha since commencing his road racing career a decade ago, first joining YRT in 2012. He has remained part of the program aside from 2017, in which he collected sixth in the final Superbike standings as a privateer aboard a YZF-R1M.

After finishing fifth in this year’s ASBK title-chase in his first season as part of the factory team, 24-year-old Falzon is looking to capitalise on that experience gained aboard the R1M in a bid to battle for podium results.

“Up until last year I had pretty much done things myself, so it was a big change for me to work in a team environment and learn how the team go about things,” Falzon said. “Now, I think we all have a better understanding of each other and learned how to get the best from ourselves and the bike.

“Last year my goal was to finish inside the top five every race and limit the big mistakes which I had made in the past. For 2019 it’s time to step it up again and target race and round podiums which I think is very achievable given the bike and the team.

“We get started with some testing in early February before we kick off round one at Phillip Island and I have already got stuck into my training program and am determined to make 2019 my best season yet.”

The 2019 season marks a new era of sorts for Yamaha’s factory team after parting ways with longtime team leader Maxwell, however YRT owner John Redding is confident that the combination of Halliday and Falzon will be a strong one. There has been no mention of the team fielding the factory R6 again, vacated by Halliday.

“Every year gives riders and teams a chance to take stock, reset and hit the new season with some energy and vigour and I think YRT will be a vibrant environment in 2019,” Redding explained. “We have two riders who are determined for success and have been around long enough to know what it takes to win at this level.

“We have also looked at the way we do things, fine-tuned some aspects of it and tried to improve the functioning of the team, as like the riders, we strive to be better each and every season. The opening round isn’t that far away but I feel we have our house in order and will be ready to go at Phillip Island.”