Pedro Acosta Fastest in Barcelona MotoGP Test

Three KTM riders finish inside the top four while Jorge Martin escapes serious injury after Turn 7 crash in Catalunya.

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Pedro Acosta ended the post-race Barcelona MotoGP Test on top after setting the fastest time for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Monday.

The Spaniard bounced back strongly from a dramatic Catalan Grand Prix weekend by clocking the quickest lap ahead of Fabio Quartararo and Enea Bastianini, with just 0.117 seconds separating the top three riders.

The test session was eventually cut short after heavy rain arrived during the lunch break, forcing organisers to officially end proceedings earlier than scheduled. All competitive lap times were set during the morning session.

KTM Dominates Top Four

Acosta once again showed impressive pace after a difficult Sunday race that included both a technical issue and a crash on the final lap.

Despite a slower start to the test and a minor technical problem early in the session, “The Shark” eventually delivered the fastest lap on his final flying run of the morning.

“A short day and not too many things to try,” said Acosta.

“We worked on some engine mappings and other setup. Everything was working quite well. We have to keep working in the way we are doing because I’ve been competitive in the last races.”

KTM’s strong showing continued with Bastianini finishing third for Red Bull KTM Tech3, while returning teammate Maverick Vinales secured fourth place after making his comeback from shoulder surgery.

Viñales praised improvements made to the front-end feeling of the KTM RC16 and confirmed he no longer faced any issues with his shoulder following his return to action.

Meanwhile, Brad Binder completed the day in 12th position.

With three KTM motorcycles inside the top four positions, the Austrian manufacturer leaves Barcelona carrying strong momentum into the next round at Mugello.

Quartararo Encouraged by Yamaha Progress

At Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Quartararo finished second overall and just 0.064 seconds behind Acosta’s benchmark lap.

The French rider admitted he was encouraged by the grip levels found during the test, although he believed it was mainly due to improved track conditions rather than a major technical breakthrough.

“We tested the front wing – one similar to the one I used yesterday in the race, which gives a bit more front feeling – as well as some settings and electronics, and that was about it,” Quartararo explained.

“We are trying to improve our feeling with the bike and improve the consistency. Today the track had a lot of grip, and you can tell the difference. The test ended early. There are always more things you would like to test, but today we got done what we needed to do.”

Quartararo also spent the day testing Yamaha’s latest front wing package. Teammate Alex Rins ended the session in 13th position, while Jack Miller finished 16th for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP.

WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu meanwhile continued adapting to MotoGP machinery and completed the most laps of any rider during the session with 45 laps recorded.

Jorge Martin Escapes Serious Injury

One of the biggest moments of the day involved Jorge Martin after the Aprilia Racing rider crashed at Turn 7 during the morning session.

Martin was immediately taken to the medical centre before undergoing further checks at hospital.

Fortunately, examinations confirmed the Spaniard escaped without fractures or broken bones, although rest will still be required ahead of the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

Before the crash, Aprilia had been testing new aerodynamic packages on Martin’s RS-GP machine.

Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura meanwhile completed productive sessions to finish fifth and sixth respectively as the top Aprilia riders on the day.

Ducati and Honda Continue Development Work

With both Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez absent through injury, Ducati’s main focus shifted towards development work.

Francesco Bagnaia continued evaluating Ducati’s updated swingarm package and finished 10th overall, while Fermin Aldeguer emerged as the fastest Ducati rider in seventh place.

At Honda, Diogo Moreira finished as the manufacturer’s top rider in ninth position after focusing mainly on setup adjustments.

Teammates Luca Marini and Joan Mir also tested several updated components including new fairings, swingarm parts and exhaust systems.