Valentino Rossi & Maverick Vinales eager to get 2020 season underway at last in Jerez
The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team and their riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi are thrilled to officially restart the 2020 MotoGP World Championship this week. After more than four months of waiting due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Factory Yamaha riders are more than ready to swing their legs over their bikes for two official IRTA test sessions at the Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto tomorrow.
The IRTA Test Day includes two MotoGP sessions, the first is from 10:00 – 11:30 GMT+2 and the second from 14:00 – 15:30 GMT+2 (the full test schedule is available in the notes below). The test in Jerez will be followed by the Gran Premio de España, held at the same track from 17th–19th July 2020.
Viñales is going into the test with good confidence. The Spaniard showed a strong pace at the 2020 tests earlier this year (pre-lockdown) in Malaysia and Qatar. He is looking forward to refamiliarise himself with the 2020 YZR-M1 tomorrow and hopes to continue the work he had started. Having secured third place in the MotoGP World Championship standings in 2017 and 2019, he is determined to make a strong start to the 2020 racing year, making the Jerez test vitally important.
Rossi is eager to get back to work, ride his beloved M1 and, of course, reunite with his team. He has set himself a firm goal for this week: he will fully focus on getting a clear understanding of where the Yamaha Factory package stands compared to the competition. Still fiercely competitive by nature, the Italian is keen to find out how he can make the most of the nimble Yamaha bike during the upcoming Grand Prix.
The Circuito de Jerez was built in 1986 and has been one of the most popular MotoGP events of the season ever since. Blessed with good weather, beautiful scenery, fast corners, and hard braking areas, the 4.4km Jerez circuit as a rule offers unforgettable racing action.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
I‘m so happy that the wait is over! We ended the winter tests in a positive way. I did a good pre-season, because I was calm and had a good rhythm in both the Malaysia and Qatar Test, so I think I will arrive here in a good shape. But Jerez is a very different kind of track, so we will have to see tomorrow what the current situation is really like. I can’t wait to be back on the bike, full throttle, and have that ‘race feeling’. It’s also great to be back with the team, because I missed them so much. One thing we know for sure: all the fans will be watching the Spanish GP from home, so I want to do everything I can during the test to get ready for a good battle for the victory or a podium on Sunday. Let‘s make this a season full of good memories!
VALENTINO ROSSI
Finally we can enjoy MotoGP again! Sincerely, it‘s a great relief for me, because I missed my M1 a lot, and I think the fans will also be very happy. Tomorrow we’ll start with the first test sessions in Jerez. The steps we made in Sepang and Losail during the pre-season were positive, but that‘s quite a long time ago now. We still have to be organised and work hard tomorrow to start the Spanish GP with a good understanding and a good feeling. Anyway, I‘m ready to start this new season with my team. We will do our best!
