His 2021 season might have ended in the gravel trap on Sunday but Takaaki Nakagami got his preparations for the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season underway in fine fashion with te quickest time in testing at Jerez.
Crossing over from Valencia for two days of post-season testing that begins the countdown towards 2022, Nakagami was on top throughout the day aboard the LCR Honda.
His best time was set on the 2021 Honda but he ended the day having gotten his first taste of the 2022 RC213V prototype.
Johann Zarco led the expanded eight Ducati Armada of entries on the Pramac Racing machine in second place, just holding off Enea Bastianini, who gave Gresini Racing an impressive third place in its first session with Ducati machinery having split from Aprilia.
Valencia MotoGP finale race winner and 2021 runner-up Pecco Bagnaia was fourth fastest, ahead of top Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales in fifth and Alex Rins in sixth.
Yamaha’s challenge was headed up by Franco Morbidelli, with the Italian and 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo sandwiching eighth place Jack Miller, while top KTM rider Brad Binder was tenth fastest.
With five rookies making their MotoGP debut today, Raul Fernandez was the quickest of the quintet in 19th of the 29 riders on track for Tech 3 KTM, while Fabio di Giannantonio followed in 22nd, with Moto2 champion Remy Gardner in 25th.
Marco Bezzecchi and Darryn Binder [pictured above] - making his MotoGP debut having stepped up from Moto3 - in 25th and 27th as the remaining timed riders.
| 2021 MotoGP Post-Season Test | Jerez | Thursday | |||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat. | MotoGP Team | MotoGP Bike | Timing |
| 1 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda RC213V | 1m 37.313 |
| 2 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Racing | Ducati GP21 | 1m 37.356 |
| 3 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Gresini Racing | Ducati GP21 | 1m 37.402 |
| 4 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati GP21 | 1m 37.415 |
| 5 | Maverick Vinales | ESP | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprila RS-GP | 1m 37.674 |
| 6 | Alex Rins | ESP | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1m 37.810 |
| 7 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Energy Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-M1 | 1m 37.884 |
| 8 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati GP21 | 1m 38.002 |
| 9 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-M1 | 1m 38.020 |
| 10 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 | 1m 38.086 |
| 11 | Luca Marini | ITA | VR46 Racing | Ducati GP21 | 1m 38.149 |
| 12 | Jorge Martin | ESP | Pramac Racing | Ducati GP21 | 1m 38.152 |
| 13 | Pol Espargaro | ESP | Repsol Honda Team | Honda RC213V | 1m 38.165 |
| 14 | Joan Mir | ESP | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1m 38.194 |
| 15 | Aleix Espargaro | ESP | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia RS-GP | 1m 38.207 |
| 16 | Alex Marquez | ESP | LCR Honda | Honda RC213V | 1m 38.288 |
| 17 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 | 1m 38.312 |
| 18 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | WithU RNF Racing Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-M1 | 1m 38.598 |
| 19 | Raul Fernandez | ESP | Tech3 KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 | 1m 39.083 |
| 20 | Mika Kallio | FIN | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 | 1m 39.276 |
| 21 | Sylvain Guintoli | FRA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1m 39.496 |
| 22 | Fabio di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Racing | Ducati GP21§ | 1m 39.628 |
| 23 | Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia RS-GP | 1m 39.727 |
| 24 | Remy Gardner | AUS | Tech3 KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 | 1m 40.170 |
| 25 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | VR46 Racing | Ducati GP21 | 1m 30.732 |
| 26 | Takuya Tsuda | JPN | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1m 40.936 |
| 27 | Darryn Binder | RSA | WithU RNF Racing Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-M1 | 1m 41.749 |
| NC | Dani Pedrosa | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM RC16 | - |
| NC | Stefan Bradl | GER | Repsol Honda Team | Honda RC213V | - |
