MotoGP's first Spain round is our first European race since the opening round, and you'll need a good setup to be fast for the MotoGP 23 Spanish Grand Prix!
We're really impressed by MotoGP 23 and you read why by heading over to our full review. MotoGP 23 is one of the most complete motorbike games around today, but it's not easy.
In MotoGP 23's Career Mode, the fourth round of your first full season takes place in Spain. The Spanish GP is Round 4 on the calendar for both the full and short calendar options, as well as playing host to a mid-season test right after.
Jerez is an old -chool circuit that has hosted the Spanish MotoGP round since 1989. The circuit is made up of a relentless barrage of medium and low-speed corners with little to no runoff to save you when you make a mistake.
So, Jerez can be a serious challenge at the best of times, but we're here to help as always with our MotoGP 23 Spanish setup guide!
MotoGP 23 Spain setup
Jerez is one of the traditional cornerstones of the MotoGP season, having hosted a race every year for over the past 30 years. But the heat of the Spanish desert is the least of your worries around this track!
While the pit-straight can give you the opportunity to pass, it's the slightly faster back-straight that is the main passing point. It's in the corners where you make the most time up though, as the brave are rewarded here.
Starting with the tyres, you're best using a Hard on the front and a Medium on the rear for the race. You can go Medium-Medium, but this will mean your front tyre will struggle towards the end, particularly through the corners.
Hard-Medium means that you can push for the whole race here and that's worth its weight in gold around Jerez.
Suspension
Front pre-load needs to be low at 2 to allow for more consistent steering around the long corners in Jerez. Oil quality should be up at 4, with the front spring hardness also at 4.
The front fork compression is best at 4, but the extension is better up at 6.
On the rear, the rear pre-load has to go down to 2 with the Swingarm connector up at 4. Spring hardness should be down at 3, with shock absorber compression up at 5 and the extension also at 4 to help the bike's overall grip.
Vehicle geometry
For your Vehicle Geometry, the steering head inclination should be down at 2 to allow for good turn-in capabilities.
The trail also should be down at 2, but the steering plate position should be up at 5. Lastly, the rear swingarm length also needs to be set high at 5.
Transmission
Your gears in Spain should be around the default value for all gears. This is because Spain's average speed is relatively low for MotoGP.
The final ratio needs to be at least 6 though, because the straights are pretty quick. The slipper clutch should be down at 3, though, to help the stability.
Brake System
In Spain, there are two long braking zones so you need to have good brakes to be effective around.
A 340mm high mass brake on the front and a 220mm on the rear are the best options here.
ECU
As usual, electronic aids that are available to you in MotoGP definitely come in handy here. You'll need to turn all of them up quite high to keep your bike on the road. Traction Control should be up at 4 to help prevent excess wheelspin out of slower corners.
Engine Braking also should be cranked up to 4 in order to shave speed around the long corners. Anti-wheelie also has to be up at 5 to prevent the front wheel from flying off the ground.
Power mapping is best at 3 for a flying lap, but you'll need to turn this around during some points in the race. This is to save the engine and fuel.
All of these can be adjusted out on track using the HUD in the bottom-right of the screen.