Elena Rossell and Damian Cudlin gain confidence and complete successful first test for the new Moto2 season Elena Rossell and Damian Cudlin, the new riders of Team QMMF for the 2012 Moto2 World Championship, turned the first test with their Moriwaki prototypes into success. Both the young Spanish lady racer and her experienced Australian team-mate made steady progress over the three track days at Valencia, gaining experience and knowledge on every lap around the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Whereas Elena Rossell kept her focus on adjusting her riding style to the new bike and getting closer and closer to the limit when opening the throttle on the corner exits, Damian Cudlin started to evaluate a broad variety of different set-up solutions in order to adjust the bike to his personal preferences. “We are on track. Both of our riders have been working into a clear direction and improved steadily over the three days of testing”, said team coordinator Luis Solano. “The conditions were difficult, with air temperatures as low as five degree in the morning and a track that took a very long time to warm up, especially in the shady sections. It would have been silly to take unnecessary risks und to push for fast lap times. Instead, our riders took a step-by-step approach with the new bikes, trying to learn as much as possible. Elena feels comfortable on her bike even though the Moriwaki is very different to the Suter she rode last year. She improved her lap times every day and is slowly but surely building up the confidence she needs. Damian also got faster and faster with every run, even though he struggles a bit more than Elena to find the best and most comfortable position on the bike, since he is relatively tall. Now we move on to the next testing session in Jerez, where we will continue our work toward a good base set-up for both our riders.” Adding to the good mood and high spirits of the team was Nasser Hasan Al Malki, who joined his old friends as a visitor and guest in Valencia. The 28-year-old rider from Doha, Qatar, who rode several Grand Prix for Team QMMF in 2011, will take part in the Spanish Moto 2 championship this season and will ride another three Grand Prix as a wild card entry for QMMF. “Last year, I thought of the Spanish Moto2 Championship all the time, knowing it would be the right category for me. I was really waiting and hoping for this chance to come”, said Nasser. “Now my dream has come true, I have become a full-time rider in the CEV and I am determined to make the best out of this opportunity! I now live in Madrid and I am training very hard, with the bike as much as in the gym, to be fully prepared for this season. My goal is to fight for top ten positions in every race!” Elena Rossell “I am very happy with these three days of testing. We made steady progress and we improved the bike and our lap times step by step without suffering any setbacks like big scary moments or even a crash. My confidence to the bike grew accordingly, even though I still struggle a bit on the corner exits where I still don’t open the throttle as early and hard as I probably could. I’m still in the process of adjusting to our new bike, since the Moriwaki feels very different to the Suter that I rode last year. The seating position is much more comfortable on my new bike and the front end feels more stable, whereas the Suter felt somehow lighter and easier to steer. It is an interesting comparison that helps us a lot in our search for the best set-up!” Damian Cudlin: “I like the bike and the whole package, but I am still trying to get more feeling, more grip and control from the front end. We’ve been trying many different arrangements, from the geometry of the bike down to basics like my seating position and we are learning something every time we leave the box. It’s a normal process of elimination at this moment in time, finding out what the bike likes and what it doesn’t like. We are making progress and we improved our lap times every day, but there is a lot of work left to do. I look forward to the next three days of testing in Jerez, where we will continue our search for the best possible balance and base set-up!”