Welcome 2012: first impressions after tests in Valencia It was a wet debut in Valencia for the new JiR Team, which is now working with a young squad in preparation for the 2012 season of the Moto2 World Championship. Fresh from coming second in the 125cc world championship, Johann Zarco was welcomed by his new MotoBI, dressed in matt black, and the bodywork featured a stylized ‘Z’ in homage to the French rider. On the other side of the garage was a brilliant green and yellow machine finished in Brazil’s national colours. The first to open his account on the Moto2 machine was Johann Zarco, who with great fortitude covered 59 laps with a fastest time of 1’52.90, a relevant and promising time for a rookie considering the adverse weather conditions and track surface which has been thoroughly wet all through the day’s test. The Team waited until early afternoon to test the skills of the promising young Eric Granado on his MotoBI, who then did 22 laps to exploit the machine’s potential and give him his baptism on a Moto2 machine. For both riders it was their debut on a four-stroke motorcycle and the rain did not help them. They will get their chance again to get to know the MotoBI better with another test scheduled in the middle of this month again in Valencia. Gianluca Montiron This new project is something that really excites me and gives me a strong motivation. I was impressed by the willingness showed by both riders, who were out since the very beginning, Johann was very eager to get on track despite the rain with a waterproof suit, while Eric showed appreciable calm for a boy of 15 who is about to debut in Moto2. The rider from Cannes seemed self-confident and after each session went quicker and quicker while being a rookie with a four-stroke engine, while we just asked Eric to check if everything worked on the bike before waiting to do a full test on a dry track. Johann Zarco I was looking forward to my first experiences on a Moto2 bike. I discovered a machine with solid reactions even in extreme conditions, it has been very useful training. We reach very fast speeds compared to a 125: we haven’t made any relevant modifications as I preferred to stay focused on the feeling of the bike, rather than development and to find the right position on the seat. I have a good feeling also with the Team guys who have been a source of excellent advice and made their best to make me feel comfortable in this first appearance. I can’t wait for the next test, I’m curious to see if my first good impression will be the same also in dry conditions. Eric Granado I got really excited when I saw that waiting in the pits there was a machine dressed with my home country’s colours, as well as the graphics on my leathers, it took some minutes for me to realize that all of this was for me. I immediately understood what the positive attitude is in the JiR Team and I’m honoured to be part of this. We took the morning to have the theory of the mechanical issues and variables taught to me by technicians, while in the afternoon I finally took a ride making some laps to verify my position on the machine and adapt to it. Even if I was riding on a wet track I appreciated at the very beginning the power of a Moto2 machine and I must say that compared to a 125cc bike the speed on the straight is really high, beside this I hope I’ll be able to make more laps in the next test. The next appointment will be on November 16-17-18 again in Valencia.