Tech 3 Racing Team complete 2011 preparations in Jerez The Tech 3 Racing Team will head to the first round of the 2011 Moto2 World Championship in Qatar later this month in optimistic mood having completed its pre-season preparations in Jerez today. After the first day of the Jerez test fell victim to more heavy rain that has caused major disruption to the winter testing schedule, Bradley Smith and Mike di Meglio were able to take advantage of improved conditions for the final two days to carry out vital development work on the new Mistral 610 machine. Smith worked tirelessly to improve his confidence with the race set-up of his machine, the British rider completing in excess of 160-laps to also help build up his experience of t he heavier and more powerful 600cc four-stroke machine ahead of his debut season in the ultra-competitive Moto2 series. Smith was particularly impressive on the second day, the 20-year-old outpacing a host of riders with significantly more Moto2 experience to clock the sixth best time with a 143.997. He was 15th quickest on the final day and while unable to improve his best lap time, he was able to produce a much more consistent pace in full race trim having worked closely on a range of settings with crew chief Tom Jojic. Frenchman Mike di Meglio was also satisfied with his performance, the former World 125cc Champion spending most of his time concentrating on improving his pace and confidence with the harder option Dunlop rear tyre. Like Smith, di Meglio was able to assess and analyse a wide range of set-up options to get a clear understanding of the direction he will take when the season kicks off under the Lo sail International Circuit floodlights in Qatar on March 20. Bradley Smith, 11th overall, 1:43.997: “I am quite tired now as we did 160 laps in two days but it was hard work we needed to put in and it was definitely worth it. We tested everything we had inside the truck, so we know exactly how the bike is working and in what direction we have to go when the racing kicks off. We did not improve our lap times today, but we improved in the consistency. I was able to ride fast on old tyres, so we are good for the race distance and that has given me a lot of confidence for Qatar. We will try to work a little bit between here and Qatar to figure out how we can close the gap on the front guys. That is going to be important for the best lap time in qualifying. But I am feeling a lot more comfortable with the bike and the 600 is not feeling quite so alien now. We’ve still got work to do but between now and Qatar we’ll analyse a lot of data and come up with a plan for the start of the season. I’m really looking forward to racing now.” Mike di Meglio, 30th overall, 1:44.884: “Although the lap times don’t reflect it, this test was still positive for us. We worked a lot on the bike and I am much happier today. We spent a lot working on the set-up, particularly to help the bike use the hard tyre better, and I feel we made some steps forward. We have still got a lot of work to do but I know I can also improve my feeling with the bike. I want to thank my guys at Tech 3 Racing again for all their hard work and I’m sure we will be competitive at the first race in Qatar.” Combined Times of 3 days testing in Jerez: 1 – BRADL – 1:42.697; 2 – MARQUEZ – 1:42.980; 3 – CORSI – 1:43.046; 4 – TAKAHASHI – 1:43.338; 5 – LÃœTHI – 1:43.435; 6 – ESPARGARO, Aleix – 1:43.504; 7 – SIMON – 1:43.542; 8 – REDDING – 1:43.565; 9 – PIRRO – 1:43.751; 10 – CORTI – 1:43.802; 11 – SMITH – 1:43.997rong>; 12 – CLUZEL – 1:44.012; 13 – KALLIO – 1:44.019; 14 – SOFUOGLU – 1:44.189; 15 – KRUMMENACHER – 1:44.203; 16 – NEUKIRCHNER – 1:44.211; 17 – DE ANGELIS – 1:44.340; 18 – AEGERTER – 1:44.378; 19 – IANNONE – 1:44.494; 20 – FORES – 1:44.554; 21 – PASINI – 1:44.570; 22 – RABAT – 1:44.633; 23 – BALDOLINI – 1:44.649; 24 – DE ROSA – 1:44.657; 25 – DEBISE – 1:44.699; 26 – NOYES – 1:44.717; 27 – WEST – 1:44.758; 28 – COGHLAN – 1:44.814; 29 – PONS – 1:44.853; 30 – DI MEGLIO – 1:44.884; 31 – HERNANDEZ, Yonny – 1:44.934; 32 – ESPARGARO, Pol – 1:44.948; 33 – SIMÉON – 1:44.983; 34 – WILAIROT – 1:45.204; 35 – CARDUS – 1:45.304; 36 – PIETRI – 1:45.592; 37 – HERNANDEZ, Santi – 1:45.649; 38 – AL NAIMI – 1:46.506 More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: MARC VDS READY TO RACE AFTER SUCCESSFUL FINAL TEST Scott Redding and Mika Kallio are all set for the first race of the 2011 Moto2 World Championship season in Qatar, after successfully completing the final preseason test at a wet and very cold Jerez circuit. After managing very few laps on the opening day of testing due to hailstones and rain at the Jerez circuit, both Marc VDS riders were keen to complete as many laps as possible in the dry but cold conditions on day two. Redding took advantage of the dry conditions to further refine the set up of his Suter MMXI, managing to complete most of his planned test schedule before losing the front at the ultra-fast turn seven late in the afternoon session. For Kallio it was a particularly frustrating day. On his first exit from pit lane he crashed on water dropped by Alex De Angelis, resulting in a four-hour wait as his crew worked to repair his extensively damaged bike. Despite the problems the Finn proved his transition to Moto2 has been a successful one, by going on to finish the afternoon session fourth fastest overall. Kallio completed only a handful of laps on the final day before opting to sit out the remainder of the test due to pain from his right thumb, which he injured in the crash yesterday and had swelled to twice its normal size overnight. Redding used the final day of testing to improve his feeling with the front end of the bike, making significant improvements to his lap time as his confidence returned. The British rider looked set to break back into the top five on the timesheet, but was thwarted by the return of the rain that has caused so many disruptions to the winter testing schedule this year. Scott Redding #45: 1’43.5 “The story so far this season has been all about the weather, with every test we’ve done disrupted to some extent by rain and high winds. We had hailstones and rain here on the first day, which meant we only did ten laps in less than ideal conditions. The second and third days were better, but I’ve been struggling to get a good feeling from the front of the bike and I got caught out yesterday afternoon when the front let go with no warning at turn seven. Today was probably the best of the three days in terms of weather and we managed to make quite a few improvements to the front of the bike. Once the confidence was back then the lap times came quite easily but, if I’m completely honest, I’ve had enough of testing now. The first race in Qatar can’t come soon enough for me, I just want to be back out there banging fairings again, instead of turning laps in conditions that make worthwhile testing almost impossible. It’s not long now and I can’t wait.” Mika Kallio #36: 1’44.0 “We knew that doing an extra test at Jerez last week was important, but we didn’t realise just how critical it would prove to be until we came here for the final test. The first day was washout with the weather and then, on the second, I crashed on my first exit after another rider dumped water on the track. We lost time repairing the bike, which was quite badly damaged, but bounced back to break into the top five on the timesheet by the end of the day. I banged my right thumb quite hard in the crash and it had swollen to twice its normal size this morning. It’s not serious, but it was quite painful on the bike and it made it difficult to control the throttle. More kilometres on the bike would have been useful, but we know from the test in Jerez last week that we have the pace we need, and I’m looking forward to the first race in Qatar with some confidence now.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager “Hailstones, rain and a big crash meant that Mika didn’t cover as many kilometres as he was hoping for during this final test. Fortunately he found a good set up during last week’s outing at Jerez and, as he showed yesterday by breaking into the top five on the timesheet, he has adapted well to our Moto2 bike. Scott has struggled so far to find a front-end set up he’s happy with and yesterday’s crash knocked his confidence a little. His feeling, and his confidence, improved with some changes to the set up today, and I’m sure he would have finished closer to the top of the timesheet had the weather not closed in again in the afternoon. We are ready for Qatar, with both of our riders confident that they have the pace to challenge for race wins from the start.” More, from a press release issued by Kenny Noyes’ publicist: Kenny Noyes Ready To Race After Jerez Test After the three days of the official IRTA test at Jerez, Kenny Noyes leaves the Spanish track with testing miles under his belt and ready to get the real job of racing underway at Qatar. The weather was far from ideal at Jerez, Kenny losing all of the first day of testing to rain, and even the last two days saw cool temperatures and strong winds make posting fast times a difficult prospect. Despite the conditions, Kenny and his Avintia-STX team got a lot of work done on finding a base setting with his new FTR machine. Still recovering from shoulder surgery he had in December, Kenny lacked the strength to push at 100%, but he was still able to start exploring the potential of the bike and to post consistent lap times. The American improved his time by the best part of a second from Saturday to Sunday, and ended the test with a faster time than he set during the race last May. Kenny now heads back to his Spanish home in Barcelona, to prepare for the start of the 2011 season in two weeks’ time at Qatar. He’ll spend the intervening time studying the data from the test with his team, trying to learn as much as possible about the bike before the flag drops at Qatar. Thanks to the support of his sponsors FOGI Racing and GP Tech, Kenny and his Avintia-STX team believe that the potential they have unlocked is just the tip of the iceberg of what is possible. Once the season gets underway, the extra miles under the tires each weekend brings will help unleash the full potential of the FTR M211, and Kenny is confident of fighting with the front-runners. Kenny Noyes, Fastest Lap: 1’44.717 Kenny said, “The test actually went pretty good! We didn’t end up where we wanted to be on the timesheets, but we got a lot of work done. I was faster every time I went out, and I could hit those times reliably. Once I got into the 1’45s, I could do them lap after lap. Same once I got into the 1’44s. We’ve made a ton of progress here.” “We really need more time on the bike. We’ve got a good base setting, but we’re not anywhere near its full potential yet. We’re still working to understand how to get the best out of the FTR, but the team have been awesome and we’re working really well. I’ve been sharing data with all of my teammates, and this is really paying off.” “This year has been almost the opposite of last year. Last year I was healthy and had a lot of testing, this year I’m still only about 80% with my shoulder, and we’ve had so little testing I still have lots to learn about the bike. But I’m real excited about the potential: once I get the strength back in my shoulder and can use the FTR to the maximum, we’re gonna be much closer to the front!” More, from a press release issued by Team JiR: The last tests before the official start of the 2011 Championship have ended. On the Jerez track the Moto2 riders found good weather this morning that sadly deteriorated in the afternoon. The harmless fall that occurred to Alex yesterday pushed the team to concentrate on their job with the machine’s set-up, in order to better understand how it has reacted to the different configurations that have been tested over the past few days. After the good solution for the front fork they found yesterday, today was the day of the MotoBI’s rear suspension, testing different rear linkages and several set-ups to the 2011 Öhlins rear shock. Today the Team decided not to pay too much attention on a single lap time but to work on Alex’s confidence with his MotoBI. This was vital, for Alex to better understand his machine’s character, due to the little track time the Team has enjoyed, thanks to the bad weather conditions in all three IRTA test sessions. Now all the equipment has been packed away and it is destination Qatar, where the 2011 Championship’s opening challenge will take place on March 20th. More, from a press release issued by Paris Hilton Team: PARIS HILTON TEAM PILOTS PASS THREE-DAY PRE-SEASON IRTA TEST HOSTED AT JEREZ SINCE FRIDAY TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE ONSET OF THE NEXT SEASON AT LOSAI WITH THE GP OF QATAR Jerez, 6th March 2011. Maverick Viñales and Sergio Gadea remained among the top-ranking pilots in the 125 cc class throughout the three-day pre-season test organised by the IRTA and hosted at Jerez circuit from Friday until today. Rainy weather didn’t allow the pilots to take to the track on Friday and caused the session to come to an early end today as it started to rain in the middle of the afternoon. Maverick remained in the top five throughout the three days and recorded the second best time on Friday thus proving he is definitely the sensation of the pre-season and he’s been adapting pretty well to the World Championship. On Friday his team-mate rode on a wet track and achieved modest results but yesterday and today he was able to ride in normal conditions and managed to record better times to end up in the top ten on both days. The Valencian pilot has found better feeling riding a 125 after competing in the Moto2 class in 2010 and his progression has been constant. Today both pilots took more than 60 laps and have consolidated their positions with their Aprilia. They have now completed the pre-season after this last training session and the next event is the first Grand Prix of the year the GP of Qatar on 20 March. 25 MAVERICK VIÑALES (5º. 1’48.290, +0.850): ” On the first day we couldn’t ride as much as we would have liked to but the result of this three-day training session has been positive overall. We have gradually done better and my adaptation has been good. I think during this pre-season we have been riding with the pilots who will be competing for the title and even if we still have a lot of work to do I think we have been doing quite all right and that makes us feel very optmistic and determined to carry on this way. I am well prepared for the first event this year – the GP of Qatar and although we are not familiar with this track which will make it difficult for us to find the right pace I am confident we’ll be able to be competitive and start off the year with a good result. The motorbike has been fine so far and the team has done a great job. I can really get on well with the technicians and the mechanics and that’s very important.” 33 SERGIO GADEA (9º. 1’48.550, +1.110): “I have found it a bit difficult to switch back to a 125 and regain my composure with this motorbike but I think we are on the right track. What’s important now – even if achieving good times and top-ranking always feels good is to get back the feeling of this class and I have actually been forced to change my reference points. We have changed the base I had from when I was competing in the Moto2 class and things have been much better. This afternoon I managed to improve my yesterday’s time by a second a a half and even if I am still far from the results I should be achieving and from the best-ranking pilots, I am slowly but surely getting there. The motorbike has been great and I can get on well with the team. We are still getting to know each other but we have good vibrations. The communication is really good and I always get my point across. We are on the right track and if we carry on this way I am sure we’ll be among the best and we’ll be competitive. The World Championship is about to start and now it’s time to focus on the GP of Qatar and I hope everything will be fine and we’ll be able to show our true potential.” More, from a press release issued by Mahindra Racing: Top power for Mahindra Racing at final test Jerez, Spain: Mahindra Racing showed strong progress at the final pre-season test for the 125cc World Championship season with riders Danny Webb and Marcel Schrötter at Jerez on March 4-6. The Mahindra Group is the first Indian motorcycle manufacturer to enter a team into the prestigious FIM Road Racing World Championship and both riders were riding full liveried silver and red Mahindra GP125s for the first time. The team were able to verify that good progress has been made with the engine delivering strong and tractable power, whilst identifying other areas for development on the bike to propel it to the front of the grid. Despite a predominantly wet first day at the test, held on the 4.4km Jerez circuit, significant mileage was covered in the dry weather of the second two days. Rider Danny Webb outlined his intent by going out early in each session to put the Mahindra name at the top of the timing monitors, before their more experienced rivals laid down faster times showing the level of competition which Mahindra faces in this tough battleground. “The team sent me a picture with Danny’s time at the top of the monitors and I was very excited,” said Team Principal Mufaddal Choonia, “and even though we were not the quickest at the end of the test I know that good progress has been made, and the team is working systemically on improvements to draw us nearer to our quickest rivals. I can’t wait for our debut in Qatar.” Fastest of Mahindra’s two riders over the three-day test was Danny Webb. “We’ve definitely taken a step forwards,” said the 19 year-old Brit. “On Friday we didn’t get much running because of the weather, and on Saturday we suffered from a few electrical gremlins, but I’m satisfied that there’s more speed to come from the bike, and I’ve a fair idea where that speed can be found.” Marcel Schrötter had an early off on the first day which hindered his progress at the test. “My fall was not too bad but I was not able to push as hard as I would otherwise. “I tried to concentrate on developing the set-up of the bike and developing my confidence with it and everything is pointing in the right direction to continue improving.” The team ran through a programme to evaluate new components. “Jerez is a good testing ground as it’s a punishing circuit and our previous knowledge here gives good basis for evaluation,” said team manager, Nicola Casadei. “We tested a new carburettor on Danny’s bike and initial impressions are good, so we will now analyse the data to see if we will have it on both bikes for Qatar. We could do with more time to test, but we will just keep improving through the season.” The team’s bikes will now be freighted direct from Jerez to Qatar where Mahindra will make their race debut on the world stage on March 17-20 at the Losail International Circuit for the first round of the 125cc World Championship. For more information, please visit www.mahindraracing.com