FIM Moto2/Moto3 World Championships Jerez, Spain March 21, 2013 Day Four Test Results: Moto2 (All using Honda engines and Dunlop tires): 1. Pol Espargaro (Spain), Pons Kalex, 1:43.355 2. Esteve Rabat (Spain), Pons Kalex, 1:43.701 3. Jordi Torres (Spain), Suter, 1:43.706 4. Nicolas Terol (Spain), Suter, 1:43.736 5. Simone Corsi (Italy), Speed Up, 1:43.934 6. Johann Zarco (France), Suter, 1:43.993 7. Toni Elias (Spain), Kalex, 1:44.010 8. Mika Kallio (Finland), Kalex, 1:44.081 9. Anthony West (Australia), Speed Up, 1:44.310 10. Dominique Aegerter (Switzerland), Suter, 1:44.344 Moto3 (all using Dunlop tires): 1. Luis Salom (Spain), KTM, 1:46.374 2. Alex Rins (Spain), KTM, 1:46.610 3. Alex Marquez (Spain), KTM, 1:46.986 4. Miguel Oliveira (Portugal), Mahindra, 1:47.548 5. Jonas Folger (Germany), Kalex KTM, 1:47.702 6. Niccolo Antoneli (Italy), FTR Honda, 1:48.031 7. Efren Vazquez (Spain), Mahindra, 1:48.095 8. Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic), Kalex KTM, 1:48.168 9. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Malaysia), KTM, 1:48.191 10. John McPhee (UK), FTR Honda, 1:48.552 More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing: Pre season ends on a positive note for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team The pre season testing needs with the last official IRTA test at the Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera for the Moto2 NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team riders Simone Corsi, Alex De Angelis, Mattia Pasini and Ricky Cardús, who have completed this test with their SpeedUp bikes and the official engines. The riders leave the Spanish track with positive feelings before the first race of the season in Qatar having made considerable progress in their bike setup before the beginning of the season. The rain did make an appearance on the second bay of testing, keeping all of the team riders in the pits. They were able to complete the last two days of testing with ideal weathers conditions that allowed Simone Corsi to finish the in 5th position. Simone Corsi 3 – (1´43.934) “It has been a very positive test even if I was hoping to get in faster lap times. I had trouble finding the right setup for the bike but today I was able to go faster with the new chassis that we tested with. I finished the morning session with the fourth fastest lap time and eighth on the second session of the day. We have decreased the gap with the fast riders and this makes us hopeful for the first race in Qatar. It will be a tight race because all the riders are very fast. The feeling with the team so far has been really good.” Alex De Angelis 15 – (1´44.448) “If we take into consideration the results of the last test here in Jerez, we have reduced the gap with the fast riders and are now closer to the Top10. We are still far from where we want to be and have a lot of work ahead of us. We have tested different setups and so far they have indicated we are working in the right direction but we still have to find the right one in order to be faster. We still have room for improvement in Qatar.” Mattia Pasini 54 – (1´44.538) “Overall the test has been positive. We wasted the second day of testing due to the rain that kept us in the pits but other than that, we managed to test different configurations in order to better understand the nature of the bike and how it reacts. I was not able to be improve my lap time today knowing that the weather conditions were perfect and could have allowed me to do so. Today we were able to find the right configuration and we were able to remain two tenths behind the other SpeedUp. I think we will be very competitive in Qatar.” Ricky Cardus 88 – (1´44.683) “We started off really well the first day and we have tried various configurations on the bike on the other days. We have still to find the right feeling with the bike and I am sure we will get there because the team is working really well. I know I can go far with this team.” More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team: Jerez, Spain – 21 March 2013: The Marc VDS Racing Team are ready to race, after successfully completing the final preseason test of 2013 at Jerez today. All three of the team’s riders – Scott Redding, Mika Kallio and Livio Loi – were able to work through their planned test schedules, despite rain interrupting proceedings on the first full day of testing. Redding was happy enough his lap times in both wet and dry conditions to park his Kalex Moto2 machine on Wednesday evening and sit out today’s final track sessions. The 20-year-old Briton ended the test fifth fastest and just 0.7s from the top of the timesheet. Both Kallio and Loi continued testing into this morning, but the 30-year-old Finn was unable to better his time from the first day and finished 10th on combined times. Loi was also unable to improve his time today, after the wind picked up considerably for the Moto3 session, but finished the test 21st fastest and just one second off a top ten position. The team will now crate up the bikes and equipment for transport to the first Grand Prix of the 2013 season, which takes place at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on Sunday 7th April. Scott Redding #45: 5th – 1’43.372 “For once the weather was kind to us and we got some dry miles done on the bike this week. We’ve got a good direction with the set-up and we haven’t had to test as much here, which allowed me to focus on just riding and building confidence on the bike. The one rainy day here at Jerez was ideal to confirm our wet weather set-up. The fact that I was fastest in the wet also helps to build confidence. We know exactly where we’re at after this test and we know what we need to do at the first race, which is all I’m focussed on right now.” Mika Kallio #36: 10th – 1’43.774 “The one positive we can take from this test at Jerez is that we managed to confirm that we went the right way with the settings in Albacete. The chatter that we had last year, including here in Jerez, has all but gone, so that’s a big step forward. We were hoping to do more here, but I lost the front without warning at the fast turn 12 yesterday and went down hard. I was lucky to walk away uninjured, but it effectively ended the day for me as the bike was badly damaged. The lost track time meant we didn’t get to try everything we had planned, but we already know how we need to set up the bike for the first race, so it’s not such an issue. I could have done with more time on the bike just to build more confidence, but these things happen in racing and we just have to deal with it.” Livio Loi #11: 21st – 1’48.568 “Overall I’m pretty happy with the test. We were fast once again in the wet and we made definite improvements in the dry. Of course, I’d like to be a little bit nearer to the top of the timesheet, but racing at this level is very new for me and I need to learn to walk before I can run. I could have gone faster, a 1’47 was definitely possible, but in these conditions the chance of a crash was just too high and the last thing I need is an injury before the season has even started. There is still some work to do on our set-up in the dry, but this will come with more laps on the bike. At the moment I’m relying very much on the team when it comes to settings, but this will change once I gain more experience on the bike. It will be tough to sit out the first two GP races, because all I want to do now is race!” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “Despite the best efforts of the weather this year, we’re ready to race. Both Scott and Livio showed impressive pace in the wet and Scott backed that up with fast and consistent lap times in the dry. We know where we are with him; where we are strong and where we need to improve. Mika has also made solid progress with a very different set-up on the bike than he’s used to. I’m confident that he’d have finished higher up the order if he hadn’t lost time to a crash yesterday. What can I say about Livio; he has already exceeded our expectations in the dry but when the weather turned wet he was straight into the top five on the timesheet. He will miss the first two races because of his age, but he’ll test and race in the national championships at Le Mans and Catalunya instead, so he knows the tracks when he returns later in the season for the Grand Prix.” More, from a press release issued by Aspar Moto2 Team: THIRD AND FOURTH FASTEST, TORRES AND TEROL IN PERFECT SHAPE ASPAR Team riders again prove to be men to watch out for in the Moto2 World Championship The 2013 preseason came to an end this afternoon with a final couple of hours on track at Jerez for the riders who will contest the Moto2 World Championship. The next time they line up together will be in free practice for the Grand Prix of Qatar in just over two weeks’ time, which on the evidence of current form looks to be a battle between the brightest young Spanish talent in the intermediate class after four home riders took the top four positions on the timesheets today. Two of those riders were ASPAR Team pair Jordi Torres and Nico Terol, who put the shine on a gruelling four days of hard work here with an excellent showing. Both riders used the available time to try and find more rear grip on their Suter machines as well as working on improving the engine braking with their new clutch systems. Jordi was the third fastest rider on track after stopping the clock at 1’43.706 whilst Nico was fourth fastest with a 1’43.736. 3rd Jordi Torres 1.43.706 (37 laps): “It was a short day but it went well and we are happy with the feeling we have with the bike now. All the testing we have done gives us a wide variety of options now in terms of setting the bike up in different ways and everything we have done so far has been positive. I enjoy the work and once we get to grips with the circuit in Qatar, which is a new one for me, we will keep working in the same way as this and try to find out more information. I am really satisfied with what we have achieved here at Jerez. I am enjoying riding the bike but we can always improve so I’ll keep working hard towards that goal.” 4th Nico Terol 1.43.736 (34 laps): “We have ended preseason with a much bigger smile than this time last year. I feel much more confident after a fantastic winter, we have done a good job and we feel strong. Jerez has gone well in both wet and dry conditions, we have been up near the top every day and even though the lap time is not sensational we have been consistent on used rubber and that’s the most important thing looking ahead to the races. We still have a few little things to iron out with the clutch but in general the bike is working brilliantly and the lap times are coming easily. I am really excited now and looking forward to getting out to Qatar. I always went well there on the 125 and after getting a bit lost with the Moto2 bike last year I am sure this time will be much different.” More, from a press release issued by Aspar Moto3 Team: JOB DONE AT JEREZ FOR MAPFRE ASPAR Jonas Folger and Eric Granado have made the most of four days at the Spanish circuit to make their final preparations for the new season The Jerez circuit rumbled into life at around 10am this morning as the Moto3 teams and riders aimed to make the most of every last minute of their final testing session of the 2013 preseason. With just two hours available to the minor category, one of which was exclusively for them, the teams worked against the clock to finalise set-up details and test any final ideas before packing up the crates for Qatar. With Viñales missing due to a finger injury sustained yesterday the timesheets were dominated by Salom, Rins and Márquez followed by Oliveira and Jonas Folger. It was another positive outing for MAPFRE Aspar rider Folger and his new team-mate Eric Granado, who both worked on improving the overall set-up of their machines in readiness for the first race in just over two weeks time. Jonas found more front-end stability whilst Granado dedicated his time mainly to tyre testing as he turns his attention from fast lap times to race endurance. 5th Jonas Folger 1.47.702 (28 laps): “We tried something new on the front of the bike this morning and I liked it. The bike felt more stable and I am more comfortable in control. We were already happy with what we had before but it’s good that we have been able to improve it further. Now we have a variety of set-up options and a lot of information to fall back on depending on what circuit we are at. It has been a short day but as well as working on the chassis we have also been able to try some things with the gearbox settings. There wasn’t much time for anything else but I am happy with the way the test has gone and so are the team, who have done a great job. We have tried a lot of different things here, we have a pretty much perfect base setting now and we have been fast and consistent, which is hugely important with the first race just around the corner.” 14th Eric Granado 1.48.739 (29 laps): “We only had two hours available today so I tried to get out there as early as possible but we had to stop after five laps because of a problem with the gearbox. In the exclusive Moto3 session we used the same set-up as yesterday but the feeling wasn’t quite the same and I was struggling in the fast corners. Anyway, we are happy with the test overall. Yesterday was a good day and we learnt a lot. I leave Jerez feeling happy to have been in the top ten yesterday and the top fifteen today. We have to keep going like this and try to become more and more consistent.” More, from a press release issued by KTM: RED BULL KTM AJO MOTO3 TEAM STRONG IN TESTS AT JEREZ The Red Bull KTM Ajo factory team wrapped up four days of final Moto3 tests on Thursday at the Jerez racing circuit in Spain with team boss Aki Ajo well satisfied with his riders and machinery. At the end of the final session, it was the team’s Luis Salom who topped the chart of collective lap times with 1m 46.374, 0.236 in front of KTM rider Alex Rins with Alex Marquez, also on KTM, was third fastest. Six of the top 10 riders were on KTM-driven machinery. Even though the first two days of the tests were hampered by bad weather, Ajo said he was happy with both the KTM machinery and his riders. “We have all been working very hard over the past two months and many thanks to KTM who have done a great job and have come up with many new parts. The new bike was already good but we have managed to make even more improvements to it. We were able to give our riders some free test time on the track and I think we’ve got a good basic setup for all our riders.” Ajo said Salom would do some more testing together with KTM next week in Estoril while Australian Arthur Sissis, who rode in his debut season in 2012 was going ice racing with Ajo and his son and fellow Moto3 racer Niklas Ajo next week. Teams and riders have only a short time to recharge personal batteries before the first GP in Qatar in the first weekend in April. Immediately after the close of tests, the factory team was busy preparing flight crates for machinery and equipment, which leave this week for the first race. “Arthur (Sissis) has matured a lot during the winter and he is now much more professional. He already has a good feeling for the bike and I believe he is a real race rider,” he said. Zulfahmi Khairuddin, the team’s Malaysian rider who had a great second half of the season in 2012 was also in good form, Ajo said. “Fahmi takes a little longer time to prepare, He is getting on well with the new bike and he always starts carefully.” Apart from the KTM factory team, Spanish KTM riders Alex Rins and Alex Marquez, younger brother to MotoGP rider Marc Marquez, who also entered his career riding KTM in the former 125 cc class, also had impressive times. German Jonas Folger was consistently among the leaders on his Kalex-KTM and Spanish rider Maverick Vinales was also impressive on his KTM machine. Vinales did not ride on the final half day of tests following a spill on Wednesday where he injured his hand. The injury is said to involve some lacerations and bruising and will not keep him from the starting grid for the opening night race in Qatar on April 7, 2013 Combined test times – tests in Jerez 1, Luis Salom Spain, KTM, 1m 46.374s? 2, Alex Rins, Spain, KTM, 1:46.610? 3, Alex Marquez, Spain, KTM, 1:46.986? 5, Jonas Folger, Germany, Kalex-KTM, 1:47.702 ?8, Jakub Kornfeil, Czech Republic, Kalex-KTM, 1:48.168? 9, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, Malaysia, KTM, 1:48.191 13, Arthur Sissis, Australia, KTM, 1:48.607 More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Racing: Kent and Rossi complete successful pre-season campaign in Jerez Tech 3 Racing’s new Moto2 line-up of Danny Kent and Louis Rossi enjoyed a successful conclusion to the 2013 winter testing schedule in gloriously sunny conditions at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain today. Working on final tweaks to improve the Mistral 610 machine ahead of the first race in Qatar on April 7, Kent and Rossi set encouraging lap times in the final pre-season showdown in Jerez, which will host the third round of the 2013 World Championship campaign in early May. Kent continued to build his up his experience of the Mistral 610 machine, which is designed a nd developed exc lusively by the French-based squad, during the four-day test that took place in a mixture of dry and wet conditions. Today’s final sessio n was dominated by blustery conditions but Kent was still able to set his personal best time of the test to finish 20th on the combined timesheets. A lap of 1.44.350 was less than a second away from the overall top six and he finished just 0.074s behind fellow rookie and reigning Moto3 World Champion Sandro Cortese. Frenchman Louis Rossi was satisfied with the work he carried out during this week’s final test, and he is confident he could have been much higher than his final position of 28th on the leaderboard had not opted to focus on completing a full race simulation today. The long run provided Rossi and his Tech 3 Racing with valuabled data and experience ahead of the start of the fourth Moto2 campaign at the Losail International Circuit in Doha. Danny Kent 20th – 1.44.350: “Overall it was a good test and I think the final day was definitely the best one as I set my fastest lap time despite the windy conditions making it very difficult and unpredictable on track. We found a good setting with the suspension today that gave me some confidence and I am sure if I could have found that feeling earlier we could have been even faster. But testing is all about experimenting to be in the best possible shape for the season and overall I’m happy with the job we’ve done. Now I just want to kick off the season in Qatar hoping to take home my first points in Moto2 and starting 2013 on a high level. This is an incredibly difficult class but the Tech 3 Racing Team and I are highly motivated and ready for the challenge.” Louis Rossi 28th – 1.45.181: “Tod ay was really interesting for me as I did my first race simulation and that made it difficult to improve our lap time from yesterday. We just wanted to do 27 consistent laps to show me how it feels like to ride in a full race situation with this bike. Honestly it was really long. But I learned a lot during the simulation and I’m quite happy about the test because after the difficult start we finished in not such a bad situation. I am convinced my potential is higher than my final position here and now we can be confident and really looking forward to the first race in Qatar.” Herve Poncharal – Team Manager: “I think this week was a really good way for the Tech 3 Racing Moto2 Team to complete our preparations for the 2013 season and overall it has been a productive and positive winter for us. Danny climbed into the top 10 during the last test session this afternoon and wh ile we know that the times were not as fast as yesterday because we had much more wind, the important thing is the gap to the leading group was much less and this has shown his high potential and that we are working in the right direction. It is not easy to step into this class because it is incredibly competitive, but Danny is doing the right thing and steadily building up his pace and confidence. He is very close to Sandro Cortese who won the title and many races in Moto3 last year, and this is the best benchmark for us. Louis has been improving his feeling with the bike and this afternoon he did his first race simulation, which gave him a lot of understanding about the performance of the bike and confidence for the first race. Now we are really looking forward to the first race in Qatar with the aim to see both of them fighting for their first Moto2 points.” More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing: POSITIVE CONCLUSION TO JEREZ TEST FOR FEEM Ratthapark Wilairot made the most of the short track time available in the final day of preseason testing at Jerez today to verify set-up data and finalise his preparations for an important 2013 season ahead. The Thai rider has looked like a new man throughout preseason and he is determined to prove his worth when the racing gets underway in Qatar in a couple of weeks’ time. Ratthapark Wilairot “It has been a positive test for me. It started really well and I have been able to ride with much more confidence than last year. Now I feel ready and highly motivated for a positive start to the new season in Qatar. Everything is in place for us to have a good year and with the help of the team I am sure that will be the case.” 1 ESPARGARO, PolTuenti HP 401:43.355 2 TEROL, NicolasAspar Team Moto21:43.7960.4410.441 3 RABAT, EsteveTuenti HP 401:43.9470.5920.151 4 ZARCO, JohannCame IodaRacing Project1:43.9930.6380.046 5 ELIAS, ToniBlusens Avintia1:44.0100.6550.017 6 TORRES, JordiAspar Team Moto21:44.1120.7570.102 7 WEST, AnthonyQMMF Racing Team1:44.3100.9550.198 8 CORSI, SimoneNGM Mobile Racing1:44.3340.9790.024 9 AEGERTER, DominiqueTechnomag carXpert1:44.3440.9890.010 10 KENT, DannyTech 31:44.3500.9950.006 11 SIMEON, XavierDesguaces La Torre Zelos1:44.3561.0010.006 12 DE ANGELIS, AlexNGM Mobile Forward Racing1:44.4481.0930.092 13 KALLIO, MikaMarc VDS Racing Team1:44.5371.1820.089 14 PASINI, MattiaNGM Mobile Racing1:44.5381.1830.001 15 PONS, AxelTuenti HP 401:44.5471.1920.009 16 CORTESE, SandroDynavolt Intact GP1:44.7801.4250.233 17 WILAIROT, Ratthapark Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2 1:44.786 1.431 0.006 18 DI MEGLIO, MikeJIR Moto21:45.0381.6830.252 19 CARDUS, RickyNGM Mobile Forward Racing1:45.6032.2480.565 20 TAKAHASHI, YukiIdemitsu Honda Team Asia1:45.7702.4150.167 21 ROSSI, LouisTech 31:45.8722.5170.102 22 SCHROTTER, MarcelDesguaces La Torre SAG1:45.9962.6410.124 23 ODENDAAL, StevenArgiñano & Ginés Racing1:46.0002.6450.004 24 SMITH, KyleBlusens Avintia1:46.1082.7530.108 25 MONCAYO, AlbertoArgiñano & Ginés Racing1:46.5563.2010.448 26 GADEA, SergioInterwetten Paddock1:46.7043.3490.148 27 PRADITA, Doni Tata Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 1:46.787 3.432 0.083 28 SUCIPTO, Rafid TopanQMMF Racing Team1:49.9076.5523.120 More, from another press release issued by Gresini Racing: ANOTHER STEP FORWARD FOR DONI TATA PRADITA AT JEREZ Doni Tata Pradita continued his adaptation to the Moto2 class at Jerez today in the final day of preseason, which has probably come a little too soon for the Indonesian rider. Doni needs more time to get used to the new category but the process will no doubt continue in Qatar when the season gets underway in two weeks’ time. Doni Tata Pradita “We have had three days of intense tests here. My adaptation to Moto2 is progressing but we need more time and more laps to improve my confidence with the bike and learn more about the way we have to work as a team. With more time I will be able to close the gap to the top guys and move up the order but and hopefully be fighting for points before long. I can’t wait to get on track in Qatar and to be racing at night is something I am really looking forward to.” 1 ESPARGARO, PolTuenti HP 401:43.355 2 TEROL, NicolasAspar Team Moto21:43.7960.4410.441 3 RABAT, EsteveTuenti HP 401:43.9470.5920.151 4 ZARCO, JohannCame IodaRacing Project1:43.9930.6380.046 5 ELIAS, ToniBlusens Avintia1:44.0100.6550.017 6 TORRES, JordiAspar Team Moto21:44.1120.7570.102 7 WEST, AnthonyQMMF Racing Team1:44.3100.9550.198 8 CORSI, SimoneNGM Mobile Racing1:44.3340.9790.024 9 AEGERTER, DominiqueTechnomag carXpert1:44.3440.9890.010 10 KENT, DannyTech 31:44.3500.9950.006 11 SIMEON, XavierDesguaces La Torre Zelos1:44.3561.0010.006 12 DE ANGELIS, AlexNGM Mobile Forward Racing1:44.4481.0930.092 13 KALLIO, MikaMarc VDS Racing Team1:44.5371.1820.089 14 PASINI, MattiaNGM Mobile Racing1:44.5381.1830.001 15 PONS, AxelTuenti HP 401:44.5471.1920.009 16 CORTESE, SandroDynavolt Intact GP1:44.7801.4250.233 17 WILAIROT, Ratthapark Thai Honda PTT Gresini Moto2 1:44.786 1.431 0.006 18 DI MEGLIO, MikeJIR Moto21:45.0381.6830.252 19 CARDUS, RickyNGM Mobile Forward Racing1:45.6032.2480.565 20 TAKAHASHI, YukiIdemitsu Honda Team Asia1:45.7702.4150.167 21 ROSSI, LouisTech 31:45.8722.5170.102 22 SCHROTTER, MarcelDesguaces La Torre SAG1:45.9962.6410.124 23 ODENDAAL, StevenArgiñano & Ginés Racing1:46.0002.6450.004 24 SMITH, KyleBlusens Avintia1:46.1082.7530.108 25 MONCAYO, AlbertoArgiñano & Ginés Racing1:46.5563.2010.448 26 GADEA, SergioInterwetten Paddock1:46.7043.3490.148 27 PRADITA, Doni Tata Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 1:46.787 3.432 0.083 28 SUCIPTO, Rafid TopanQMMF Racing Team1:49.9076.5523.120 More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens Racing: Toni Elías and the Blusens Avintia team complete the Jerez test achieving the fourth best time of Moto2 and being ready for Qatar Kyle Smith keeps on working to get close to the times that can place him in the points zone at the start of the season Jerez de la Frontera, 21 March 2013. The last pre-season test at Jerez finished for Moto2 riders. This test was previous to the trip to Qatar, where the riders will compete in the first Grand Prix of the year, and the Blusens Avintia team, with Toni Elías at the front and accompanied by the debutant Kyle Smith, did a good job for the four days that this last official test lasted. Toni was the quickest rider the first day, with a great pace and being always among the best ones. On the second day, the planned work with the dry settings was disrupted by the rain, but Toni achieved the second best lap time under the rain. Yesterday the tests did not give the expected results, but they worked to draw conclusions that today have allowed Toni to ride again among the fastest ones finishing the day in fifth place and being the fourth quickest overall of this Moto2 test. Without a doubt, a good sign to face the Qatar Grand Prix, where the Manresa rider will start the championship with confidence and with chance to get a great result. The performance of Kyle Smith was also positive, despite being 28th in the timesheet. Smith has been improving his riding all test long but he still has not found the ideal compromise between aggressiveness and efficacy. He did stints at a good pace and worked on the bike setting up to reduce tenth to tenth that gap that still separates him from the best ones. The category is difficult but Kyle learns fast and wants to do it well. 24 – Toni Elías (General Classification 4º, 1’43.365): “I believe that we are prepared to start the season. I am happy because we have improved a lot on the last test at this track and we have been among the first ones almost all sessions. The first day we were the fastest in dry conditions and the next day, in the rain, I also rode with consistency and I achieved the second best time. Yesterday was the only day we were not with the fastest ones because we tested several solutions that did not work as we wanted to. Today we have been competitive again and we have lots of information that will be useful for Qatar. It can not be denied that Pol seems to be one step ahead, but if we improve a little more, in Qatar we will be able to be in the fight for the top. I leave Jerez being in a really good mood. The team never stops working, we are progressing whenever we do a test and I am sure that each day we will be stronger.” 9 – Kyle Smith (General Classification 28º, 1’45.314): “The conclusion of these days is positive, but I have to admit that I expected more. The first day went really well, I rode quickly and easily. The following days we have been working on the bike setting up and on my riding, but we have not improved the lap times as we wanted. I think I have pushed a lot and I have ridden too on the attack, making small mistakes here and there that have not enabled us to move forward. But I repeat that the conclusion is positive, I really want the first race to arrive -I think I am more a race rider than a practice one-, and I have confidence in achieving a good result. The team is at the highest level and that will help me a lot.”