REDDING TOPS THE TIMESHEETS AGAIN IN JEREZ Jerez, Spain – 18 Feb 2012: The Marc VDS Racing Team today successfully completed three days of testing at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain, with Scott Redding finishing at the top of the timesheet once again with a time of 1’42.2s. Mika Kallio posted a time of 1’42.8s on the final day of testing at Jerez, to finish seventh fastest and just 0.6s adrift of his Marc VDS teammate. Redding and his crew worked to further refine the set-up on their Kalex Moto2 machine during the opening day of testing, with the work paying dividends on day two, as the 19-year-old British rider bettered by half a second the outright lap record set by Stefan Bradl during qualifying for the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix. Redding had a minor crash at the right-hand turn five towards the end of the third and final day after losing the front while pushing for another fast lap, but declared himself happy with both his pace and consistency during the three days at Jerez. Kallio and his crew spent the three days at Jerez working to improve the Finnish rider’s feeling with the Kalex Moto2 machine they’ll campaign this season. Their hard work paid off today, with Kallio posting his best lap of the test during a race simulation run in which every lap was within a few tenths of his fastest time. The Marc VDS Racing Team will return to Jerez in one month’s time for the third and final official pre-season test. Scott Redding #45: Best Lap – 1’42.2 “It was difficult to get a feel for the level of grip on day one, and it wasn’t much better on day two and three to be honest. But I was able to get plenty of laps in, 236 in total, and I’m pretty pleased with the fact that I was consistently quick on the last two days. The bike continues to improve and we’re certainly getting a lot more from the tyres than we did last season, so it’s all good. Now we’ve got a break of more than a month before we return to Jerez for the last test. That’s going to drag a bit!” Mika Kallio #36: Best Lap – 1’42.8 “Everything has gone really well here, and we can be satisfied with the work we’ve done. I have a really good feeling with the bike and we’re at a good level now with the lap times. We’ve tried many things on the bike, altering the balance and changing suspension settings, and we’ve improved a lot. I enjoy riding the Kalex and that’s important too. During today’s race simulation I was able to lap very consistently and I actually set my fastest time of the three days during this long run, which I’m happy about. Overall it’s been another good test.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager ‘Today marks the end of another successful three-day test for the Marc VDS Racing Team, with both riders achieving their aims and Scott once again topping the timesheet. More important than fast lap times is the fact that both riders are able to lap consistently within two or three tenths of their fastest lap, which is something we were missing last season. The tyre situation is also much improved compared to last year, with both riders able to maintain their lap times right to the end of their race simulation runs. It’s early days yet, with the first race still over six weeks away, but we are definitely heading in the right direction.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing Team: Viñales y Simón did a great job on this final day as they improved their times The final day at the pre-season testing in Jerez has been the best so far in terms of weather and track conditions. The Avintia Racing Team riders have completed these three days without experiencing a single incident and have shown that they were very competitive. Despite the fact that equality will play a certain role in both classes Maverick and Juliàn left the Andalucian circuit after getting a lot of work done and feeling prepared for the great “battle” which will take place in April in Qatar. It is now time to rest before the next and final IRTA testing in March in Jerez again during which no strategy will be of any use. We will then know for definite which teams and which riders will play the main roles throughout the year. The Avintia Racing Team members are convinced that they will be part of this select group of riders who will be in the position to battle for the places of honour in 2012. Maverick Viñales (1.47.52) 48 laps: “After these three days of tests I can only feel really glad. We worked on the chassis a lot and we brought a few improvements to the engine even though we still need to spend more time on it. We posted very good times and we are only less than a second below the record in 125 cc. During the next testing in March we have to attempt to improve it so we get closer to the record – or even break it. I am sure that we will make it with a help from Honda. We also have to take advantage of this long break before the beginning of the season in order to exercise as much as possible so we come to Qatar in as good a shape as possible. I am feeling very excited but we have to remain on the alert because it’s not going to be easy. The competitors are numerous and harsh. Time will tell.” Julián Simón (1.42.75) 62 laps: “Being able to ride in good weather and track conditions over the past three days has been very productive. It has to be taken into account that I need to discover and get familiar with the motorbike this season and having a three-day test has really been crucial in this respect. We took the best out of the three days and I am now leaving Jerez with the same sensation as when I left Valencia that we are moving towards the right direction. We haven’t come to the crunch yet we still need to improve the front wheel assembly – but we are already fast and competitive. Today I have posted very good times and I have remained consistent. And it definitely makes me feel positive before the next IRTA training practices and of course before the first race of the season in Qatar.” More, from a press release issued by KTM: Danny Kent fastest KTM rider in Moto3 tests at jerez Riders of the new KTM Moto3 bike and the KALEX-KTM have now completed the second three days of official tests this time on the Jerez circuit in Spain and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent topped the leader board on all three days. Other riders on the KTM Moto3 bike and the KALEX-KTM dominated the top ten of times reported by the individual teams. Riding in near perfect conditions on the final day, Kent dominated the timesheet registering a lap time of 1’47.1, four tenths ahead of Avintia Racing rider Maverick Viñales, considered one of the favorites for the new Moto3 class. Speaking after day two, the young British rider said that everything was going well at Jerez and he was registering faster lap times than on the 125 cc machine he raced last year in the final season of the class. “I am feeling confident and everything is going well. Today we also managed to do a race simulation and each lap we’re learning something new.” Kent’s teammate Sandro Cortese, who was fastest in the last round of tests in Valencia was also up among the leaders on each day. He crashed on Friday but was back in action and according to team boss Aki Ajo was steadily improving by the end of the final day on Saturday. “It sometimes happen that you crash in tests when you’re trying to go fast but I have a good feeling. We’re always up with the top guys,” Cortese said. Ajo also said his third rider, Australian Arthur Sissis, who finished second overall in the 2011 Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup have ‘improved a lot’. He’s up with the top ten now,” he said. Again prominent among the fastest riders were the two Aspar Team Moto3 riders Alberto Moncayo and Hector Faubel, both of Spain and who ride the KTM-powered KALEX machine while other KTM riders were also prominent in the top ten fastest on the Spanish circuit. Aki Ajo Team Boss Red Bull KTM Ajo: “Jerez is a very different track than Valencia but we could see here that it was one that suits Danny Kent. Of course with a different track there are different problems, that’s normal. But we have no big problems and we have to be happy that the engines are working well so we are mainly working on the settings. There’s now a lot of hard work for the team and the KTM Racing Department to prepare for the next tests in three weeks and of course for the start of the season. Alex Baumgaertel of KALEX-KTM also described the tests as promising and said they were ‘in the ball park’ as far as preparations were going. “We lost a little time yesterday when Luis Salom (RW Racing KALEX-KTM) crashed and also with Moncayo’s crash. They were not injured but it just set us back a little with our preparations. But we had almost perfect conditions on the final day and at 2:00 p.m. the tarmac temperature was up to 30 degrees and that was good for us. We know we can improve more as we work towards the next tests in Jerez.” Unofficial Moto3 lap times Thursday (recorded by teams) 1, Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’48.4 2, Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX KTM) 1’48.7 (51 laps) 3, Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’49.2 4. Miguel Oliveira (Monlau Competición) 1’49.2 (70 laps) 5, Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX KTM ) 1’49.8 6. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (AirAsia Sic Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’49.5 7. Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing – KTM Moto3) 1’50.4 Unofficial Moto3 lap times Friday (recorded by teams: 1, Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’47.5 2, Maverick Viñales (Avintia Racing) 1’47 3, Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX -KTM) 1’48.1 4, Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’48.3 5, M. Oliveira (Monlau Competición) 1’48.9 6, Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX -KTM) 1’49.0 7, Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing KTM Moto3) 1’49.5 8, Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’50.1 Unofficial Moto3 lap times for Saturday (recorded by teams): 1, Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’47.1 2, Maverick Viñales (Avintia Racing) 1’47.5 3, Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX-KTM) 1’47.9 4, Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM- Moto3 ) 1’48.0 5, Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX – KTM) 1’48.4 6, Z.Khairuddin (AirAsia SIC Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’48.4 7, Luís Salom (RW Racing GP KALEX-KTM) 1’48.5 10. Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’50.1 13. Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing KTM Moto3) 1’49.4 More, from a press release issued by JiR Moto2 Team: A positive end for the three-day IRTA test session in Jerez Team JiR’s young riders concluded the Jerez test today, leaving a good impression thanks to the progressive improvement of their performances, well supported by their pit crew and team. The team initially focused the program on finding the basic set-up and then, from the second day on, to find the best way needed to ride a Moto2 machine. On the third day the outcome was of this approach was obvious when both riders put into practice the theory of the analyzed data. The approach of the Team toward the beginning of the 2012 season will continue on the circuit of Albacete, where riders and technicians will meet again on the 28th and 29th February for two days of private testing that will allow the two young riders to grind out more kilometers useful in improving their riding skills. Gianluca Montiron These were days of intense testing that thanks to acceptable weather conditions have allowed us to start storing the first data on which to calibrate our work. Johann and Eric both come from 125s and are beginning to understand the different dynamics of four-stroke motorcycles, they have begun to focus on their riding style without giving, at least for the moment, relevance to the stopwatch. To ride with riders of the same class gave them a way to understand the different interpretations of the style needed and now they will have to customize their own in order to be more efficient. I am satisfied with the work done by the riders and the team, I ‘m not too influenced by the performance of the competitors because I know that when we will come here for the IRTA test in March then things will change, now we do not mind watching the others ahead. Johann Zarco After the first test in Valencia I was a bit worried because I was not able to improve my times during the three days of testing. In Jerez we started analyzing telemetry data and I focused on my riding style, with this information and the support of the other riders on the track I realized that to be fast with the Moto2 I must take a very different approach than the 125 and lap after lap I tried to find confidence, modifying myself time-after-time with small changes that at the end of the day allowed me to get a good feeling, allowing me to start to enjoy and to find those automatic responses needed to be fast. Eric Granado I am very happy with these three days of practice I never thought I could ride a bike this way. At the end of the last day I started to understand how to make the rear slide and manage properly the corner entry with the clutch and the engine brake. I have yet to hone my riding skills and for this reason I have not spared the time because I need first to understand the reactions of my MotoBI. It is also my first time with a four-stroke engine, in this as in the rest the advice of the team has been very helpful and made me take a big step forward. For now everything to me seems like a dream!