FIM Moto3 World Championship
Jerez, Spain
February 19, 2015
Best Overall Test Times (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Fabio Quartararo, France (Honda), 1:45.580
2. Jorge Martin, Spain (Mahindra), 1:45.593
3. Danny Kent, UK (Honda), 1:45.964
4. Niccolo Antonelli, Italy (Honda), 1:46.043
5. John McPhee, UK (Honda), 1:46.306
6. Jorge Navarro, Spain (Honda), 1:46.427
7. Karel Hanika, Czech Republic (KTM), 1:46.427
8. Hiroki Ono, Japan (Honda), 1:46.464
9. Juanfran Guevara, Spain (Mahindra), 1:46.501
10. Francesco Bagnaia, Italy (Mahindra), 1:46.541
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Quartararo stuns again with Jerez pace
15-year-old class rookie dominates field in second official test.
Fabio Quartararo has laid down a marker to the rest of the Moto3™ field after dominating the last two days of the Jerez test. A weather-affected first day meant that a lot of the times were not exactly representative of the true pace, with Isaac Viñales finishing fastest on a day where the riders only started to put in quick times in the final session.
As soon as the sun arrived for day two of the test, the stage was set for Quartararo to show why there is such hype surrounding his GP Debut at Qatar. He showed incredibly consistent pace throughout the last two days, and smashed the Jerez Moto3™ pole record (1’46.173) set by Jack Miller last year by over half a second with a 1’45.580.
Apart from the Frenchman, the only two other riders that managed to break the 1’46 mark were the other class rookie Jorge Martin and the Brit Danny Kent, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the test.
It was the reigning Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup Champion Martin who surprised the most with his 1’45.593 in the second session of day 3, as it was almost a second quicker than he had lapped in any of the previous sessions. He was also the only rider to finish in the top 6 over the three days not on a Honda, showing off the potential of the Mapfre Mahindra Aspar Bike.
Danny Kent continued to show how well he has made the switch from his Factory Husqvarna machine to the Leopard Racing Honda by looking genuinely quick throughout the test. The Englishman said that the test had been a great success, with his times made even more remarkable by the fact that his team were concentrating on doing race simulations on old tyres and not focusing on lap times.
Niccolo Antonelli on the Ongetta-Rivagold bike continued his impressive pre-season form, to finish the test 4th fastest overall, shaving 0.8 seconds off his best time from Day 1. However the big surprise over the test was the dramatic improvement of the Scotsman John Mcphee. He rose from 15th and 19th respectively on the time sheets from the first two days to post a 1’46.306 on the final day, a two-second improvement on his best time from day 1.
More, from a press release issued by KTM:
RED BULL KTM AJO RIDERS COMPLETE SECOND IRTA TESTS IN JEREZ
Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 riders were on the track this week for a three-day session of IRTA official tests at the Spanish circuit of Jerez ahead to prepare for the 2015 Moto3 World Championship.
Karel Hanika the Czech rider who is starting his second year with the team was the fastest of the three factory riders to be seventh on the combined timesheets for the three days and nine sessions. He clocked 1:46.427 in the final session on Thursday to be 0.847 off the fastest time set by Fabio Quartararo of France.
Hanika: “The three-day test here at Jerez has been quite positive. Today we made big improvements. When the conditions improved these last two days I felt very comfortable on the bike. We have a setup that is well suited to what I need, but we have to find another for when the weather or track conditions are not favourable. For the next test we have to improve the suspension and my riding style a little. If we can do that, then I am sure we will lower our times. I’m still satisfied with the time we set and the consistency that I have shown lap-after-lap.”
Hanika’s two teammates, South African Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira of Portugal were eleventh and fifteenth on the combined timesheets with best lap times of 1:46.607 and 1:46.774 respectively.
While the opening day of tests on Tuesday was hampered by gusty winds, conditions did improve for the other two days as teams and riders worked on setups and adjustments of the competition bikes. The team leaves Jerez quite satisfied with the tests but they believe there is still more to be refined and to be achieved to be ready for the 2015 Championship.
The third and final round of IRTA official pre-season tests is on the Jerez circuit from March 17-19, just prior to the teams shipping bikes and equipment to Qatar for the opening round of the 2015 World Championship on the Losail Circuit.
More at www.motogp.com
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Results (combined times over three days – nine sessions)
1, Fabio Quartararo, FRA, Honda 1:45.580
2, Jorge Martin, ESP, Mahindra 1:45.593
3, Danny Kent, GBR, Honda, 1:45.964
4, Nicolo Antonelli, ITA, Honda, 1:46.043
5, John McPhee, GBR, Honda, 1:46.306
..
7, Karel Hanika, CZE, KTM 1:46.427 (Day 3, Session 3)
11, Brad Binder, RSA, KTM 1:46.607 (Day 3, Session 2)
14, Romano Fenati, ITA, KTM 1:46.742
15, Miguel Oliveira, KTM 1:46.774 (Day 3, Session 2)
18, Niklas Ajo, FIN, KTM 1:46.887
21, Philipp Oettl, GER, KTM 1:47.142
24, Ana Carrasco, ESP, KTM 1:47.292
27, Andrea Migno, ITA, KTM, 1:47.430
28, Gabriel Rodrigo, ARG, KTM, 1:47.483