Sam Lowes and Niccolo Antonelli up the pace on final day of testing
Lap times tumbled in the desert as riders in the junior class pushed for headline grabbing laps before the 2016 season.
Work continued for the Moto2™ World Championship on their third and final day of testing in Qatar ahead of the opening round of 2016. Several riders saved themselves and their bikes for the final two sessions of the day, conditions less than ideal during their first potential stint on track. Many of the same names remained towards the top of the timing screens as several riders are emerging as favourites for the upcoming Qatar GP, if not the season as a whole.
Saturday leader Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) put in a 1’59.608 during the second session of the day, improving on his best time and provisionally leading the test overall. Until the final ten minutes of the third session it did not appear as though any of the riders in the intermediate class would be able to best the Swiss man’s time. But, with ten minutes to go Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) struck.
The Brit had spent the majority of the test working on his race pace and using used tyres, hovering outside the top three as a result. But with ten minutes of the test remaining the 2015 Qatar GP pole setter unleashed himself to set a best time of 1’59.405 on his 17th lap of 17, the fastest lap of the test and under his own pole time. Unfortunately he did not get a chance to improve as he crashed soon after, sustaining no serious injuries.
Luthi’s time from the second session saw him slot into second on the combined time sheets, 0.044s ahead of Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP). Folger, the 2015 Qatar GP race winner, continues to show well at the circuit and will no doubt be in contention come race day on the 20th of March.
Fourth fastest was Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) who was 0.357s back on Lowes’ best time. After a great rookie season where he ended second in the championship, many are expecting big things from the Spaniard in 2016 and his pace in testing suggests he will be able to deliver.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) continued to impress many as he was once again inside the top five. The Italian claimed his first World Championship podium in 2015 at the Australian GP and is looking to launch a more consistent campaign in 2016 with several years of Moto2™ experience now under his belt.
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport), Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) and teammate Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) completed the top ten. All of the top 13 riders were within a second of Lowes’ fastest lap.
Moto3™ World Champion Danny Kent (Leopard Racing) continues to go well on his return to the intermediate class, the Brit ending the three day test in 11th and 0.026s off a top ten finish. Once again Axel Pons (AGR Team) missed the day as he aims to be fully fit for the start of the season.
It was another slow start to proceedings for the lightweight class in Qatar, high temperatures once again forcing all but eight riders to sit out the first session of the day. The riders who did go out for this first session continued to assess the hard rear tyre option Dunlop, the official tyre supplier of the Moto3™ World Championship, are looking to use in Argentina. Once track conditions improved, riders eagerly headed out to try and refine their set up before racing begins in a week’s time.
The final session of the final test for the Moto3™ class became an all out time attack with five other riders going better than Livio Loi’s (RW Racing GP) Saturday best and thus under the circuit record. Fastest of them all was Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) with a 2’05.444, almost half a second under Alexis Masbou’s 2014 circuit record. Although he has looked strong in several tests, Antonelli had been having issues with his collarbone, which was injured during the off-season. The injury appeared to be no issue as he soared to the top of the test.
0.217s behind the Italian was Saturday leader Livio Loi, the Belgian rider proving his fast lap was not a one off and able to improve to a 2’05.661 in the closing stages. This in turn placed him 0.056s ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing), the French rider steadily building his speed over the testing period.
Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) were both under the circuit record on the final day to complete a top five split by 0.361s. Based on these times, Qualifying in Qatar looks certain to be a sensational session, especially with a slipstream down the straight offering half a second’s advantage.
Also under the circuit record was rookie Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), the rookie continuing his incredible step up to the world stage. Just behind him was fellow former CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship contender Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), the pair demonstrating the incredible level of rider the championship is able to produce.
Philipp Oettl (Schedl GP Racing), Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) and Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team) completed the top ten on combined times across the three days. Darryn Binder (Platinum Bay Real Estate) in 23rd was the only rider not able to improve their time in the final session.
Practice for the first race of the year begins at 18:00 Local Time on Thursday the 17th of March for the Moto3™ World Championship. Racing begins on the 20th of March under the Qatar floodlights.
More, from a press release issued by Forward Racing:
Baldassarri promising fifth and Marini improves at the end of Qatar testing
The curtain falls on the last test before the start of the 2016 season for Lorenzo Baldassarri and Luca Marini of the Forward Racing team. Good feeling for both riders who continued yesterday’s work at the Losail circuit.
Baldassarri, again the first of the Italians, closed with an excellent fifth place in the combined standings, stopping the clock at 1: 59.770 just three-tenths behind the leader Sam Lowes.
Marini focused on trying different solutions on the back and on the front; he made a race simulation and had an overall good feeling ahead of the first GP of the season. He ended the three-days in 24th position with a personal best of 2:01.293.
Lorenzo Baldassarri
“It was a positive three-day testing, we finally made the step we needed and we improved a lot in the last session. I did some short runs to try different solution on the rear and at the end we made a choice that helped me improve a lot once we changed the tires”.
Luca Marini
“I’m pretty happy with this three-day test, everything went as planned. Today we tried to work some more on the bike and on the setting. In the second practice round I did a race simulation and it went well, but I got tired and in the third round I did not improve my time much. We already have a good basis for the next week and I feel confident”.
More, from a press release issued by RBA Racing:
Productive test in Qatar for the RBA Racing Team riders
Losail, Qatar
The circuit of Losail welcomed the last test of the preseason for the Moto3 class. The riders took the chance to work mostly in the evening and night sessions, in order to finalise their bike settings for the first GP of 2016, which will take place next Sunday 20 March at the Qatari track.
Juanfran Guevara and his technicians, after considering different set-up options in the first two days, focused on long runs on the third day, in order to verify the tyres durability. The Spanish youngster ended the test with the 12th time (2:06.310), less than one second off the best lap time of the three days.
This was a productive test for Rodrigo, too: after tuning up the setting of his KTM, the Argentinian worked his way up in the classification. Gabriel set his best lap in the last session, finishing with the 16th position (2:06.468) in the general standings.
#58 Juanfran Guevara: 12th – 2:06.310
“ The end of these three days of test was positive. We found a good direction to work and now I like the bike. We achieved a good base to work on and from there we can sort out a few minor details. During the last day we also managed to do a race simulation, in order to verify the performance of the tyres for next week. The conclusion was positive, we know where we have to improve and next week we’ll focus on getting better at what’s still missing. We set a good time which puts us in the top-15 of the classification. The team worked hard, this was the most productive test of the preseason. Now we are ready to start the Championship. Since we finished with similar lap times, Gabri and I will have the chance to keep working together. We look forwards to next week.”
#19 Gabriel Rodrigo: 16th – 2:06.468
“The test started off well on the first day, but afterwards we had some issues with the front of the bike. During today’s sessions we decided to change various things, but I wasn’t comfortable with the setting just yet. On top of that, when we fit a new tyre I had a crash. Eventually in the last session we managed to sort some changes that improved a lot the feeling: we were one second faster and we did a good lap, which put us about one second off the best time. I’m happy, I think that for the GP it’ll be important to qualify well, in order to fight with the front group.”
More, from a press release issued by Tech3 Racing:
Vierge and Viñales ready for 2016 season after solid Qatar test
The Tech3 Racing Team riders confidently await the highly anticipated season opener after concluding a positive test today at the Losail International Circuit.
Xavi Vierge continued his impressive pre season work and ended the final test outing before the start of the season with positive results after a tireless performance. The young Spaniard set his fastest lap in the final session, which was an improvement of 1.366 seconds from his quickest time on the opening day. Meanwhile, Isaac Viñales pushed on as he determinedly carried on the preparation for his rookie season in the intermediate class. After a solid effort the Spaniard managed to cut over a second from his best time from the opening session. The hard work by Vierge and Viñales leaves both riders fired up and confident for the first round of the 2016 Moto2 World Championship.
Xavi Vierge
Position : 19th – Time : 2’00.685 – Laps : 155
“Today we finally completed the last day of the pre season and overall, I am very happy with what we achieved and now I’m ready to go racing. We managed to improve in every session and we constantly made steps forward plus, we did a lot of work that saw us consistently get closer to the front. This test was a great opportunity for me to learn this new track too. We achieved our programme with the KYB suspension, which is very important and we have a good base setup for the GP. Next week the season begins and we will continue to push every minute in order to develop my bike, the suspension and my riding style more. Our mentality will stay the same throughout the year so I want and I will do more, plus I feel that we can have some strong results in 2016. I must say thank you to the Tech3 Racing Team and KYB for their great work over the winter and now I am excited about racing in a few days’ time.”
Isaac Viñales
Position : 28th – Time : 2’02.105 – Laps : 113
“The testing is finally over and it’s time to hit the track soon, which I am looking forward to. The first day of testing here was positive for me and we worked on my riding style without changing the bike. I was able to improve in every session and I rode some lap times that were satisfied and also promising for the following days. Then, unfortunately, I fell twice which is part of the game, but these falls knocked my confidence a bit. However, I am pleased with our progress and what we managed to achieve in the winter so I will bounce back and then give my all in a weeks’ time at the opening race.”