Current WorldSBK Race Lap Record: 1:49.620, J. Rea (Kaw), 2020
Current WorldSBK All-Time Lap Record: 1:48.458, J. Rea (Kaw), 2021
FIM Superbike World Championship
MotorLand Aragon
Alcaniz, Spain
April 5, 2022
Provisional Day Two Best Lap Times (all on Pirelli tires):
- Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw), 1:48.714
- Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Yam), 1:49.068
- Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Duc), 1:49.094
- Garrett Gerloff, USA (Yam), 1:49.235
- Loris Baz, France (BMW), 1:49.383
- Andrea Locatelli, Italy (Yam), 1:49.831
- Michael Rinaldi, Italy (Duc), 1:49.863
- Iker Lecuona, Spain (Hon), 1:49.971
- Xavi Vierge, Spain (Hon), 1:50.010
- Philipp Oettl, Germany (Duc), 1:50.086
- Scott Redding, UK (BMW), 1:50.104
- Alex Lowes, UK (Kaw), 1:50.112
- Eugene Laverty, UK (BMW), 1:50.446
- Ilya Mikhalchik, Ukraine (BMW), 1:50.498
- Roberto Tamburini, Italy (Yam), 1:50.656
- Kohta Nozane, Japan (Yam), 1:50.683
- Axel Bassani, Italy (Duc), 1:50.856
- Lucas Mahias, France (Kaw), 1:51.038
- Luca Bernardi, San Marino (Duc), 1:51.738
- Gabriele Ruiu, Italy (BMW), 1:52.003
- Christophe Ponsson, Belgium (Yam), 1:52.143
- Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Hon), 1:52.312
- Oliver Konig, Czech Republic (Kaw), 1:52.729
- Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Hon), 1:53.046
- Loris Cresson, Belgium (Kaw), 1:53.534
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WorldSBK Press Office:
Jonathan Rea tops the timesheets after a two-day Supported Test at MotorLand Aragon
Titles contenders Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu were just split by three tenths before heading into the Pirelli Aragon Round
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) concluded the Supported Test on top of the timesheets, with a best time of 1’48.714 on Day 2. He was the only rider to lap in the 1’48s bracket: “Step by step we are building the package. I felt the conditions, particularly in the afternoon, FP5 & 6 were much better than yesterday and the morning. We were able to get a meaningful work done… We confirmed our bike.”
The 2021 WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) ended the two days of testing in second place, finishing 0.354s behind Jonathan Rea. He made the most of the sessions to further test the electronics on his Yamaha YZF R1. “The test was great. We improved the bike. We used some new parts and we are happy with them.”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) was third 0.380s adrift from the leader. The Spanish rider tackled the test with this weekend’s Aragon Round in mind. “Today has been very positive. The feeling with the bike improved. Yesterday, we only used the SC0 tyre and today we could compare it with some other tyres. We found some improvements and the feeling with the bike improved,” he said.
American rider Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) finished in fourth as he tried new components previously tested by the Pata Yamaha squad, using the full 2022 bike for the first time. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) was the first BMW rider in fifth as he posted a 1’49.383 in FP5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) completed the top six as he finished 1.117s behind Jonathan Rea, and just 0.032s in front of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati). Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was the first Honda rider in eighth, with his teammate Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) finishing 0.039s behind him in ninth.
WorldSBK Combined Times
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’48.714s
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.354s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.380s
4. Garrett Gerloff (GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.521s
5. Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.669s
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +1.117s
Cluzel fastest in final WorldSSP Pre-Season outing
The Frenchman claimed the fastest lap by just 0.057s, with just 0.240s covering the top five
Despite a crash at Turn 2 in the opening session of Day 2, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) set the fastest time of the Supported Test in the final session. His lap time 1’53.407 was faster than the race lap record set by Andrea Locatelli in 2020 by 0.5s. “These two days were not so easy because we started with really cold conditions. We stayed calm and I really tried to stayed focussed on my plan. I tried to get the pace and went step by step to finish well” explained Cluzel. “This season will be really tight, with strong riders with strong bikes, but we know that if we do it well, we can do like at the end of last season,” he added.
Italian Rookie Lorenzo Baldassari (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) finished in second just 0.057s behind Cluzel; “It was a good test for us because it confirmed we are doing well. Our speed is quite good and I am happy to be fast again after last year.” Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) wrapped up the two-day test in third, finishing +0.057s from the fastest rider. “Today we made some race simulations, and we are quite strong. I am really comfortable as I am able to do my laps alone,” he commented.
Two other Italian Rookies are in the top six, with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in fourth and Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in fifth. Reigning WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) finished the test in fifth place, 0.240s behind Cluzel.
WorldSSP Combined Times
1. Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) 1’53.407s
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.057s
3. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.135s
4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.214s
5. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +0.240s
6. Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +0.681s
Teammates Steeman and Okaya go head-to-head for WorldSSP300 top spot at Aragon test
Steeman joined MTM Kawasaki for the 2022 campaign and has put down a marker as he edged out teammate Okaya
Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) finished on top of the timesheets having set a fastest time of 2’06.509. “Yesterday we didn’t had a good day. I crashed at the beginning of the day. But after all we had a lot of information from were was the limit. And this morning we started to think to prepare race day. It’s always important to get how the tyres are going. In the last session, I just putted the new tyre and I just looked for a good lap time.”
Teammate Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) ended the Supported Test in second just 0.036s behind, despite a crash in Turn 5 has put an early end to his testing program. Fastest on the opening day of action, Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) finished the two-day test in third place just 0.166s behind Victor Steeman.
WorldSSP300 Combined Times
1. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) 2’06.509
2. Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) +0.036s
3. Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +0.166s
4. Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing) +0.401s
5. Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) +0.598s
6. Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) +0.672s
More, from a press release issued by Team HRC:
WorldSBK pre-season comes to an end for Lecuona and Vierge with productive final tests at Aragón
WorldSBK new-entries Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge have once again demonstrated their potential, placing eighth and ninth at the end of this final pre-season test. Quickly adapting to what is a new track for them with the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE, they posted competitive lap times despite limited track time, cold conditions and, in Xavi’s case, recent injury.
The DWO Supported test sessions that mark the end of the pre-season testing period have drawn to a close today at Motorland Aragón in Spain. With the 2022 Superbike World Championship season-opener set to take place this very weekend at the same circuit, Team HRC and riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge are pleased with the progress made over the winter, having worked hard to make final preparations ahead of the all-important first race weekend.
The test kicked off yesterday morning in surprisingly cold conditions. Team HRC therefore decided to sit out the opening session, considering it risky, particularly for Vierge who is still recovering after having fractured his twelfth rib during the last test at Barcelona. Later in the day, as the track and air temperatures rose, both Lecuona and Vierge headed out, working hard with their technicians to begin to adapt their CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADES to what is a new track for them both.
Today’s sessions ran in dry conditions, although both Lecuona and Vierge remained in the garage during the first of the three phases, the conditions similarly cold to yesterday. During the subsequent sessions, Team HRC continued to work on set-up and, by the end of the day, Lecuona had set a fastest overall time of 1’49.971 and Vierge a 1’50.010. Both riders now look forward to the opening round of the 2022 championship, which will get underway this coming Friday.
Iker Lecuona 7
“During these two days here at Aragón conditions were very cold early on, so we decided not to ride in the morning sessions. On day one, I worked with the hard tyre and felt good, considering this is the first time I’m riding at Aragón. There’s lots to learn of course but things went quite well. On day two we continued working on the bike set-up and, overall, the test has been OK though not as good as the rest of the pre-season. To be honest, I expected something more because I know we have the potential to be faster with this bike but here we struggled with the soft tyre and also suffered a crash at turn 2 the first time we attempted a flying lap. I was unhurt luckily, so no problem there, but it’s true that we need to take another step at this track, so over the next couple of days we’ll check all the data to prepare for the weekend. I’m really looking forward to starting the season, improving on the bike, getting to grips with the new championship and enjoying this new racing season.”
Xavi Vierge 97
“It’s been great to get back on the bike for this test. It was an important one in terms of preparing for the upcoming race weekend of course, and it was also my first time back on the bike since I hurt myself at Barcelona. Conditions haven’t been ideal, as it’s been colder than it probably will be for the races, but we’ve got the work done. I’m really happy especially with our second day; we continued as we did yesterday, not making too many laps but just enough to understand what and where we need to improve, and to adjust the electronics ahead of the weekend. We took a step forward which I’m really happy about, and we have the information we need to start the weekend with a good base. Physically, it’s been a bit painful for me of course, but it was also important to ride to understand how I need to adapt my riding style to do the best I can. So now I have the information from these two days and then it’s also important to continue with my therapy and physio so I’m as fit as I can be for the race weekend. I want to thank the team for their hard work and for supporting me; I’m very happy to be here and back on my bike.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
The Aragon test ends with Bautista third and Rinaldi seventh. Bulega finishes fourth in WorldSSP
The last winter tests of 2022 ended today at the Motorland Circuit of Aragon (Spain), which from Friday will host the first round of the new WorldSBK season.
As yesterday, the day started with extremely low temperatures, but track conditions improved significantly during the afternoon.
The two riders of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team worked on the final details ahead of the first official free practice of the Pirelli Aragon Round scheduled for Friday at 10.30 am.
In today’s three sessions, Alvaro Bautista completed 48 laps, setting in FP3 his best time of 1’49.094 to eventually finish third, three tenths behind Rea (Kawasaki) and just 26 thousandths of a second behind Razgatlioglu (Yamaha).
For Michael Rinaldi 44 laps completed and the seventh position in the combined standings thanks to a time of 1’49.863 set in the early afternoon session.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“It was a positive test, even though the low temperature this morning didn’t allow us to get the most out of every session. Anyway, we did a good job: today we focused on adjusting the set-up with the goal of improving the race pace with the harder tire and the results were positive. We collected a lot of data to work on and this is very important. I’m really happy because the feeling is very good”.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“Without a doubt, I expected more from these tests, but even in the difficult times, we can still find data that can help us. We’ve understood what we’re missing to be competitive and I hope that in these two days, after carefully analyzing the data, we’ll be able to find a solution that allows us to improve. In any case, we arrive at the start of the season with a great desire to do well”.
WorldSSP
Due to the low temperature, Nicolò Bulega and the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team only took to the track in the afternoon but had to deal with a small issue that stopped the Italian rider after 8 laps. In the last session, however, Bulega lapped steadily (18 laps completed) finishing in fourth place (1’53.621) but only 240 thousandths of a second behind the best time of Cluzel (Yamaha).
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“I’m happy because during all the winter tests we did a really good job. The feeling with the bike is very positive even if sometimes we struggle to find the right setup on a new machine that lacks experience. Anyway, we are always able to find positive solutions and that gives us great confidence. We are ready to start the season”.
More, from a press release issued by GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team:
GERLOFF AND NOZANE LOOKING FORWARD TO FIRST RACE WEEKEND AFTER FINAL TEST
The 2022 pre-season is officially over. With the last DWO Supported Test sustained at MotorLand Aragòn on 4th-5th April, the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team finished its preparations with Kohta Nozane and Garrett Gerloff for the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship, which will start on 8th-10th April in Aragòn.
Cold conditions awaited both riders on the first day, which forced the team to not push too much in the morning (11:35-12:20) apart from making shakedown laps. In the following afternoon sessions, both Gerloff and Nozane bounced back on track with good progress made throughout FP2 (14:25-15:10) and FP3 (16:55-17:40).
Indeed, the American rider managed to finish the day fourth fastest on combined times, with a personal best of 1.50.120 and 36 laps completed. On the other side of the box, the Japanese ace gained confidence each session and ended eighth fastest with 1.50.520 and 37 laps in total.
Afterwards, the day after the GYRT GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team encountered once again cold conditions during the morning. Luckily, this time Nozane and Gerloff managed to complete more laps followed by many more in the afternoon stages. The sessions were planned from 10:55 to 11:40, 13:45 to 14:30 and 16:15 to 17:00.
Both riders tried to find pace and improved their feeling, finishing 16th, with the Japanese having a 1.50.683 as personal best over 41 laps, and 4th fastest as the American scored a 1.49.235 as his best with 49 laps in total on Day 2. Counting both days, Gerloff concluded in 4th position (85 laps done) while Nozane put himself into 15th (78 laps completed).
As the pre-season is officially over, it’s time for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team to move on into the first round of the 2022 season of FIM Superbike World Championship. That will take place at MotorLand Aragòn once again from 8th to 10th April with three races during the weekend and many more activities expected to be held at the Teruel venue.
DWO Supported Test Day1 + Day2
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’48’’714
P2 – Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (Yamaha) +0.354
P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) +0.380
P4 – Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.521
P5 – Loris Baz (BMW) +0.669
P15 – Kohta Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +1.806
Garrett Gerloff: “Overall it wasn’t too bad. On Day 2, we fixed some things that I was complaining on the first day and the temperature went higher. That’s important as for the weekend weather conditions should be warmer. We did use the SCQ tyre as well, it felt good. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to make a one-shot lap, so I need to work on this area. Anyway, finally the pre-season is over and it’s time to focus on the first round of the year. I’ll enjoy two days of rest before being fully focused on the race weekend, but I cannot wait to bounce back on track for the first free practice of the season.”
Kohta Nozane: “Having the last DWO Supported Test was important as we’re gearing up for the upcoming season. On the first day I improved my performance each session and managed to finish 8th, while on the second one we tried to keep that feeling but we had to make some work on race pace as well. That’s why we did a long run and settled up things on that aspect. We have a good base and I can start from Friday to prepare in the best way possible for the first round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship. Now we’ll have two days to rest a little bit and then it will be time to switch into racing mode. I cannot wait for this new beginning!”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha by Brixx WorldSBK:
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Complete Aragon Checklist Ahead of WorldSBK Opening Round
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK riders Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Andrea Locatelli completed two days of testing at the FIM Superbike World Championship Supported Test at MotorLand Aragon today, ahead of the opening round of the 2022 season starting later this week.
Defending WorldSBK Champion Razgatlıoğlu ticked off 91 laps across six 45-minute Free Practice sessions with a fastest lap time of 1’49.068 placing him second overall, while teammate Locatelli finished sixth-fastest with a best time of 1’49.831, having also completed 91 laps.
Despite frigid cold temperatures across both days, the team and Yamaha Motor Research & Development Europe’s engineers took a calculated approach to manage the track time available and found positive results as they worked on set up and new test items to prepare for the weekend. Satisfied with the data collected, feedback from both Razgatlıoğlu and Locatelli will help fine-tune the R1 WorldSBK package for the considerably warmer conditions forecast in the Teruel region.
The 5.077 km MotorLand Aragon circuit has played host to some fantastic race battles in recent years for the WorldSBK class, and 2022 looks set to provide another thrilling start to the championship. But first, the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK team will return to work on Thursday for the customary WorldSBK “class photos”, before Friday morning’s track action of Free Practice 1 and 2, starting at 10:30 local time (UTC+2) and 15:00 respectively.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: P2 (1’49.068) – 91 laps
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK
“Today we tried a new set up and we improved my bike a little bit from yesterday. The weather was cold but I am very happy with these two test days, because we use different set ups to get more data and find the best package. Now, the feeling is we are ready to race and I’m very excited for the season start. But we will see Friday! I’m waiting to ride my R1 on Friday – we will see what will happen this weekend!”
Andrea Locatelli: P6 (1’49.831) – 91 laps
Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK
“We concluded today in P6, but this is not important! The most important part is the job that we do and I’m happy in the second day for the rhythm when we tried the long run. This good for us, but for sure we need to understand the qualifying tyre to start more in front. But in general, it was a good two days of testing with no mistakes and we have a lot of data, with two days to analyse everything and prepare the bike for the weekend. The guys do a great job and the feeling with the bike is not bad, so now we will continue to work a little more to try to improve during the weekend. We will see but I think we are now ready to start.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Rea Fastest On Eve Of New Season
A two day official pre-season test at Motorland Aragon saw Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes make their final on-track preparations for the opening round of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship, with Rea setting the overall leading pace in the final session.
On the first day the dry but very cold morning conditions kept most of the riders in the pit garages until the track temperatures improved all around the 5.077km long Motorland Aragon circuit. Ninja ZX-10RR riders Rea and Lowes then joined the full WorldSBK line-up on track, riding in what were increasingly good conditions.
Day two was also cool in the morning but consistently dry weather allowed the official KRT WorldSBK duo to work through their final test plans and make meaningful preparations for the first points scoring races of the 2022 season.
Rea set his best single lap time of 1’48.714 on the final minutes of the tests and was the only rider to get into the 1’48 bracket. He was 0.354 seconds faster than the next rider, Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Lowes could not quite find the one fast lap he desired but in term of his overall race pace he was more satisfied with the final sessions before the new season starts for real in just a few days.
A final change in set-up, to make the most of this final pre-season testing opportunity, meant Alex was unable to move up the combined timesheets and he finished 12th fastest of the 25 riders at this test. Now he looks to make use of his good race pace when the first championship points become available.
With the pre-season action now complete the 2022 WorldSBK campaign will begin in earnest at Motorland Aragon, between 8-10 April. Once again there will be three races on the weekend schedule, with the first on Saturday 9 April.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “Step-by-step we have built the package at this test. The afternoon sessions were much better than the first morning. We got meaningful work done and we confirmed our bike set-up. On the last runs I was really able to clarify the package we will start the race weekend with. We also ticked a lot of boxes with tyres. We used the SCQ qualifying tyre, which is new for us. We had to understand it before we use it in Superpole qualifying on Saturday. Today I enjoyed riding the bike; I had a lot of fun and got a lot of feedback. When that happens we are able to go quite fast. I am as ready as I will ever be to start racing. You can always do more, but you have to start somewhere and if we were to go racing tomorrow I am happy enough to start. We will have the usual ‘class of 2022’ photos on Thursday and then go racing on Friday.”
Alex Lowes, stated: “The test was OK but I wasn’t fast enough. We tried a few things with the bike in that last session today, in the good track temperatures. I tried something big and it didn’t really feel that good. Then we did not have enough time to change it back in the final session. We have a couple of days of practice now to put everything we have together. I guess track conditions will be a little bit different on Friday. I feel good in myself and I have had an issue-free pre-season. The bike has been reliable and I have been solid, so the target for this year is to be consistent every weekend. My race pace is OK but over one lap I am not fast – so we need to understand that. Apart from that, it was not too bad and we have a couple of days to make a good plan to start free practice on Friday.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “The test was positive and Johnny is confident with the bike. This two day test is different compared to the race weekend because the temperature is going to be completely different. Now it is around 12-13°C air temperature and it will be around 25°C on the weekend. So the track surface itself will be much hotter and this affects the tyre choice, the set-up – everything. But we have been confirming all we have done in the previous winter tests, to confirm the base bike we want to start with. Johnny is talking quite deeply with the bike and at the end of the day that is the most important thing. Now we will have a chance to relax and then restart for the first race.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Alex Lowes, stated: “We used these two days quite well. The first sessions on each day were very cold so we knew we were not going to learn anything. We didn’t go out on track except to make some practice starts. But during each day we reached some acceptable track temperatures and we went through our test programme. From a lap time point of view we are not where we would like to be but this is testing and our season still needs to start. We gathered valuable information and we will start from the correct point on Friday.”
Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 18th overall at the Motorland tests, with fellow Kawasaki Independent riders Oliver König (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 23rd and Loris Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing) 25th.
More, from a press release issued by Team Go Eleven:
ALMOST DONE YESTERDAY, DONE TODAY; OETTL CLOSES THE ARAGON TEST IN TOP TEN!
The long WorldSBK winter is finally over! Last day of testing in Aragon behind us, now there are two days left for the official start of the Championship.
Day 2 at Motorland was very similar to day 1 in terms of temperatures; a first session in critical conditions, with about five degrees in the air and about ten on the asphalt, then with the passing of the hours the sky opened, warming up riders, motorcycles and technicians. FP 5 and FP 6 were two decisive sessions for the Go Eleven team; in the first, Philipp made a consistent long run, to evaluate the drop of the tyres and the behavior of his Ducati V4-RS on this particular track, made up of ups and downs, very technical corners and long straights. In the second, the work was concentrated on the qualifying tyres, which from this year allow for at least a couple of laps in good conditions. On the race pace, the German rider seemed to be well on the Ducati, setting a good pace on 51 and battling with some opponents as well. But it was in the last session that he showed the best things: with the SCX he was able to improve even more, placing himself in the top eight, then at the end all the protagonists tried the time attack. Oettl was able to exploit the Q well, lowering his personal reference by six tenths, returning and finishing the two days in the Top Ten.
DAY 2 – COMBINED RESULTS:
P 1 J. Rea 1.48.714
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.354
P 3 A. Bautista + 0.380
P 4 G. Gerloff + 0.521
P 5 L. Baz + 0.669
…
P 12 P. Oettl + 1.372
There will now be a two-day break before seeing the Superbikes in action at Motorland again, when the 2022 season will kick off on Friday. Go Eleven and the rider Philipp Oettl can’t wait to hit the track for the times “that matter”, and evaluate the real potential when there are no more masks and everyone will push 100%.
Philipp Oettl (Rider):
“Today it started again a little bit cold, cause we started earlier than yesterday. In the second session we did a long run, to understand the tyres and the electronics settings, trying to adapt my style to the tyre drop. In the last session we tried mainly the qualifying tyre, to understand its feedback. I think we did a good job because I can’t use the first two Q, then I found out how to use the last one. We are going in the right direction for the race weekend, especially the last session was really good. That was important because it was the last one and everyone tried to push. We did a good job in these two days, overall all the tests we had were good and in improvement. I am happy with the team, they are working very well. Now I have two days of relax, while the guys will prepare the bike, and we can’t wait to be on track again!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“We are also very happy with this last day of testing. This morning the temperatures were as low as yesterday, however, as we already faced yesterday, the track has a lot of grip and we could run right from the start. We carried out and completed our program without any particular problems, making both a long run with a view to the race and some attempts with the new qualifying tyres. Both have been very positive and I am happy with the work of the team and with Philipp’s approach; he faces the session as a long-time rider, despite being a rookie. Throughout the winter we had no particular difficulties, managing to complete all the prefixed work, with good results. Now there is still a lot to work on and grow on, we are not satisfied with what we have done so far, we still want to improve and look forward. We will do our best to be competitive from the start and to collect the good things done in the winter!”
