Jerez Moto2 / Moto3 Test
Unlike the MotoGP class who had to return on track directly on Monday following the Spanish Grand Prix, the lightweight and intermediate classes were able to rest and prepare for the Official Moto3 and Moto2 Jerez Test on Tuesday.
Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) set the quickest times in their respective classes, with each category enjoying three sessions on Tuesday.
Moto2
It was a great day for the Pons Wegow Los40 team as they locked out the top two positions, with impressive rookie Sergio Garcia joining Canet at the summit. And it was close between their pair as just 0.018s split the two Spaniards in Andalucia.
Saying it was close inside the top 10 doesn’t really cut the mustard thereafter, either. The top five of Canet, Garcia, Jake Dixon (Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M2), Sunday’s race winner Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) and Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) were covered by less than a tenth.
Jake Dixon – P3
“It’s been a busy day, testing a lot of things. We still have work to do at Le Mans, but it’s been a productive day. We’ve tested different modifications and we know what works and what not. We have to sit down to evaluate how it has gone and which direction we take in the next races.”
Sam Lowes – P4
“The test was a good one for me. We tried a few things, and it was like any test where some worked, and some didn’t but it’s always important to gain information for the remainder of the season. I feel some of the things we tried might be best suited to other tracks that are coming up, so that gives me confidence for what lies ahead. Overall though it was positive after a great weekend in Jerez and every lap I did today was fast and competitive. That shows we have a very good base to build on and now it will be important to carry on the momentum gained when we go to Le Mans.”
Sixth place Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was only 0.102s off, while Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – who was unhurt in a crash – and Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) were two tenths adrift in P7 and P8.
Tony Arbolino – P6
“It was an interesting day here in Jerez and I felt good on the bike. We found some good points that I think will help us later in the season and some things that didn’t work so well, which gives us a clearer idea of what are the positive points of our package. We’ve made a great start to the season and have been competitive in all four races so far, and this test has given me confidence that we can continue these results moving forward. I’m looking forward to a rest now after an intense few days in Jerez and being ready to fight again at the front in Le Mans.”
Izan Guevara – P10
“It has been a really positive test because we have managed to feel comfortable on the bike and find our limit. Now we have a lot of information. I am very happy: we have lapped very fast and we are much closer to the top, since in the morning we were half a second behind the first. We’re good, we’re strong and we understand everything better every time. We’re ready to go to Le Mans.”
World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) didn’t take part in the Jerez Test, with 20 of the full-time Moto2 field lapping on Tuesday.
Moto2 Test Results
| Pos | Rider | Gap |
| 1 | A.CANET | 1’41.264 |
| 2 | S.GARCIA | +0.018 |
| 3 | J.DIXON | +0.054 |
| 4 | S.LOWES | +0.093 |
| 5 | A.ARENAS | +0.098 |
| 6 | T.ARBOLINO | +0.102 |
| 7 | A.OGURA | +0.252 |
| 8 | M.GONZALEZ | +0.289 |
| 9 | C.VIETTI | +0.519 |
| 10 | I.GUEVARA | +0.574 |
| 11 | F.SALAC | +0.613 |
| 12 | L.TULOVIC | +0.723 |
| 13 | B.BENDSNEYDE | +0.834 |
| 14 | B.GOMEZ | +1.088 |
| 15 | S.KELLY | +1.271 |
| 16 | J.ALCOBA | +1.432 |
| 17 | A.ESCRIG | +1.451 |
| 18 | R.SKINNER | +1.538 |
| 19 | M.RAMIREZ | +1.605 |
| 20 | L.DALLA PORTA | +2.168 |
Moto3
In the Moto3 class, Spanish GP polesitter Öncü set the pace by well over half a second on Tuesday.
The top five fastest riders completed their best laps in the opening session of the Test, with Jerez podium finisher David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar M3) sitting as Öncü’s closest challenger – 0.642s adrift.
David Alonso – P2
“It has been a very positive test. We had a clear objective, which was “forbidden to ride with people”. That was the message of this test, that I did all my laps without a slipstream or a reference, alone, and I have achieved that. I thought it was going to take us a bit more, but it turned out better than expected because we finish second. It is very important for us because we have taken a big step forward riding alone, one of the main pending issues for the following races. We think it will help us a lot.”
Xavier Artigas (CFMOTO Racing PrüstelGP) rounded out the top three and was the only other rider in the 1:45 bracket.
Reigning JuniorGP and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) pipped Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) to round out the top five.
Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was the other rider within a second of Öncü’s time in P6. World Championship leader Dani Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) was in P11 just behind Sunday’s back-to-back winner Ivan Ortola (MTA Angeluss).
Ryusei Yamanaka – P6
“We have had a day of testing in Jerez in which we have worked a lot with used tyres and testing different bike settings. We have found positive aspects, but in the last two sessions of the day the wind has bothered us a bit. These are conditions that I don’t like very much, but I have been able to complete more than thirty laps like this and it will be good for us for the future.”
Daniel Holgado – P11
“We don’t have much time during the weekends to test things properly, so today was very important to continue building our championship and become even stronger. We were able to try a couple of settings, and we had positives and negatives, but we gathered good information that we can use for the next rounds. The lap times are fast, the bike is strong, I am super happy with the work done with my team, so thank you to them. Let’s go to Le Mans next week!”
Filippo Farioli – P14
“It was not a bad test overall although we did not have great conditions. In the afternoon, it was really windy, and hot, so we only did the first two sessions of the day and skipped the third one. We tried many things, different settings and we now have a better understanding of what we need to do, and towards which direction we need to work. We had a great weekend here in Jerez, and today’s test was great to try things that we don’t have time to work on during the race weekends, so I am feeling positive about the day. In Le Mans, we will try smaller things to finish adapting the bike to my riding style. Good few days here in Spain, I can’t wait to go to France next week!”
Joel Kelso rounded out the timesheets in 15th, 2.036s off leading pace.
All in all, a busy day all in all for the intermediate and lightweight classes! Next up: the 1000th Grand Prix at the world-famous Le Mans.
Moto3 Combined Test Results
| Pos | Rider | Gap |
| 1 | D.ÖNCÜ | 1’45.263 |
| 2 | D.ALONSO | +0.642 |
| 3 | X.ARTIGAS | +0.710 |
| 4 | J.RUEDA | +0.776 |
| 5 | D.MOREIRA | +0.787 |
| 6 | A.SASAKI | +0.855 |
| 7 | R.YAMANAKA | +1.087 |
| 8 | R.ROSSI | +1.377 |
| 9 | S.AZMAN | +1.447 |
| 10 | I.ORTOLÁ | +1.544 |
| 11 | D.HOLGADO | +1.568 |
| 12 | C.VEIJER | +1.637 |
| 13 | K.TOBA | +1.983 |
| 14 | F.FARIOLI | +2.018 |
| 15 | J.KELSO | +2.036 |
| M.BERTELLE | ||
| R.FENATI | ||
| S.NEPA |
