Mike Jones completes Lausitz test with Aruba Ducati

The Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team took to the track at EuroSpeedway Lausitz (Germany), which on August 20th will host the sixth race of the 2017 European Superstock 1000 Championship.

The two-day test held on Sunday and Monday was useful to allow the riders to get reacquainted with their Panigale R after more than a month of inactivity, and also to prepare the setup ahead of the race weekend.

Championship leader Rinaldi posted a personal best of 1:38.6, lapping faster than last year’s pole position, while Jones quickly learned a track new to him to finish with a 1:39.0.

After five rounds, Rinaldi and Jones are respectively first (90 points) and twelfth (29 points) in the championship.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #12) – 1’38.6

“Finally we got back on track! In these tests, first of all we tried to prepare as well as we could for the race at Lausitzring, finding an optimal setup and good sensations on the bike. The track is a bit bumpy, but we’re all in the same boat and we tried to adapt as well as possible. We rode many laps, and physically I felt fine. I haven’t gone on holiday in the past month, I just kept training and we’re in high spirits. We’ve been fast on every track so far, and we just need to keep working hard, without making any more mistakes. Now we’ll have to wait three more weeks, but we’re confident for the upcoming challenge”.

Mike Jones (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #57) – 1’39.0

“The Lausitz circuit is very different from the ones we usually go to, but I liked it a lot. It reminds of Australian tracks, being narrow and a bit bumpy, so I was able to adapt relatively quickly. For me, the biggest thing to work on was my riding. I focused a lot on that and, with the help of my riding coach, we introduced some changes to make sure I can take full advantage of our potential from now on. I’ve been able to understand a few things to work on, improving my feeling with the bike and gaining confidence. It was important to get comfortable and we made some really good progress. Then, we just worked on the usual adjustments to geometry and balance for this track. I can’t wait to get back to racing”.

The Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team will be back on track at EuroSpeedway Lausitz (Germany) for the sixth round of the season, scheduled for August 18-20.