Moto2 & Moto3 test at Mugello ahead of Barcelona
Despite rain on the Monday following the Italian GP, Moto2 and Moto3 riders had the opportunity to take part in the official Mugello test for these classes, with many riders getting out on track before the rain ended activities.
In Moto2 Mugello race winner Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was working on corner entry and high-speed corner stability, along with teammate Brad Binder – a recurrent problem for which the team have begun finding some resolutions.
Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) was working on speed on the straights, and overall reported big improvements from the race. New forks in Le Mans have aided that progress, and the Frenchman has been working on riding style.
Romano Fenati was working on different settings with his Marinelli Snipers Team, and suffered a technical problem early on. Compatriot Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team), meanwhile, suffered a crash.
Dynavolt Intact GP’s Xavi Vierge was working on putting in the laps to try and overcome a more difficult weekend, as well as trying new forks, and teammate Marcel Schrötter was refining his set up after big steps forward of late. Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was trying new geometry and linkage settings after missing a lot of bike time because of the injury. But he was back on track on his KTM, putting in the laps.
NTS RW Racing GP duo Steven Odendaal and Joe Roberts were out testing, too – fresh from their first points of the season for the new manufacturer. There was a new chassis to try at the test, and both were positive after both the race and test.
In the lightweight class, Moto3 Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox Prüstel GP) reported a very good test after trying different suspension settings, looking for less movement in fast corners, with teammate Jakub Kornfeil working on the front end and trying new forks. Fellow KTM runner Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team) was working on the front end, too, but expects to get new forks soon.
Meanwhile at Petronas Sprinta Racing, Ayumu Sasaki continued testing recent setups with positive results, despite still struggling through the pain barrier following a crash in Le Mans and another in Free Practice at Mugello when he was unable to avoid an incident for compatriot Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia). Sasaki also crashed on Monday, rider ok, and will now rest for a week. Toba was planning to work on engine braking but was a little limited due to the damage caused by the incident during the weekend.
RBA BOE Skull Rider’s Kazuki Masaki was focusing on braking points and different lines, with teammate Gabriel Rodrigo focused on confirming information from their other recent tests to ascertain whether their direction works at a selection of different venues.
Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) was focusing on the front end and at Leopard Racing, Enea Bastianini crashed in the second session – with teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta also having taken a tumble.
Now it’s time to recharge and head for Barcelona – round seven is just around the corner!
