Moto2 Moto3 Valencia Test Day One Results, Notes & Quotes
Moto2
Johann Zarco was the top rider on Tuesday at the Spanish track, notching a rapid 1’34.754 lap on his Kalex in the last session, riding with the Ajo structure which has moved up to support him in Moto2 this year.
He commented, “I’m very happy, we did a good job with the team and we are quite constant. I’m focusing on my line and riding the Kalex bike well. In the end I have been faster than in November so it’s very positive. I think today was the best day for the conditions, no wind, a little bit cold, but I was careful and fast.”
“We used a few tyres, hard ones and soft ones and for sure the soft one is working better in these cold conditions. So I was just doing my job, braking well, keeping good corner speed, good acceleration. I have not been thinking too much. I want to keep this good feeling and give it to the team. I am confident with them, because they have experience and they know what to do.”
Lowes got preparations for his second year of Grand Prix riding off to a good start in second place on the opening day of testing. His best lap was registered in the second session – 0.352s behind Zarco on the overall timesheet – and made him the only non-Kalex rider in the top ten.
Lowes said, “I’m really happy to be back on the bike after a long winter. We have some new parts on the bike, so it’s really important to be fast straight away. I’m really happy because we’ve made a big step compared to the last race last year, with the lap time and the pace. So hopefully we can keep improving.”
“We have a new swingarm which is a big change and we’ve completely changed the suspension, with a different manufacturer. It was like a completely new bike this morning, so it’s been a really positive day.”
Xavier Simeon (5th – 1’35″264) – “Today we started from the configuration we used during the last test of 2014, last November, without making any change on the bike: honestly I’m surprised about my lap times that and the feeling that I got on the bike, considering that these were only the first few laps after a two months break. This means that our base is very good: at the moment we have no particular problems, so tomorrow we will continue to ride and when we realize that we reached our limit, then we will try new set-up solutions to try to improve further. I didn’t ride in the third and final session today; it was already cold and we decided to start this first day with calm”.
Moto3
It was an impressive start to 2015 testing for Estrella Galicia 0.0 team’s young Frenchman Quartararo – the reigning FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 champion – as his 1’39.392 best lap gave him the top spot on the timesheet.
“I’m really happy because it’s a new bike and we haven’t been riding for two months,” noted the teenager. “The Honda is really performing, we have a very good rhythm, so we will continue to work over the next two days and have a good bike for Qatar.”
He continued, “We will work to have a really good setting and the most important thing is that I’m getting to know the team. It is a similar bike to last year, its very agile and the Honda for me is a really good bike. It’s the best. I’m riding without pressure, I want to have some fun this year and learn the tracks.”
Second quickest rider on Tuesday, Kent is also on the Honda this year with his new team Leopard Racing and he reflected, “It has been a good day after a long winter. I have been waiting a few months to get back on the Honda. So far it is going really well and it’s good to be back working with the team and working with Honda. We have brushed the cobwebs off and the real work starts tomorrow. We can continue working hard and lets see how it goes.”
Kent concluded, “I want to get used to the team and get used to the bike, it is only my third day riding it. We’ve got a lot to learn so we just need to get as many laps in as possible.”
3rd – Enea Bastianini – “I’m happy with the outcome of this first day: we collected important data which will be useful for the rest of the test. In the third and final session I went out on track with new tyres, immediately setting a good lap time; unfortunately, later, in an attempt to overtake Navarro, I crashed, making a high side. Luckily I’m fine, so tomorrow we will continue to work to refine the set-up of my bike, to which I adapted quickly, though”.
9th Juanfran Guevara 1.40.119 (52 laps): “After two months away it was nice to get back on a Grand Prix bike today. I always struggle to get back on the pace after a long break and I was a little rusty this morning. We worked hard to get the bike set up and with a few riders crashing around me I made sure I took things steadily. We put some soft tyres on for the final session and the feeling improved enough for me to push for a decent lap time. We had a solid pace in the low 1’40s on that last run, which is positive. The top riders were quick today but you have to take into account that they tested last week and we didn’t. In general it has been a positive day so hopefully the rest of the test continues in the same way.”
10th Jorge Martín 1.40.154 (43 laps): “Our preseason finally got started today after last week’s test was foiled by the weather at Alcarrás. I had a little scare on my first run and that slowed us down but today was a case of getting a feel for the bike again and we got faster and faster as the day progressed. We did some work with the engine braking but the main objective was to ride and get a feeling after such a long winter off the bike. We put a soft tyre in at the end of the day and I pushed hard to set a good lap time. I am happy but this is just the start. I still feel we have a big margin for improvement.”
16th – Andrea Locatelli – “I’m very happy! Everything was new for me today and I felt immediately at ease! Apart from today’s lap time, I’m really satisfied with the feelings I got from both the team from the bike, which I like a lot in terms of chassis. Today we just focused on better understanding the behaviour of the bike, without making any change: anyway, in the third and final session I was able to put in a few more laps, already making a big step forward. This evening we will analyze the telemetry data, to understand where to make the first changes to the bike, tomorrow”.
