Scott Redding keen for taste of Factory MotoGP RC213V
Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS will get their 2015 MotoGP campaign underway next week, with the first of two pre-season tests at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
For Scott Redding, making his return to the team to spearhead their assault on the 2015 MotoGP World Championship, Sepang will provide him with only his second opportunity to familiarise himself with the factory specification Honda RC213V he’ll campaign this season.
While the team’s technical crew have been out in Japan building up the two bikes that Redding will race in the premier class this year, the 22-year-old Briton has been training hard to ensure he’s in peak physical condition for the first test of the season, after fracturing his sternum in a crash at the Barcelona Superprestigio event in December.
While Redding already has a year of experience in MotoGP, having raced a production Honda to 12th place in the championship last season, stepping up to the premier class for the first time will be a new challenge for reigning Moto2 World Champions Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, but it is one they are relishing.
The first three-day Sepang test gets underway on Wednesday 4th February, with the team returning to Malaysia later in the month for a further four days of testing. The final pre-season test of 2015 takes place at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, just two weeks before the opening race of the season at the same venue.
Scott Redding – “The injury at the Superprestigio event meant I wasn’t able to start training properly until the second week in January, and it’s only in the last week or so I’ve been able to ride the Supermoto and MX bikes. It’s all good though, as I’ve been working hard with my personal trainer to make sure I’m ready for Sepang.
“The aim at the first test is for me and Chris Pike, my Chief Mechanic, to get a better feel for the factory Honda RC213V, not to immediately start chasing lap times.
“We need to understand the bike, and how changes to set up affect it, so that we know in which way we need to go if we have a problem during the limited practice time we get at races. I
“f we can do that at the first test we can then focus on closing the gap to the frontrunners when we return to Malaysia at the end of February.”
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal – “The move up to MotoGP with factory specification machinery is a big step for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS. We are under no illusions as to how big a step it is, but we’ve spent the winter break working hard to ensure we hit the ground running in Malaysia and that we make maximum use of the limited pre-season testing time available.
“I know Scott has also been working hard on his fitness, to ensure that he’s ready for the challenge ahead. It’s a challenge that both the team and Scott are looking forward to taking on this season.”
