The 2013 preseason pace stepped up a notch in the Moto3 class today at Valencia, where the lap times were some two seconds quicker than at the final Grand Prix of the 2012 season here in November. Perfect conditions certainly helped as Spanish trio Maverick Viñales, Luis Salom and Alex Rins signed off on top, with Germany's Jonas Folger and Scotland's John McPhee in close attendance.
After shaking off the winter rust on day one and trying out his new bike on day two, today was the time to find out what 2013 might hold for Folger. The MAPFRE ASPAR completed a marathon 81 laps, knocking a massive 1.5 seconds off his best time from yesterday as he rode right up to the red light at 5pm. Tired but satisfied with his effort, Jonas finished fifth fastest overall and some seven tenths off the best time of the day. MAPFRE Aspar team rookie Eric Granado was also busy, the Brazilian clocking 82 laps and also improving by more than a second.
5th Jonas Folger 1.40.050 (81 laps): “We did a lot of laps today and even though I am exhausted now it has been good because we have been able to test a lot of things. The bike is new so the more laps we can do to adapt to it the better. We tried lots of things with the set-up and were able to rule various solutions out, so even though we have a lot of work to do we know which way we need to go. It has been a very positive test, we're really happy with the way it has gone and we can't wait to get back to work again at Jerez next week. The difference with the new bike is not huge but it handles sweeter, it's more stable and that makes it easier to ride. The new clutch is awesome and the engine has a lot of power from the bottom up. We have improved by 1.5 seconds since yesterday after taking some big steps with the set-up and my riding. The potential of the bike is clear, we just have to keep working to make the most of it.”
27th Eric Granado 1.41.526 (82 laps): “We have done a lot of laps today which is a positive thing for me because I need to adapt to the bike and to the category. I need to learn and there is no better way to do that than by completing laps. We spent the morning finding some new things out about the bike, working with the geometry and the front and rear suspension. We did some longer runs this afternoon, around ten laps at a time, and I managed to get a consistent rhythm together and learn some things from other riders. The objective is to learn and improve every time we're on track and I think we're doing that. We leave Valencia feeling satisfied because we've improved every day. It's only the first test and there's a long way to go so we have to take it step by step.”
Mapfre Aspar Moto3 Press Release
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