Gresini Review Jerez Moto2 Test Day 3

Tweet

The long pre-season testing period came to a close today for the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2: in the last day of the official IRTA Test at Jerez, Xavier Siméon scored a stunning fourth fastest time with 1’42”556, just three tenths of a second off the best lap time of the three-day gathering. After the good consistency showed yesterday over full race distance, today the Belgian rider proved to be really competitive also on a single lap, as a further demonstration of the excellent work done with the team.

Aboard the Team Gresini Moto2 Suter machine, Lorenzo Baldassari closed his amazing apprenticeship lowering once again his lap times, finishing the three-day test with the seventh overall performance, 1’42”639, making him once again the fastest Italian rider on track. The 17-year-old rookie is therefore ready for his first race in Moto2, a category that seemed to suit his physical and riding style characteristics from the very beginning.

Xavier Simeon (1'42"556 - 47 LAPS)

“We finished the pre-season in an extremely positive way! Today we were able to take a further step forward, but it could not be otherwise, because we knew from yesterday that we were starting from a good base. Apart from the excellent lap time, just a few tenths off the pace, now we are aware that our potential is very high, so we are confident ahead of the first Grand Prix. We haven’t started winter testing in the best way, with the untimely Almeria crash, which slowed our working program, but later on we were able to improve constantly. Now I feel very comfortable with the bike, and the atmosphere inside the garage is wonderful”.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (1'42"639 - 50 LAPS)

“I am very satisfied with the work done during the winter: I could adapt well to this category and I have reached a good level of competitiveness, so I look forward to my Moto2 debut with great confidence. The feeling with the bike is good and we were fast also today, therefore I’m convinced that in Qatar we can do very well, although I don’t want to make predictions”.

Gresini Press Release

read more...

Tech 3 Racing Review Jerez Moto2 Test

Tweet

Tech3 Racing Team’s Marcel Schrotter and stand in rider Ricky Cardus today concluded the final pre-season test at the Circuito de Jerez in southern Spain, with just over a week  until the start of the Moto2 World Championship. After various developments and improvements were made during the winter by the Tech3 Racing Team to enhance the Mistral 610, the team took advantage of three days of near perfect weather conditions to make the final preparations before the beginning of the season.

Marcel Schrotter concluded his last preseason test with a general feeling of positivity and optimism for the 2014 Moto2 World Championship. The young German worked tirelessly to establish his base set up and then undertook slight modification changes, in particular on the front section of his bike to improve brake stability and turning. Schrotter had an unfortunate crash in the afternoon which forced him to run into the gravel. However, he was uninjured and the bike was not majorly damaged. With his confidence and experience increasing consistently, the young German and his Tech3 Racing Team finished the session with a best lap 1:43.149 in 16th position.   

Young Spanish rider Ricky Cardus began his adaptation to the Mistral 610 at Jerez this week, in preparation for the opening Moto2 race at Qatar. Cardus is temporarily replacing the injured Alex Mariñelarena who is recovering from an injury sustained at a private test at the end of February. Having never ridden the Tech 3 Racing Team bike before, the Spaniard proceeded to undertake a shake-down initially, having not raced a Moto2 motorcycle since the last season’s final round at Valencia. On the following days, his knowledge of the Mistral 610 grew, as his confidence did. At the close of the test, Cardus finished the session in 26th place with a best time of 1:44.029.

Marcel Schrotter – 1:43.159 – 16th:

“I am quite happy with the work we have done over the past three days as we managed to test a lot of settings to make the bike more comfortable over race distance. We focused mainly on the front section of the Mistral, trying to improve the braking and turning. A big positive that I can take home is that all of the fastest laps were on old tyres, which gives me confidence in race distance. I feel there is still some improvement to be made with how the bike reacts on new tyres, but this was never the main aim at this test. I am looking forward to Qatar and feel confident of fighting for top 10 finishes and having a good season this year”.

Ricky Cardus – 1:44.029 – 26th:

“First of all, I want to say thank you to the team for the opportunity and the faith they placed in me to test their bike. Of course, it’s not the way I’d like to get on the bike, and I really hope Alex recovers quickly. In all honesty, the test went well and was a really good experience. At first, after 3 months of not riding, I struggled to adapt straight away. I saw how far back I was and became slightly nervous. However, with more time on the bike I improved and felt better every day. My fastest lap could have been quicker but unfortunately I made a mistake in it. The lap time was not the most important part of this test for me, as I needed to prepare myself as much as possible for the first race, which I am really looking forward to”. 

Tech 3 Racing Press Release

read more...

Combined Session Result Jerez Moto2 Test Day 3

Tweet

1 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:42.206
2 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:42.393
3 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:42.472
4 Xavier SIMEON Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 01:42.556
5 Johann ZARCO AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing 01:42.616
6 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:42.628
7 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:42.639
8 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:42.699
9 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:42.778
10 Simone CORSI NGM Forward Racing 01:42.822
11 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:42.872
12 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:42.910
13 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:42.936
14 Sam LOWES Speed Up 01:42.965
15 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.024
16 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:43.149
17 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.187
18 Mattia PASINI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.189
19 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:43.211
20 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:43.211
21 Josh HERRIN AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing 01:43.622
22 Gino REA AGT-Rea Racing 01:43.645
23 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:43.751
24 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:43.938
25 Ricky CARDUS Tech 3 01:44.029
26 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:44.099
27 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:44.658
28 Thitipong WAROKORN APH PTT The Pizza SAG 01:45.190
29 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:45.265
30 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:45.361

read more...

Gresini Review Jerez Moto2 Test Day 2

Tweet

Today, during the second day of the official Moto2 IRTA Test at Jerez, Xavier Simeon made a first, positive race simulation aboard the Suter of the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2, showing a consistent pace also in the final stage of the long run, with worn tyres. A good result, mainly due to a change in the chassis geometry that enabled Siméon to lower his lap times more comfortably than yesterday. His best lap of the day, 1’43”088, puts him in seventh place in today’s timesheet, and in ninth place in the combined classification of the first two days of testing.

Lorenzo Baldassarri was also focused on full race distance, making a 26 laps long run with excellent results: the young rookie was therefore not looking at the single lap performance, setting - halfway through his long run - the 15th fastest time with 1’43”522.

Xavier Simeon (1'43"088 - 77 LAPS)

“I'm very happy because today I was able to complete a successful race simulation, during which I steadily improved my performance. Unfortunately I had to stop the long run after 21 laps due to a red flag, but then I completed 5 more laps to reach the full race distance, using the same tyres and keeping again a good pace. Our goal was to lap constantly under  1’44” and we did it, so I'm satisfied. Today we also made an important change to the chassis geometry; although initially I was doubtful, this change actually proved to be very useful, allowing me to lower lap times with much more ease than yesterday. Tomorrow we will try to continue to work in the same direction”.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (1'43"522 - 69 LAPS)

“Today I have completed my first race simulation: doing so many consecutive laps for the first time with a Moto2 machine it’s been really important for me, both from the physical point of view and from the point of view of the behavior of the bike over the full race distance. I struggled a little bit during the first laps, but then I managed to get a good rhythm and keep it for all of the remaining laps. Tyre performance has dropped at about 10 laps to go, and it’s been very interesting to ride in these conditions, having to overcome grip issues moving the body on the bike and changing riding style. I have definitely gained valuable experience in preparation for my first Moto2 Gran Prix”.

Gresini Press Release

read more...

Combined Session Result Jerez Moto2 Test Day 1

Tweet

1 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:42.547
2 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:42.562
3 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:42.692
4 Johann ZARCO AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing 01:42.841
5 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:42.895
6 Simone CORSI NGM Forward Racing 01:42.925
7 Xavier SIMEON Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 01:43.088
8 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:43.132
9 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:43.238
10 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.285
11 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.306
12 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.343
13 Mattia PASINI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.368
14 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:43.386
15 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:43.522
16 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:43.704
17 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:43.812
18 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.832
19 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:43.851
20 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:43.876
21 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:43.953
22 Gino REA AGT-Rea Racing 01:44.187
23 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:44.288
24 Josh HERRIN AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing 01:44.291
25 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:44.795
26 Ricky CARDUS Tech 3 01:44.803
27 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:45.234
28 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:45.625
29 Thitipong WAROKORN APH PTT The Pizza SAG 01:45.716

read more...

Gresini Review Jerez Moto2 Test Day 1

Tweet

About twenty days after the last test carried out at Jerez, the Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 was back in action today at the Andalusian circuit for the final pre-season testing session before leaving for Qatar, where is scheduled later this month the Grand Prix of the 2014 Moto2 World Championship.

In the first of three days of testing scheduled at Jerez Xavier Siméon completed no less than 69 laps, performing various set-up adjustments on his Suter MMX2 : the Belgian rider unfortunately did not manage to find a good compromise that would ensure him a good level of grip at the rear and at the same time a good front end feeling. After a great start in the first morning session, Xavier was therefore not able to improve his pace, setting a best time of 1’43”704.

In the Team Gresini Moto2’s garage the first day of testing has been incredibly positive, with Lorenzo Baldassarri that was has already able to run at a very good pace, already getting close to the lap times obtained at the end of the previous test in Jerez, putting himself in seventh place overall, and fastest Italian rider on today’s combined classification. The young rookie, who will try tomorrow his first race simulation onboard a Moto2 machine, completed a total of 62 laps, the quickest  in 1’43”299.

Xavier Simeon (1'43"704 - 69 LAPS)

“This first day of testing started very well, because we were immediately quite fast, but in the afternoon, despite several changes to the bike, we were no longer able to improve our lap time, so I'm not completely satisfied: we've probably done something wrong , losing a bit of front end feeling looking for more edge grip at the rear. Tomorrow we will take a step back and we will continue to work to try and improve”.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (1'43"299 - 62 LAPS)

“I'm really happy! Today, despite windy conditions, I was able to approach the lap times I had obtained at the end of the previous test here at Jerez in late February. Moreover, today I’ve often used worn tyres, in order to get used to these conditions, and tomorrow we will deepen even further this aspect: in fact, we are planning a first race simulation, to assess the tyre wear over full race distance”.

Gresini Press Release

read more...

Combined Session Result Jerez Moto2 Test Day 1

Tweet

1 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:42.587
2 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:42.790
3 Sam LOWES Speed Up 01:42.928
4 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:42.958
5 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:43.019
6 Johann ZARCO AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing 01:43.141
7 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:43.299
8 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:43.368
9 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.441
10 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.521
11 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:43.559
12 Simone CORSI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.564
13 Mattia PASINI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.579
14 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:43.666
15 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.697
16 Xavier SIMEON Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 01:43.704
17 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.758
18 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:43.762
19 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:43.972
20 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:44.066
21 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:44.086
22 Josh HERRIN AirAsia Caterham Moto Racing 01:44.144
23 Gino REA AGT-Rea Racing 01:44.274
24 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:44.314
25 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:44.475
26 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:44.477
27 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:45.544
28 Ricky CARDUS Tech 3 01:45.831
29 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:45.889
30 Thitipong WAROKORN APH PTT The Pizza SAG 01:46.140

read more...

Rapid Rabat blitzes Phillip Island tyre test

Tweet

Tito Rabat smashed the Moto2 lap record by almost half a second, to end the Phillip Island tyre test at the top of the timesheet. The 24-year-old Spaniard was quickest on day one, but his time of 1'32.168 on day two was the fastest ever recorded by a Moto2 bike at Phillip Island.

But it wasn't just his Moto2 rivals who had their eye on Rabat; the Marc VDS rider was also quicker than all but two of the MotoGP riders through sector two on the first two days of the test.

Only a crash at turn two late in the afternoon on the final day marred Rabat's Phillip Island test. While his Kalex Moto2 machine was badly damaged, Rabat himself walked away from the crash with minor grazes on his lower back.

Mika Kallio ended the three-day test second on the Moto2 timesheet, despite crashing heavily at Siberia late on Monday afternoon. The 31-year-old Finn was lucky to walk away with only a bruised left wrist, but the injury hampered his efforts to close the half-second gap to his teammate over the remaining two days.

Rabat and Kallio completed an extensive test programme for Dunlop at Phillip Island, including race simulations in both the hot conditions of day two and the cooler conditions of day three. The two Marc VDS riders declared themselves happy with both the performance and endurance of the tyres supplied by Dunlop at the test.

Tito Rabat // 1'32.168 // 241 Laps

“I'm really happy with how the test has gone overall. We came here to test tyres, but we've also managed to confirm a lot of things on the bike, as well as improving the suspension set up, the operation of the shifter and many other things. The first two days were good, with the lap time improving with each exit, but I'm a little bit disappointed that a crash during my race simulation ended today's testing early. I was chasing a 1'31s lap today, but the crash caused so much damage to the bike that it wasn't possible to continue. Luckily, I walked away with just grazes, but I'm sorry for my mechanics, who now have a lot of work to do to rebuild the bike.”

Mika Kallio // 1'32.698 // 202 Laps

“Alongside the tyre testing for Dunlop we wanted to work more on our base set up here at Philip Island. Last year the changes we had to make at different circuits were too big, so we've been working towards a more balanced base set up on the bike. So far it's worked at Valencia, Jerez and now Phillip Island, three very different circuits, so we're definitely going in the right direction. Some of the tyres Dunlop brought to this test were too stiff in the construction for my riding style, but the two we used for the race simulations today were good. Now it will be up to Dunlop to decide which tyres they bring for the race, not an easy choice given the difference in conditions on the second and third days. Hopefully at least one of my preferred tyres will be included in the race selection.”

Pete Benson // Chief Mechanic, Tito Rabat

“The focus of the test has been on tyre testing for Dunlop, but we've also managed to do a couple of other little things with the suspension and the quick shifter, to try and make it a little smoother, which have both been quite positive. Tito has just been completely focussed the whole three days. Lapping on or under lap record pace, lap after lap, just seems quite effortless to him at the moment. It's been a good test for us and, I hope, it's been equally productive for Dunlop.”

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release

read more...

Phillip Island MotoGP Test Day 3 Final Result

Tweet

1 LORENZO, J Yamaha Factory Racing 1'29.068
2 PEDROSA, D Repsol Honda Team 1'29.458
3 ROSSI, V Yamaha Factory Racing 1'29.554
4 CRUTCHLOW, C Ducati Team 1'29.606
5 DOVIZIOSO, A Ducati Team 1'30.101
6 RABAT, E Marc VDS Racing Team 1'32.194
7 TORRES, J Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1'32.998
8 KALLIO, M Marc VDS Racing Team 1'33.149
9 TEROL, N Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1'34.443

read more...

Phillip Island MotoGP Test Day 2 Final Result

Tweet

1 LORENZO, J Yamaha Factory Racing 1'29.133
2 PEDROSA, D Repsol Honda Team 1'29.381
3 DOVIZIOSO, A Ducati Team 1'29.387
4 ROSSI, V Yamaha Factory Racing 1'29.516
5 CRUTCHLOW, C Ducati Team 1'29.660
6 RABAT, E Marc VDS Racing Team 1'32.168
7 KALLIO, M Marc VDS Racing Team 1'32.698
8 TEROL, N Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1'33.014
9 TORRES, J Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 1'33.160

read more...

Phillip Island MotoGP Test Day 1 Final Result

Tweet

1 LORENZO, J Yamaha 1'29.213
2 CRUTCHLOW, C Ducati 1'29.576
3 ROSSI, V Yamaha 1'29.730
4 PEDROSA, D Honda 1'29.961
5 DOVIZIOSO, A Ducati 1'29.965
6 RABAT, E Kalex 1'32.316
7 TEROL, N Suter 1'33.290
8 KALLIO, M Kalex 1'33.440
9 TORRES, J Suter 1'34.000

read more...

Tech 3 Racing Review Jerez Moto2 Test

Tweet

Tech3 Racing Team’s Marcel Schrotter and Álex Mariñelarena concluded the second pre-season, three day test at Circuito de Jerez, in southern Spain today. Both riders continued to make strides forward and took advantage of the additional time with the Mistral 610, Moto2 bike around the 4.423 kilometre circuit.  

The weather was predominantly good in Andalucía, although the Moto2 riders did not ride until after 13:00 on the opening day, due to waiting for the circuit to dry from the previous day’s rain. Conditions on Wednesday were clear, but a slight fog on Thursday morning did not recede until lunchtime, and caused cooler temperatures for the remainder of the day.

Marcel Schrotter continued to learn and explore options with his Tech3 Racing Team Mistral 610, which is entirely designed and produced by the French motorsport team. After running a race simulation today and working closely with the Tech3 Racing Team, Schrotter proceeded to adapt and make advancements towards finding a feeling with the bike which would suit his riding style. His progress was positive, as he significantly improved his lap times over the three day test. Working from the base setup which he rode with in Valencia, the Bavarian rider completed the opening session of testing on Tuesday with a 1:45.112. After some fine tuning, the young German rider found a comfortable setup, and finished the test in 14th position, with a best time of 1:43.209. The reduction in time amounted to almost two seconds from his first outing on Tuesday.

Álex Mariñelarena further accustomed himself with the Mistral 610 which he will compete with in his inaugural, full time Moto2 season this year. Continuing from his testing in Valencia, the young Spanish rider built on his experience and knowledge of the Moto2 bike and completed 180 laps at Jerez. With his Tech3 Racing Team, he experimented with various set up strategies, and worked around minor obstacles in preparation for the season’s opening race. With the former CEV Buckler race winner’s confidence ever growing, his lap times proceeded to reduce. Mariñelarena’s fastest time on the opening day of testing was 1:44.499. By the conclusion of the test on Thursday evening, the young Spanish rider’s best time was 1:43.367, which left him in 20th position, an improvement of over a second.

Tech3 Racing Team’s Moto2 riders will attend one final testing session before the season opener at the Losail Circuit, Qatar on the 23rd of March. The next session will commence on the 11th of March at the Circuito De Jerez, Spain.

Marcel Schrotter - 14th- 1:43.209:

“Altogether, I’m pretty happy with how this test went. The gap to fifth position is not even half a second, which is a good position to start from for the final test here in 3 weeks. Despite the weather not being ideal, we managed to work through our test schedule on the last day, which was very important especially after the time we lost in Valencia. We tried numerous setup modifications and made some really good progress. At the beginning of the test we concentrated especially on improving the turning of the bike, which I’m really happy with now. Today, I did my first long run, as we wanted to collect data about my feeling with the bike on used tyres.”

Alex Marinelarena - 20th - 1:43.367:

“This was a positive test for us. On the first day, the team and I worked on the turning of the bike, which we improved a lot and I am happy about. On Wednesday, there was an issue with the rear tyre which kept spinning a lot, but today we solved this and I improved my times quickly after. The bike felt very good and the gap to first place is only just over a second. This test was a steady improvement, after 180 laps in three test days, we are going home happy. We have improved our CEV pole by six tenths of a second."

Tech 3 Racing Press Release

read more...

Marc VDS Racing Team Review Jerez Moto2 Test

Tweet

Mika Kallio smashed the Jerez lap record by over a second on the final day in Spain, posting a time of 1’42.169 to finish the three days of testing at the top of the timesheet, just as his Marc VDS teammate, Tito Rabat, did one week ago in Valencia.

Rabat looked all set to repeat the success of Valencia, after finally ousting Tom Lüthi from the number one slot on the timesheet with a time of 1’42.223. But shortly after calling a halt to testing, the 24-year-old Spaniard had to sit and watch as his teammate finally denied him the top spot.

It was a tough test for the team’s Moto3 rider, Livio Loi. The 16-year-old Belgian made good progress on the opening day, but the increased pace meant he struggled to find a good feeling with the bike on the remaining two days.

Kallio and Rabat will now head to Australia, where they’ll participate in a Dunlop Moto2 tyre test at Phillip Island from 3 – 5 March, their final test ahead of the first race of the season in Qatar. Loi will return to Jerez from 11-13 March, to participate in the final Moto3 test.

Mika Kallio: 1st – 1’42.169

““The first two days we confirmed the settings we tested in Valencia, keeping our preferred tyres for the race and qualifying simulations today. In the race simulation I was happy with my speed and consistency, with my best and worst laps separated by just half a second. In the qualifying simulation I finally had the feeling that was missing last year - the feeling of being on the limit. I knew I was on a fast lap, but it’s always good to see it confirmed on timesheet, especially when your name is on the top! Okay, it’s only testing, but it all builds confidence ahead of the first race.”

Tito Rabat: 2nd – 1’42.223

“It’s been a good test for us, as we’ve managed to test a lot of things on the bike over the three days. Each time we’ve made a small step, but always in the right direction, constantly improving the bike and the lap time. We still have some things to try in Phillip Island next month, mainly tyres and fairings, but I’m happy with where we’re at right now. The aim during testing was always to build towards the first race in Qatar and that’s exactly what we’ve done here at Jerez and in Valencia last week.”

Livio Loi: 12th – 1’46.906

“The first day I was already quicker than I was here last year, but increasing your pace also highlights problems with the set-up of the bike that weren’t apparent before. We worked through different settings on the second day, and there was some improvement, but we made a bigger step today, and I was able to break into the 1’46s bracket for the first time. Of course, now I’m faster again, the bike again feels different and this is something we’ll have to address at the next test. It’s a lot of work, but when it brings results like it has today then it’s definitely worth it.”

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release

read more...

Federal Oil Gresini Review Jerez Moto2 Test

Tweet

The Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 and Xavier Siméon completed today a successful three days of testing at the Jerez circuit: despite the injury he suffered in early February in Almeria, which forced him to miss the previous two test sessions, the Belgian rider recovered quickly, hitting the top ten with the ninth fastest time overall over the three days - 1'42 "925 - with a very small gap from the top.

Siméon also showed a good race pace, an equally positive aspect ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season, scheduled in just over a month.

Aboard the Team Gresini Moto2 Suter machine, Lorenzo Baldassarri was also surprisingly fast during all the tests carried out during the month of February on Spanish soil; today, in particular, the young Italian signed the eighth fastest time in 1’42”923, making him the second quickest Moto2 rookie on the track, behind Sam Lowes, as well as the fastest among the debutants coming from Moto3.

The last meeting in preparation for the 2014 season is always scheduled at Jerez, from 11th to 13th of March, for a further three days of testing.

Xavier Simeon (1'42"925 - 68 LAPS)

“Today we made a big step forward: apart from the good lap time, I was able to keep a good pace, constantly lapping near the 1’43” mark, and this is important for race distance. The satisfaction is great because this was my first real test of the year and it’s nice to be already in the top ten; the team worked very well, yesterday we struggled a bit, but today the situation was a lot better”.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (1'42"923 - 51 LAPS)

“I'm very happy, I honestly didn’t expect to be able to stay already in the top ten, it's a nice surprise! We worked well during all tests: in Almeria, Valencia and also here in Jerez we were able to improve more and more, calmly and step by step. Today we wanted to do a race simulation but we were not able to do it: after three consecutive days of testing I was a little tired. Now let's look at the last test, scheduled in March, where we will try to find more grip, which we still lack a bit, especially when the tyres start to wear out”.

Federal Oil Gresini Press Release

read more...

Combined Session Time Jerez Moto2 Test Day 3

Tweet

1 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 01:42.169
2 Tito RABAT Marc VDS Racing Team 01:42.233
3 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:42.254
4 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:42.465
5 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:42.847
6 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:42.850
7 Sam LOWES Speed Up 01:42.851
8 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:42.923
9 Xavier SIMEON Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 01:42.925
10 Simone CORSI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.014
11 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.020
12 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.033
13 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.181
14 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:43.209
15 Nico TEROL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:43.245
16 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.272
17 Mattia PASINI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.291
18 Johann ZARCO Caterham Moto Racing 01:43.367
19 Alex MARIÑELARENA Tech 3 01:43.367
20 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:43.401
21 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:43.429
22 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:43.537
23 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:43.636
24 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:43.669
25 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:43.773
26 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:43.821
27 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:43.961
28 Josh HERRIN Caterham Moto Racing 01:44.337
29 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:44.527
30 Thitipong WAROKORN APH PTT THE PIZZA SAG 01:44.682
31 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:44.860
32 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:44.882
33 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:45.254

read more...

Federal Oil Gresini Review Moto2 Jerez Test Day 2

Tweet

The Team Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 and Xavier Siméon continued today at Jerez Circuit  their work in preparation for the 2014 season: after missing Almeria and Valencia testing sessions, Simeon was back in action only yesterday, and completed almost 100 laps today, finding at the end of the day a good set-up of his 2014 Suter. 1’43”387 his best lap of the day, which lowers by almost a second the lap time obtained yesterday.

As happened in the previous tests on Spanish soil, even in Jerez Lorenzo Baldassarri continued to show a steady improvement: the Italian, 56 laps for him today, set a great 1’43”598, making him one of the fastest Moto2 “rookies” on track.

Action will resume tomorrow for the third and final day of testing at the Andalusian track.

Xavier Simeon (1'43"387 - 95 LAPS)

“It’s been a very useful day of testing, because we found a good set-up from which to start tomorrow. Unfortunately, at the beginning my feeling during acceleration was bad and my lap times were always the same, either with new tyre or used. But then, working on the rear, we found more grip and the situation at the end of the day improved, and as a result even lap times dropped a bit. We can certainly do better, and tomorrow we'll try to do it!”.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (1'43"598 - 56 LAPS)

“I’m very satisfied, mainly because I was able to run at a good pace even when I was alone on the track, without other riders in front of me. Today I can say that we have taken another step forward: my riding style is now more profitable in both corner entry and acceleration. In the afternoon I did only a few laps trying not to fatigue myself: in fact we are planning a race simulation for tomorrow”.

Fausto Gresini

“Siméon in this second day began to ride at a good pace: we must not forget that he missed the first two tests of 2014, therefore he needs to close a certain gap from his rivals, but he’s catching up in the right way and we are convinced that tomorrow he will improve again his lap times. I am also very pleased with the growth of Baldassarri, who has been able to consistently set good lap times for a rookie. We need positive days like this one: the important thing now is to continue in this direction”.

read more...

Combined Session Time Jerez Moto2 Test Day 2

Tweet

1 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:42.515
2 Tito RABAT Marc VDS Racing Team 01:42.610
3 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 01:42.648
4 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:42.873
5 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:43.076
6 Sam LOWES Speed Up 01:43.096
7 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.183
8 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:43.201
9 Johann ZARCO Caterham Moto Racing 01:43.216
10 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:43.226
11 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.269
12 Xavier SIMEON Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 01:43.387
13 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:43.389
14 Simone CORSI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.432
15 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:43.522
16 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:43.585
17 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:43.598
18 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.618
19 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:43.663
20 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:43.668
21 Nico TEROL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:43.669
22 Josh HERRIN Caterham Moto Racing 01:43.732
23 Alex MARIÑELARENA Tech 3 01:43.834
24 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:43.963
25 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:43.993
26 Mattia PASINI NGM Forward Racing 01:44.006
27 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:44.201
28 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:44.474
29 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:44.530
30 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:44.693
31 Thitipong WAROKORN APH PTT THE PIZZA SAG 01:45.110
32 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:45.340
33 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:45.681

read more...

Combined Session Time Jerez Moto2 Test Day 1

Tweet

1 Esteve RABAT Marc VDS Racing Team 01:42.747
2 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:42.989
3 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 01:43.320
4 Sam LOWES Speed Up 01:43.449
5 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:43.544
6 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:43.570
7 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:43.634
8 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:43.695
9 Simone CORSI NGM Forward Racing 01:43.748
10 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:43.793
11 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:43.841
12 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:44.178
13 Xavier SIMEON Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 01:44.226
14 Johann ZARCO Caterham Moto Racing 01:44.283
15 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:44.338
16 Mattia PASINI NGM Forward Racing 01:44.348
17 Nico TEROL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:44.394
18 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:44.412
19 Alex MARIÑELARENA Tech 3 01:44.499
20 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:44.518
21 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:44.553
22 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:44.596
23 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:44.601
24 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:44.617
25 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:44.912
26 Josh HERRIN Caterham Moto Racing 01:44.951
27 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:45.112
28 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:45.209
29 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:45.298
30 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:45.743
31 Thitipong WAROKORN APH PTT THE PIZZA SAG 01:46.027
32 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:46.378
33 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:46.770

read more...

Combined Session Time Valencia Moto2 Test Day 3

Tweet

1 Maverick VIÑALES Pons HP 40 01:35.302
2 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:35.337
3 Thomas LUTHI Interwetten Paddock Moto2 01:35.422
4 Esteve RABAT Marc VDS Racing Team 01:35.557
5 Sandro CORTESE Dynavolt Intact GP 01:35.564
6 Jordi TORRES Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:35.643
7 Julian SIMON Italtrans Racing Team 01:35.725
8 Nico TEROL Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2 01:35.779
9 Mika KALLIO Marc VDS Racing Team 01:35.821
10 Luis SALOM Pons HP 40 01:35.844
11 Alex DE ANGELIS Tasca Racing Moto2 01:36.041
12 Sam LOWES Speed Up 01:36.082
13 Axel PONS Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:36.335
14 Dominique AEGERTER Technomag CarXpert 01:36.384
15 Johann ZARCO Caterham Moto Racing 01:36.407
16 Jonas FOLGER Argiñano & Gines Racing 01:36.453
17 Josh HERRIN Caterham Moto Racing 01:36.566
18 Marcel SCHROTTER Tech 3 01:36.684
19 Anthony WEST QMMF Racing Team 01:36.764
20 Franco MORBIDELLI Italtrans Racing Team 01:36.785
21 Louis ROSSI SAG Team 01:36.852
22 Hafizh SYAHRIN Petronas Raceline Malaysia 01:36.886
23 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Gresini Moto2 01:36.926
24 Alex MARIÑELARENA Tech 3 01:37.015
25 Roman RAMOS QMMF Racing Team 01:37.067
26 Gino REA AGT-Rea Racing 01:37.192
27 Azlan SHAH Idemitsu Honda Team Asia 01:37.213
28 Randy KRUMMENACHER Iodaracing Project 01:37.314
29 Thitipong WAROKORN A.P. Honda SAG Team 01:37.867
30 Robin MULHAUSER Technomag CarXpert 01:37.878
31 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA Teluru Team JiR Webike 01:38.915

read more...

Go&Fun Honda Gresini Review Moto2 Valencia Test Day 2

Tweet

The second day of the official Moto2 test at Valencia saw Lorenzo Baldassari putting in a lot of kilometers riding the Team Gresini Moto2 Suter machine. The Italian completed a total of 87 laps of the Ricardo Tormo circuit, thus accumulating a significant amount of experience ahead of his first Grand Prix in the intermediate class of the World Championship, scheduled in Qatar next March 23rd.

Baldassari continued his apprenticeship with meticulousness, without focusing too much on lap times, even though he was able to improve his time from yesterday by over a second, signing a good 1’37”819.

The Team Gresini Moto2 will be back on track tomorrow for the third and final day of testing at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (1'37"819 - 87 LAPS)

“I'm satisfied because making so many laps is crucial for me to understand how to ride this bike: in some ways I’m still riding with a style more suitable for Moto3, where it’s important cornering speed. Today I learned a lot, also watching the other riders: I am aware that the road is still very long, but I have to keep going like this if I want to improve”.

Fabrizio Cecchini (Technical Coordinator)

“Today Baldassarri made a strong effort to accumulate a lot of experience and the fact that he has completed nearly 90 laps proves it. The goal was to make many kilometers, without pushing too hard, trying also to understand what the most experienced riders were doing on track. As further proof of his great determination, Lorenzo also went on the trackside to study the lines of the other riders in some parts of the track where he did not feel at ease. He is learning the right way, tomorrow we want to continue in this direction”.

Honda Gresini Press Release

read more...