Day 2 and final day of the MotoGP CRT and Moto3 test at Cheste

Today the training sessions for the Moto3 and MotoGP CRT World Championship at the Cheste Circuit have ended. While the action begins in Sepang, the Valencian track puts the final full stop to these two test days for Aleix Espargaró, Randy de Puniet and Mattia Pasini in the premier class, along with Héctor Faubel, Alberto Moncayo, Danny Kent, Binder, Luis Salom, Khairuddin, Niklas Ajo and Sandro Cortese.

It seems that the Aprilia is improving. The Team Aspar machine is gradually setting more interesting lap times. Today the fastest was once again Randy De Puniet with a 1:34.9, one second faster than the best MotoGP CRT that appeared at the post-season test in Cheste. So from November until now there has been improvement, and that brings hope. The work of Aleix Espargaró was also very good, as he got on his new machine for the first time and finished with a 1:35.6, after 46 laps of the Valencian track.

The MotoGP riders who were in Cheste made the most of these two days, especially the two rookies on the 1000cc bikes, Espargaró and Mattia Pasini. Aleix’s adaptation was much better: after riding and riding, he was the one who completed the most laps and finished about 7 tenths behind his teammate, who has more experience with the Aprilia. For his part, the third man who rode the CRT is Pasini. The newcomer did not start the tests very well, with a small crash yesterday, but today he continued with the setup and his running, managing to set a 1:36.7 that was quite far from the Aspar boys, with 43 laps on his personal account.

Now it’s time to rest for a few days and get back on top form for the next MotoGP CRT test.

Statements from Randy De Puniet:

Today the conditions got worse. The cold and the wind meant the track had less grip than yesterday, and it cost us more to find the rhythm. Even so, we improved our lap time, but I am convinced that in better conditions we would have improved more.

Today we kept working quite a lot on the electronics, and also on engine braking and clutch management. We are leaving Valencia very satisfied because we have gathered a lot of information, and we have also defined the direction to follow for the next sessions at Jerez.

The year has started wonderfully, and I hope we keep on the same path. This test was to re-establish contact after so long without riding the bike, so the objective was achieved. I am very happy and I leave with the desire to keep working to start the season as prepared as possible.

Statements from Aleix Espargaró:

The day went really well, since we improved the times considerably compared with yesterday. Thanks to the technical improvements I was able to push the limit of the bike more and ride in a more aggressive way. Little by little I am feeling more in tune with this bike. Yesterday we dedicated ourselves to understanding it, and today I started working to evolve the geometry.

We carried out many tests on the chassis side, and we improved much more than I expected. I am very happy. There are countless aspects still to develop, and besides, I come from Moto2, a bike very different from this one, so I still have to keep adapting.

The ART is new for everyone and we have a long way to go, but I am very excited because we are on the right track; our adaptation is going full steam ahead.

As for the Moto3 riders who were also testing in Cheste, the fastest today was Sandro Cortese with a 1:43.2. It seems the KTM of Team Ajo works quite well, although not with big differences, since Luis Salom was 2nd with a time of 1:43.4 on the Kalex KTM of Team RW Racing GP, while closing the trio of fastest riders in this test was Héctor Faubel, the Team Aspar rider, who set a 1:43.8, about six tenths off the best lap time set today.

A little further back came Niklas Ajo with a 1:44.0, Khairuddin with 1:44.1, and in sixth place Alberto Moncayo with a 1:44.2. All of them are gradually getting used to their new bike, category and, in some cases like the little tiger, their new team.

Statements from Héctor Faubel:

With this test we wanted to find feelings. Today was a very productive day; we focused on working without looking at the clock. I am happy because we changed many aspects of the bike and saw that, at the chassis level, we have a wide margin for improvement.

The engine response was a point to take into account, and in this session we confirmed that, during the winter, the KTM engine has taken a giant step in terms of reliability. We modified the gear ratio, and the bike gained in consistency and speed.

Next week we already have an official session in which we can compare times with all the riders who attend. I finish this first contact very satisfied, and with the desire to keep developing the bike. Also, the Kalex and KTM staff are very much on top of us, which is essential to keep improving.

Statements from Alberto Moncayo:

Today I also had very good feelings, although yesterday’s crash made me take things calmly at the start of the session. Even though it isn’t reflected in the records, we also worked thoroughly and our conclusions were fabulous, but today the cold and the wind prevented us from riding faster.

We carried out quite a few more changes than on the first day, and practically we counted our modifications as improvements, so we cannot ask for more. Many steps forward were taken on the front fork, and we gained confidence in braking; we have progressed quite a lot. I am already looking forward to next week’s session, where there will be official times, so we can get an idea of where each one stands.

A lot of excitement on track, without a doubt two intense days for all the participants, with cold first thing in the morning, wind and a few problems, especially for the Moto3 riders, but with plenty of desire, strength and willingness to keep improving on everyone’s part.

Now, time to rest and go for more.

Source and Photo | CircuitValencia