The Aspar Moto3 and Moto2 riders return to the action

All four Aspar riders are back in action at the first Grand Prix of the season, the Qatar GP, and have already enjoyed two free practice sessions in which to fine-tune the bike and regain the feeling they lost after a long winter in which they had missed racing.

In Moto3, Alberto Moncayo and Héctor Faubel finished seventh and ninth, improving both their lap times and their setup. This year they will have to face 33 riders, in a category that is new for everyone. This first day does not yield many conclusions, since the lack of grip on the asphalt means that big lap times cannot be set until the sessions go on.

Even so, the two riders had a good start, taking the session calmly to avoid surprises, leaving a quality showing for the second session and gaining nearly two seconds on the clock this time. Both riders have built on what they had at the Jerez circuit and have been adapting it to the Qatari track.

Statements from Alberto Moncayo:

I’m happy because in the second free practice we improved our lap times a lot, and I liked the feeling I was getting. We took the first run calmly, and in the second we progressively found the way forward. We saw some small issues with the front wheel, but the mechanics fixed them quickly. It was the fork; I wasn’t getting enough grip and I lacked confidence braking hard at certain corners. We worked a lot with used tyres, already thinking about the race. The day has been positive, there is still work to do because several riders are ahead of us, but the important thing is that things are going well for us.

Statements from Héctor Faubel:

Today we worked hard to improve the feeling we had at Jerez, and I’m satisfied because in terms of chassis we have progressed quite a bit. Now we have to review the telemetry and work with the team to keep improving tomorrow. We still lack a bit of stability in the fast corners and also some top speed. We worked a lot in both sessions, and fortunately we found several improvements that make me feel much more comfortable with this chassis setup. We are clear on the first two sector times; we need to improve the last one because it costs me quite a lot, and I hope to solve it tomorrow.

In Moto2, there was a bit more order than in previous seasons, as if everyone was a little calmer. It also helps that the number of riders has dropped to 33. In this double session, it has already become clear that the men who were fastest in the Jerez tests are the ones who have repeated at Losail (Luthi, Espargaró, Márquez…).

For the two Mapfre Aspar riders, yesterday’s sessions served as a first contact. They devoted themselves to fine-tuning the chassis to solve the lack-of-grip problems and to ruling out what doesn’t work ahead of the new season. Both riders managed to improve by more than a second on their first free practice time. Toni finished tenth and Nico twenty-second.

Statements from Toni Elías:

We started the first practice with difficulties, so we sacrificed some things for the second. In the second session we improved quite a bit, especially at the end, and we also achieved a good race pace. We’re not fully there yet, but I’m satisfied because there was a very clear progression from the first to the second practice, and I hope we keep it up tomorrow. We still need to improve the last sector of this track; we lose quite a bit of time in the fast corners, and tomorrow we will focus mainly on solving this. Today we worked mostly on the chassis, trying to find a good balance between both suspensions to stop the bike from sliding. Partly that’s logical, it’s the first day and the asphalt is slippery because of the sand.

Statements from Nico Terol:

I’ve come to a circuit I like, and I have to admit that in the first session I expected better feelings, but I’ve already seen that this bike is another world even though I know the circuit perfectly. I’m ending the day on a good note because I started to improve a lot at the end of the second practice. We gained more than a second and that leaves me very motivated for tomorrow. I admit it has cost me more than I expected, because with the 125 this circuit suited me very well; still, I’m calm because we’re on the right track and I know that tomorrow we’ll keep improving. I need to gain confidence in the rear end; sometimes the bike slides too much and it’s hard to turn.

Source and photos | Aspar Team