Advantage Corti as testing concludes

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Claudio Corti leads the third and final Moto2 pre-season test, at Jerez, which finishes with 14 riders within one-second of the top. 

Claudio Corti will go into the new Moto2 season having been fastest in two of the three pre-season tests. 

The Italtrans rider, fifth at the opening 2012 test at Valencia, had been joint fastest at last month's first Jerez test, but made the top spot his own on days two and three of this week's return visit. 

The performance marked a dramatic turnaround in form for Corti, who has been just 25th in the standings during the previous two seasons of the 600cc grand prix class, but is clearly much more comfortable after switching from a Suter to Kalex chassis. 

Corti, who took a podium finish in the first year of Moto2, set a best lap time of 1m 41.983s on the final afternoon of testing, allowing him to edge out Thomas Luthi by just 0.004s. 

Interwetten Suter rider Luthi, who celebrated his first Moto2 win at Sepang last year, had been fastest on the first day of testing and was the only other rider to break the 1m 42s mark. 

The official Jerez Moto2 best lap is a 1m 42.706s by last year's champion Stefan Bradl and this week's lap times - while using the official Honda engines - signalled that Moto2 will take another clear step forward in performance this year. 

But if the Jerez test is anything to go by the racing will also be incredibly competitive, with 14 riders lapping within one-second of Corti on combined lap times. 

Pons' Pol Espargaro and Marc VDS rider Mika Kallio made it three Kalex riders in the top four. 2011 runner-up Marc Marquez shrugged off his five-month layoff due to double vision to end the test in fifth place and 0.447s from the top on his Repsol Suter. 

The top Speed Up rider was multi Moto2 winner Andrea Iannone in sixth, with Avintia's Julian Simon leading the FTR challenge in ninth (+0.697s). Between them were Jerez I pace setter Scott Redding (Marc VDS), one of the few to lap slower on Wednesday, and returning former champion Toni Elias (Aspar Suter). 

The top ten - which featured four different chassis designs - was completed by new Forward Racing (Suter) signing Alex de Angelis (+0.758s) with Corti's team-mate and Moto2 rookie Takaaki Nakagami a creditable eleventh out of the 33 riders. 

Pons rider Esteve Rabat, Speed Up's Mike di Meglio and Tech 3's Bradley Smith were the remaining riders within one-second of the top. 

The top MotoBI was former 125cc title contender Johan Zarco in 16th (+1.084s) while the best Moriwaki was Gresini's Moto2 rookie Gino Rea in 23rd. The AJR of Ricky Cardus clocked the 29th best lap time (+2.377s) with MZ-RE Honda's Alexander Lundh 32nd (3.013s). Lundh was ahead of only QMMF's lady racer Elena Rosell (+4.488s). 

Moto2's third season of racing will begin under the floodlights in Qatar on the evening of April 8. 

source: crash.net

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Corti ends final pre-season Test at Jerez fastest

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Italian rider Claudio Corti rounded off the 2012 pre-season as the fastest Moto2™ rider on the third and final day at Jerez, fractionally ahead of Thomas Lüthi.

Italtrans Racing rider Claudio Corti posted the fastest time of the final Moto2™ pre-season Test at Jerez on Wednesday, topping the timesheet with a time of 1’41.983 on the third and final day. The Italian set his time in the Moto2-only afternoon session, and was just 0.004s ahead of Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock GP), who had been quickest on days one and two.

The pair were the only riders under 1’42”, with Pol Espargaró (Pons 40 HP Tuenti) third in a time of 1’42.149. Mika Kallio’s strong form continued as the Finn of the Marc VDS Racing Team placed fourth on the timesheet, having been another consistently fast rider throughout all three days.

Marc Márquez (CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) has shown little sign of any lingering problems from the vision issue which had laid him low for much of the pre-season. Last year’s Championship runner-up was fifth at just 0.447s off the top time.

Andrea Iannone (Speed Master) made solid progress to end the day sixth fastest, with 2010 Champion Toni Elías (Mapfre Aspar), Julián Simón (Avintia Racing), Alex de Angelis (NGM Mobile Forward Racing) and Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) completing the top 10, all within eight-tenths of a second of Corti.

After morning falls for Randy Krummenacher (GP Team Switzerland), Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing) and Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda Gresini Moto2), Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing) and Gino Rea (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) both went down in the afternoon session, the former’s fall briefly producing a red flag. Smith ended the day 14th and Rea 25th fastest.

The teams will now take their findings from the Test and make their final preparations for the season-opening round in Qatar, which gets underway in just over two weeks and takes place from April 5-8.

source: MotoGP Official

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Corti and Nakagami both top Moto2™ field

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Three days of testing at the Jerez circuit concluded today with both riders of the Italtrans Racing Team posting the fastest time of the Moto2™ field.

The third and final day of testing at the Andalusian circuit was held under sunny and warm weather (ambient temperature 19°C and asphalt temperature 34°C) with times among the Moto2 riders dropping steadily as the teams wrapped up three busy days of work in preparation for the 2012 Championship season

Italtrans duo Claudio Corti and Takaaki Nakagami both reported the fastest time of the day with a time of 1’42.2, with Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paccock) and Pol Espargaró of Pons Racing both posting a time of 1’42.4. Meanwhile, Avintia racing’s Julian Simon and Scott Redding both brought up fifth with a shared time of 1’42.7.

The quicker pace and pressure to make to most of the last day on track added to the number of crashes that occurred on the final day, with Tech 3 Racing’s Xavier Simeon, Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner, Yuki Takahashi of NGM Mobile Forward Racing, SAG Team’s Angel Rodriguez and Damian Cudlin of the QMMF Racing team all having crashes in the morning though without injuries. In the afternoon, falls included Marco Colandrea and Pol Espargaró though without incident, however Claudio Corti and Alex De Angelis both had falls that brought out the red flag, though the riders ultimately were pronounced unscathed.

The Moto2 teams now have one month to analyze data and rider feedback collected and perform the required modifications their bikes before testing resumes again at Jerez on March 19th.

Unofficial Moto2 lap times for Saturday (recorded by teams):

1. Claudio Corti, ITALTRANS RACING TEAM, 1’42.2 

2. Takaaki Nakagami, ITALTRANS RACING TEAM, 1’42.2 

3. Thomas Luthi, INTERWETTEN PADDOCK, 1’42.4 

4. Pol Espargaro, Pons Racing, 1’42.5

5. Julian Simon, AVINTIA RACING Moto2, 1’42.7 

6. Scott Redding, MARC VDS RACING TEAM, 1’42.7 

7. Mika Kallio, MARC VDS RACING TEAM, 1’42.8

8. Esteve Rabat, Pons Racing, 1’42.8

9. Randy Krummenacher, GP TEAM SWITZERLAND, 1’42.9

10. Bradley Smith, TECH 3 RACING, 1’43.0 

11. Angel Rodriguez, SAG TEAM, 1’43.2 

12. Axel Pons, PONS RACING, 1’43.5

13. Alex De Angelis, NGM MOBILE FORWARD RACING, 1’43.6 

14. Toni Elías, MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM, 1’43.6

15. Nico Terol, MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM, 1’43.6 

16. Mike Di Meglio, SPEED UP, 1’43.7

17. Simone Corsi, IODARACING PROJECT, 1’43.7

18. Xavier Simeon, TECH 3 RACING, 1’43.7 

19. Ricky Cardus, ARGUIÑANO RACING TEAM, 1’43.8 

20. Gino Rea, GRESINI RACING Moto2, 1’43.8 

21. R. Wiliarot, THAI HONDA GRESINI Moto2, 1’43.8

22. Yuki Takahashi, NGM MOBILE FORWARD RACING, 1’43.9 

23. Johann Zarco, JIR Moto2, 1’44.0

24. Andrea Iannone, SPEED MASTER, 1’44.2 

25. Max Neukirchner, KIEFER RACING, 1’44.2 

26. Dominique Aegerter, TECHNOMAG-CIP, 1’44.5 

27. Roberto Rolfo, TECHNOMAG-CIP, 1’44.7

28. Alexander Lundh, MZ RACING TEAM, 1’45.1 

29. Marco Colandrea, SAG TEAM, 1’45.4

30. Eric Granado, JIR Moto2, 1’46.0 

31. Damian Cudlin, QMMF RACING TEAM, no time provided 

32. Elena Rosell, QMMF RACING TEAM, no time provided

source: MotoGP Official

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