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
