Moto2 official pre-season testing kicked off today at the Valencia circuit with 30 riders taking to track with the Honda CBR engines now prepared by MEF (Fundación Moto Engineering) instead of Geo Technologies, and with the 215kg new weight limit rules for a combined weight between bike and rider.
The fastest rider of the day was Aspar’s Nicol Terol who stopped the clock with his Suter in 1’35″926 and just 0.025s ahead of Italtrans Racing Team’s Julian Simon, who suffered a harmless crash during one of the three sessions that the Moto2 teams have at their disposal as they are also sharing the track with the Moto3 teams.
This year’s title favourite and last year’s runner-up Pol Espargaro was third fastest rider of the day - but the best in the afternoon session - with his 1’36″106 lap and followed by other Kalex riders like Scott Redding - who will be one of the heavier riders that will benefit from the new weight rules - and Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami who is in his second consecutive year with Italtrans Racing Team, with lap times from the fourth to the ninth position covered by a little more than three tenths of second.
Simone Corsi was sixth and little more than half a second from Terol with one of the four Speed Up machines that NGM Forward Racing will be fielding in Moto2 this year. Corsi managed only seven laps after a crash took him out the rest of the day. Reigning CEV Moto2 champion Jordi Torres took 7th, while Tito Rabat who was the fastest rider in session 1 ended up 8th, followed by Interwetten’s Thomas Luthi in 9th.
Toni Elias who will be riding this season for Blusens Avintia was 10th and Alex De Angelis 11th on the second NGM Forward bikes - while team mates Mattia Pasini was 16th and Jorge Lorenzo’s BFF Ricky Cardus was 20th.
The Valencia test also saw the debut of reigning Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese and the Dynavolt Intact GP who finished the day 24th and continuing his learning process of the KTM bike.
Idemitsu Honda Team Asia run by Tadayuki Okada is fielding Yuki Takahashi, while Johann Zarco suffered three separate crashes with his Suter branded Iodaracing Project, and new QMMF Racing Team rider Rafid Topan Sucipto, who replaced Anthony West at Valencia after the Australian received a ban for doping, also crashed twice.
Moto2 Valencia test - Day 1 results:
01- Nico Terol – MAPFRE Aspar Team Moto2 – 1’35.926
02- Julian Simon – Italtrans Racing Team + 0.025
03- Pol Espargaro – Tuenti HP 40 + 0.180
04- Scott Redding – Marc VDS Racing Team + 0.411
05- Takaaki Nakagami – Italtrans Racing Team + 0.517
06- Simone Corsi – NGM Mobile Racing + 0.518
07- Jordi Torres – MAPFRE Aspar Team Moto2 + 0.531
08- Tito Rabat – Tuenti HP 40 + 0.605
09- Thomas Luthi – Interwetten Paddock + 0.703
10- Toni Elias – Blusens Avintia + 0.926
from Twowheelsblog
02- Julian Simon – Italtrans Racing Team + 0.025
03- Pol Espargaro – Tuenti HP 40 + 0.180
04- Scott Redding – Marc VDS Racing Team + 0.411
05- Takaaki Nakagami – Italtrans Racing Team + 0.517
06- Simone Corsi – NGM Mobile Racing + 0.518
07- Jordi Torres – MAPFRE Aspar Team Moto2 + 0.531
08- Tito Rabat – Tuenti HP 40 + 0.605
09- Thomas Luthi – Interwetten Paddock + 0.703
10- Toni Elias – Blusens Avintia + 0.926
from Twowheelsblog
