FIM Moto2 and Moto3 World Championship Test Valencia, Spain February 13, 2013 Day Two Best Times (all on Dunlop tires): Moto2: 1. Pol Espargaro (Spain), Pons Kalex, 1:35.520 2. Nicolas Terol (Spain), Suter, 1:35.733 3. Thomas Luthi (Switzerland), Suter, 1:35.947 4. Julian Simon (Spain), Kalex, 1:35.993 5. Esteve Rabat (Spain), Pons Kalex, 1:36.023 6. Johann Zarco (France), Suter, 1:36.028 7. Takaaki Nakagami (Japan), Kalex, 1:36.051 8. Scott Redding (UK), Kalex, 1:36.102 9. Simone Corsi (Italy), Speed Up, 1:36.192 10. Jordi Torres (Spain), Suter, 1:36.290 Moto3: 1. Maverick Vinales (Spain), KTM, 1:40.168 2. Alex Rins (Spain), KTM, 1:40.408 3. Luis Salom (Spain), KTM, 1:40.435 4. Romano Fenati (Italy), FTR Honda, 1:40.911 5. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Malaysia), KTM, 1:40.961 6. Alex Marquez (Spain), KTM, 1:41.295 7. Jonas Folger (Germany), Kalex KTM, 1:41.590 8. Jakub Kornfeil (Czech Republic), Kalex KTM, 1:41.667 9. Brad Binder (South Africa), Suter Honda, 1:41.785 10. Miguel Oliveira (Portugal), Mahindra, 1:41.902 More, from a press release issued by Mapfre Aspar Team: MAPFRE ASPAR DELIGHT WITH NEW KALEX Jonas Folger and Eric Granado test new Moto3 machinery on second day of Valencia test Moto3 testing continued apace today at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, where windy conditions again proved to be the biggest meteorological obstacle for the teams and riders. The conditions worsened as the day progressed, with winds hitting 45km/h this afternoon, meaning most of the hot lap times came in the morning. Once again the timesheets were dominated by Spanish riders with Mavericak Viñales on top, followed by Alex Rins and Luis Salom. MAPFRE Aspar rider Jonas Folger finally got the opportunity to try out his new 2013 Kalex machine and his first impressions were more than positive, the German shaving half a second off his best lap time from yesterday to finish the day with a 1’41.590. Jonas worked hard throughout the day to set up his new bike, finishing in seventh place overall. His team-mate Eric Granado also had a busy day as he continued to get used to the demands of a Moto3 bike as well as working to find a base set-up to start the season from. The Brazilian also tested the 2013 machine for the first time and knocked a massive 1.3 seconds off his best effort from yesterday. 7th Jonas Folger 1.41.590 (30 laps): “This morning we finally tested the new bike and my first impressions were fantastic. I adapted to it straight away. The fairing is bigger than the old bike and it offers me more protection. We spent a lot of time working on the suspension set-up, trying different levels of firmness. The bike is brand new so we need this time to get to know it. Little by little we are finding our references and I think we’ll start to make big strides from tomorrow. We still had the old engine today but tomorrow I’ll have the latest KTM motor. The main difference with the new chassis is that it offers a lot more variety with the set-up. Obviously we still have a lot of things to test with it but from today’s first contact with it I think it has a great deal of potential.” 25th Eric Granado 1.42.672 (40 laps): “Today we started working on the 2013 version Kalex and did a few short runs this morning just to get things in place, like the gearbox settings, my position on the bike and all those little things. It meant we couldn’t get into much of a rhythm but we were able to put some more consistent laps together in the afternoon and I dropped my best time from yesterday significantly so I am happy with that. The new bike has an incredible chassis, which offers a lot of grip and plenty of confidence in corner entry. The engine is more powerful and the chassis handles better so overall it is a much improved package, which is what helped me to make progress.” More, from another press release issued by Mapfre Aspar Team: TEROL CONTINUES GOOD FORM ON SECOND DAY OF MOTO2 TEST ASPAR Team second fastest after dominating much of the day with Jordi Torres tenth fastest The second day of Moto2 testing saw preseason preparations intensify as the top eleven riders lapped within a second of each other at Valencia. Nico Terol, the pacesetter from the opening day, was marginally outdone by Pol Espargaró today, the two Spaniards establishing themselves as the men to beat at this early stage of the new campaign. High winds this afternoon made it difficult for the riders to shave tenths off their lap times but once again it was the home riders who made the best of the conditions, with Spaniards taking four of the top five positions on the timesheets. ASPAR Team rider Terol has started his year in fine style and after dominating yesterday’s proceedings it was his name that figured at the top of the timing monitors throughout much of today. A best effort of 1’35.733, two tenths quicker than yesterday, was just two tenths shy of his compatriot Espargaró. Nico tested the new Suter chassis and even though it is early to draw too many conclusions there were certainly signs of improvement in terms of rear grip. His team-mate Jordi Torres also improved by two tenths today after a marathon 66 laps and he finished tenth fastest overall, half a second shy of Terol. 2nd Nico Terol 1.35.733 (54 laps): “I feel very comfortable at this early stage of preseason, the team is working well and I feel great on the bike. My riding is coming easily and things are working for us. Today I was able to lead the way along with Pol and it feels good. I tried the 2013 bike this afternoon and started the long process of finding a base set-up, without worrying about lap times. We had a lot to do so it is difficult to evaluate the new bike but the first impressions are good. It is quite similar to the old bike but it has more grip and offers better confidence in corner entry. We have made a positive start but it is a long road ahead and our rivals are very strong so we can’t afford to get distracted.” 10th Jordi Torres 1.36.290 (66 laps): “We continued to test a tonne of things today although our main focus was on the rear shock. We played around with the height and stiffness just to try and get a bit more grip. We weren’t bothered by the wind or the lap times. For us it was a case of gathering information and that’s it. The new chassis allows us to play around a lot more with the rigidity of the bike and it’s an important test for me to learn about the bike and the tyres. It’s a case of getting our homework done before the racing starts. Like I say we are not looking at lap times but we want to be consistently inside the top ten and we are doing that at the moment. The idea is to find a system that allows us to solve problems quickly and accurately during race weekends. So far I think we are on the right path and I’m satisfied.”