After only one day to rest from the first tests of the year at the Circuit de Catalunya, Marc Márquez got back to work today at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste, (Valencia). The tests will last until Saturday and will allow Márquez to follow his adaptation process to Moto2 in a new world championship configuration.
Despite the low temperatures -barely 14ºC-, the Repsol rider was able to take full advantage of the sunny day in Valencia to complete more than 200 kilometres with 52 laps. He did not get on track after midday, when the asphalt had reached 20ºC that permitted to run with safety. He then started to set new references of the Valencia track.
With a fastest time of 1 minute, 37 seconds and 18 hundredths, Márquez focused again in adapting himself to the new bike’s requirements. Being a lot heavier, the bike is much more physically demanding than the 125cc, especially in technical tracks such as Valencia. At the end of the day, the Repsol rider was able to try some new adjustments to the set-up, to start learning the possibilities of his new machine. Although he was satisfied with the job done, he is aware that there is still a lot to do.
The work will continue in the following days. He will have to keep fine-tuning the areas that need more dedication compared to the 125cc bike, such as the braking or the corners.
Marc Márquez 1’37.18 seg. 52 vueltas, 208 km.
“This track is much slower than the Catalunya Circuit and it was also the first time I rode a Moto2 here. We did not do many laps, but the overall result was fairly good. At the end of the day we tried some different set-ups although for tomorrow I am confident that we will be able to progress a lot more. We have to keep this working path, but we need to be patient and do it step by step. We still have two more days ahead of us and a good margin to improve. Physically, the circuit is much more demanding and at the end of the day is when you really feel it. The corners are taken in a different way with the Moto2 than with the 125cc, and I do it properly in some corners and not in others. In this aspect I still have to get used to this class. The braking point is one of the most complicated areas, although I feel that we are improving and I hope we keep this progression. We still have to improve our riding, but we need not hurry, it has to be done step by step and we still have a lot of work to do”.
