Good feeling on opening day of Jerez test, for which Fabio Quartararo steps in for the recovering Alex Rins.
Alex Marquez and Fabio Quartararo were out on track today in the opening day of testing at the Circuito de Jerez. The latter CEV Repsol champion in 2013 in the Moto3 class is standing in over the three-day test for Alex Rins, after the Spaniard underwent wrist surgery yesterday in Barcelona. Tuesday was Quartararo’s first day onboard Rins’ Honda NSF250RW, and both he and Marquez made consistent progress with their setups. Marquez and Quartararo finally finished tenth and eleventh, respectively, on the combined timesheets.
The third test of the preseason and the second official outing after last week’s visit to Valencia, began late due to heavy rainfall overnight. The asphalt on the track was not fully dry until just past 1pm, but when conditions allowed, Marquez undertook 44 laps and set a best time of 1:48.286. Quartararo completed 48 laps of the Andalusian track and, despite only being 14 years old, took a meritable eleventh place on the timesheets with his 1:48.232 best time. The fastest man of the day was Jack Miller.
The second of the three days of testing at Jerez takes place tomorrow.
Alex Marquez – 1:48.186, 44 laps, 195 km.
“We have started this test fairly well, because from the start I felt more comfortable than last week in Valencia. I prefer this track, with its fast corners, and I felt more comfortable with the Honda. This circuit favours our chassis and this is one of the strong points that we have to try to make even better, because we still have plenty of room for improvement. I’m not having much trouble with my shoulder, but I am feeling rather tired, because after three days last week I have some accumulated fatigue still.”
Fabio Quartararo – 1:48.232, 48 vueltas, 212 km.
“I am happy with how this first day went. In testing with World Championship riders you can see that the level is very high, right from the start. It was a pity that the track was so wet in the morning, because we weren’t able to ride much. However, we went out later and it went well, although I think I can improve a lot. I found it tough at the start, but adapted quickly because I like the track ‒it’s one of the best in Spain.”
