Repsol riders in the lower cylinder class complete two positive days of testing with HRC at MotorLand Aragon.
After a start to the season in which Alex Rins took a podium finish at Jerez and Alex Marquez was on the rostrum in Qatar and Argentina, work continued for Emilio Alzamora’s proteges this week with two days of test at MotorLand Aragon. Working alongside HRC engineers, both riders advanced the development of the Honda NSF250RW, trying out new solutions for the chassis and electronics.
The action was intense in the garage over the course of the two days. Rins and Marquez have accumulated plenty of valuable experience after the opening four races of the year, and put in an abundance of laps in testing. Rins –winner of the Aragon GP at the track last year‒ put in 163 laps. That was the equivalent of 828km. Marquez put in 172 laps (873km).
Currently fourth and fifth, respectively, in the overall standings, Rins and Marquez will be back onboard their bikes next Friday at Le Mans, for the first day of practice for the French Grand Prix..
Alex Rins >> Audio
“We leave MotorLand happy, because we have progressed a lot in some aspects in which we were weaker. Maybe we still need to improve with used tyres, but it isn’t a big problem that has no solution. Despite the heat, I felt comfortable on the bike and the work carried out was very positive. Everything that we tried gave us good results, so we are very motivated ahead of Le Mans. We know that we were trailing Miller up until Jerez, but after this test we hope to be closer to him –or even ahead of him.”
Alex Marquez >> Audio
“These two days at MotorLand have been really positive. Having a test always helps you to find solutions that come with experience and laps, especially with a new bike like we have this year. We tried out some different chassis parts that I think work better; some were more useful than others. The important thing is that we have been able to check what works well and now we will see what is useful for Le Mans. We also did a lot of work with the electronics and I think that we have found a small improvement for the slower corners –where we have been suffering most. This test has also allowed me to improve my riding a little, taking a step forward that I was missing before; I got better with my work on used tyres and with having a more consistent pace.”
