After the MotoGP riders finished off yesterday afternoon the training sessions on the Jerez Circuit, today it was the turn for the 125cc and 250cc riders. The day started with rain again as the main feature, but as the morning wore on, the clouds made way for the sun, and the annoying wind of the past few days died down.
For the Repsol KTM 125cc and 250cc riders, today was a mere formality on the Spanish track. In the morning, in the mixed session where the riders from the two categories rode, the young Repsol KTM Team 125cc chose not to ride due to the complicated state of the track, with both dry and wet areas. Who did ride was Repsol KTM Team 250cc rider Julián Simón, who took the chance this morning to run the engine of his new KTM 2008. In the afternoon, the training sessions were divided in two, first a 50 minute session – from 15:00 to 15:50 -, for the 250cc riders; and a second free training session, of one hour, for the 125cc riders – from 16:00 to 17:00 -. Today the three Repsol riders basically dedicated the day to getting back into shape and carrying out the first of the tests programmed for these three days of training. For Esteve Rabat, now recovered, today really was his first contact with the bike he will be riding this 2008 season. Rabat, who was injured on this same track less than a month ago on a previous model of the KTM he will be riding this season – receiving a fracture to his left collarbone -, was finally able to get on his new bike after missing the training sessions in Valencia held after those in Jerez. Tomorrow the Repsol 125cc and 250cc riders shall continue with their tests on the Andalusian track, though unstable weather is still sowing doubt as to what state the circuit will be in 24 hours’ time.Julián Simón, 1’47.487 secs, 29 laps, 128 Km. >> Audio We didn’t start the Jerez training sessions too well, as it rained a lot last night and caused us to do few laps. I had my first impressions with the KTM 2008 on a wet track, and I must say they are quite good. I didn’t ride many laps, but all in all, I was quite comfortable. The last session was not bad, though the track wasn’t completely dry and there were still a few puddles. It was a positive training session, I think we’re heading in the right direction. The bike has improved enormously since the training session we had here a month ago. We found that the changes we made in Valencia on the semi-handlebars to make my riding more comfortable are appropiate. That is the most positive aspect of today, confirming that what we tried out in Valencia is still working. I hope that tomorrow is a more fruitful day and that we can enjoy these training sessions more, as they are practically the last before the World Championship starts.Esteve Rabat, 1’50.767 secs, 18 laps, 80 Km. >> Audio Today’s training session did not go too well, though there were some very positive aspects, as we had the chance to see first-hand how my collarbone was doing and to try out the new bike. I was able to draw some very good conclusions and I saw a good few things. I like it a lot, though this first contact was a bit strange, as the track was still slightly wet and I couldn’t ride 100%. My collarbone felt a bit cramped throughout the training session and it gradually got worse, though it was not a major problem.Marc Märquez, 1’51.962 secs, 19 laps, 84 Km. >> Audio This morning when we got up it was raining. When we arrived at the circuit it had stopped; everything was wet though it was starting to dry, so we couldn’t train during the morning. The track was not in very good shape, not for riding with neither wet nor flat tyres. At the end of the day we managed to run an hour-long session and I think it went well. I started quite calmly and tried the bike out without rushing it, progressively building up speed. I rode with a new distribution of the dead weight, but we didn’t have much time and we still haven’t reached a final decision, though I think we’ll manage that over the next few days. Concerning the training sessions here a month ago, this time we had a new bike and I think I’m improving, though I hope the weather changes and I can do some good times tomorrow.
