British 125GP title contender Tim Hastings got his pre-season testing programme off to a flying start with a three-day session at Spain's Cartagena circuit.

The 16-year-old has been working hard on his fitness throughout the Scottish winter, but this was his first outing on the KRP Honda since last year’s Brands Hatch finale, so the emphasis was very much on getting reacquainted with the bike and making the most of the available track time.

All three days were run in very pleasant conditions and Tim clocked up a large number laps, consistently running at low 1 minute 43 second pace - with a fastest time of 1.42.6. This was despite conducting the entire test on old tyres - a deliberate team decision which will stand Tim in good stead in the coming BSB season as he’ll better understand how the bike behaves as the tyres wear.

Despite two minor spills - which caused little damage to the bike and none to Hastings - the test was a great success, and the teenager was delighted just to get back out on a race track.
"It was great to get back out on my bike again after such a long, cold winter. Both my crashes were in turn one where I kept hitting a huge bump and then losing the front," said Hastings.

"I rode the bike back after my first crash and if it weren't for a broken brake lever in the second crash, I could have ridden back then too, so both crashes were mainly cosmetic and I was more annoyed with myself than anything else. I now can't wait to get to Brands and get racing for real."