Britain’s Sam Lowes finished the Jerez Moto2 test at the top of the timesheet after rain in Spain today meant his fastest lap from yesterday’s was not bettered.
Lowes, and team-mate Iker Lecuona, were both on lap record pace yesterday with the former Supersport champion going underneath Alex Marquez’ lap record on his Swiss Investors KTM.
The rain also meant former Moto3 World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) could continue the KTM dominance in third place to complete a strong showing from the Austrian manufacturer on. However, the South African’s time was matched identically by the fastest man on the opening day, Francesco Bagnaia (SKY Racing Team VR46), with the times bumping the Italian down to fourth due to Binder’s second fastest time being quicker than that of the 2017 Moto2 Rookie of the Year.
Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) looks to have settled in well on his Kalex machine after a number of season on the Tech3 machine, and the Spaniard’s quickest time was good enough for fifth. Alex Marquez followed closely behind in sixth as the lone rider in the EG 0,0 Marc VDS box with reigning Moto3™ Joan Mir sitting out the test due to a training accident.
Romano Fenati (Marinelli Sniper Team) put in another impressive display on a track where he has won twice before in the Moto3 class to finish seventh on combined times. One of the pre-season title favourites Miguel Oliveira was next along on his Red Bull KTM Ajo machine, just ahead of veteran Italian Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team). SKY Racing Team VR46 secured two riders in the top 10 with Luca Marini rounding out the first third of the 30 strong field.
The resurfaced circuit has seen lap times tumbling compared to recent Grands Prix and the top 13 riders were under the 2017 circuit record of Moto2 World Champion Franco Morbidelli, including 2018 rookie Bo Bendsneyder (Tech 3 Racing) in 13th. Danny Kent ended his test in 14th place, seventh-tenths off the pace.
Hector Barbera continued his return to the intermediate class in 21st, three places ahead of current European Moto2 Champion Eric Granado (Forward Racing Team).
Combined test times
1 | Sam LOWES | KTM | 1:41.823 | Day 2 Session 2 | ||
2 | Iker LECUONA | KTM | 1:41.960 | 0.137 | 0.137 | Day 2 Session 2 |
3 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 1:42.011 | 0.188 | 0.051 | Day 2 Session 2 |
4 | Francesco BAGNAIA | KALEX | 1:42.011 | 0.188 | 0.116 | Day 2 Session 3 |
5 | Xavi VIERGE | KALEX | 1:42.127 | 0.304 | 0.034 | Day 2 Session 3 |
6 | Alex MARQUEZ | KALEX | 1:42.161 | 0.338 | 0.207 | Day 2 Session 2 |
7 | Romano FENATI | KALEX | 1:42.368 | 0.545 | 0.027 | Day 2 Session 2 |
8 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | 1:42.395 | 0.572 | 0.007 | Day 2 Session 2 |
9 | Mattia PASINI | KALEX | 1:42.402 | 0.579 | 0.07 | Day 2 Session 2 |
10 | Luca MARINI | KALEX | 1:42.472 | 0.649 | 0.026 | Day 2 Session 1 |
11 | Lorenzo BALDASSARI | KALEX | 1:42.498 | 0.675 | 0.023 | Day 2 Session 2 |
12 | Jorge NAVARRO | KALEX | 1:42.521 | 0.698 | 0.007 | Day 2 Session 2 |
13 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | TECH 3 | 1:42.528 | 0.705 | 0.061 | Day 2 Session 2 |
14 | Danny KENT | SPEED UP | 1:42.589 | 0.766 | 0.05 | Day 2 Session 2 |
15 | Marcel SCHROTTER | KALEX | 1:42.639 | 0.816 | 0.015 | Day 2 Session 2 |
16 | Fabio QUARTARARO | SPEED UP | 1:42.654 | 0.831 | 0.049 | Day 2 Session 2 |
17 | Joe ROBERTS | NTS | 1:42.703 | 0.88 | 0.039 | Day 2 Session 2 |
18 | Remy GARDNER | TECH 3 | 1:42.742 | 0.919 | 0.038 | Day 2 Session 2 |
19 | Simone CORSI | KALEX | 1:42.780 | 0.957 | 0.03 | Day 2 Session 2 |
20 | Steven ODENDAAL | NTS | 1:42.810 | 0.987 | 0.188 | Day 2 Session 2 |
21 | Hector BARBERA | KALEX | 1:42.998 | 1.175 | 0.032 | Day 2 Session 2 |
22 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | KALEX | 1:43.030 | 1.207 | 0.115 | Day 2 Session 2 |
23 | Andrea LOCATELLI | KALEX | 1:43.145 | 1.322 | 0.088 | Day 2 Session 2 |
24 | Dominique AEGERTER | KTM | 1:43.233 | 1.41 | 0.079 | Day 2 Session 2 |
25 | Eric GRANADO | SUTER | 1:43.312 | 1.489 | 0.116 | Day 2 Session 2 |
26 | Khairul IDHAM PAWI | KALEX | 1:43.428 | 1.605 | 0.297 | Day 2 Session 2 |
27 | Stefano MANZI | SUTER | 1:43.725 | 1.902 | 0.751 | Day 2 Session 2 |
28 | Zulfahmi KHAIRUDDIN | KALEX | 1:44.476 | 2.653 | 0.145 | Day 2 Session 2 |