Luis Salom pauses summer break for test in Slovakia
25/07/2013Red Bull KTM Ajo rider interrupts summer break for two-day test at Slovakia Ring on his Moto3 bike.
Summer holidays for Luis Salom were interrupted this week, in order for the rider to travel to Slovakia with his team manager, Aki Ajo, and undertake two days of work with KTM and his Moto3 bike. The current leader of the standings by 14 points, Salom had the opportunity to test different aspects of his bike ahead of the second half of the campaign.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider debuted at the 3.7km Slovakia Ring circuit, which is not featured on the World Championship calendar. It was, however, ideal for work on different aspects of his Moto3 machine. Although this morning rain halted his time on track, Salom was able to continue with his work in the afternoon. Over these past two days, the Spanish rider has put in more than 120 laps and worked on chassis, suspension and much more besides.
After this test, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider will relax for three weeks, before the Friday, August 16th first free practice session for the Indianapolis Grand Prix.
Luis Salom,
“It has been two days of testing with KTM which have gone very well. I’ve tried many configurations for all sorts of aspects of the bike and it is important that we have obtained a lot of data. The work that we have done has been very good. I believe that the conclusions we have drawn from these two days will be very helpful. The Slovakia Ring is a circuit that I like, although it is not similar to any of the other tracks. It is very slow, even more so than Sachsenring, with many corners. There are two weeks left until the trip to Indianapolis, and I will be training and spending time at home, because in the second half of the calendar we have many back-to-back races.”
Aki Ajo,
“I have to say that these two days of work have been very good, and that we have gained much information. KTM engineer, Sebastian Risse, has been with Luis [Salom] and me in Slovakia and has led us through a two-day test. We’ve tested configurations for different and important elements of the bike. Luis has been able to put many kilometres under his belt, which is essential to learning and understanding more about the bike. I want to express my gratitude for the work KTM are doing, because tests like this week’s mean we can be really well prepared for the remainder of the championship.”