Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder and Karel Hanika have rainy first three days of testing at Jerez circuit.

Last week the curtain fell on the 2014 season. From this Wednesday, 2015 got underway. Karel Hanika welcomed new teammates Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder into the fold at the Jerez circuit in Spain, as the latter two got onboard their KTM bikes for the first time. The three days of practice were, unfortunately, hit by bad weather.

Hanika, who will begin his second year in the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, was the only one of the trio to ride every day. Both Oliveira and Binder limited their time on track to runs in the dry on Wednesday afternoon and today in completely wet conditions. On Thursday they chose to sit out testing due to mixed conditions. Although none of the three could put in hugely significant amount of laps at the first test, they were all pleased with the results.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo team will have the weekend off, before a trip to Valencia on Monday for the final two days of testing before the winter break.

Miguel Oliveira >> Audio
“These three days have gone very well. We had hoped to get in more laps than we finally did, but the rain did not let us. Today we rode in the wet and I had a small crash at the end, but we were able to keep riding and finish the work scheduled. We go to Valencia with the intention of being able to do more laps than we have done here, and hope to ride with the new bike. We want to gradually improve the feeling with the KTM and with my new team. We have to get to know each other, because it will be important to start well next season.”

Brad Binder >> Audio
“It was pretty fun. Basically, I met the team on Monday and I liked beginning to get to know everyone. Obviously I would have liked to have ridden more over these three days, but when I was able to ride a little in the dry on the first day I enjoyed myself. From the second stint onwards I started to feel very comfortable. I think I’ve adapted to the bike pretty quickly, but unfortunately on the second day we could not ride at all. Today it was not raining, but the track was completely flooded and we put in a few laps –albeit in some pretty tough conditions because it would not dry out. Although the conditions have not been ideal, I have enjoyed being able to ride a little more and cannot wait to get to Valencia.”

Karel Hanika >> Audio
“I think this first test of the 2015 preseason has gone rather well. I’ve been working with new staff and we’re learning from each other. On Wednesday we did a few laps in the dry, but not as many as we would have liked –20. Unfortunately, both yesterday and today we rode in the wet, but we are pleased with how we did in those conditions. We’re pleased with how everything has gone and with the setup that we have found in the wet. Let’s see how we go next time.”

Aki Ajo >> Audio
“It was very positive to start the 2015 season, just days after finishing the last campaign. Everyone still has their feeling fresh in their minds, which is important for new riders. This test in Jerez has been like a shakedown test, so that they can begin to coordinate with our team. Next week we will continue working in Valencia, where we will also have new material to try; this will be important. Unfortunately we have not had too much time on a dry track, but it is also useful to test in wet and mixed conditions. We only had a dry track on Wednesday afternoon and all our riders showed good speed and good potential.”