Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder and Karel Hanika conclude first day of first Moto3 Official Test with positive feelings.

The 2015 preseason for the Moto3 riders officially started this morning at 10am, with the first of three days testing at the Circuit de Valencia -the same venue where the 2014 season concluded last November. Although lap times are not the primary focus at this early stage, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were satisfied with their first day on track; Miguel Oliveira was fifth fastest (1:39.805), Hanika was seventh (1:39.982) and Brad Binder eleventh (1:40.221)

The trio of KTM rider concurred in their opinions on the excellent feel with the new bike, which they had already ridden in a private test in Almeria last week. Concentrating on testing different setups for the KTM, Oliveira and Hanika improved in each of the three one-hour sessions on Tuesday. Only South African Binder was unable to make constant improvement, due to a small crash that ruled him out of the final 20 minutes of the day.

The first IRTA test for the lower cylinder category of the World Championship continues tomorrow and Thursday. On the second day the Moto3 riders will start one hour later, which could enable them to enjoy higher track temperatures.

44# Miguel Oliveira – Audio (solely for radio use)

“I am very happy with how we have started the test here in Valencia. We have been amongst the most consistent riders on track, as we set very similar lap times, with little difference between them. Today we did a great job with the bike. We have not changed much, but what little we modified I noticed had a big effect. We have to analyze the data with the team, but what I like is that the bike brakes very well. We must take advantage of that. I hope the weather stays good tomorrow and that we can continue moving forward.”

41# Brad Binder – Audio (solely for radio use)

“Today went very well. When I went out this morning, I immediately felt very confident with the bike. In the second session we made a big change to the front end, which went even better and gave us a good feeling. Overall I feel better about everything with the bike. When we went back out, we tested different tyres for both the front and rear, but when I went to push harder we lost traction on the rear.  When the grip kicked back in, I crashed. It is the first crash of the year and you can’t do anything about it, but overall I’m happy with the bike and the step forward we took today. If tomorrow the weather stays the same, I’m sure we can do better still.”

98# Karel Hanika – Audio (solely for radio use)

“I am very happy because I did not expect us to have such good weather. This morning on the opening run it was quite cold and we rode carefully, trying to get used to the track and the bike again. Step-by-step the feeling improved and we tried completely different settings than we ran in Almería last week. At some points it was not so good for me and we continued working, making small changes, but overall the feeling was much better. I am very happy and I think our base setup is pretty good, so I have to thank my mechanics and my team. We can be very fast with this setup, I just need to stay focused on every lap in order to do a good job. I hope the weather stays good tomorrow and that we can continue in this way.”