Strong winds and cold affect first of three days of Moto3 Official Test this week at Spanish track.

Gusts of wind reaching up to 40 km/h greeted the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders on the opening day of the second Moto3 Official test of 2015, which takes place this week at Jerez Circuit. Rain held off for the entirety of the day, and thus Oliveira, Binder and Hanika were able to ride in dry conditions during the three hours allotted to the lower cylinder category. In the final standings for the day, the Portuguese was seventh fastest, whilst Hanika and Binder were eleventh and seventeenth, respectively.

The strong winds early in the morning and track temperatures of 11°C were no impediment to Czech rider Karel Hanika being the first rider out of the garage at Jerez. The conditions hindered the lap times, as shown by the timesheets, but as the wind died down all three Red Bull KTM Ajo riders were able to up their pace and they improved in each of the three sessions. Oliveira, Hanika and Binder made significant changes to the setups of their KTM bikes compared to last week in Valencia, in order to test new configurations on an entirely different track.

The second test of the year will continue tomorrow at Jerez Circuit. The weather forecasts –unlike last week in Valencia– are for a calm week free from rain.

Results – Combined Standings Day 1
1. Isaac Viñales (Husqvarna) 1:46.817
2. Niccolo Antonelli (Honda) 1:46.868 +0.051
3. Romano Fenati (KTM) 1:47.082 +0.265
4. Jorge Martin (Mahindra) 1:47.123 +0.306
5. Fabio Quartararo (Honda) 1:47.195 +0.378
7. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:47.666 +0.849
11. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.285 +1.468
17. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:48.605 +1.788

#44 Miguel Oliveira – Audio
“The first day was quite difficult due to the strong wind, especially in the morning. We made many changes to the bike to adapt it to track, but I have not got fully comfortable with the front setting today. We also had time to test a rear shock. These changes can make a difference, so it is important to test all the resources we have. Ov

#41 Brad Binder
“This morning I had a small technical glitch in the first session which we managed to solve. In the second session I was able to push a little more and we started having a good feeling with the bike. However, in the last session we again had some difficulties and could not get comfortable; the bike was pushing me out in the middle of the corners and I was unable to hit the apex. We know what we have to change, so hopefully we will have it fixed by tomorrow. We still have two very interesting days of work remaining, which is the most important thing.”

#98 Karel Hanika – Audio
“This first day has not been easy because it was very windy in all sessions. That’s why the lap times are a little far from the best times set here. At least we were able to go out on track, start adapting the bike to this circuit and try to work, despite the wind. Sometimes it’s difficult, but we still have plenty of work to do here in Jerez, so we’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow. We will have to continue to improve the setup and my riding style, but I think that if we continue like this, on the third day we could set some good times.”er the next two days we will try to improve, especially under braking, to try to be faster. We still have much room for improvement.”