Final week of Moto2 preseason starts on Tuesday at Jerez in rainy and windy conditions.

This Tuesday the Ajo Motorsport Moto2 team debuted the colours with which they will contest their first season in the intermediate class. Johann Zarco was unable to premiere the new livery in the best conditions, order since rain hindered each of the sessions scheduled for today. In the end, the Frenchman undertook just two hours of testing on day 1, with a best time of 1:57.374 that placed him eighth.

The weather forecasts proved correct and rain fell at Jerez from 11.00am. The first session started after a heavy downpour. Zarco, who was back onboard his Kalex after a month away, set the second fastest time -1:57.984- after completing fourteen laps.

In the second session the Frenchman pushed harder, and led the way from the early stages. With 35 minutes remaining and under heavy rain, the Frenchman suffered a crash at Turn 8. Although he escaped unhurt, the incident prevented him from going back out on track. His lap of 1:57.374 was the best of the session, more than a second ahead of his nearest rival.

Following the crash, the Frenchman elected against participating in the final session -preferring to rest up ahead of the second day of testing.

Results – Combined Standings Day 1
1. Julian Simon (Speed Up) 1:55.568
2. Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3) 1:55.941 +0.373
3. Mika Kallio (Kalex) 1:56.063 +0.495
4. Hafizh Syahrin (Kalex) 1:56.104 +0.536
5. Randy Krummenacher (Kalex) 1:56.780 +1.212
8. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 1:57.374 +1.806

Johann Zarco

“Today I unfortunately suffered a small crash in the second session, but these things can happen. It was raining a lot and I wanted to stay out on track. Despite this I am OK and tomorrow we will be able to continue the work we began today. We have still to test one fork in our search for the best setup for the bike in these conditions. Despite the crash, I am satisfied with this first day in the wet and ready for the next two.

The colours for this season are really nice. The bike is looking very good. I want to thank the team for all their hard work and for making sure that the bike not only looks nice, but also rides very well.”