Reigning Moto2 World Champion ends first night of testing at Losail International Circuit fifth on the combined timesheet.

Zarco, Qatar Moto2 Testing 2016

After the first official test of the season in Jerez, Johann Zarco arrived at the second and final test in Qatar with a clear objective: To further improve his performance in order to go into the first Grand Prix weekend of the year as prepared as possible. With a best time of 2:00.542 on the first night at Losail, the Ajo Motorsport rider completed the first of the three days of testing in fifth place in the combined timesheet -only 4 tenths off the best time.

The reigning Moto2 World Champion started the day’s action with a time of 2:01.342 in the first hour of the test, which placed him fifth provisionally. Later on, with a cleaner track, the Frenchman lowered his previous best to set his top Friday time of 2:00:542 -giving him fourth. In the last session, he was just 9 thousandths of a second off that lap time, to conclude the night fifth on the timesheets. Overall, Zarco put in a total of 49 laps -264km.

The Ajo Motorsport team and Zarco will be able to continue working on Saturday, where a change in schedule means that the Moto2 class will open up the action.

Results – Combined Standings Day 1
1. Alex Rins (Kalex) 2:00.071
2. Sam Lowes (Kalex) 2:00.084 +0.013
3. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) 2:00.131 +0.060
4. Jonas Folger (Kalex) 2:00.266 +0.195
5. Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) 2:00.542 +0.471

Johann Zarco,
“I’m happy, because I felt much better than in Jerez last week. I was able to prepare well, so it has been a success. The temperatures were high, which gave me a positive vibe, and the pace and lap times were both good. We have been consistent, and that’s great. In any case, we must improve our times even more. Tonight, at the last minute, we tested some new setups that have not worked out as we had wanted. In three nights of testing we aim to improve our pace and our fastest lap. That’s it for today, so now it’s time to rest and regain our energy for tomorrow.”