Martin and Nagashima have fulfilling second day at Jerez
20/02/2020Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders continue their preparations for the 2020 season at the Official Test at the Andalusian track.
On Thursday the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team completed their second day of the Official Test at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit, with both of their riders placing inside the Top 10. Jorge Martin was the third fastest man of the day, after leading the last session – despite still dragging on the pain from a crash last week. Tetsuta Nagashima continued to take steps forward, beating his personal best from yesterday.
With today’s top-3, Martin lowed his time from Wednesday by more than a second, after stopping the clock at 1:40.907 in the last session of the day. Jorge and his crew worked hard on trying different options for their set up, and gained confidence and comfort along the way. During the course of 61 laps, the Spaniard assessed his feeling with heavily used tyres, and was competitive over a single fast lap.
Nagashima completed a total of 78 laps, his personal best being a 1:41.189 – three tenths faster than his top time from yesterday. The Japanese rider engaged in an intensive testing programme, with an eye on the first race of the season in Qatar. Tetsuta was seventh at the end of the day.
The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders will have a final day of testing at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit tomorrow.
Combined Standings – Day 2
1. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 1:40:448
2. Aron Canet (Speed Up) 1:40.710 +0.262
3. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.907 +0.459
4. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:40.910 +0.462
5. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 1:40.981 +0.533
7. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:41.189 +0.741
88 JORGE MARTIN
“It was a very positive day. Yesterday we had a small problem with the front end that did not allow me to ride well, however today we made a radical change to the setup and we found a combination that I like. We then took the chance to work on our pace and we also improved our single-lap time. In addition, I felt comfortable riding with the hard front tyre – something that I struggled a lot with last year. We managed to be fast over a single lap and competitive with used tyres. There is still a lot to do, but I think we are doing a good job ahead of the opening race.”
45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA
“Today we tried different things that allowed us to improve. However, there are still points where we have to continue working. In general, at this test I felt better than before and we have gathered data that will help us for the first race in Qatar. We still have a day of work out of which we will make the most, and in which we hope to continue moving forward.”