Jorge Martin and Tetsuta Nagashima continue their progress on the last day of the Official Test in Spain.

Three days of intense work for Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 at the Jerez-Angel Nieto Circuit came to a close on Friday. On the combined timesheets of the three days, Tetsuta Nagashima was 4th, with his teammate, Jorge Martin, in 10th position. The Japanese rider and the Spaniard completed a total of 202 and 152 laps, respectively, over the course of the Official Test.

Martin and his crew took advantage of the last day to complete the intensive plan they had brought to Jerez. Having finished that, the Spaniard contested only the first two sessions, putting in a total of 39 laps and a personal best of the day of 1:40.926. Jorge ended Friday in 8th position and leaves Jerez satisfied with the great improvement made over the course of the test.

Like his teammate, Nagashima also took part in only the first two sessions, racking up 50 laps. His personal best was a 1:40.670, half a second faster than his top time from yesterday, and he was 3rd at the end of the day. The Japanese rider continued working on the set up of his bike, eventually stating to be happy with the results and the work done during the test.

Next week the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 duo will travel to Qatar to take part in the last test of the 2020 preseason, held at the Losail International Circuit from February 28th to March 1st.

Combined Standings – Day 3
1. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:40:326
2. Nicolo Bulega (Kalex) 1:40.661 +0.335
3. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.670 +0.344
4. Xavi Vierge (Kalex) 1:40.776 +0.450
5. Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) 1:40.809 +0.483
8. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.926 +0.600

Combined Standings – Days 1-2-3
1. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 1:40:326
2. Marco Bezzecchi (Kalex) 1:40.448 +0.122
3. Nicolo Bulega (Kalex) 1:40.661 +0.335
4. Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.670 +0.344
5. Aron Canet (Speed Up) 1:40.710 +0.384
10. Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:40.907 +0.581

AKI AJO – TEAM MANAGER

“I feel that, during this test, we have begun to understand the 2020 bike better. Tetsuta Nagashima, who is a new rider on our team, used these days to meet his crew and see what their working philosophy is. He made great progress and was able to maintain a good pace throughout the three days. Jorge [Martin], who still had pain in his foot when he came here, exceeded expectations with his performance. He was fast and, above all, was able to do well with a hard tyre, setting a great pace.”

 

88 JORGE MARTIN

“Today’s time on track helped us to try out the final things that we had pending. Overall, we improved a lot on a single hot lap and, above all, we were able to lower our pace by more than a second from the first to the last day. I’m happy because we were fast, even though my physical fitness is not yet perfect. We did a good job and now we go to Qatar eager to continue moving forward. I hope to be in better shape by then to be able to do long runs, since that is what we need to finish off understanding some points of the bike.”

45 TETSUTA NAGASHIMA

“I’m very happy with how the first Official Test of the year went. I feel satisfied with the result and with the work the whole team did. We tried out different things that helped us to improve and, above all, to find a good setup for the Qatar test. We have a good pace and now we need to better understand my riding style, in order to know what might help us go faster. We are ready to continue with the preseason.”