Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez complete two fruitful days of preparation for the 2021 Moto2 World Championship season.

With less than a month remaining until the 2021 World Championship season begins, Red Bull KTM Ajo resumed their work this week with two productive days of private testing – Tuesday and Wednesday – in Portimao, Portugal. The practice saw the team share a track with a large number of fellow Grand Prix outfits. Remy Gardner was the fastest rider on the second day at the Algarve International Circuit, whilst teammate Raul Fernandez showed a quick adaptation to Moto2, setting solid and consistent times.

Remy Gardner made a promising start to 2021, and was one of the top riders on Tuesday. Yesterday, the Australian was the only man to go round in the 1:42s, with a 1:42.962 best time less than half a second slower than the pole position-earning lap he set at the Portuguese Grand Prix last November.

On the first day, Raul Fernandez concentrated his efforts on continuing his adaptation to the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 bike. On Wednesday, the Spaniard and his team began an extensive testing programme, from which they were able to draw some very positive conclusions. During that second day, he set a personal best of 1:43.887 and completed a total of 57 laps.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders will be back in action in two weeks at the first official test of the preseason, held in Qatar from March 19th-21st.

#87 Remy Gardner

“After these two days of testing, I feel much more comfortable on the bike. This test helped us to get to know each other better and gain more confidence – both within the team and with the bike. Overall, I am happy with the work we did.
We tried out several things and I am impressed with how some elements we tested have worked, which is very positive. We obtained important information that will help us approach the start of the season. I’m looking forward to making progress in Qatar in two weeks.”

#25 Raul Fernandez

“The test was quite positive. After 3 months without riding the bike, I felt good. We used the first day to adapt to Moto2, since first of all it was necessary to get familiar with the bike. On Wednesday, we started trying out several things that helped us to understand it a little better. I suffered a small crash, but the mechanics did a great job of repairing the bike and we were able to make the most of the afternoon. These two days have given us some very positive conclusions that will help us to arrive in Qatar prepared.
I am very happy with the crew that I have and I feel very comfortable working with them. They give me a lot of peace of mind, which is what I need the most, and have a lot of experience. I give the test an 8/10. Now it’s time to keep working to gain experience and feeling, so that we can take further steps forward and progress.”