The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 duo completed 74 and 72 laps respectively to end the day on a high note at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto.

The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto hosted the first day of the Jerez Official Test, where both Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte took full advantage of the available track time from start to finish. With 74 and 72 laps respectively, they finished 1st and 11th in the final standings, leaving a good impression in their first outing of the year after being unable to take advantage of the days reserved in Portimao, where rain limited their opportunities to ride. This time, finally, the sun reigned supreme over the Spanish track throughout the day, although gusts of wind also played a significant role this Saturday.

On the one hand, Carpe took a relaxed approach initially, although he also went out for a swift first run of five laps. From there, he rode several more stints to go into the midday break in eighth position (1:46.038) and with a very positive initial feeling on his bike. After the break, he continued fine-tuning his machine and, although he suffered a small crash at the last corner, he was able to improve his lap time on several occasions. Focused primarily on fine-tuning the bike’s setup and race pace, Carpe left the Time Attack for the final runouts. In fact, on his last attempt, he managed to improve three times in a row riding solo to become the first – and only – rider of the day to break the 1:45 barrier, finishing with a time of 1:44.980.

On the other, Uriarte was among the first to take to the track, completing an initial stint of seven laps and feeling good on the dry asphalt. He finished the morning among the Top 5, although a minor crash forced him to return to the garage. Before stopping for lunch and undergoing a medical checkup, the young Red Bull KTM Ajo rookie completed a total of 40 laps, achieving a best time of 1:45.680 -very close to the marker he set during the November test. Focused on racking up more kilometres and improving his adaptation to the bike and the team, Uriarte continued working in the afternoon. Despite suffering another small crash at Turn 1, the Spaniard put in another 32 laps to finish 11th overall (1:45.654), 0.764 off the top spot.

The second day of testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Moto3 field will take place on Sunday, from 10 a.m. (local time) until 6 p.m.

Combined Results (Day 1)
1. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:44.980
2. Guido Pini (Honda) | 1:45.044 (+0.064)
3. Scott Ogden (KTM) 1:45.157 (+0.177)
4. Marco Morelli (KTM) | 1:45.162 (+0.182)
5. David Almansa (KTM) 1:45.209 (+0.229)
11. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) | 1:45.654 (+0.674)

#83 ALVARO CARPE

“The day went well. We worked hard, and we also had a good Time Attack on our last run, so I’m very happy with this first experience with the bike this year. We were able to get in a lot of riding and try out many things, so it’s a good way to start the preseason after two days without us being able to ride in Portugal. Now it’s time to rest a bit ahead of tomorrow, as we expect it to be an even longer day than today, and we need to be prepared to make the most of it.”

#51 BRIAN URIARTE

“Today we were able to start the preseason, as we couldn’t begin it in Portimao, and the feeling has been good. We’re gaining experience with the team and the bike, so the most important thing is to rack up kilometres and try as many things as possible out before the start of the year. Overall, the day went much better than the two days we rode here at the end of November, so I’m very happy about that too. Tomorrow we’ll keep going like this and try to take another step forward to continue our progress.”