Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders begin preparing for next year with two-day test at Jerez Circuit, in which the Portuguese rider was fastest.

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 riders transitioned from 2017 to 2018 this week, undertaking two days of testing on Thursday and Friday. The test came just days after the season finale in Valencia, and saw the pair enjoying positive track time at the Jerez Circuit. The results were very satisfactory for Miguel Oliveira -1:41.518- and Brad Binder 1:41.776, who despite dedicating their time to trying out new things ended up first and fourth fastest, respectively.

After a spectacular season finale that saw three wins for Oliveira and three podiums for Binder, the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders started preparing for 2018 this week. On two days of testing under the Spanish sun, the two riders completed around 140 laps each. The setup of the KTM Moto2 was a focal point of the test, and the duo tried out a new chassis, swingarm and suspensions as they began to draw their first conclusions. Inside the Top 5 on Thursday, Oliveira and Binder lowered their times on by more than half a second on Friday.

To take advantage of the last days before the mandatory winter break, the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team now return to Valencia, where they will have their last two days of testing on Monday and Tuesday.

41 BRAD BINDER
“This first preseason test of 2018 has been very positive. We have tried some new things that have worked really well and, obviously, we have seen that some have not brought the improvements we expected. We had many things to test out and, at the end of the day, we were 0.2 seconds away from the fastest time, in fourth position. I think that’s really good. I was almost 2 seconds faster than in the race, so I’m learning more and more everyday and I enjoyed myself a lot today. I’m looking forward to going to Valencia to try out the things that have worked and see where we are.”

44 MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
“We’ve had two days of quite positive testing here at Jerez. We have been able to work on the setup of the bike as well as new suspensions, a new chassis, and a new swingarm. We’ve been trying to draw conclusions to improve the bike during the winter break. We have been quick and I felt very comfortable, although we have room for improvement, so it is very positive. Now we have two more days of testing in Valencia to finish defining what we can continue improving.”