Final test at Jerez ends with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Australian rider setting best time of the week, with Karel Hanika in an impressive third place.

Today the 2014 preseason came to a close for the Moto3 World Championship riders, with Red Bull KTM Ajo amongst the top three. Just as he did three weeks ago at the same circuit, Jack Miller set the fastest time of the test, with his time from yesterday of 1:46.259. Just 0.122 back was teammate Karel Hanika, who occupied third position on the timesheets .

On this final day Miller was also  the fastest man, setting a 1:46.326 lap. However, he would not best his time from Wednesday. He clocked his top lap of Thursday in the opening session, when the 30°C track temperature allowed him optimum riding conditions. In the second run he focused more on development, whilst in the third and final runout, Miller set the second fastest of the day: 1:46.348.

Yesterday Hanika regretted not having been able to set a hot lap due to his focus on long runs, but today the Czech Red Bull KTM Ajo rider rectified the matter. Like his teammate, he was at his fastest in the first session and was just 0.055 off Miller with the second best time. With that job done, in the last two sessions he continued fine-tuning a faster and more consistent setup.

After tests in Almeria, Valencia and Jerez -twice- the World Championship is ready for Qatar and next week’s World Championship season opener.

Combined Standings – Day 3
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:46.326
2. Alex Marquez (Honda) 1:46.359 +0.033
3. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:46.381 +0.055
4. Jakub Kornfeil (KTM) 1:46.388 +0.062
5. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 1:46.392 +0.066

Combined Standings – Day 1/2/3
1. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:46.259
2. Alex Marquez (Honda) 1:46.359 +0.100
3. Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:46.381 +0.122
4. Jakub Kornfeil (KTM) 1:46.388 +0.129
5. Efren Vazquez (Honda) 1:46.392 +0.133

Jack Miller >> Audio
“It was a good day. Once again we tested more parts for the bike, and once again they have given us very good results. We are confident that we are working in the right way to develop the bike throughout the year. I’m very eager to see how it evolves. We were fortunate enough to get some fairly decent times: One early in the morning and one in the afternoon. I made a small mistake when I was trying to lower my times, but I think this is also ok. We were consistent with our race simulation times, so I feel strong for Qatar.”

Karel Hanika >> Audio
“This last day has not been too bad. I think we did a fantastic job, we tested new parts and different setups and I think we finally found a really good one. Now we can go faster and more consistent, which I think is good and which means we’re ready for Qatar.”

*Audio solely for radio use