2012 Moto3 Testing
Riders of the new KTM Moto3 bike and the KALEX-KTM have now completed the three-day official tests at the Jerez circuit in Spain, and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Danny Kent topped the leader board on all three days.
Other riders on the KTM Moto3 bike and the KALEX-KTM dominated the top 10 of times reported by the individual teams.
Riding in near perfect conditions on the final day, Kent dominated the timesheet registering a lap time of 1’47.1, four tenths ahead of Avintia Racing rider Maverick Viñales, considered one of the favorites for the new Moto3 class.
Speaking after day two, the young British rider said that everything was going well at Jerez and he was registering faster lap times than on the 125 cc machine he raced last year in the final season of the class.
Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3) says: “I am feeling confident and everything is going well. Today we also managed to do a race simulation and each lap we’re learning something new.”
Kent’s teammate Sandro Cortese, who was fastest in the last round of tests in Valencia was also up among the leaders on each day. He crashed on Friday but was back in action and according to team boss Aki Ajo was steadily improving by the end of the final day on Saturday.
Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3) says: “It sometimes happen that you crash in tests when you’re trying to go fast but I have a good feeling. We’re always up with the top guys.”
Ajo also said his third rider, Australian Arthur Sissis, who finished second overall in the 2011 Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup have ‘improved a lot’. He’s up with the top ten now,” he said.
Again prominent among the fastest riders were the two Aspar Team Moto3 riders Alberto Moncayo and Hector Faubel, both of Spain and who ride the KTM-powered KALEX machine while other KTM riders were also prominent in the top ten fastest on the Spanish circuit.
Aki Ajo (Team Boss Red Bull KTM Ajo) says: “Jerez is a very different track than Valencia but we could see here that it was one that suits Danny Kent. Of course with a different track there are different problems, that’s normal. But we have no big problems and we have to be happy that the engines are working well so we are mainly working on the settings. There’s now a lot of hard work for the team and the KTM Racing Department to prepare for the next tests in three weeks and of course for the start of the season.”
Alex Baumgaertel of KALEX-KTM also described the tests as promising and said they were ‘in the ball park’ as far as preparations were going.
Alex Baumgaertel says: “We lost a little time yesterday when Luis Salom (RW Racing – KALEX-KTM) crashed and also with Moncayo’s crash. They were not injured but it just set us back a little with our preparations. But we had almost perfect conditions on the final day and at 2:00 p.m. the tarmac temperature was up to 30 degrees and that was good for us. We know we can improve more as we work towards the next tests in Jerez.”
Jerez Moto3 Testing Times:
Unofficial Moto3 lap times Thursday (recorded by teams)
1, Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’48.4
2, Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team – KALEX KTM) 1’48.7 (51 laps)
3, Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo -KTM Moto3) 1’49.2
4. Miguel Oliveira (Monlau Competición) 1’49.2 (70 laps)
5, Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team – KALEX KTM ) 1’49.8
6. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (AirAsia Sic Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’49.5
7. Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing – KTM Moto3) 1’50.4
Unofficial Moto3 lap times Friday (recorded by teams:
1, Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’47.5
2, Maverick Viñales (Avintia Racing) 1’47
3, Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team – KALEX -KTM) 1’48.1
4, Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM Moto3) 1’48.3
5, M. Oliveira (Monlau Competición) 1’48.9
6, Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX -KTM) 1’49.0
7, Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing – KTM Moto3) 1’49.5
8, Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’50.1
Unofficial Moto3 lap times for Saturday (recorded by teams):
1, Danny Kent (Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’47.1
2, Maverick Viñales (Avintia Racing) 1’47.5
3, Alberto Moncayo (Bankia Aspar Team KALEX-KTM) 1’47.9
4, Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM- Moto3 ) 1’48.0
5, Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar Team – KALEX – KTM) 1’48.4
6, Z.Khairuddin (AirAsia SIC Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’48.4
7, LuÃs Salom (RW Racing GP – KALEX-KTM) 1’48.5
10. Arthur Sissis (Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM Moto3) 1’50.1
13. Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing – KTM Moto3) 1’49.4