2014 Moto3 Preseason Testing
Red Bull Ajo KTM pilot Jack Miller was the quickest rider when the final Moto3 preseason test of 2014 wrapped up Thursday in Jerez.
The Australian’s best time Thursday was not as quick as his Wednesday time, but he was able to manage a 1:46.326f on the final of the three-day Moto3 test.
The times were tight, however, with the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider only 33 thousandths of a second quicker than the new Honda of Estrella Galicia 0,0’s Alex Marquez, the younger brother of 2013 MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez. The Ajo form was confirmed by Miller’s team-mate Karel Hanika, who rounded out the top three.
Jakub Kornfeil concluded a strong week in fourth for Calvo Team, while Saxoprint-RTG pairing Efren Vazquez and John McPhee both rose up into the top six. However, of those in the top ten – which was finalised by Danny Kent (Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo), Romano Fenati (Sky Racing Team by VR46), Miguel Oliveira (Mahindra Racing) and Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0,0) – all posted their quickest times of the day in either the first or second segments; in the afternoon, the majority decided to concentrate on race simulations and for that reason there were fewer fast laps.
Further down the timesheet, Isaac Viñales ended Day 3 in a slightly lower-key 11th for Calvo Team, while Niccolo Antonelli was 14th for Junior Team GO&FUN Moto3, having performed so well at the earlier pre-season gathering in Valencia. His team-mate Enea Bastianini was 25th, while the 33-rider field was completed by Hafiza Rofa who was standing in at SIC-Ajo for recovering Malaysian compatriot Hafiq Azmi.
Last year’s Moto3 title battle went down to the final corner of the final race in Valencia. All contenders are now looking to start 2014 in the best possible fashion with a race victory in next weekend’s Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.
