GONZALEZ TOPS THE OVERALL TIMESHEETS IN PORTIMAO
Two days of testing conditioned by adverse weather at the Autodromo International do Algarve, where the rain and wind gave no break to the Team QJMOTOR GRESINI Moto2, that was for the first time back on track after the winter break.
We find Manuel Gonzalez immediately fast, first overall with a crono set in 1:42:797secs, made on the first day of test, with slick tires despite the still patchy track.
In eleventh position his teammate Albert Arenas, who took advantage of this test to find the perfect position on his bike and to look out for the ideal setting suitable for the new tyres.
The weather conditions on the second day were not optimal for the work that the team had planned to carry out: the QJMOTOR GRESNI Moto2 will therefore move directly to Jerez, to tackle another three days of test, the last ones before the start of the season.
1° – MANUEL GONZALEZ #18
(Day1 best lap 1’42.797 – 39 laps)
“A quite strange test, we only managed to do 39 laps on the first day due to track conditions, very wet in the morning, better in the afternoon. With the bike I immediately found the same good feeling I had at the Valencia test and with the new tyres I managed to be fast from the very first lap. We made some small changes on the bike which allowed us to improve our performance, set a fast lap and have a good pace. We were hoping for better weather today that would allow us to continue the work, but the rain did not abandon us. We’ll try again in Jerez in a few days, but all in all we’re happy with this first day on track!”
11° – ALBERT ARENAS #75
(Day1 best lap 1’44.178 – 46 laps)
“This day of testing was more like a shake-down, we didn’t have much time on track but we still managed to do 46 laps, some in the wet, others in dry conditions: positive and useful to find the rhythm and get motivated ahead of Jerez. We’ve figured out which direction to take, I can’t wait to get back on track in a few days! It was nice to see the team again after the winter break, we are ready to start 2024 in the best possible way!”