RODRIGO ON THE PACE AS ROSSI IMPROVES
The fine-tuning part of the 2019 Moto3 preseason continues for Team Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 as their riders completed today a two-day test at Jerez de la Frontera.
Both Gabriel Rodrigo and Riccardo Rossi have turned their attention on the chassis side of the bike by riding with race set-up and used tyres, with the goal of improving the feeling with the Honda NSF250RW machines #19 and #54.
Argentina’s Rodrigo was able to log a very interesting 1’47.2secs lap time, which placed him among the fastest riders of day one – despite some lap-times of the competition being unavailable due to the lack of transponders on their bikes. Rossi also improved as he finished one seconds away from his team mate, while showing good signs of progress from the previous test at Valencia.
Day-two action got underway around midday, with Rodrigo and Rossi not very active on track due to the strong afternoon wind.
The spotlight will now move to Faenza for the official presentation of Team Kömmerling Gresini Moto3, which can be watched live on Facebook (@GresiniRacing) on Thursday 14 February from 11:30; Jerez and Losail will then host the last two tests of the season before the season opener in Qatar.
GABRIEL RODRIGO #19
“It’s been another quite positive test. We confirmed the good feeling we had in Valencia; we worked a lot with engine brake mapping and improved a lot with regards to bike turning. Unfortunately, today’s wind didn’t allow us to stay on track as long as we would have liked. We focused mainly on our pace with used tyres, so we hope to continue doing well in next week’s IRTA test.”
RICCARDO ROSSI #54
“I’m satisfied because I felt a lot better on the bike this time compared to Valencia. I worked a lot on myself and especially on a riding style that would suit better this Honda machine; I must say I’m leaving Jerez with a sweeter taste in my mouth compared to last week, as I felt I could have done more back then. We have tried to improve braking and corner entry, as I still hit the brakes later than I should.”
