This Thursday saw the conclusion of the first official tests of the 2018 preseason in Valencia. Miguel Oliveira completed his second day of testing, improving on the times set yesterday despite the low temperatures that have affected the entire week. On the combined timesheet for the two days, the Portuguese achieved the fourth fastest time.
The 3ºC track temperature in the first hour of the morning session made it unviable for the Portuguese rider to go out. The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 rider was able to get on his KTM machines in the second and third sessions, however. Miguel Oliveira set the same laptime in both sessions -1:36.1- after completing a total of 55 laps. He also dedicated time to get comfortable onboard his KTM and starting to try out small setup adjustments.
#44 Miguel Oliveira
"This second day has been positive, as we were able to complete more laps than yesterday. Even so, it was cold. The objective of these tests is not to take risks to look for first position but to do the work we had planned before starting. Today we tried to adapt the bike to the conditions that we encountered and we achieved that. We’ve had two satisfactory days. We hope to be able to get more out of our visit to Jerez than from these days in Valencia."
Next week, from February 12th to 14th, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team will be at the Jerez Circuit in search of better weather conditions and more track time.
Combined Standings Day 1-2-3
1. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 1:35.779
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) 1:35.795 +0.016
3. Simone Corsi (Kalex) 1:35.915 +0.136
4. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:36.146 +0.367
5. Isaac Viñales (Kalex) 1:36.212 +0.433
