Month: March 2017

The Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team concluded their preseason testing this Sunday in Qatar, with weather conditions once again affecting the action on track. This time it was the strong wind and the rain at the Losail International Circuit that prevented Miguel Oliveira from going out in the last session of the evening, and he concluded the final night's work in 2nd. In the combined classification for the two nights, the Portuguese finished 5th with good feelings on the bike and with important kilometres under his belt ahead of the season opener next week.

Oliveira ended the test among the Top 5 overall, in addition to taking a step forward with the setup of his KTM Moto2 bike. The Portuguese, who today completed a total of 30 laps, clocked a best time of 2:01.255 which allowed him to lead the first session on Sunday. He sat out the last session of the day, which was suspended due to the strong wind and rain at the Losail International Circuit.

The Moto2 World Championship season gets underway at the Qatari track on Thursday, March 23rd, as the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 project start two free practice sessions at 18:55 and 21:50 local time.

Results – Combined Standings Day 3

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 2:00.971

2. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:01.255 +0.284

3. Thomas Luthi (Kalex) 2:01.304 +0.333

4. Xavier Simeon (Kalex) 2:01.544 +0.573

5. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) 2:01.618 +0.647

Results – Combined Standings Days 2-3

1. Takaaki Nakagami (Kalex) 2:00.187

2. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 2:00.240 +0.053

3. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 2:00.427 +0.240

4. Hafiz Syahrin (Kalex) 2:00.771 +0.584

5. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2:00.861 +0.674

#44 Miguel Oliveira: "These nights of testing have been very positive. Above all, we have changed some things on the bike from yesterday to today that have given me a lot of confidence to progress. The times do not show that the conditions were not the best, nor do they show the work we have done, but I'm happy with how the evening went. Hopefully next week the weather will be more stable than during these three nights. From the times in testing it is a bit difficult to say who will be up at the front next weekend at the race, but we are on the right track to be one of the outstanding riders."

Aki Ajo – Team Manager: "We've had two very important days for continuing to develop the new KTM Moto2 bike. Unfortunately, the first day was canceled due to the rain and today we also had to stop a bit earlier. However, in any case we have put in some very good laps with the bike, which have been key to understanding how the bike works here in Qatar."

The first official test of the 2017 preseason concluded this Friday at Jerez. Over the course of three days, Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Miguel Oliveira was able to try all kinds of setups for his new KTM Moto2 bike. On the third day, Oliveira was just 17 thousandths of a second off his best time of the week – a lap that allowed him to finish third on the final timesheets.

Just as happened on Thursday, it was in the first session that most riders set their best times. Oliveira’s 1:42.333 lap put him back amongst the Top 3, and he decided not to go out in the final session. With all the work planned for this week completed satisfactorily, and following 6 days of testing at Jerez in the last two weeks, the Red Bull KTM Ajo team will travel to a different circuit on Wednesday. Testing in Qatar will be the second and final official test of the 2017 preseason.

Results – Combined Standings Days 1-2-3

1. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:41.989

2. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 1:42.103 +0.114

3. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.316 +0.327

4. Dominique Aegerter (Kalex) 1:42.336 +0.347

5. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) 1:42.376 +0.387

Aki Ajo – Team Manager: "This was the first official test for the new KTM Moto2 project with the whole grid on track. It has been very interesting, but at the moment we are not too concerned with comparing ourselves with others because we have just started this project and we have a lot to work on. We have to focus on ourselves and not on others. I am very happy with how everything is going and how we are taking important steps forward every day."

#44 Miguel Oliveira: "I felt very good on the bike today. After what we had done on the first few days of testing, I wanted to repeat or even improve my lap time. Although we ended up only very close to that, the day ended up being very positive. This can serve as a first impression of how the season will be, with all the riders on track. Now we will go to Qatar with clear ideas, to take on a new circuit where we will have to adapt and solve the problems that we will find as fast as possible in order to be up at the front."

Testing at Jerez continued apace for Red Bull KTM Ajo on Thursday, as they worked with the opening race of the season in mind. The 2017 campaign kicks off in two weeks' time, and the new Moto2 project has been performing positively to date. High track temperatures featured prominently on day two, preventing the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders in the intermediate class from reducing their times from yesterday. Miguel Oliveira set the 14th on Thursday.

As planned, Oliveira started out with the first race simulation for the KTM Moto2 machine. His run of 23 consecutive laps were done at a strong pace that provided much satisfaction for the team. Binder used the first session to set his best lap of the day, putting in a time of 1:43.489. It was when the temperature began to fall in the final minutes that Oliveira would complete his top time: 1:43.229.

The third and final day of the test at the Jerez Circuit takes place tomorrow.

Results – Combined Standings Day 2

1. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 1:42.301

2. Alex Marquez (Kalex) 1:42.546 +0.245

3. Taakaki Nakagami (Kalex) 1:42.729 +0.428

4. Fabio Quartararo (Kalex) 1:42.844 +0.543

5. Luca Marini (Kalex) 1:42.843 +0.552

14. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.229 +0.928

#44 Miguel Oliveira: "We are very happy with the work we have done today. At the end of the first session we saw that the conditions were very close to what we might find in the race, so we took advantage of this to put in many laps, with a very good pace. We have tried small things that went well, but we have not yet found a big change to give us a spectacular improvement. Tomorrow I expect we'll look for a fast time, and we'll see what the day brings. Everything will depend on the conditions, since the track temperature has a big influence. We have to push and see what can help us before we head to Qatar."

On Tuesday at the Jerez Circuit, the new KTM Moto2 used by the Red Bull KTM Ajo team were run alongside the rest of the grid and with official IRTA timing. On the first of six official days of the 2017 preseason, Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder took great results at the same circuit where they rode last week in a private test. The Portuguese sprung a surprise by going fastest on day one, while the South African -still in the process of recovering from surgery to his left arm- achieved a meritorious eleventh place.

The Moto2 riders completed three sessions of 1 hour and 10 minutes in duration. Oliveira was among the fastest right from the opening run, although it was in the second session that he set a magnificent time of 1:42.316 to climb to the top of the standings. His day ended prematurely after a light crash -with no serious consequences- at Turn 8 at the start of the last session.

Although recovering from injury, Brad Binder put in 67 laps to aid his adaptation to the new class. The South African also set his best time in the second session. A 1:43.367 lap placed him seventh in the standings for the session.

After a positive first day, the team and KTM are beginning to reap the rewards of their hard work over the winter. Testing at the Jerez Circuit will continue tomorrow through to Friday.

Results – Combined Standings Day 1

1. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:42.316

2. Taakaki Nakagami (Kalex) 1:42.503 +0.187

3. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 1:42.842 +0.526

4. Luca Marini (Kalex) 1:43.040 +0.724

5. Franco Morbidelli (Kalex) 1:43.045 +0.729

11. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 1:43.367 +1.051

#44 Miguel Oliveira: "It was a very positive first day. We were able to improve our times compared to the test last week. It’s a pity that in the afternoon, during the last session, the conditions became somewhat more difficult. Everything is going well; we have to continue consolidating the confidence that I have with the KTM and the setup we have found. We are testing small details without making big changes. It’s the most appropriate approach, given that later we have new tracks to face and we will have to adapt to different circumstances. I didn’t expect to be so high up on the timesheets, but we worked very hard with the team to set that lap. It's great that after this effort things have gone so well, but we have to keep our feet on the ground because this is just testing -what matters is what happens when the season starts. Tomorrow we will try to keep improving, lower the time and even try to do some race simulations during the day."

Miguel Oliveira was back on track this week at the Jerez Circuit, enjoying three positive days of testing and debuting the new livery of the 2017 bike. Pleasant weather conditions allowed the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider to continue developing the setups for the new bike. The Portuguese was able to ride at a good pace over the course of his 209 laps, and was once again among the fastest in testing (despite there being no official timing). Oliveira has preferred to continue performing short runs to try out further setup configurations.

Oliveira  will have more track time at Jerez in the first official preseason tests on March 8th, 9th and 10th, along with the rest of the Moto2 grid and all of the Moto3 riders.

Aki Ajo – Team Manager: “The most important thing here at Jerez with the Moto2 team has been seeing Brad [Binder] back on the back on the bike, and seeing that he is able to ride even when he still isn’t at 100%. He’s put in a lot of kilometres and a lot of laps with the Moto2 bike. Miguel [Oliveira] continues to work in a very professional way, and this is very important for the new bike. He has experience in Moto2, which is a boost for developing this new bike. In addition, he has a style with a very steady pace that is very important for improving the bike.”

#44 Miguel Oliveira: “This test has been very positive. From the first day we found a very good setup, which means that we are working in the right way. During these three days we have tried many things and this has helped us. We decided to continue with short runs in order to try as many things as possible. The weather in Jerez has been quite good and allowed us to complete many laps. Today it was very hot and that wasn’t helpful, and there was also a lot more rubber laid down than on the first day and it was a bit slippery, but we were able to work well. We’ve taken another step forward, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we are next week, with all the other bikes on track.”