After a Spanish Grand Prix who will not remain in the memory of the Reale Avintia Racing team, the drivers Loris Baz and Hector Barberá continued their work on a Jerez track open this time to testing. A work which would have borne fruit if we judge by the duo who were in a duel during the Andalusian race for the gain of twelfth position. With the difference that, on the timesheet, the Spaniard's satisfaction seemed more legitimate than that of the Frenchman.
We will indeed recall that, for the Savoyard, the time during Q.1 in Jerez was 1'39.824. That of the tricolor tests was 1. With Hector Barbera, reading is clearer. From 1'39.906, the performance rose to 1'39.460, almost half a second better. The Spaniard also finished eighth this day of testing. By what miracle?
A revelation that seems to have come from a new driving position. The Valencian has in fact worked on this sector by raising his saddle and toe clips by two centimeters. It was mainly a question of putting more weight at the front in order to regain the feeling he had suffered from throughout the Andalusian weekend.
A rise in centimeters on the GP16 while we will remember that Jorge Lorenzo claimed the same thing on his GP17. Either way, the result is there: better lap times: “ I put on a soft tire and recorded the best time of my life on this circuit » rejoiced the one who is far from his performances last year with the GP15. “ These tests were therefore positive and I leave Jerez with a feeling of satisfaction. We finally found the management helping me find my feeling and feel comfortable on the bike ».
« The sensations return and that's the good news. We may not be 100% yet, but we are getting closer and that makes me optimistic. We also evaluated the Michelin front tire which I really like. The main thing however remains my change of riding position, because my times were similar with the two types of tires. »
We will remember that Loris Baz, riding his GP15, was on the contrary not convinced of the new Michelin front tire. See you now from May 19 at Le Mans.
