After winning the last three Grands Prix of last season, the Portuguese was the big favorite for the 2018 title, in particular thanks to the colossal support of KTM, an industrial giant facing talented but modest craftsmen like Kalex, Tech 3, Speed Up, NTS and Suter.
During the recent Jerez tests, the main opponents also had KTMs, with Sam Lowes et Iker Lecuona imposing their two KTMs from the Swiss Innovative Investors team in front of the official machine of Brad Binder. Francis Bagnaia took the Kalex squadron into fourth position, with Oliveira only eighth, but 0.5 behind.
During the tests in mid-February, on the same Andalusian circuit but with different weather circumstances, the Kalex had dominated with Alex Marquez who preceded Pecco bagnaia. Binder was third and Oliveira sixth.
The second series of tests gave Miguel morale, despite once again unfavorable weather conditions: “ The weather was bad and on the first day I was happy to be able to ride a few kilometers,” said Oliveira.
“It wasn't a completely wasted day, because the weather forecast was actually much worse than it actually was. We were able to do a few laps and pick up where we left off in the previous test. »
“In the following days the weather did not improve, but we were still able to try new parts or check the effectiveness of the tires on the wet track.
“I'm confident for the season opener, because the bike is working perfectly. I am mentally and physically well prepared for the season opener.
“There will certainly be a tough battle for the Moto2 title this year, which is sure to involve many riders. I hope I can also have my say and be able to get on the podium from the start. Many of my competitors are competitive and we must not underestimate the rookies, who are also very fast. »
Confused ranking of the last 3-day test:
1. Sam Lowes (KTM) 1:41.823 min
2. Iker Lecuona (KTM) +0.137 sec
3. Brad Binder (KTM) +0.188
4. Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex) +0.188
5. Xavi Virgo (Kalex) +0.304
6. Alex Marquez (Kalex) +0.338
7. Romano Fenati (Kalex) +0.545
8. Miguel Oliveira (KTM) +0.572
9. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) +0.579
10. Luca Marini (Kalex) +0,649
11. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) +0,675
12 Jorge Navarro (Kalex) +0,698
13 Bo Bendsneyder (Tech3) +0,705
14 Danny Kent (Speed Up) +0,766
15 Marcel Schrötter (Kalex) +0,816
16. Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) +0.831
17. Joe Roberts (NTS) +0.880
18. Remy Gardner (Tech3) +0.919
19. Simone Corsi (Kalex) +0.957
20 Steven Odendaal (NTS) +0.987
21. Hector Barbera (Kalex) +1.175
22. Tetsuta Nagashima (Kalex) +1.207
23. Andrea Locatelli (Kalex) +1.322
24. Dominique Aegerter (KTM) +1.410
25. Eric Granado (Suter) +1.489
26. Khairul Idham Pawi (Kalex) +1.605
27. Stefano Manzi (Suter) +1.902
28. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Kalex) +2.653
29. Jules Danilo (Kalex) +2.798
30. Federico Fuligni (Kalex) +3.300
Photo credits: Gold and Goose for KTM, and A. Rivero for Circuito de Jerez
Source: speedweek
