After the promotion to MotoGP of Álex Márquez and Brad Binder, many young riders see a bright future this year in Moto2. But during the recent tests in Jerez, the third in the 2019 ranking in this category, Tom Lüthi, reminded us that we should not forget this by achieving the best time of the three days against his motivated competitors.
The Swiss rider begins his tenth season in Moto2 this year, a category in which he has always finished in the top six of the Championship, with two final second places in 2016 and 2017. He has won 12 victories in Moto2 and has ridden 53 times in the podium.
On the Kalex of his German team Liqui Moly Intact GP, he occupied fifth position at the end of the first two days, then won third. “But that wasn’t the point., Lüthi then explained. That was not the main objective. »
“Our objective for the last day was again to have a good pace and to optimize the set-up for the race. It was about finding good sensations and testing a few different versions. It was all interesting and at a high level. »
“Right now I can really come out of the pits and do fast laps straight away, no matter what equipment, old tires, new tires, whatever. I'm still in 1'41. It's perfect for us, also for moving the bike forward. »
“I then planned with my team leader Michael Thier, early on Friday morning, to try the soft tires and see if I could get anything out of them. I had problems here for a long time, I couldn't do it with the soft tires, which is what the other drivers do all the time here for three days. They have a lot of soft tires and use them. »
“The objective was therefore not to achieve the best time. I just wanted to improve my time compared to the soft tires. Now I'm really happy because I was able to get a lot out of the soft rear tire. This is the fastest time I have ever achieved in Jerez. »
“I came in and said: “It’s going really fast because I made a little mistake. It wasn't the absolute best ride. It's incredible what time we can achieve on this bike: 1'40.3! » »
“I don't know if we will have this soft rear tire at the Jerez GP in May, I haven't taken care of it yet. But today I prepared myself for the fact that he will suddenly be present in the Grand Prix. If we get a qualifying tire, I want to know if I can get anything out of it. That's what today was about. This is a true qualifying tire. Three laps and then it goes in, obviously. »
“I am happy with the good state of our preparation, I am also proud of the team,” said the 33-year-old Swiss, who has 17 GP victories in total to his name. “I have to say a big thank you to the team. We worked extremely well, which gives me a lot of confidence for the coming season. »
“I am extremely relaxed now and I am happy that we can continue working like this in the Qatar test in a week. The start of the season can arrive! We are definitely ready. »
Photos © Liqui Moly Intact GP
Source: Speedweek. com
