For once, honor the last!
Indeed if, usually and logically, we are most often interested in the fastest riders, these first Moto2 tests of the 2018 season in Valencia allowed us to see what a rider taking his very first steps in the sport could accomplish. intermediate category of the Grands Prix.
With a best result of 2nd place at the 3 Malaysian Moto2012 Grand Prix, Zulfahmi Khairuddin was oriented during 2 years in Supersport following his departure from the GP world at the end of 2015. He was then offered at short notice last week the place of a Hafizh Syahrin left for MotoGP to replace Jonas Folger at Tech3.
The Malaysian rider had therefore, before going to Valencia, undergone absolutely no Moto2 training. A completely unforeseen situation that the 26-year-old representative of the SIC Racing Team also had to face with difficult weather conditions...
Johan Stigefelt, Team manager: “This test was the first opportunity to ride a Moto2 for “Fahmi”. A week ago, he didn't know he would be there. So it's very stressful for him to have a new bike and a new team around him. The conditions didn't help either, but we still did the first shakedown and a very good adjustment of the bike. He's happy with his position on the bike, so it's a good start. We have a lot of work to do, he has to attack hard, and we have to adapt to his style. "It's certain that it will be good in Malaysia, because we have three days of testing and that will make his adaptation to Moto2 a lot easier."
Zulfahmi Khairuddin : “The first day it was raining, and the second day we only did a few laps to check the bike and get a feel for it. For me, my first impression was that this Moto2 is very light and has very good engine power. The hardest part for me is getting used to the tires; We are now working on engine braking to make me more comfortable braking harder and entering corners with a good feel. To be honest, I think this bike has a lot of potential and I can go very fast; I just need more time and laps to get into rhythm. I have a very strong team behind me, with Fausto and all the guys, so I am really confident that with the support of Kalex and Öhlins we have a very good package. Of course, I don't need to rush to go fast, but I still have to show my potential because the Moto2 category is very competitive, so I have to be fast and enjoy the bike.
It's fantastic to go to Sepang next week because the weather there is much better than in Europe at the moment. I think we will be able to do a lot more and really focus on fine-tuning our bike and gaining speed. »
Zulfahmi Khairuddin finished this first series of tests 2,8 seconds behind Mattia Pasini. Although we will probably not be able to follow his progress during the next tests in Malaysia due to private testing, it will be interesting to observe his level during the IRTA tests in Jerez, from March 6 to 8.
Combined ranking of the 3 days of Valencia testing:
1. Mattia Pasini (Kalex) 1'35.799
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) +0.016
3. Simone Corsi (Kalex) +0.136
4. Miguel Oliveira (KTM) +0.367
5. Isaac Vinales (Kalex) +0.443
6. Héctor Barbera (Kalex) +0.470
7. Marcel Schrötter (Kalex) +0.604
8. Xavi Virgo (Kalex) +0.638
9. Romano Fenati (Kalex) +0.918
10. Brad Binder (KTM) +0.950
11. Fabio Quartararo (Speed Up) +1.022
12. Bo Bendsneyder (Tech3) +1.064
13. Joe Roberts (NTS) +1.100
14. Jorge Navarro (Kalex) +1.198
15. Remy Gardner (Tech3) +1.254
16. Steven Odendaal (NTS) +1.286
17. Tetsuta Nagashima (Kalex) +1,508
18th Danny Kent (Speed Up) +1,528
19. Stefano Manzi (Suter) +1,529
20. Andrea Locatelli (Kalex) +1,620
21. Eric Granado (Suter) +1,635
22. Khairul Idham Pawi (Kalex) +1,649
23. Dominique Aegerter (KTM) +1,666
24. Federico Fuligni (Kalex) +2.147
25. Jules Danilo (Kalex) +2.469
26. Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Kalex) +2.814
