Moto2/Moto3 tests in Jerez J.3: Incredible Marquez! Surprising Arbolino!

With weather conditions a bit colder than yesterday but still ideal in the middle of the day, we had a feeling this morning that things were going to happen for this last series of IRTA Moto2 and Moto3 tests in Jerez.

Moto2	Jerez Tests 2018
Official record (Grand Prix) → 2017	1'42.019 Alex Marquez 2017
Absolute record (GP + Tests) → 2017	1'41.989 Alex Marquez 2017
Day 1 Session 1	1'42.662 Francesco Bagnaia
Day 1 Session 2	1'54.409 Hector Barbera
Day 1 Session 3	1'42.330 Francesco Bagnaia
Day 2 Session 1	1'41.848 Alex Marquez (New record)
Day 2 Session 2	1'41.638 Francesco Bagnaia (New record)
Day 2 Session 3	1'41.818 Francesco Bagnaia
Day 3 Session 1	1'41.793 Alex Marquez
Day 3 Session 2	1'41.662 Francesco Bagnaia
Day 3 Session 3	1'40.926 Alex Marquez (New record)

At the end of the first session, Alex Marquez (Kalex, Estrella Galicia at 0,0 Marc VDS) was already in 1'41.793, or 1 tenth of the new record in 1'41.638 now held since yesterday by Francis Bagnaia (Kalex, Sky Racing Team VR46) (see here).

During the second session, with a slightly warmer track, we expected him to be beaten but, in the end and with a time of 1'41.662, the Valentino Rossi driver only missed 3 hundredths of a second. to achieve and improve it.

We thought that things would stay there because the last session always presents a track that is a little colder, therefore trickier and slower.

This was without counting on the duel which has opposed since yesterday Francis Bagnaia et Alex Marquez... (see here)

In the middle of the session, the first first lowered the record by no less than 4 tenths, in 1'41.260, before Marc's brother, a quarter of an hour later, released an incredible 1'40.926, stunning literally the competition! We are talking about an improvement of more than a second in the absolute track record since the start of these tests!

Shortly after, a red flag came to calm the excitement and remind everyone that the track was getting cold. So things left it there, already making our mouths water for the next test which will take place on the same circuit from March 6 to 8...

In the combined classification, the hierarchy is therefore mainly drawn by times from the third day, and is obviously dominated by the driver Marc VDS.

If, during these tests, Alex Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia, Mattia Pasini, Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder, Lorenzo Baldassarri et Luca marini have almost always been at the forefront, and there is little doubt that they will be there in the running for victory in 2018, the question still arises about the times achieved since, an extremely rare fact in the category, only four drivers appear in the same second !

We can reasonably doubt that this will be the case during the coming season...

Stefano Manzi, Simone Corsi, Sam Lowes and Luca Marini fell without seriousness.

Moto3:

Moto3	Jerez Tests 2018
Official record (Grand Prix) → 2017	1'46.004 Jorge Martin 2017
Absolute record (GP + Tests) → 2017	1'46.004 Jorge Martin 2017
Day 1 Session 1	1'46.985 Jorge Martin
Day 1 Session 2	1'51.607 Andrea Migno
Day 1 Session 3	1'46.857 Jorge Martin
Day 2 Session 1	1'46.367 Philipp Öettl
Day 2 Session 2	1'45.630 Enea Bastianini (New record)
Day 2 Session 3	1'46.078 Jorge Martin
Day 3 Session 1	1'45.715 Enea Bastianini
Day 3 Session 2	1'45.498 Tony Arbolino (New record)
Day 3 Session 3	1'46.477 Marco Bezzecchi

In Moto3, where the pattern was more conventional, with a morning session coming close to the new record of Enea Bastianini (Honda, Del Conca Gresini) by the interested party himself, then a middle session presenting the best track temperature and allowing for an unexpected Tony Arbolino (Honda, Marinelli Snipers Team) to register its name on the shelves thanks to 1'45.498. A much more measured improvement than that achieved in Moto2 and in the logic of things.

During the third session which started at 16:45 p.m., the temperature was really too low and only 12 drivers took to the track to check a few details and acclimatize to driving their machine with less grip.

In these more precarious conditions, Marco Bezzecchi (KTM, Prüstel GP), always fast during these three days, achieved a very correct 1'46.477 in the absence of the other tenors of the category that seem to be Enea Bastianini, Tony Arbolino, Dennis Foggia, and of course George Martin.