De Angelis and Elías: Team-mates in MotoGP, rivals in Moto2

The first official tests of the new intermediate category delivered great equality in times and performance, with a number of riders showing that their preparations for the World Championship are going well. The most recent at Jerez, which was marked by adverse weather conditions, showed that there are already two riders who have put their names forward as potential candidates for the first ever Moto2 title.

San Marinese rider Alex de Angelis and Spaniard Toni Elías shared the focus at Jerez, just days after showing their respective strengths at the previous Valencia test. The pair’s rivalry goes back to the middle of last year, when they were in direct competition for results as team-mates at the San Carlo Honda Gresini team in MotoGP. It is a contest that is set to reignite this season as they both compete for the Moto2 title, and a potential return to the premier class.

The equality of the engines and the absence of traction control in the prototypes of the new intermediate category will highlight the talent and skill of the riders, assets which both Elías and De Angelis have already displayed in the two official tests. The duo will not be alone in their intentions of a return to the premier class as Yuki Takahashi, Niccolò Canepa and Gabor Talmacsi will share the same goals in 2010, thus making it an even more exciting World Championship.

De Angelis finished the Valencia test as the sixth fastest rider (half a second off leader Julián Simón) and fourth at Jerez (seven-tenths of a second behind Elías), displaying a comfort when riding in the sessions affected by wet conditions at the Andalucian circuit. “Being a completely new team, we wanted to ride mainly in the dry,” De Angelis told motogp.com. “But we have been very strong in the wet and within two hours of riding in the dry we’ve also been noticed. We are positive, but we also hope to complete some more kilometres. I’m still not feeling the best position on the bike, so the chassis technicians will work before the next test.”

For Elías the results were clearer, but third fastest at Valencia and the best time at Jerez have not softened his cautious approach. “We are not prepared and the bike is not as I want it to be, but we are on the right track in the dry and wet,” he said. “We wait for the next test, and I am convinced that the Championship will be a great competition between the riders who have come from MotoGP, the young talents from 250cc such as Pasini and De Rosa, and the 125cc World Champions such as Di Meglio and Simón.”

The race for the title has already begun and the season will get underway on April 11th in Qatar. Before that, fans can follow the final developments of the Moto2 prototypes at the Jerez circuit, where the final pre-season test is scheduled to take place from March 27-29.