After a high-calibre showdown on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring, Moto2™ were back out on track on Monday for a one day Official Test. Each garage concentrated on their own specifics, with the majority of the grid taking part in the test day and lots of activity out on track.
Championship leader Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) had two bikes in the garage to run back-to-back Öhlins comparisons, with teammate Alex Marquez also working on the suspension, as well as setup. Their key rivals Italtrans Racing Team worked on geometry and settings, as did Isaac Viñales (BE-A-VIP SAG Team). Teluru SAG Team rider Tetsuta Nagashima was more concentrating on ergonomics, as the Japanese rider settles into racing the 2017 Kalex chassis – which he has now had since Brno, meaning every Kalex rider is now on the new chassis.
At Tech 3 Racing, the team were testing out new Kayaba forks, Nissin calipers and a new exhaust – with Xavi Vierge starting with most of the novelties as teammate Remy Gardner concentrated on suspension and improving chatter he’d suffered during the race. Forward Racing Team saw Lorenzo Baldassarri sit out the test after his crash during the race weekend, with CEV rider Lukas Tulovic on track in his place. Luca Marini tested a rear thumb brake, looking to adapt the bike to his height as best possible.
Concentrating on the corners, Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was adjusting the steering angle to improve corner entry, with rival Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) also looking to improve turning. The Malaysian used a combination of changes to try and improve, including the swingarm and the stiffness of the chassis. Red Bull KTM Ajo also looked for better turning, but also stability when braking - with a new triple clamp one of the items tested for the squad.
Championship challenger Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) was one rider out on track testing a new Dunlop rear tyre, with a different compound, as well as key rival Morbidelli. Swiss veteran Lüthi will be one big name hoping to have made the most of the test day before the Championship gets back in gear at Silverstone – with Morbidelli gaining some ground in Austria out front, and the race on to get it back.