After an intense battle on Sunday in Aragon, a host of Moto2™ riders returned to the track for a one day Official Test. Each team focused on their own agenda, with 20 bikes out on track as the series prepares for the upcoming flyaway rounds.
Championship leader and Sunday’s race winner Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) chose to focus on suspension setup with further Öhlins development following the Official Test at the Red Bull Ring back in August. With teammate Alex Marquez missing the test to recover from his injury picked up in Misano, Morbidelli also tried a smaller diameter disc from Yutaka in a productive day for the Italian. Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team), runner-up on race day, also concentrated on suspension, but only stayed for the opening hour of the test.
Red Bull KTM Ajo were amongst the busiest teams as they continue to develop their machine in it’s debut year in the Moto2™ class. Both Miguel Olivera and Brad Binder were looking to help find the balance between support and grip, with a new linkage setup available to try for the pair as well as a new, narrower calliper from Brembo.
Dynavolt Intact GP were the first team to be given a new Suter chassis to test, first with Marcel Schrotter and then with teammate Sandro Cortese. The hopes are that a new swingarm link will help fix the notoriously aggressive rear end of the Swiss-designed frame. Misano race winner Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) was also present on his Suter, racking up valuable lap time.
Kalex were keen to begin their preparations for next season with the Sky Racing Team VR46 given an array of new parts to try ahead of 2018, including a new swingarm. Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) was another rider to be given the latest swingarm from the German chassis manufacturer.
Championship contender Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) opted to work on his current setup whilst testing the new Dunlop tyre. The tyre was available for all to test and although it is the same compound as previous tyres from the brand, it has a different construction and features a wider, flatter profile.
After signing with the Japanese manufacturer ahead of the Aragon round, American Joe Roberts got his first taste of the NTS chassis that he will compete on next season with the RW Racing team. Roberts’ 2018 teammate Steven Odendaal was also in action on the NTS frame following his wildcard appearance on the bike in Sunday’s race.
2015 Moto3™ World Champion Danny Kent was out on track on the Speed Up Racing machine that he will return to the intermediate class with in 2018.
The Championship heads to Motegi next and the likes of Lüthi will be hoping to use the knowledge gained from the test as he looks to chase down Morbidelli in the standings.