It’s that time of year again – when the engines finally fire up after off season. The premier class may have beaten them to it at Sepang, but Moto2™ and Moto3™ are now set for their first Official Test of the year, and Valencia is the venue.
From the 6th to 8th February, the Circuit Ricardo Tormo will play host, with the track open from 09:30 to 17:30 every day. The majority of both the Moto2™ and Moto3™ fields will be on track, and with both reigning Champions having graduated to the next category, there’s everything to play for.
KTM ended the 2017 season on top in Moto2™ with three wins in a row, and this is our first chance to see the Austrian factory alongside the competition for this season. Red Bull KTM Ajo lead that charge with Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder, settling in as NTS RW Racing GP debut their new chassis. Forward Racing, with Stefano Manzi and Eric Granado, will be testing with their Suters – and Speed Up will be there with Fabio Quartararo and the returning Danny Kent. Kalex, meanwhile, remain the benchmark in 2018; their chassis having won the crown for a good number of seasons. A lot of eyes will be on some names, including rookies Hector Barbera (Pons HP 40), Joe Roberts (NTS RW Racing GP), Bo Bendsneyder (Tech 3 Racing) and Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers).
Moto3™, meanwhile, has its own high-profile rookies – including reigning Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion Kazuki Masaki, who joins RBA BOE Skull Rider. Alonso Lopez debuts at EG 0,0 as he moves up from the FIM CEV Repsol, and Makar Yurchenko makes his debut on the world stage. Darryn Binder will also be a focus point at Red Bull KTM Ajo, although not a rookie, as the South African rider spearheads KTM’s lightweight class campaign.
Keep up to date with action at Valencia on motogp.com from 6th to 8th February!