The 2013 season gets underway on Tuesday at Valencia, with the first of three official preseason tests for the Moto2 and Moto3 classes. The Marc VDS Racing Team’s three riders, Scott Redding, Mika Kallio and new recruit, Livio Loi, are raring to go after a long winter break.

After his most successful season to date in 2012, Redding has been widely tipped as a championship contender this season. The 20-year-old Briton hasn’t, however, allowed the pressure of expectations to affect him and has remained focussed on his winter training schedule, ahead of what he hopes will be a successful preseason test program.

Kallio is also keen to return to the track, having spent the winter break at home in Finland. The 30-year-old Finn will use the official preseason tests to adapt to the extra weight of his Kalex Moto2 machine, which has gained around 10kg as a result of the new for 2013 combined minimum weight limit in the intermediate class.

Loi’s 2012 season ended on a high, with second place in the final CEV round at Valencia. The 15-year-old is certainly looking forward to getting back on his Kalex-KTM Moto3 machine, after a winter spent catching up on schoolwork. Preseason testing will be especially important for Loi, as Grand Prix regulations dictate he can’t race until after his 16th birthday on 27th April, which means he will have to sit out the first two rounds of the championship.

Scott Redding #45:
“I’ve been working hard over the winter, because I feel like I need to be prepared for the first race more than any this season. I was out in Spain for a month doing a lot of training, not just in the gym or on the bicycle, but also on my MX and Supermoto bikes. I also spent some time in Austria doing some core training and working on my mental and physical approach, just so everything is 100% when I get on the bike for the first time next week. My main goal for this season is to be in the battle for the championship, and I need to start the process with two good tests in Valencia and Jerez this month, before returning to Jerez for the final test in March.”

Mika Kallio #36:
“Last year we switched bikes during the winter break, but this year we will continue with the Kalex, which makes things a lot easier. We already have a lot of data and a good base set-up, so we should be able to progress much quicker this time around. I’m happy to continue working with my new chief mechanic, Naoya Kaneko. He has a lot of experience and I hope that, together, we can find that last half second or so that we need. Like myself, he also doesn’t think the additional weight this year is going to make a big difference, but we’ll know for sure on Tuesday, when we finally put the winter break behind us and get the new season underway at Valencia.”

Livio Loi #11:
“I don’t know what my expectations need to be ahead of my world championship debut, but I do know that I’m going to learn a lot this year. The races in Moto3 are longer than the races I did last season in the Rookies Cup and CEV, so I’ve been training hard over the winter and I feel well prepared for the challenge ahead. These preseason tests are going to be important for me, as I will miss the first two rounds of the season, but I hope I can do well. Like always, I’ll go full throttle and we will see.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“Here we go again! The winter break has got shorter every year, to the point where we’re now working flat out from the last race of one season until the first test of the next. But it’s time well spent, as we’re going into this season better prepared than we’ve ever been. Scott is also in better shape than ever and determined to be up there and battling for the championship from the first race. The new combined minimum weight limit will make for a much more level playing field this season, and I’m confident that Scott will be a contender this season as a result. I’m also confident he’s going to be pushed hard by Mika, whose confidence has increased significantly with the arrival of his new chief mechanic, Naoya Kaneko. Livio is making a huge step this season, but he has time to find his feet and we won’t be putting undue pressure on him. I’m sure he’ll rise to this new challenge and the smile that was pretty much a permanent fixture last year will remain.”

2013 Preseason Test Schedule

2013 Moto2/Moto3 Calendar

*Night race
**Saturday race