The Marc VDS Racing Team today successfully completed three days of testing at the Jerez circuit in Southern Spain, with Scott Redding finishing at the top of the timesheet once again with a time of 1’42.2s.

Mika Kallio posted a time of 1’42.8s on the final day of testing at Jerez, to finish seventh fastest and just 0.6s adrift of his Marc VDS teammate.

Redding and his crew worked to further refine the set-up on their Kalex Moto2 machine during the opening day of testing, with the work paying dividends on day two, as the 19-year-old British rider bettered by half a second the outright lap record set by Stefan Bradl during qualifying for the 2011 Spanish Grand Prix.

Redding had a minor crash at the right-hand turn five towards the end of the third and final day after losing the front while pushing for another fast lap, but declared himself happy with both his pace and consistency during the three days at Jerez.

Kallio and his crew spent the three days at Jerez working to improve the Finnish rider’s feeling with the Kalex Moto2 machine they’ll campaign this season. Their hard work paid off today, with Kallio posting his best lap of the test during a race simulation run in which every lap was within a few tenths of his fastest time.

The Marc VDS Racing Team will return to Jerez in one month’s time for the third and final official pre-season test.

Scott Redding #45: Best Lap – 1’42.2
“It was difficult to get a feel for the level of grip on day one, and it wasn’t much better on day two and three to be honest. But I was able to get plenty of laps in, 236 in total, and I’m pretty pleased with the fact that I was consistently quick on the last two days. The bike continues to improve and we’re certainly getting a lot more from the tyres than we did last season, so it’s all good. Now we’ve got a break of more than a month before we return to Jerez for the last test. That’s going to drag a bit!”

Mika Kallio #36: Best Lap – 1’42.8
“Everything has gone really well here, and we can be satisfied with the work we’ve done. I have a really good feeling with the bike and we’re at a good level now with the lap times. We’ve tried many things on the bike, altering the balance and changing suspension settings, and we’ve improved a lot. I enjoy riding the Kalex and that’s important too. During today’s race simulation I was able to lap very consistently and I actually set my fastest time of the three days during this long run, which I’m happy about. Overall it’s been another good test.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager
‘Today marks the end of another successful three-day test for the Marc VDS Racing Team, with both riders achieving their aims and Scott once again topping the timesheet. More important than fast lap times is the fact that both riders are able to lap consistently within two or three tenths of their fastest lap, which is something we were missing last season. The tyre situation is also much improved compared to last year, with both riders able to maintain their lap times right to the end of their race simulation runs. It’s early days yet, with the first race still over six weeks away, but we are definitely heading in the right direction.”