After last Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix, Sam Lowes and Tony Arbolino were back on track today to complete an intense day of testing in scorching hot conditions at the Motorland Aragon track in Spain.

• Track temperature reached a high of 47 degrees and air temperature peaked at a physically draining 34 degrees, but Lowes and Arbolino’s commitment to improving their Kalex machinery was evident as they completed nearly 200 laps between them.

/// SAM LOWES

• The British rider had an intense day of work on track, which began with a focus on fine-tuning swingarm and brake settings before he completed a positive full race simulation of 23 laps.
• The extremely hot temperatures also gave Lowes the opportunity to work on his speed and consistency in low grip levels during his 93-laps of the 5.07km track.

“It was a good test, and we can now look forward to Germany”

“Today has been a good day and we managed to work through a lot, despite the fact it was incredibly hot. That was a bonus for me though because that is an area where I need to improve. I did a race simulation this morning and it was good to do that. One of my mechanics took his shirt off when I finished it and waved it as a chequered flag because I’ve not seen one of them for a while! Seriously though, we tried a lot of things today and like always in testing we found things that can benefit us and some things that we can discount and no they are not an option moving forward. Now we can look forward to getting to Germany and battling at the front where I know myself and the team should be.”

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• The main goal of a long but rewarding 99-lap stint for Arbolino was to make strides with improving front feeling and confidence on a low grip surface.
• The Italian worked through a range of set-up options, and he declared himself immensely satisfied with the progress made as he looks to mount a challenge for the podium in round 10 at Germany’s tight and twisty Sachsenring on June 19. 

“It has been a very positive test and we improved the front feeling”

“It has been a positive test because we have been working to improve the front feeling that we have been missing in the last races. The objective was not to worry about the lap times, but I felt comfortable with some of the settings we tried, and I was happy with my pace. We are certainly working in the right direction and thanks to my crew because we completed a massive job doing nearly 100 laps. With this work we have completed I am sure we will be back fighting for the podium again soon.”