Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship in Valencia, the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team made a rapid return to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit to commence important preparations for next season’s title challenge.

• On a vital test day that saw the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team welcome Filip Salac as Tony Arbolino’s teammate for 2024, the focal point of today’s action was to allow the duo time to assess the performance of tyres from new exclusive supplier Pirelli.
• In warm and sunny conditions, Arbolino and Salac completed over 140 laps of the 4km Ricardo Tormo Circuit before heading off on a well-deserved winter break.

/// TONY ARBOLINO: 7^th, 1:33.383, 79 laps

• Runner-up in the 2023 Moto2 World Championship campaign, Arbolino’s bid to go one better next year got off to a busy but positive start, as the Italian completed nearly 80 laps in three sessions.
• Immediately finding confidence with the new Pirelli rubber, Arbolino ended with a best lap of 1:33.383 to finish just one-hundredth-of-a-second outside of the top six.
• Arbolino’s best lap was nearly a second faster than his qualifying pace during last weekend’s season finale in Valencia, with the 23-year-old excited at the prospect of racing the new Pirelli tyres for the first time in Qatar’s season opener next March.

“The Pirelli tyres suit my riding style”

“Today has been an important test to try and recover a good feeling on the bike because it was a difficult race weekend for us here in Valencia. I have to say we did a great job because I felt confident again on the bike and that was the main objective. The first touch with the Pirelli tyres was very positive and they suit my riding style. You get a lot of feedback, and you feel so comfortable, and I think it is going to be an interesting season next year. I’m happy also to see Filip in the garage because I think we can help each other improve next season. Now I will spend the winter training hard and studying data to understand where we can be even more competitive in 2024.”

/// FILIP SALAC: 17^th, 1:33.723, 62 laps

• Today’s test was very much a familiarisation exercise for the Czech rider, who was getting acquainted to his new crew at Elf Marc VDS Racing while also assessing the new range of Pirelli rubber.
• Salac immediately felt comfortable in his new surroundings and his hard braking style was instantly a positive match with the new Pirelli tyres.
• He was able to make constant progress throughout the day to improve his lap time by 0.6s to finish within touching distance of the top 10.

“I’ve enjoyed this first experience in the box and immediately I have a positive feeling”

“It has been an amazing day for me today and I want to thank the Team for giving me such a warm welcome. I’ve enjoyed this first experience in the box and immediately I have a positive feeling. The communication is already very good with my crew, and we have been able to get positive sensations from the new Pirelli tyres. I have to say my feeling with Pirelli is amazing and we also tried some set-up changes on the bike that all helped us make steps forward. The difference between Pirelli and what we have used previously in Moto2 was bigger than I expected. The front tyre I think is going to be really good for my riding style and we haven’t come anywhere near to finding the limit of their potential and I’m already quite fast. It feels like it will be slightly more difficult to manage the tyres in the race, but I think this is a great step for Moto2. Now I’m hoping that the next three months go really quick because I can’t wait to be back on the bike again.”