Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Alex Marquez and Xavi Vierge kicked off preparations for the 2019 Moto2 World Championship in impressive fashion during a positive test on the new Triumph 765cc engine in Jerez

Alex Marquez and new Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Xavi Vierge were immediately able to demonstrate their strong potential in the new look Moto2 World Championship at the end of a rain-hit three-day test session in Jerez.

Wet and damp conditions on each day didn’t prevent Marquez and Vierge from instantly finding a comfortable and confident feeling with the new Triumph three-cylinder engine and revised Kalex chassis they will race in 2019.

When the 4.4km track was dry, Marquez and Vierge posted consistently fast times that put the Spanish duo inside the top 10 on the final timesheets, as they worked on finding a base setting and adapting their riding style to take profit of the extra power and torque from the Triumph engine.

A 1’41.901 on the second day placed Alex Marquez in a morale-boosting third on the combined standings and he was only 0.3s away from the fastest time at the end of the test.

Xavi Vierge’s eye-catching Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS debut ended with him setting the 10th quickest time, with the top 13 riders all covered by less than one second. Vierge’s best time of 1’42.305 was just over a tenth-of-a-second away from the top six

The test was productive behind-the-scenes too, with Marquez forging a quick understanding with new Crew Chief David Garcia, while the Jerez session also gave new Team Manager Joan Olivé and Technical Director Naoya Kaneko the opportunity to utilise their experience and knowledge in their new roles for the first time.

Alex Marquez: 3rd, 1:41.901, +0.377

“This has been a very successful first test with the new Triumph engine”

“This morning the track was wet and we expected that, so it gave us a good chance to work on the set-up of the Triumph engine in those conditions because it is quite a lot different to the previous engine we have been using in Moto2. It was important to give some information back to the team about how the new bikes feels and performs in the wet and mixed conditions and I am happy with the work we did. The lap time was not so fast in the mixed conditions but I am here to learn and not take any risks. We showed on the second day that the speed is there in the dry and in full wet I was also competitive, so I think in general this has been a very successful test. I have also got a very good feeling straightaway with the new team and that was important. It is only one test but I am already excited about the new era in Moto2 and what I can achieve with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS.

Xavi Vierge: 10th, 1:42.305, +0.781

“It is an amazing feeling and a pleasure to be part of this team”

“Today’s rain gave us the perfect opportunity to ride the new Triumph engine in the wet so we could work on the settings and understand how the bike performs in these conditions. Now we go into the winter break with a feeling for how this new bike feels in both wet and dry conditions and I am very happy to have done that. My rhythm in the wet and dry was strong and this gives me a lot of early confidence that we have already found a good way with the new bike. I have instantly had a great feeling working with Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS over these three days. Everybody has welcomed me and given me an amazing feeling to be part of this team. It is a pleasure for me to be involved and we have all adapted to this new project very well. Now it is time to go home and rest a bit but already I am thinking about being back on the bike in 2019 and working hard to be as competitive as possible for the first race in Qatar.”