Jerez, Spain – 19 February 2015: Preparations for the 2015 season are back on track for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, following a successful three-day test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

With the weather at Jerez far better suited to testing than at Valencia one week ago, the team’s two World Champions, Tito Rabat and Alex Marquez, took maximum advantage of the almost perfect conditions to complete an extensive test program.

A gearbox problem saw Rabat crash heavily at turn five on the opening day, leaving the reigning Moto2 World Champion with severe bruising on his left arm. Undeterred, the 25-year-old Spaniard continued working to improve feedback from the front of his 2015 Kalex Moto2 machine, eventually ending the test with a best time of 1’42.392 and third position on the timesheet. Rabat declared himself satisfied, especially with his speed and consistency over a full race simulation today.

After three days of dismal weather in Valencia, Marquez was able to get his transition from Moto3 to Moto2 back on track at Jerez. The reigning Moto3 World Champion focussed mainly on reducing his braking distance into slower corners and improving turn in with the heavier Moto2 machine. It is an approach that paid off, with the 18-year-old Spaniard improving his lap time by almost three seconds over the course of the three-days, ending the test 16th on the timesheet.

The conclusion of this test marks the start of a month long break for the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Moto2 riders, but they will return to Jerez on 17th March for the third and final preseason test.

Tito Rabat: 3rd – 1’42.392
“The first day we had a problem with back shifting and I had a big crash at turn five as a result, but on the second day we got a lot done with the new bike and found many answers to many questions. Every day we saw an improvement with the bike, especially the turning, and we came to a lot of conclusions about how we move forward so I’m happy with what we achieved here at Jerez. We also saw that a lot of riders are able to run a fast pace, so this year looks like it’s going to be more difficult than last year. But, I will continue in the same way; focussing on my own performance and looking for more improvements.”

Alex Marquez: 16th – 1’43.254
“Here we made a big improvement with my riding style and also with the lap time, but the most important thing is that I have the bike under more control now. I didn’t put together a perfect lap, but I definitely have a better feeling and I'm also more comfortable on the bike, which will be important for the next test. We have more test days before Qatar, so we need to continue working step-by-step, but overall I’m happy with what we’ve achieved here at Jerez this week.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“After the wash out in Valencia the better weather conditions here at Jerez allowed us to get our preseason test plan back on schedule. Tito had a big crash on Tuesday through no fault of his own, but that didn’t stop him being both fast and consistent while working to improve feedback from the front tyre. Alex has made a big step forward with his transition to the Moto2 bike, as the steady improvement in his lap time shows. Overall it’s been a very successful test for the team and we’re now looking forward to an equally successful third and final test here at Jerez next month.”