Redding ready to race at Qatar season opener

Redding ready to race at Qatar season opener

Gosselies, Belgium – 23 March 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS are ready to face their biggest challenge to date, as they head to Qatar for the opening round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship.

The team’s assault on the premier class will be spearheaded by Scott Redding, who will contest the championship aboard one of only four factory Honda RC213V machines on the MotoGP grid. 

The 22-year-old Briton heads to Qatar in a confident mood, having made a significant step forward during the final MotoGP preseason test of 2015, which also took place at the Losail International Circuit, the venue for this weekend’s opening race.

It is a significant new challenge for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, the reigning Moto2 World Champions and the only Belgian team in the premier MotoGP class, but it is one that they are looking forward to with some enthusiasm.

The opening round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship gets underway at the Losail International Circuit on the outskirts of Doha with a single free practice session for the premier class on Thursday 26 March.

Scott Redding:
“In an ideal world we’d have got the last day of testing in Qatar done, rather than sitting in the box watching the rain, but it was the same for everyone. I was on a good level at the test and we had some changes to make on the final day that we knew would bring improvements but, unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to test them because of the weather. I’m feeling positive going into the Qatar race. I’m still learning with the Honda RC213V, so I’m only going to get faster and, when you look at how close the lap times were during the final test, I think a finish inside the top six or seven is a realistic goal for me this weekend.”

Michael Bartholemy:
“The Qatar MotoGP race will mark a new chapter for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, and we’re not underestimating the scale of the challenge that lies ahead of us. In five short years we’ve gone from underdog to Moto2 World Champions, but racing against the best in the world in the premier class is a step up to another level. Both Scott and the team have worked hard to familiarise themselves with the factory Honda RC213V we’ll campaign this season and, while there always remains room for improvement, I’m confident that we are ready to race this weekend. We head to Qatar with no real expectations for our first MotoGP race, but I’d be reasonably satisfied if we finish inside the top eight on Sunday.”

 
2015 Grand Prix of Qatar – Schedule
       
Thursday 26th March
18.00 – 18.40 40 Mins Moto3 Free Practice 1
18.55 – 19.40 45 Mins Moto2 Free Practice 1
19.55 – 20.40 45 Mins MotoGP Free Practice 1
20.55 – 21.35 40 Mins Moto3 Free Practice 2
21.50 – 22.35 45 Mins Moto2 Free Practice 2
       
Friday 27th March
18.00 – 18.45 45 Mins MotoGP Free Practice 2
19.00 – 19.40 40 Mins Moto3 Free Practice 3
19.55 – 20.40 45 Mins Moto2 Free Practice 3
20.55 – 21.40 45 Mins MotoGP Free Practice 3
       
Saturday 28th March
18.00 – 18.40 40 Mins Moto3 Qualifying
18.55 – 19.40 45 Mins Moto2 Qualifying
19.55 – 20.50 30 Mins MotoGP Free Practice 4
20.35 – 20.50 15 Mins MotoGP Qualifying 1
21.00 – 21.15 15 Mins MotoGP Qualifying 2
       
Sunday 29th March
15.50 – 16.10 20 Mins Moto3 Warm Up
16.25 – 16.45 20 Mins Moto2 Warm Up
17.00 – 17.20 20 Mins MotoGP Warm Up
18.00 18 Laps Moto3 Race
19.20 20 Laps Moto2 Race
21.00 22 Laps MotoGP Race