Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS conclude successful Misano test

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS conclude successful Misano test

Misano, Italy – 14 September 2015: Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders, Tito Rabat and Álex Márquez today completed a successful Moto2 development test at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Rabat, who secured his eighth podium finish of the season with second place in yesterday’s Moto2 race, focussed on evaluating upgrades to both front and rear suspension on his Kalex Moto2 machine.

The reigning World Champion’s test was cut short by the onset of rain ahead of the final track session, but he declared himself satisfied with the progress made and with the improvements the upgrades brought.

For Márquez the focus today was on testing for Kalex, with the reigning Moto3 World Champion identifying a number of positives from an upgraded chassis, which was undergoing its first track test today.

The data collected will be fed back into Kalex’s on-going development program, as they work towards producing the 2016 version of what has been the dominant chassis in the Moto2 class in recent years.

Rabat and Márquez will return to action next week at the Grand Prix of Aragon, which gets underway with free practice for all three classes on Friday 25th September.

Tito Rabat: 37 Laps
“We had a lot to test today but, unfortunately, we had a little bit too much wind this morning and then we lost the last session to rain. Even so, we were able to try some different things with both the front and rear suspension, from which we learnt a lot. The rain meant we weren’t able to do the tyre testing we had planned, but the most important work was done. Now I am focussed on the next race at Aragon, which is just over a week away.”

Álex Márquez: 51 Laps
“The work we’ve done today is for next season rather than this one. We did a comparison between our existing chassis and a new one that Kalex brought to this test, in order to identify a clear direction for their development program ahead of the 2016 season. There are some positive points with the new chassis, but also some negative points, so it is good for me to have some input to the development. Next year we need to make another step and the work we’ve done here today is an important part of that process. Overall, a good test, despite the rain at the end.”

Naoya Kaneko: Chief Mechanic, Álex Márquez
“The main aim today was to evaluate the new chassis and compare it to the one that we are racing this season. We were able to draw some very clear conclusions from the comparison test, which will now pass on to Kalex so that our data and feedback can be incorporated into their development process, which we are confident will result in us receiving an even more competitive package for the 2016 season.”