Rain interrupted action mid-way through the day, and in the final session only Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing), Lukas Tulovic (Kiefer Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) went out – so the combined timings were decided much earlier. In those combined timings, fourth was Remy Gardner (SAG Team) as the Australian ended the day less than a tenth off Marquez, with the top five completed by Friday’s fastest, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP 40). The Italian was close though, just 0.044 off Gardner.
Jorge Navarro (Speed Up Racing) began his Speed Up career in a solid P6 in a tight top ten, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) and Augusto Fernanández (Pons HP40) in seventh and eighth respectively. Tetsuta Nagashima (SAG Team) and Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), changing team, completed the top ten on Day 2.
Then came the first of the rookies: Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), another who impressed despite a crash. Bulega was also the quickest debutant on Friday and ended Day 2 in P11 – more solid form from the Italian as fellow rookies Fabio Di Giannantonio (Speed Up Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) took P16 and P17 respectively. Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was P24, whereas reigning Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) sits on the sidelines injured. His teammate, Brad Binder, was P13 and fastest KTM, with Martin’s replacement Iker Lecuona beginning his stint just behind Bezzecchi.
The fastest MV Agusta on their return to the paddock was Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Forward Racing), who slotted into fourteenth.
Day 2 – MotoE
Testing for the new FIM Enel MotoE World Cup continues in Jerez and on Day 2 it’s premier class podium finisher Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) who topped the timesheets, with the Brit pulling over three tenths clear of second place – and Friday’s fastest – Niki Tuuli (Ajo Motorsport MotoE). The teams and riders once again had three sessions of track time, although the rain put paid to a full day out on track as it came down in the early afternoon.
In third there was a bigger mover on Day 2 as Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) moved up to P3, just over a tenth off Tuuli, with Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) another tenth and a half in arrears in P4. Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) completed the top five, but a little further back.
Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), meanwhile, was sixth fastest but from his time set on Friday, just ahead of Kenny Foray (Tech3 E-Racing). Randy De Puniet (LCR E-Team), who put in the fastest time of the final session but couldn’t improve, was down in eighth on Saturday, ahead of Josh Hook (Alma Pramac Racing) and Niccolò Canepa (LCR E-Team), who complete the top 10.
On Saturday, Jesko Raffin’s (Dynavolt Intact GP) Energica Ego Corsa was ridden by Marvin Fritz as Raffin returns to Valencia for the season final of the FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 European Championship in which he’s already taken the crown.
By MotoGP
