The final test of the season got underway for Team San Carlo Honda Gresini at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in southern Spain today.
It was a sunny start to the test with temperatures fluctuating between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius and a track temperature up to 18 degrees on the newly laid asphalt which was given a big thumbs up by all riders.
The test day ended with a fine fifth quickest time for Alex De Angelis and the eighth best time for Toni Elias.
Alex De Angelis (5th fastest - 1:41.468 - 53 laps)
“We have started immediately well and I like the bike a lot compated to the version that we used during the season just finished, both in terms of the engine and chassis. This new bike suits much better my stature, I feel more comfortable and I can therefore exploit the performance better. Today, we have worked well on the set-up of the bike with respect to the new tyre regulations, knowing that it is now more important to adapt the bike to the type of tyre construction. I am sure that we can improve yet further as soon as we find the correct set-up to allow us to exploit the full potential of the entire package: we will need some time to work on this and I hope we can achieve this during tomorrow’s session, even if the weather forecast is for rain.”
Toni Elias (8th fastest – 1:41.679 - 75 laps)
“I completed a lot of laps with my bike today and I have to say that I am really very pleased with the new situation. I am taking things step-by-step; I want to work serenely to avoid making mistakes. We have to work above all on the rear of the bike which still does not allow me to transfer all the horsepower from the Honda RC 212V to the track. We have different set-up solutions to try tomorrow but in any case I can see that gradually we are making steps ahead and for that reason tomorrow will be a valuable day for further improvements.”
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