The Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto2 riders, Xavi Vierge and Jake Dixon, recently completed their private test sessions in Jerez, Spain earlier this week and things are looking up for the Malaysian outfit in the intermediate class of MotoGP.
Looking to kick things off on a positive note, both riders put in their work ahead of the official Moto2 test which will take place at the same Circuito de Jerez track from 19-21 February 2020 together with other riders in the field. For the private test session, both riders managed to rack in an incredible 282 laps over the two-day period.
The 765cc Triumph-powered Kalex machinery proved to be a steppingstone for both riders in order to achieve a fast and consistent pace. For the most part, both Vierge and Dixon did really well despite Dixon being new to the whole riding setup. Vierge’s fastest time was 1:41.721 while Dixon clocked in a respectable 1:42.174.
As a comparison, the lap record for Jerez was set Jorge Navarro last season with a time of 1:41.182 while the best race lap goes to Lorenzo Baldassarri with a 1:41.539.
According to Johan Stigefelt, Team Director, “It has been a great test; finally, we have been able to work properly with both riders. Xavi and his side of the garage have been working through a lot of things with the bike these past two days and we also had a new front tyre from Dunlop, which was very different. Yesterday was difficult until we found the best way for this tyre to work but we leave the test very pleased. The average times are great, and we also made a positive time attack, which was important.”
“With Jake, it was more about learning the bike and the team. Every outing he improved, and they made steps forward and improved the bike. In the end, Jake was very happy with the bike, but we still need to go further in the direction that we’re working. It was a very positive two days, we leave the test happy and we are looking forward to next week when we’re back here,” added Stigefelt.
The Petronas Sepang Racing Moto2 outfit still has a long way to go in terms of preparations and adaptations before the start of the season. While Jake Dixon might be new to the squad, we’ve learned to trust the decisions made by the team based on how Fabio Quartararo took everyone by surprise in his first season of MotoGP.
Source: Petronas Sepang Racing Team
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