M2: Marc VDS Jerez test summary

Scott Redding ended two days of testing at the Jerez circuit by smashing the outright lap record, set during qualifying for the 2010 Moto2 race by the late Shoya Tomizawa, by more than half a second. Mika Kallio also ended the test on a high, closing to within 0.3s of his teammate and matching his race simulation times.

After the dismal conditions experienced less than one week ago in Estoril, the Marc VDS Racing Team were greeted with ideal conditions when they arrived at the Jerez circuit in Andalucia for a hastily arranged additional two-day test.

Redding was quick to settle into a good rhythm on the opening day, regularly swapping places at the top of the timesheet with former 125cc World Champion, and one of the Briton's main rivals in this year's championship battle, Julian Simon. On the second day Redding matched his best lap time while completing a full race run, before moving on and focussing on rear suspension set-up during his final two runs.

For Kallio the perfect weather conditions provided an ideal opportunity to further his familiarisation with the Suter MMXI machine he'll campaign this season. The Finnish rider concentrated on long distance runs over the two days and set his fastest time, just 0.3s from that of his teammate, on a tyre that had completed more than 23 laps. His last endurance run saw Kallio match the average race time of Redding, boosting the Marc VDS rider's confidence ahead of the final pre-season test next week.

Scott Redding #45: 1'43.70 "Overall it's been another good test and I leave here happy with the progress we've made with the bike. Yesterday we racked up quite a few laps and the times were good. Today we did a good race simulation in the morning, before switching our attention to the rear suspension. We tried a couple of different settings in the rear, to improve traction once the rear grip starts to drop off, which was a problem sometimes last season. I didn't do a mega number of laps today, but we have made some progress in a few areas and I'm looking forward to returning to Jerez for the final test next week."

Mika Kallio #36: 1'44.00 "Of course the goal over these two days at Jerez was to go faster, but we also wanted to improve the consistency of my lap times. We've had two good days, with perfect weather, which means we've been able to complete a lot of laps. We've managed to improve the set-up of the bike, confirmed the direction we need to go in with the rear suspension and improved with every exit from pit lane. There's still some work to do, but I think we're now ready to close the gap to the top riders during the next test here at Jerez, which is less than one week away."

Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager "These two days at Jerez have been positive for both Mika and Scott. The better conditions allowed Mika the track time he needed to complete the transition to our Moto2 bike, and the result was clear to see on track. His lap times were ultra-consistent over long runs and he closed to within 0.3s of Scott's best time with his fastest lap. Scott proved on both days that he's capable of matching times with anyone, but he also managed to improve drive out of the turns on a worn tyre, which was an issue on more than one occasion last season. Overall it's been another two good days for us and I hope we can carry the momentum into the final test at Jerez next week."

-source: marc vds