MotoGP

M2: Marc VDS Valencia test summary

Published: Feb 13, 2011, 3:30 PM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

SUCCESSFUL FIRST TEST FOR MARC VDS RACING TEAM

Marc VDS Racing Team riders, Scott Redding and Mika Kallio, both declared themselves happy with progress made during the opening three-day test of the 2011 season at Valencia in Spain.

Redding was quickly back up to speed on the opening day at Valencia, despite more than two months off the bike during the annual test ban. Having missed the final day of testing at Jerez in November following a crash, the 18-year-old British rider used the second day at Valencia to resume the evaluation of new components and settings on his Suter Moto2 machine, before completing a full race simulation in the afternoon.

The Marc VDS rider improved his lap time throughout the test, posting his fastest ever lap around the Valencia circuit on his final run this afternoon. Redding leaves Valencia satisfied with his pace at the opening test and determined to improve further at Estoril in just four days time.

Kallio underwent major surgery on an injured collarbone just one month ago and only regained full movement in the affected arm the week before the Valencia test. Despite the injury causing him some pain on the bike, especially under braking, the 28-year-old Finn was regularly faster than his fellow newcomers to the ultra-competitive Moto2 class.

The Marc VDS Racing Team will now head direct from Valencia to the Estoril circuit in Portugal, where Redding and Kallio will participate in a further three days of testing, commencing on 16th February.

Scott Redding #45:
"Today I set my fastest ever lap around Valencia, so it's definitely been a successful test for us. The new bike has been set-up to suit me more, with a different footrest position and a longer seat unit, but these changes have also affected the balance of the bike. At the start the new bike was riding too much on the rear, but working with my Crew Chief Pete Benson and our Цhlins suspension technician, Mike Norton, we have been able to improve things a lot in this area over the past three days. Now we need to continue this progression at the next test in Estoril, which is just four days away."

Mika Kallio #36:
"This has been a very positive test and I'm quite happy with how things have gone. If I'd gone another half-a-second faster then I'd be leaving here completely happy. I didn't really know what to expect from my shoulder after the operation, but it's been more or less ok. We tried a lot of things on the bike during the test and, lap-by-lap, we saw improvements, but I still need more time on the bike to learn how to get the best from it. The more kilometres I do on the bike the more comfortable I feel, so I'm looking forward to continuing the process at Estoril next week."

Michael Bartholemy: Team Manager
"This first test has been a very positive start to the new season for us. Scott was very quick getting back up to speed on the opening day, which allowed us to start evaluating new components and different set-ups almost from the start. We know in which direction we need to go with the bike and Scott's lap times have improved with each set-up change we've made during the test. Mika underwent a fairly major operation on his shoulder just four weeks ago, and it's obviously an issue on the bike at the moment, but he's also made good progress here in Valencia. He fits into the team extremely well, his feedback is excellent and he's enjoying a good feeling with the bike. I'm confident that if we can carry this momentum through into the first race then we will be amongst the main contenders in Moto2 this season."

-source: marc vds

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Pramac Racing 2011 season preview

Next article Suzuki Sepang test preview

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

United States GP

6 h

Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”

Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

United States GP

7 h

Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP

How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Talladega II

7 h

How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV

Peterson Racing addresses online abuse after parting ways with Austin Green

NASCAR O'Reilly

NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly

Talladega II

7 h

Peterson Racing addresses online abuse after parting ways with Austin Green

Feature

Discover prime content

MotoGP riders could get what they want, and fast, if only they would stand together

MotoGP

Indonesian GP

By Richard Asher

MotoGP riders could get what they want, and fast, if only they would stand together

Five things we learned from MotoGP's brutal Indonesian Grand Prix

MotoGP

Indonesian GP

By Richard Asher

Five things we learned from MotoGP's brutal Indonesian Grand Prix

The contrasting tactics used by Ducati and Aprilia in MotoGP 2026 title fight

MotoGP

Japanese GP

By Rachit Thukral

The contrasting tactics used by Ducati and Aprilia in MotoGP 2026 title fight

Five things we learned from MotoGP Japanese GP after tyre drama

MotoGP

Japanese GP

By Rachit Thukral

Five things we learned from MotoGP Japanese GP after tyre drama

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts