Alex Marquez admits the wet conditions at Jerez this week provided him with the worst possible preparation ahead of his Moto2 debut in Qatar a week from now. The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider has struggled in testing so far as he gets ready to enter the intermediate class and after saying at the start of the week that dry track time was essential, the Spaniard was left cursing his luck.
“The weather here in Jerez couldn’t have been worse for us. For the first two days the track was neither wet nor dry and the only time it was even close to fully dry the session was red flagged. In those conditions you learn little, but you risk a lot, so it just wasn’t worth taking the chance with us being so close to the first race in Qatar. Today was completely wet, but it’s not wet track time I need. I need track time in the dry as I adapt to the Moto2 bike and this has been in short supply during all three preseason tests. It’s not the ideal preparation for my Moto2 debut, but it’s been the same for everyone, so we’ll all be in the same situation when we get to Qatar next week.”
Despite crashing today, defending champion Esteve Rabat had a much different opinion on the conditions as he looked to eradicate a perceived weakness in his riding.
“I know many riders were not so happy with three days of rain here in Jerez, but for me the conditions were perfect. To race in the rain you need to test in the rain, and we certainly got plenty of chances to do that this week! On the first day the feeling wasn’t so good, but the second day was a little bit better and today we made a big step forward in what were definitely the wettest conditions of the three days. Instead of being two or three seconds behind the riders who are always fast in the wet, now I’m much closer and, in many cases, faster. So, overall, I’m happy with what we’ve achieved during this test, despite the crash today. I’ve turned what was a weakness in my armoury into a strength. Now I know I am fast in the dry and the wet.”
