Tech 3 riders Marcel Schrotter and Ricard Cardus admitted they were unable to push their new Mistral 610 to its limit after weather curtailed the Moto2 pre-season test at Valencia. Schrotter spent much of Tuesday, the only dry day of the week, easing himself back in with the 2014 machine and the German was frustrated as the rain arrived before he had chance to evaluate this year’s chassis.
“This year the testing at Valencia was a bit different because we had one hour slots and had to take it in turns with the Moto3 bikes who were on track when the Moto2 bikes were off and vice versa. On the opening day, we used the 2014 chassis Mistral 610 in order to get back into the swing of riding. A part in the engine broke in the second session, so we had to replace the motor which meant we lost some track time. Yet, once the bike was ready, I went back out and it was great to be riding again after the long winter.”
“On Wednesday we originally planned to use the 2015 chassis but as the weather was still not good, we chose not to ride. Even though the conditions did not improve today, we were still able to run and I completed some laps on the new chassis which had a good feeling. Now we hope for better weather in Jerez next week, because after the initial laps on the new bike, I am super excited. I feel super comfortable on the bike, so I can’t wait to get back out on track.”
Schrotter ended the week eleventh quickest but Cardus couldn’t do any better than 25th after a crash on Tuesday. The Spaniard admitted he struggled to feel comfortable afterwards given the conditions but saw enough in the 2015 Mistral 610 to believe he can be competitive this season.
“’Unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side for this test, so we couldn’t work through our testing plan. On the opening day, we just tried to get back into the rhythm and increase my confidence after the long break. Also, I didn’t want to push really hard on the new 2015 specification Mistral. It was cold at the track and I had a silly crash when I touched the brake on the right corner and the tyre was still not warm enough, so I fell. Of course, this slowed us down a bit and we lost some track time and I had some difficulties with finding a good feeling with the bike afterwards. The chassis is quite different compared to last year, so it took a while to get used to it but the first impressions are good.”
“Yesterday we didn’t test and today, because it was still raining we only did eleven laps, however I was able to be competitive with my times. The team know the direction which we need to head towards, but we definitely need to ride more kilometres on the bike and really put our work in at the next test in Jerez. I am optimistic and if we do this, we will be fully prepared for Qatar where we will be able to reach the chequered flag higher up the field.”
