Terol looking for more grip, Faubel for right position on the bike
The Valencian Circuit in Cheste has been very busy for the second straight day. Teams from 125cc and Moto2 worked around the clock to get all possible tests done since the preseason is always short. The weather continued to improve and the track had more grip with some rubber laid down after all the bikes being out yesterday. Preseason tests are used to test new material and to find the best settings, but also to mark the territory. Both Moto2 and 125cc don’t have their reigning champions among them this season. And so all eyes are on the 2010 runner-ups, who did not disappoint, as in Moto2 Simon has been fastest and in 125cc Nico Terol lead the field for the second day.
Bancaja Aspar rider Nico Terol, never using an expletive, is no friend of big showiness outside the circuits. He always lets his actions on the track speak for themselves. The Alcoyano continues his path in preparation for the season, steadily, with dedicated work. He is conscientious and constantly improves his own laptimes and for the second straight day he posted the fastest time in Cheste. Nico is calm, as always, and from the beginning of today’s session he set a pace of low ’40s while testing new chassis settings. In the final session he preferred not to go out, the temperatures had dropped substantially and he didn’t want to risk anything. Tomorrow he will continue to work to improve his feeling with the bike which so far has been impeccable.
On the other side of the box his teammate Hector Faubel is imbued with the same tranquility. He knows his talent and doesn’t force a laptime but rather racks up a lot of laps to regain confidence on the 125. Yesterday and today he ran a total of 123 laps and his confidence continues to rise. Today he improved by half a second compared to his best time from the first day and he hopes to continue like this tomorrow.
Nico Terol 1.40.20 (40 laps): “Today was a good day. We made some small changes to get a bit more grip and I found myself on the same bike as always. I’ve got more grip, but not as much as I wanted. Although today was little warmer the tarmac is still cold. In any case the conditions were good and I could work very well. We are not making big changes, but rather looking to pick up the rhythm. I ran very comfortable with a pace of ’40 and I’ve improved from the first day, so I’m satisfied. Today I had a good feeling from the moment I got on the bike, that is important, the feeling and not stopping to make small steps forward. In the end we tried to improve the engine performance a little and I also tried a new front tire with a new structure. It wasn’t bad, but I prefer the one we used before. The forecast predicted a rather big decrease in temperature for the afternoon and we decided to end the day at 3PM, it was not worth to risk a crash.”
Héctor Faubel 1.41.50 (60 laps): “Today we focused on improving my position on the bike. We played with lots of variables, we shortened the distance from the rear swingarm and also played with the suspension and honestly the tests worked. I keep improving, today I managed to ride in the ’41s normally and this motivates me. It’s clear that working step by step brings us back to find a way to go fast. Tomorrow we’ll try a separate cylinder and will continue to search for the most comfortable position to see if we can get closer to ’40. This afternoon the track was very cold, so I only did a few laps just to try a different exhaust.”
Source: Bancaja Aspar Team
