Rosell satisfied with gradual progress and growing confidence
Elena Rossell and Damian Cudlin, the new riders of Team QMMF for the 2012 Moto2 World Championship, turned the first test with their Moriwaki prototypes into success. Both the young Spanish lady racer and her experienced Australian team-mate made steady progress over the three track days at Valencia, gaining experience and knowledge on every lap around the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Whereas Elena Rossell kept her focus on adjusting her riding style to the new bike and getting closer and closer to the limit when opening the throttle on the corner exits, Damian Cudlin started to evaluate a broad variety of different set-up solutions in order to adjust the bike to his personal preferences.
“We are on track. Both of our riders have been working into a clear direction and improved steadily over the three days of testing”, said team coordinator Luis Solano. “The conditions were difficult, with air temperatures as low as five degree in the morning and a track that took a very long time to warm up, especially in the shady sections. It would have been silly to take unnecessary risks und to push for fast lap times. Instead, our riders took a step-by-step approach with the new bikes, trying to learn as much as possible. Elena feels comfortable on her bike even though the Moriwaki is very different to the Suter she rode last year. She improved her lap times every day and is slowly but surely building up the confidence she needs. Damien also got faster and faster with every run, even though he struggles a bit more than Elena to find the best and most comfortable position on the bike, since he is relatively tall. Now we move on to the next testing session in Jerez, where we will continue our work toward a good base set-up for both our riders.”
Elena Rossell: “I am very happy with these three days of testing. We made steady progress and we improved the bike and our lap times step by step without suffering any setbacks like big scary moments or even a crash. My confidence to the bike grew accordingly, even though I still struggle a bit on the corner exits where I still don’t open the throttle as early and hard as I probably could. I’m still in the process of adjusting to our new bike, since the Moriwaki feels very different to the Suter that I rode last year. The seating position is much more comfortable on my new bike and the front end feels more stable, whereas the Suter felt somehow lighter and easier to steer. It is an interesting comparison that helps us a lot in our search for the best set-up!”
Source: QMMF Racing
