Oliveira shows strong pace in dry conditions on second day at Jerez

The second of three days of Moto3 testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit greeted the riders with good weather and Miguel Oliveira presented himself at very good level, having finished the sessions with the fifth fastest time of the day. Getting ready for one more season of the MotoGP World Championship, the Portuguese stopped the clock at 1.47’958s, just over a second from the fastest time set by Maverick Viñales.

Oliveira was the first non-KTM rider on the time sheets, making it quite clear that the Mahindra MGP30 has a good potential. Gradually progressing and always consistent with the development work with his bike, Miguel has been taking full advantage of the track time and this Wednesday was no exception.

“We tested a lot of things, we were able to draw several conclusions about what is best for the bike and we know what we have to do tomorrow to do even better. As a matter of fact, from now on we can only get better, because we are already at a good level,” stated the Almada rider. “The day was very productive. The track was a bit damp during the morning, therefore we had to wait until noon to go out on track and really work in the dry, picking up where we had left in Valencia,” he pointed out after completing a total of 49 laps.

“You have to bear in mind that this is a young project; we’re not at the limit, but at a level at which it is hard to improve. From now on and until the end, we have to make bigger changes, chassis set-ups by themselves are no longer enough, and this is something that will be addressed by the team and myself to improve some aspects. Then we will be able to lap faster.”

However, Miguel Oliveira doesn’t have his mind set only on the laptimes: “At this point the important thing is not to get ahead of ourselves or try to prove anything, because at the moment we are doing the best we can and giving 200%. We are happy with what we are doing, we only have to work and go home with a peaceful mind.”

“Tomorrow there is the forecast of rain, so we will try to continue the work we’ve done yesterday on the wet and to find a good pace, which is very important in that kind of weather,” stated the young Portuguese at the end of a day with pleasant temperatures and mild wind.

Source: Miguel Oliveira Official Website