Positive day of testing for Rins and Marquez at Mugello

Two days after the great results for Alex Rins and Alex Marquez at the Grand Prix of Italy, in which they finished second and fifth, respectively, the Repsol riders returned to work at the Mugello circuit for a full day of practice. It was a productive day in which they continued to work on the development of their bikes. The day ended with Alex Marquez third on the timesheets and Alex Rins in fourth place.

With just three free practices and a qualifying session, the three days of a Grand Prix weekend allow for little more than adjusting bike setup to the characteristics of each circuit. So days like today, with an entire day ahead, permit the Moto3 riders to test the things for which there is simply not time at a race meeting.

Marquez and Rins accumulated significant kilometres and data to help them realise the full potential of their KTM bikes at the upcoming races. Marquez, with 91 laps and more than 470 kilometers under his belt, set the third fastest time of the day, stopping the clock at 1’58.206. That was just 0.317 off the day’s best time, set by Maverick Viñales with Jonas Folger close behind. Alex Rins was fourth, after 68 laps and a time of 1’58.273.

The next time the Repsol riders will be on their bikes will be next week, in the first free practice sessions for the Catalan Grand Prix.

Alex Rins 1:58.273, 68 laps, 357 km. “Today I tried out many things that during a GP we can’t test, because of time restraints. My crew chief wanted to do some tests that were a little different and now we have some ideas for the Catalan Grand Prix that will work well. I have to thank my team, because we worked hard and they helped me a lot. I spent a long time in the garage, but in the end we could try out many things and it was worth it, so it went pretty well.”

Alex Marquez 1:58.206, 91 laps, 477 km. “For today we planned a day of many laps and trying out things with the bike. I took to the track early and started testing new things, without forgetting that it was important to put in reasonable times in order to draw good conclusions. It a was very positive day, because I had a good pace and in the end we decided on a setup that is very good, which let me ride with confidence and which will be the base setup for the Grand Prix of Catalonia. We worked with the next few races in mind, so everything will be clearer before getting to each circuit.”

Source: Repsol Media