What an impressive start for new Moto3 rider Nicolo Bulega who has finished fastest at Jerez, Spain after day one of testing.
The Sky Racing Team VR46 recently added young Italian Bulega to their team after he won the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship last year. Today he finished fastest on his KTM with a time of 1:46.591 after completing 50 laps at the circuit. He was the one to beat after the first of three sessions. He fell to fifth after the second session but finished top of only three riders who were able to break the 1:47.00 minutes barrier; Nicollo Antonelli and Jorge Navarro were over 0.3 seconds behind.
Antonelli is another product of the VR46 Riders Academy like Bulega. The Ongetta-Rivacold rider looked strong on his Honda all day as he stayed in the top three in each of the three sessions. He finished second with a time of 1:46.898 after completing 44 laps. Jorge Navarro came from seventh after the first session and finished third fastest with 1:46.967.
Without Kent and Oliveira in the mix after their recent promotion to the Moto2 class (after placing first and second in the 2015 Moto3 Championship) eyes turned to third place Championship finisher Enea Bastianini who managed fourth fastest with a time of 1:47,073. In true Moto3 style, the top ten riders finished within one second of the leader, with thirteen riders managing to break the 1:48 minute barrier.
Bulega’s teammate Romano Fenati, who finished fourth in the 2015 Championship, lapped 0.786s slower than his new teammate leaving him sixth after day one, the other member of the Sky Racing Team VR46 Andrea Migno finished in tenth.
New to the Moto3 the Aspar Mahindra Moto3 team made a good first impression, with Italian Francesco Badnaia finishing 8th with a time of 1:47.377, where teammate Jorge Martin finished with a time of 1:48.274.
British rider John McPhee finished 19th on his Peugeot Saxaprint Motorcycles bike with a time of 1:48.476, just under two seconds slower than the leader. The female Moto3 rider Maria Herrera finished 22nd overall after the three sessions on her MH6 Laglisse KTM with a time of 1:48.714.
Day two of testing will see the same format of hour-long sessions alternating between the Moto2 and Moto3 class. The weather is set to be as good as today, with temperatures increasing slightly.
