De Puniet joins Jerez test
Randy de Puniet joined the combined CRT, MotoGP and Moto2 riders testing their 2012 bikes at Jerez this week.
The Jerez circuit was filled with a mix of bikes again on Thursday, the second day of a private three-day test, with the addition of
Randy de Puniet riding the Aspar Aprilia.
All of the teams who participated in the first day of testing returned to the track on Thursday to
get back to the task of testing their 2012 machines.
The riders were met with optimal conditions as the temperatures rose higher than the
day before and the sun continued to shine, and they turned laps for the full eight hours granted for testing each day.
Joining the group of CRT, MotoGP and Moto2 machines was Randy de Puniet on a Bridgestone-shod, Aprilia-powered machine, the same bike
last week the former MotoGP racer and current test rider for Aprilia, Alex Hofmann, tested at Valencia´s Ricardo Tormo circuit last week.
De Puniet made the most of the test, using the opportunity to get an idea of what the Aspar Team’s Aprilia can do, the bike being the
basis of the future CRT the team plans to run in the MotoGP class next year.
The Moto2 class made the most of the good conditions as in just seven days the winter period with its subsequent ban on testing begins
for them, though not for the new CRT bikes, for which testing is still allowed for the new category.
Colin Edwards worked away on the progress of the Suter-BMW he will ride in 2012 for the NGM Forward Racing team.
The Texan’s second day
aboard the CRT machine saw him complete 40 laps with a best time of 1’42.6, an improvement of 1.3 seconds over his time of Wednesday.
The BQR team ran the Kawasaki-powered FTR ridden alternatively by Yonny Hernández and Spanish national Stock-Extreme champion, Iván
Silva.
Also on track again were Ducati’s MotoGP GP12 machines with Carlos Checa and Franco Battaini assuming rider duties alongside the
Moto2 and CRT machines in the absence of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden.
Unofficial times - Day two
MotoGP
Colin Edwards (NGM Forward Racing) 1.42.6 (40 laps)
Iván Silva (BQR-FTR Kawasaki) 1.44.3
Yonni Hernández (BQR-FTR Kawasaki) 1.44.4
Carlos Checa (Ducati Test Team) not supplied
Franco Battaini (Ducati Test Team) not supplied
Randy De Puniet not supplied
Moto2
Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team) 1.42.9 (74 laps)
Pol Espargaró (Pons Racing) 1.43.0 (63 laps)
Esteve Rabat (Pons Racing) 1.43.3 (47 laps)
Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team) 1.43.5 (69 laps)
Bradley Smith (Tech 3) 1.44.0 (58 laps)
Gino Rea (Gresini Team) 1.43.9 (25 laps)
Alex De Angelis (Forward Racing) 1.44.0 (55 laps)
Yuki Takahashi (Forward Racing) 1.44.2 (54 laps)
Axel Pons (Pons Racing) 1.44.7 (65 laps)
Toni Elías (Aspar Team) 1.44.9 (73 laps
Nico Terol (Aspar Team) 1.44.9 (73 laps)
Xavier Simeon (Tech 3) 1.45.0 (68 laps)
-MotoGP-