PETALING JAYA: Moto2 rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman is quite happy with the first day of pre-season testing at the Valencia Circuit in Spain, despite being the only one on the grid still using the 2013 Kalex model.
Battling the cold weather on Tuesday, Azlan who is with Honda Team Asia, pulled off a personal best of 1:38.550 in the third session, making him the 25th fastest for the day.
His team-mate Takaaki Nakagami came in sixth overall on 1:36.768, while Mika Kallio of Marc VDS Racing Team was ahead of the pack with a blistering time of 1:36.206.
“It is still early but I am quite happy with how the first day went,” said Azlan.
While the rest of the grid are riding 2014 models, Azlan is still using last year’s model, insisting he has never felt stronger since moving to the world championship.
“Using last year’s Kalex instead of the updated version does not bother me that much. In fact we spent the entire day testing the 2013 chassis and I think it suits me better. It is easier to handle and it gives me the confidence to mount a challenge this season.
“However, the track temperature was quite low today so we just focused on picking up mileage and data instead and making sure everything was in place and functioning well.
“Overall, it was nice to get back on the bike after the long break. The team will continue making improvements to the bike and hopefully I can drop my lap time a bit more before the test ends on Thursday.”
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