Sepang.- Raúl Fernández completed just over 20 laps this Sunday in the second day of testing in Sepang, which was interrupted by rain in the last three hours, although the Tech3 rider went out for a few laps in wet conditions at final.
The summary of the Madrilenian was positive, but despite finishing 1,049 behind the best times established by Enea Bastianini, or what is the same, one second behind the track record, he was not entirely satisfied. In addition to these two official days, Raúl shot three days in the shakedown, a complete work program.
“At first I didn’t feel good, the bike was taking me, now I feel like I’m taking it a bit. What I’ve learned is the mental speed of the bike and being able to ride more relaxed, every day I look better on of the motorcycle, he said”
Despite finishing just a second off the best time, Raúl was not happy with that detail.
“I’m very far away, finishing a second behind the record looking at the times of the others is very far away.”
“What I need to improve the most is everything I do on the bike, physically I’m fine, but on the bike I’m not really competitive, in the end it’s a second and I lose it a little while braking, a little when cornering and a little at the start, we lose a little everywhere,” he said.
“The most complicated thing is engine management. In Moto2 there was not enough power and here there is too much.”
After five days of work in Sepang, Fernández will now be able to add three more in a completely new circuit in Indonesia.
“I will be more than ready to arrive in Qatar. Last year I did only four days of testing; this year I will arrive with eight, twice as many,” he recalled.
Fernández finished 19th just behind Brad Binder (18) and just beyond Miguel Oliveira (15), the official KTM riders, who should be his reference.
“I look at the data on Oliveira and Binder, but we don’t have their electronics,” he clarified.
The young Spanish rookie does not want to self-evaluate at the moment, waiting for the start of the season. “I’m not very strong in just one aspect, but I’m not bad in any of them either. We’ll see in Qatar where I’m at,” settled the man from San Martín de la Vega.
