Source: MotoGP.

Riding a Kalex with his new team Ajo Motorsport, Johann Zarco was the fastest rider in Wednesday’s opening day of Moto2 testing in Jerez.

After a wet morning, the Frenchman commenced his work with his new team by registering a fastest lap of 1m42.858 on the dry track later in the day, marginally quicker than the fastest lap in the 2014 Moto2 race of 1m42.876 set by Jonas Folger.

Whilst today’s unofficial test times were not set with official race-prepared Honda Moto2 engines the pace provides a reference point and even at this early stage in 2015 pre-season Zarco will be pleased to have outpaced Moto2 World Champion Tito Rabat (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) on Wednesday.

Rabat was 0.069s behind Zarco in second, whilst the Spaniard’s incoming Marc VDS rookie teammate Alex Marquez was down in 17th.

It was only the first day of Moto2 riding for Moto3 World Champion Marquez and he has two more days of testing this week in Jerez to try and reduce the 2.192s gap to the top of the time sheet as he adapts to 600cc machinery.

Dynavolt Intact GP’s Sandro Cortese was third fastest (+0.339s), with Interwetten’s Tom Luthi fourth (+0.612s) and Paginas Amarillas HP 40 rider Luis Salom (+0.724s) rounding out the top five.

Alex Rins also started work with Paginas Amarillas HP 40 but his lap times were not registered on Wednesday. The test continues on Thursday and Friday at the southern Spanish track.

In Moto3 the new three rider line-up of the Red Bull KTM Ajo team – Karel Hanika, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira – worked in the same box for the first time on Wednesday in Jerez.

Meanwhile SKY Racing Team VR46’s Romano Fenati tested alongside new teammate Andrea Migno, whilst the exciting trio of Juanfran Guevara, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia in the revamped Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3 tried the Mahindra machine they are to use in 2015.