News from QMMF Racing team

QMMF Racing Team riders Mashel Al Naimi and Ricky Cardús continued their rapid learning program in the Moto2 category with valuable discoveries on the first day of practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Despite having to settle for 39^th place, Al Naimi boosted his own confidence when he figured out crucial changes to the seating position on his Moriwaki bike, an improvement that should definitely help him in Saturday’s qualifying session. Team-mate Ricky Cardús finished the day in 24^th position after a minor crash, but had been running within the top 15 before the incident and is also convinced of his possibilities at his home Grand Prix. "We changed some things in the way we work with Mashel, and I am sure these changes are going to pay off. He will re-start with a new set-up and a few more fresh ideas tomorrow, with the aim of scoring a better result than in Qatar”, said team coordinator Luis Soldano. “Ricky on the other hand is on fire because he wants to do well at his home race. I am convinced that he can run within the top 15 and score his first points of the year!”

Mashel Al Naimi (39^th in 1.48, 236)

"I am happy because I think I solved my biggest problem - my position on the bike. So far, I had a slow start wherever we went because I didn't feel well on the bike and I had to adapt my style too much. We now changed the position of the handlebars and the footrests so I feel more comfortable going into the turns. I hope that these changes will pay off in the time sheets and that I can improve my position tomorrow!”

Ricky Cardús (24^th in 1.45, 086)

"In first practice, I found a good rhythm and we tried many things on the bike. We continued on a good way in the afternoon until I ran a little wide in one of the corners and crashed. I lost some confidence, and when I went out again, only a few minutes after the incident, I wasn’t fully concentrated and dropped back a few positions in the time sheets. For tomorrow, we will fine-tune our set-up and we will continue to fight. I really want to do well here at my home race!"