American Noyes Second Fastest In Moto2 Test In Spain
March 04, 2010 | By Paul Kelly
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American rookie Kenny Noyes was second fastest overall in a test March 1-3 for the new Moto2 class at Valencia, Spain, just a week after Americans Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards and Ben Spies each were in the top five in a test in the premier MotoGP class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Noyes' best lap was 1 minute, 37.371 seconds at the Ricardo Tormo circuit, just behind the leading time of 1:37.156 by 2009 125cc World Champion Julian Simon. Noyes, the only American in Moto2, was more than 1.5 seconds ahead of his Jack & Jones-Banderas teammate, veteran Joan Olive. He also was the busiest rider, completing more laps than any of the 34 competitors who participated.
"We are keeping our feet on the ground and working one day at a time, improving every time we go out," Noyes said. "For sure, it is going to be a challenge to learn 12 new tracks out of 17, but my teammate has been on the championship trail now for eight years and knows them all. That will help me, and I am working the PlayStation real hard!"
The Moto2 class replaces the 250cc class starting this season. Moto2 bikes feature 600cc engines, a closer size to the 800cc powerplants used in the premier MotoGP class.
Both the Moto2 and 125cc classes will compete along with the MotoGP class at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 27-29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2010 MotoGP season opens April 11 with the Grand Prix of Qatar.
Noyes arrives at the world level after finishing fourth in 2009 in the Spanish 1000cc Extreme Championship with a victory and three other podium finishes. He was born in Barcelona, Spain, to American parents, as his father was a championship-winning rider in a Spanish-based series. But the family moved back to America when Noyes was a teenager, and he began his racing career on California dirt tracks in 1997. He began road racing in Spain in 2001 and also has road-raced in AMA and World Supersport competition.
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