Moto2: Oliveira turns from Kent's competitor to ally

Miguel Oliveira says he's switched from Danny Kent's title contender to companion as the pair step up to Moto2 with Leopard Racing in 2016.

The Portuguese rider became Kent's sole challenger for the Moto3 world title last year and despite winning four out of the final five races lost out to the Briton by six points in Valencia.

Oliveira says he never truly felt like Kent's rival after closing such a wide points gap in the season finale and now is keen for the pair to collaborate together as they partner up in Moto2.

"In the final title fight at the last race I didn't feel like I was fighting with Danny for the championship because I only became a contender two races until the end so there wasn't any time to get close to him," Oliveira said. "There were a couple of mistakes by him that made the difference even smaller while I was winning.

"Danny is fast and I know he was one year in Moto2 in 2013 so he already has some experience so I can learn something from him. There is no wall or anything like that in the team. Everybody is working together.

"We have a small team so this forces us to work together. Of course he has a different riding style to me but the changes we make we can see what works."

Oliveira says the Kalex Moto2 machine has taken a fair amount of adapting to from the KTM in the junior class and fully anticipates a gradual learning curve in his rookie campaign.

"In the beginning it was completely strange but then I started to go faster and learn even more aspects of the bike and how to get it to the limit," he explained. "I had a small crash in Jerez which shows I am still trying to find the limit, unfortunately I hurt my fingers, but it is part of the learning process. I also need to be ready to accept bad results."