Moto2: Canet 'pace incredible', Syahrin 'adapted well'

Aron Canet heads into his first Moto2 race, in Qatar this weekend, buoyed by an 'incredible pace' during the final pre-season test at the same Losail circuit.

Canet, a six-time race winner and 2019 title runner-up in the Moto3 class, set the seventh fastest lap time (+0.540s) at the closing Moto2 test on his new Aspar-run Speed Up machine.

“The tests went very well. [On the final day] I was third, first and sixth in each of the sessions, but not only that: the pace has been incredible and I have scored many 1:59, something that seemed impossible," Canet said.

"In this category we need not just a quick lap, but also to maintain a constant pace, and we have that. I feel prepared to start the season.”

Team-mate Hafizh Syahrin, returning to Moto2 after two seasons in MotoGP, was 15th quickest at the final test (+0.857s).

The Malaysian, whose four previous Moto2 seasons were spent on a Kalex in the previous 600cc Honda era, will be looking for more corner speed when free practice begins on Friday afternoon.

“In general I am happy, because I have not ridden this bike for a long time and with little experience on it, I have managed to stay eight tenths off the best time," Syahrin said.

"We are focused on the race weekend. I want to compete and I can say that I have a good race pace. Surely, we can continue to improve to find more corner speed. I have adapted well to the bike and I just need to improve little by little.”

Moto2 will be taking over from MotoGP as the main event this weekend, with the premier-class cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by the Qatari government on recent visitors to Italy.

"The team has been in Qatar [for the final test] since last Wednesday and will remain there until March 8, the day of the Qatar Grand Prix race, as this [entry] restriction only affects travelling to Qatar from March 1," said Jorge Martinez 'Aspar'.

"We will continue to follow the recommendations of the different governments of the countries that host the competition and the organisation itself," he added of upcoming events, with round two in Thailand already postponed.