MotoGP News: Mees: GP riders have been doing their homework!

2015 AMA Grand National champion Jared Mees feels the overall level of Superprestigio entrants has improved since his last visit to Barcelona, stating “the riders have definitely been doing their homework.”

Mees, who finished runner up to Marc Marquez at the 2014 event, has spent two weeks in Spain before the event, splitting his time between the Noyes Camp in Canudas and Marquez’s dirt track in Rufea.

In that time Mees had the chance to study the technique of road racing names such as Marquez, Toni Elias and Xavier Simeon, and was suitably impressed with the Europeans’ approach to dirt track racing.

“When I was over in the ranch in Canudas and yesterday at Rufea the riders have definitely been doing their homework and have improved their riding quite a lot from a year ago,” said the 29-year old on the eve of the third running of the event. “It’s exciting to see they’re taking the flat track so seriously over here.

“We had a great time dicing it up with Brad [Baker] and Marc at his track. It was some of the best fun I’ve had on a motorcycle to tell you the truth. We were enjoying ourselves, having a great time. That’s what it’s all about.”

Mees travelled across the Atlantic just weeks after triumphing in the inaugural Superprestigio of the Americas event in Las Vegas, an event he won by a narrow margin from countryman Baker.

While training with Marquez in Rufea, Mees asked to try the double MotoGP world champion’s bike for size and noticed some interesting differences.

“I think the biggest difference between our motorcycles is that his is set up a little bit lower. Mine is taller. He has some good strong points on his while there were some better points on mine.

“Just personal preferences like my brake pedal was a lot lower. I think he likes some things about my bike. He said my bike was more torque-y and had more traction coming out of the corners. All the riders set their bike up personally. Everyone wants to drive their bikes off the corners as hard as they can but there are a lot of little things that add up.”

On Saturday morning Mees was the fourth fastest in the ‘Open’ category and sixth overall with a lap time of 12.487s.

MotoGP News: Mees: GP riders have been doing their homework!