Aussie Roulstone quickest rookie at Jerez test

Aussie Jacob Roulstone has started the 2024 Moto3 season where he said he wants to finish, as the quickest rookie after the three-day preseason test at Jerez.

Speaking after the announcement that the Aussie had gained a berth in Herve Poncharal’s experienced Tech3 squad for the the 2024 Moto3 World Championship, Roulstone said he wanted to “be fast from the start … I want to be Rookie of the Year in 2024.”

In his first hit out with the Red Bull GasGas Tech3 squad, Roulstone ended the test as the quickest rookie and 11th fastest, 1.559sec behind the quickest man Jose Antonio Rueda’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) best time of 1m43.276s.

David Alonso (CFMoto Aspar Team) finished second quickest, 0.233s behind Rueda, ahead of Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets KTM) in third, 0.334s off the pace.

Compatriot Joel Kelso, riding this year for the BOE Motorsports team in what will be his third season in Moto3, ended the test 19th quickest from 26 riders, his best time of 1m.45.292s putting him 2.016s behind Rueda.

Both the Moto3 and Moto2 categories have switched from Dunlop rubber to Pirelli for the 2024 season, and all Moto3 riders down to 20th place lapped under Tatsuki Suzuki’s pole position record of 1m45.410s set in 2020.

In the Moto2 category, it was Fantic Racing’s Aron Canet who ended the first two days on top of the timesheets before lap times began to fall on Day 3, where Span’s Fermin Aldeguer (Sync SpeedUp Boscoscuro) landed on top spot with a 1m40.307s lap ahead of Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) and Manuel Gonzalez (QJMotor Gresini Moto2).

Aussie Senna Agius (LiquiMoly Husqvarna Intact Team) best time came in the final session of the day, his 1m41.408s good enough for 21st quickest from 30 riders, just 1.101s off Aldeguer’s time. Agius’ teammate Darren Binder was 25th fastest, with a 1m41.771s lap.

The top five lapped under Remy Gardner’s pole position record set in 2021.