Jonas Folger made his first appearance on a grand prix machine since last September in a Triumph Moto2 engine test with Kalex at Aragon this week.
Former Tech3 rider Folger was forced to cut his maiden premier class campaign four races short after contracting Gilbert Syndrome, which ultimately led him to completely sit out the 2018 season in order to fully recover.
All current Moto2 chassis manufacturers descended on Aragon for three days of testing with the official 765cc race engine and new Magneti Marelli electronics package which will be used in Triumph's first season as engine supplier in 2019.
Kalex fielded Jesko Raffin, Marc VDS' Alex Marquez – who was the only official rider present – and Folger, who rode a Kalex frame in all of his three Moto2 seasons.
The German admitted he felt “comfortable immediately” on the bike, and said it was a “great liberation” to be riding again after such a long absence.
“After the long absence from racing, it was a great liberation for me to return aboard a real race machine and it was also important for me to know how my current condition is,” Folger, who rode both the current Honda-powered Moto2 bike and the 2019 machine, said.
“I’m really grateful to Kalex for giving me this awesome opportunity, and for doing so, because everything was very spontaneous and easy too.
“Once back on the Kalex, I immediately felt comfortable with and I enjoyed riding a lot. Although, as said everything was very short-time, Alex [Baumgartel, Kalex CEO] and Klaus [Hirsekorn] organized my ride perfectly.
“The first day with the old bike equipped with the Honda engine was good to settle in and get back the rhythm, it was an enormous help for me.
“But then, Thursday became even more interesting, riding the Triumph Kalex. Of course, I was curious about the differences in terms of engine characters and the new electronics used in this project.
“This package will definitely come a good deal closer to a real race engine. I was able to implement many experiences immediately and we made good progress throughout the day.”
Folger's racing future is still unclear at present, but further tests with the Triumph engine could make him an ideal candidate for teams next year.
The German's former team Tech3 had kept the door open for a possible return in 2019, but has since retained his replacement Hafizh Syahrin alongside incoming rookie Miguel Oliveira.
