Epsom motorbike racer Gino Rea had another frustrating three days last weekend as he tested the Gresini Moto2 bike, which he hopes to ride in the 2012 season, writes Alannah Fellows.

In the Andalucian circuit of Jerez, Rea was out with 31 Moto2 riders and 25 Moto3 riders in harsh winter conditions which shortened time on track.

The 22-year-old secured a time of one minute, 43.8, seconds, which left him in 20th position, but only one second off seventh place in the hugely competitive Moto2 class.

“It’s been a bit frustrating to be honest,” said Rea at the end of the weekend.

“We had the new bike there and there were a lot of issues and we changed so many things that we needed another day.

“We still haven’t really improved from the 2011 chassis so it’s been a bit frustrating.

“The whole team have worked really hard to fix the problems and we have improved huge amounts but it’s not a race package yet.

“There’s still no news about a signing, but I will definitely be at the next test so it should be good.”

Rea will be hoping to improve his pace when testing continues at Jerez in a month’s time, on March 19.