'I was looking forward to testing at Valencia, because it would be my first chance to ride the Kawasaki at a track I know fairly well,' said Walker. 'I was gutted when I discovered I was suffering from Bell's palsy; I thought I'd be forced to sit out the whole test; not good when the first round is only a few weeks away; and at the same circuit. My biggest problem is that one of my eyes won't blink, which makes it difficult to clear, but I'm going to get out there and see how I feel on the bike.'

For the other Kawasaki Racing team riders; Hitoyasu Izutsu, Andrew Pitt and James Ellison, the three-day test will provide an opportunity to find the right race tyre and machine set-up for the opening round of the World Championship, which takes place at Valencia on March 10.

Hitoyasu Izutsu: 'this is an important test, because we are using the 2002 spec chassis for the first time. We will be concentrating on finding a chassis set-up that we're happy with, and a race tyre that we know will work well when we return here in two weeks time for the race.'

Reigning World Champion, Andrew Pitt, also has a new frame to try during the three-day test and, like Izutsu; the Australian is keen to get his Kawasaki ZX-6R set-up ready for the opening round.

'We've struggled a little bit at Valencia in the past, so it's important that we come up with something that will work for the race,' said Pitt. 'We've got a number of race tyres to try on the bike, and we'll obviously be trying to find a set-up that allows me to post consistently fast lap times. By the end of the three days, I'm confident that we'll have a set-up that will work well here in two weeks time.'

Qualifying high up the order is critical in the ultra-competitive World Supersport Championship; a fact James Ellison is well aware of.

'I need to learn how to use qualifying rubber to best advantage, as qualifiers aren't something I've had a lot of experience of in the past,' said Ellison, the reigning European Superstock Champion. 'I'm starting to get the hang of cracking the throttle earlier when we've got soft rubber fitted to the bike and, by the time this test finishes, I should be as confident on qualifiers as I am on race rubber.'