Corser gets down to business at Phillip Island aboard new BMW
Australia’s Troy Corser is happy after testing his new BMW S1000 RR today at Phillip Island, the first outing for the Wollongong ace and his new machine on the home circuit, he knows and loves so well.
World Superbikes’ leading factory teams, including BMW, Ducati, Yamaha and Honda, are taking the opportunity to spend the final weekend testing at the 4.445 km Victorian circuit before the 2009 championship opener at the island next weekend (Feb 27, 28 and March 1).
Corser will head the BMW team, in the German make’s inaugural year on the Superbike World Championship. Today was the first on track look at how Corser and his machine will look in 2009. He emerged from the pit on his BMW S 1000 RR sporting the traditional BMW motorsport colours of red, white and blue on the black bike, with the colours repeated on his striking leathers.
In what was dusty conditions that became windier as the day wore on, Corser completed around 40 laps today, and despite crashing at Honda corner mid afternoon was happy with his bike.
“Yeh..we are not going too bad, trying lots of different settings, and the bike is responding to the changes really well,” said Corser, who banged his hand in the crash as he lost the frame going into turn 4.
“I did a best of 1m33.8 today and that is not far off today’s pace,” said Corser. “Fabrizio (Michel Fabrizio) on the Ducati did the best lap a 1m33.4, but it is really very early for us here. We are just focusing on our set up for next weekend, we are coming here with no data, so we have some work to do to get the bike right.
“But I am ok, I had a bit of a bang this afternoon, but am fine and I am really looking forward to next weekend. I’m not worried about lap times too much yet,” he said.
Corser was not the only rider to crash, with new boy to the Ducati factory squad, Japan’s Nori Haga going down this morning and Spaniard Carlos Checa from the Ten Kate Honda team getting closer to the bitumen than he would have liked, when he went down this afternoon.
Also on the track this weekend are the Honda, Yamaha and Triumph world supersport teams with Australia’s world champion Andrew Pitt and Sydney veteran Garry McCoy amongst those riders testing prior to next weekend.
Round one action starts next Friday February 27 with first qualifying and testing, Saturday’s agenda features final qualifying and the new elimination Superpole format, and on Sunday the world superbike teams will contest two 22 lap races in the first hit out for 2009.
