–Â Jed Metcher tests at Albacete and Valencia
Recently, the Suzuki Mayer Germany racing team and I completed our first test outing in Albacete and Valencia. Each session were official Dunlop organised tests. These sessions gave me the ability to further my knowledge of the Suzuki bike, as well as the Dunlop tyre.
Unfortunately, the weather played havoc with our preparation in Albacete. We only had one slightly dry day, whilst the other was affected by in-climate weather. Unfortunately, this meant we could only manage to find a balanced geometry setting of the bike on that first dry day.
In addition to the weather issues, it also took some time for me to fully trust the Dunlop tyre itself. The side wall of the front tyre is almost vertical and very steep. It gives the rider an uneasy sensation that the bike is going to fall over as you tip into the corner. Once I had become accustomed to that feeling, I realised that the grip level was actually far superior to most that I had used previously.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Motorrad Mayer tuned Suzuki GSXR 600’s power delivery off the corner. The way the engine produces the torque is very smooth. This results in a slower degradation of the tyre, which is essential for consistent race pace.
Another positive was the flexibility of the chassis. This allows the bike to be more forgiving for the rider in wet conditions. In conjunction with the ‘sticky’ Dunlop wet compound, we can expect some impressive results in rainy conditions.
The decision was made to head to Valencia a day earlier than scheduled in search for drier weather. This was my first time attending the Valencia circuit. The flow from corner to corner was delightful, whilst it was still critical to create solid exit speed out of each turn. The new aggressive surface made it tricky on the rear tyre though. Fortunately, Dunlop had some extra tyre variations for me to test which were originally intended for the German track ‘Sachsenring’.
Although we still have a lot of work to do, the Suzuki GSXR600 is coming along nicely. We still need to enhance our understanding of how to ride the bike to the limit, as well as how to correctly set it up for my riding style.
There was no official timing on these test days, but Dunlop informed me that my race run on the final day was the most competitive of the Dunlop riders. I achieved consistent lap times in the high 1.38’s, which were some of the fastest laps of the testing sessions.
Although chief mechanic Thomas Mayer is still working endlessly to improve the top end power of the engine, Suzuki Mayer Germany provide a very competitive package as is. To have all bases covered, I will be working with the K-tech suspension from now until the next test at Lausitz
