WorldSBK Aragon test wrap up
Better weather allows teams to finally make some progress
After a first day full of frustration for the teams hoping to take advantage of their final few test days, the weather conditions improved on the second and final day at MotorLand to allow a useful second day of running, the last on European soil before heading to Phillip Island and the season kick-off.
The Milwaukee BMW lineup of Josh Brookes and Karel Abraham made further progress with their new BMW S1000 RR machines.
Josh Brookes
“We had a weather affected test on day one in Aragon with high winds. I am new to that circuit, so did 62 laps in the awkward conditions.
“Day 2 was still windy but much better. We worked on a number of setting but the focus at first was on throttle connection/power delivery feeling.
“Once this was at an acceptable level the attention was turned to the rear suspension, but a good compromise wasn’t found. Without the Ohlins service truck on site, we couldn’t make any internal shock changes so it was impossible to correct the problems I was having on that circuit.
“All considered, we are bridging the gap to the established teams and riders and we have a good plan for the Phillip island test.”
Due to those aforementioned major winds, Kawasaki Team staff used the first day at Motorland to build the final spec of 2016 WorldSBK racing machinery; using materials freshly arrived from KHI in Japan. Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea started on track at midday on day two after the track had warmed-up somewhat.
Sykes was pleased to be at the same best pace he recorded in the 2015 race weekend, after finding improvements from the recent Jerez test sessions.
Despite a bout of illness, reigning champion Rea was still on strong form as he finalised settings to his engine’s overall character and fine-tuned his suspension.
Tom Sykes
“We had a good test, short but very productive. I am happy to have finished the European winter testing on a great level and we are working really nicely. I have been speaking with some of the other Kawasaki riders and they are really happy on the new bike, saying that it is very easy to ride. We focused on some fundamental things and not on performance, which was good. It worked out to be quite productive at the end. We had to do a couple of things for Pirelli, for their information, and I am really happy how things went.”
Marcel Duinker, Tom Sykes’ Crew Chief
“We continued with the bike we used in Jerez and we improved a some small items, which will also be very useful for Phillip Island. We made some steps on the chassis set-up and the fine-tuning worked out. We had a good feeling from the bike right away at Motorland and Tom set some good lap times, which was good in these cooler conditions. We are all ready for Australia now and we are confident to go to the first round.”
Jonathan Rea
“Today we tried out different spec front forks and rear shocks and we changed the engine character a little bit. The information we gained we can look at over the next week to make sure we arrive at Phillip Island in good shape. We will have two good days on track in Phillip Island, which gives us more time before the races start. I am excited to go there because I have good memories from last year – but it also feels like home. I am just looking forward to putting everything together and having a proper race weekend. That is what we are all working toward so it is an exciting time right now.”
Pere Riba, Jonathan Rea’s Crew Chief
“The test was positive. We tried two items that we really wanted to test. We collected some new information and we can put that in our pockets and got to PI. We tried some new fork set-ups just to check them and now we are preparing the bike for round one. We are looking forward to going to Phillip Island.”
Pedercini pair Sylvain Barrier and Saeed Al Sulaiti were also present on their Kawasaki ZX-10R machines.
Day 2, however, proved much better for progress with Pedercini leaving satisfied with the kilometres gained on their new Ninja and encouraged by the lap times set during a more rewarding session on track.
World Supersport saw Ukrainian rider Ilya Mikhalchik from the DS Junior Team and further riders including Jeremy Guarnoni, Roberto Mercandelli, Christophe Ponsson and Luke Stapleford from STK1000.
The European winter test schedule is now complete but here will be an official two-day Phillip Island test for all WorldSBK runners prior to the opening race weekend of the year in Australia. The first day of testing will be Monday 22 February, at the classic Phillip Island circuit before the opening round in the 2016 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round at the island, February 26-28..
Tickets available via www.worldsbk.com.au
