GOOD PROGRESS FOR WORX CRESCENT SUZUKI AT BSB CARTEGENA TESTS
06th March 2010
Worx Crescent Suzuki's team manager Jack Valentine reports good progress on the conclusion of the team's three-day test at Cartegena in Murcia, Spain today.
While Tommy Hill has unofficially broken the lap record and set the fastest time in the BSB tests – with team-mate Yukio Kagayama only tenths of a second behind – Valentine warns that these tests aren't about lap times but detailed bike preparation in readiness for the BSB season which gets underway at Brands Hatch in just 26 days time.
The BSB test, following on from private tests at the Portimao circuit in Portugal in February, has not been without its problems. Kagayama's bike has suffered teething problems with its new engine management system, which has limited his track time. Both riders have suffered crashes too. Hill crashed yesterday while passing another rider and Kagayama highsided in the final session today. Both riders escaped injury, and both bikes have been fully repaired. Over the three days Hill completed 90 laps of testing, while Kagayama made 52.
Tommy Hill:
"The testing has been really good and I'm very happy with progress. We came here with a big list of jobs to work through and it's been good to get through these, working with different chassis and suspension settings. The lap times have come down and now the bike is really starting to feel my own. This circuit is really tight and twisty and so I've been able to ride the bike in a way that's similar to how we ride the UK circuits, so everything we're doing here is relevant. It's going well."
Yukio Kagayama:
"It hasn't been easy for me with the problems we've had, but even on my side of the garage we've still made good progress and the speed is there. We've focused on working through many settings. We need to try many settings as there are many circuits in the season, so we need many ideas, many answers so that we can always be fast. So, good progress, but still more work to do!"
Jack Valentine:
"Testing is a serious business and it's not at all straight forward. It's been fairly cold here and it's been a job for the riders to find grip, so to get the lap times they have is excellent progress. As well, this test has been organised in sessions – rather than an open pit lane – and this has given the team a good taster of the kind of approach we'll need to take in race-qualifying under the new one-bike rule. So far, all is good."
The team had intended to conduct only three days testing at Cartegena but will now take part in the fourth and final day's testing (tomorrow) before moving onto the Guadix circuit later in the week for the final tests before the season begins.
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