WSBK – WSBK: tests in Aragon before starting the second half –

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WSBK: tries in Aragon before starting the second half

WSBK - WSBK: tests in Aragon before starting the second half -

The Aprilia, BMW, Kawasaki and Suzuki teams were yesterday and the day before on their test circuit: that of Aragon. It is on this same track, in a little over a week, that the second half of the 2012 World Superbike season will begin.. Atmosphere…

If the official Honda Ten Kate team has chosen the Assen circuit located a few kilometers from its headquarters as a training ground this year again, their rivals – with the exception of Ducati – have chosen the track of Aragon, renowned for its great technicality, the diversity of its sequences and its immense straight line. In addition, the weather is statistically more favorable….

Well, in reality Wednesday morning the rain fell heavily on the Spanish circuit, preventing the riders from working properly … Yesterday luckily, the sun and the heat were back, allowing the Aces of the handlebars to work harder and prepare for the second half of the season, which will start in Aragon in a week !

As the times were not disclosed by all the teams, Site is unable to establish a ranking and comment on the results based on these performances. We must therefore rely on the comments of the pilots…

Author of a record time during his last outing on this circuit on the occasion of the "spring" tests (read), the English Ninja is not credited with any precise time this time but says he is completely satisfied. progress made during the second day of testing.

Sykes on his land

His chief mechanic made him work hard and cover the equivalent of four races! A job that would have enabled Tom and his team to improve the Pirelli’s endurance on the wild Kawasaki: "when i compare to my times last year i’m happy", indicates the n ° 66, currently third in the provisional classification … and very recently married !

"We also tested a few things in the wet the first day to improve our setup in these conditions and it seemed to pay off", continues Sykes. The circuit, made particularly slippery by the recent passage of cars, required a few laps before offering all its potential.

"There were quite a few of our competitors and a few additional machines (two SBK test pilots and a few SSP pilots, NDLR) because the track was not in great conditionTom observed last night. And among his rivals was naturally Loris Baz !

"Bazooka" dabbled in the bitumen !

Wisely remained in the aspiration of his teammate during the last race in Misano (read), our young compatriot continues his apprenticeship. But for the first time since his arrival in the box of the Greens to replace Joan Lascorz, "Bazooka" has failed !

"I had a little fall in the late morning today", recognizes Loris,"but in the end we were quite fast, tried a lot of things and improved a lot of points which gave me a better feeling of the bike".

No booze therefore for Baz who until yesterday had fully respected the requirement of his new team: not to fall so as not to hamper his progress! Likewise, the rookie didn’t have to worry – too much ?! – about his times: he is above all there to learn.

"We did not improve our time in the afternoon because we had a lot of new things to try, it was a job that took time.", explains # 76."We only did a few laps in the wet and it went well too".

At BMW, too, we preferred to keep the performance of official drivers confidential. at the controls of his late Yamaha R1 – after escorting Biaggi to victory in the premiere – Marco Melandri believes his BMW S1000RR is all set for the next race weekend.

The Italian, too, claims to have worked very hard to condense the tests scheduled over two days into one: "in fact we missed a few outings due to the rain yesterday, but we more or less did what we wanted", summarizes the vice-world champion 2011.

Convinced of having found good solutions during these tests, the famous n ° 33 claims to be satisfied with his pace. "I don’t know what the weather has in store for next week, admits Marco, "but I remain confident for the races here in Aragon".

Same story on the other side of the BMW Motorrad Motosport box, despite an unfortunate fall. "I fell in the middle of the morning, it was not terrible", regrets Leon Haslam:"I went off the track to avoid a 600 cc driver and coming back I went highside !"

Fortunately, unlike competition weekends, Superbike riders have a mule on which the unfortunate n ° 91 was able to continue to ride. "We worked a lot on the other bike, tried a lot of parts and I’m finally quite happy".

BMWs in the rhythm

Last year (regular readers of Site and its near-live race reports will remember, if not read), the English driver had a superb battle against Ayrton Badovini and his private BMW. According to the comments of the BMW Italia team, it could be that the 2012 edition sees the fight resume !

"Ayrton did a good job", said Serafino Foti, sporting director of the 100% Italian team:"he tried all the new parts and was also quick with the qualifying tires". Indeed, his best time in practice (1’58.7) is half a second faster than his time signed in Superpole last year..

Michel Fabrizio was also present on the handlebars of his S1000RR n ° 84, but unlike his teammate he did not wear ultra-soft rubber. His best time (1’59.8) can be compared to the best race time in 2011: 1’58.874, set by Max Biaggi himself.

As often with Aprilia, the private tests are not officially commented. So you have to turn to the little blue bird – Twitter, that’s it yes – to find information about the latest progress….

By nature, the balance sheet is therefore concise but also extremely clear on the part of Biaggi: "Tests carried out. 90 turns. Best times in 58.80. We worked on the suspensions and the geometry. We tried to change the engine brake but it didn’t work. Ready to race".

The day before, the 2010 champion and leader of the 2012 championship "tweeted" just as explicitly: "here in Aragon, bad day … the rain … damn !"The same day, Eugene Laverty affirmed that five small turns were enough for him to realize that his motorcycle had changed a lot since March … But for bad or for good, his" twit "does not specify it…

Aprilia: no news, good news ?

Probably out of battery yesterday, the Irishman did not send any information. His absolute fans will be delighted to hear that today Thursday he was sitting across from Jude Law in the departure lounge and the actor descended in his esteem after dismissing a shy young girl…

And Ducati then ?

Meanwhile, Ducati riders are getting ready to have a good time in the company of the tifosis on the occasion of World Ducati Week (read)! Carlos Checa got a bit ahead of his colleagues as he was able to test, for the very first time, the 1199 Panigale racing…

"I can hear Carlos Checa shaking the Panigale Corsica from my hotel factory"Sylvain Guintoli said the day before yesterday on his Twitter account. Patience" Guinters ", it will soon be your turn !

We learn especially by "following Youdjine" that it is useful to have fast brothers on motorbikes: "last week Michael (his brother who rides in British Superbike, editor’s note) put his finger on the problem that has crippled us these past three trials, and it turns out he was right !", comments Aprilia n ° 58.

So could it be that Biaggi’s teammate returns to the outposts in Aragon next week? The suspense remains … Ditto at Suzuki where times have remained secret and the feedback from the pilots is as good as in the competition.

It is difficult in these conditions to form an opinion on the level of competitiveness of the GSX-R1000 which has been struggling since the start of the season. Only one thing is certain: the team of Jack Valentine – which represents the Yellows instead of Francis Batta this year – does not give up and tirelessly continues its tests.

In order to give the Yoshimura engineers in charge of engine preparation something to grind, Leon Camier notably worked "on different engine and electronic settings, without trying to make fast times but by collecting a lot of useful data".

On the defensive therefore – we do not yet know his time and therefore cannot blame him for underperforming – the number 2 of the Fixi Crescent Suzuki team believes that the information compiled over the laps will help him for the race to come..

Yoshimura: The Path of Power

Finally, John Hopkins undoubtedly had the busiest schedule of all, since the Anglo-American pilot had never put a wheel on the Aragon circuit! "This route is not obvious, there are a lot of blind curves and unevenness, so you had to take the time to learn it", testifies" Hopper ".

Once the long loop has been integrated (5.344 km!), The former Grand Prix star has obviously been able to improve the basic settings of his racing Gex … while having a good time: "I really like this circuit, it is really nice to go once you know where to go !"

The speech is nice to hear because just a couple of years ago, the pilot was at the bottom of the abyss. Vice-champion of British Superbike in 2011, John tries to return to his best level. "I feel much better and I start enjoying the bike again, my confidence is back", he rejoices.

Injured at the start of the season, Hopkins is keen to make a success of his second half and according to him, Aragon could be an effective springboard: "While there are a few places here where extra power would come in handy, I think this circuit is suitable for our GSX-R and the fast corners will be to our advantage.".

"I can’t wait to race here and am very optimistic about the results", concludes n ° 21 of the Suzuki team … Answer in the afternoon of Sunday July 1, almost live on Site: stay connected !

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