All posts tagged wsbk portimao test
Teething problems for Crescent Suzuki debut
The three-day World Superbike test at Portimao went well for BMW and Aprilia, but a little less so for the debutante in the series, Crescent Suzuki who battled with front brake and electronic issues.
Leon Camier spent the first day and a half of the test concentrating on solving a front brake caliper problem until Brembo brought in the latest 2012 callipers, and then the team had problems with new Motec electronics.
Crescent Suzuki team manager Jack Valentine said, “It was a pretty frustrating start to the test, particularly on Leon’s side. The first day was hampered with a braking issue, and the second saw us struggling with the bike’s firmware. However, once we reverted back to our old settings on Leon’s bike he was able to get going properly. He posted some quick times on the race tyres on day three, after which some mechanical issues put us back again. He then went on to post a 1:43:7 with the new firmware, which puts him a second off the fastest lap set by Eugene Laverty, but is very close to the rest of the field running in the mid 1:43s. Leon’s done a great job considering he was only able to do 120 laps across the three days and I’m convinced we are going to improve from here on.
Continue reading: Teething problems for Crescent Suzuki debut
Eugene Laverty fastest on final day of testing at Portimao
The final day of testing a Portimao ahead of the six week World Superbike test ban saw Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty top the timesheets with a lightening lap of 1.42.7 set on race tires with team mate Max Biaggi - also on race tires - just one tenth adrift from his new team mate.
On qualifying tires it was BMW’s Leon Haslam who set the best lap of 1.42.2, while on race tires his best lap was 1.43.1, the same as team mate Marco Melandri and BMW Italia’s Ayrton Badovini, all three were four tenths adrift from the ultra fast Aprilias.
Chaz Davies (ParkinGO Aprilia) on race tires lapped in 1’43.2, improving 6 tenths from yesterday’s 1′43.8 - while Michel Fabrizio did his 1.43.3 on qualifiers, but was still eight tenths slower than his BMW Italia team mate on race tires.
Leon Camier on the Crescent Suzuki set a 1.43.8, while test rider Alastair Seeley on race tires put in a 1′44.1 and was six tenths faster on qualifiers.
Continue reading: Eugene Laverty fastest on final day of testing at Portimao
Leon Haslam fastest on day 2 at Portimao
Heading the top of timesheets on the second consectuive day of testing at Portimao was once again Leon Haslam. The BMW factory rider set a 1.43.2 lap shaving off four tenths from yesterday’s lap time.
Eugene Laverty broke yesterday’s BMW hegemony and took the second spot of the charts, despite a massive highside at turn 10, but seemingly came out of the crash without any apparent injuries, but testing was red flagged momentarily to gather up the damaged RSV4. Ayrton Badovini continued to impress with the satellite BMW Italia machine finishing in third and only two tenths from Haslam.
Max Biaggi with the other factory Aprilia was fourth, while reigning Supersport champion Chaz Davies on the ParkinGO branded Aprilia was a second off pace. Marco Melandri spent his track time testing different set-ups on his BMW S1000RR and not looking at lap times.
Leon Camier set a 1’44.7, cutting his lap time by over a second after solving his front brake problems, finishing ahead of BMW Italia’s Michel Fabrizio. While Alastair Seeley, filling in for injured John Hopkins in Crescent Suzuki brought up the rear and he too slashed off a big one second from yesterday’s lap time.
Leon Haslam fastest on day 1 of WSBK testing at Portimao
Another round of three days of Superbike private testing kicked off today at Portimao, with teams BMW Italia SBK, Apilia Alitalia Racing, ParkinGO-Aprilia and Crescent Suzuki and the factory BMW Motorrad Motorsport team who arrived from Spain after testing for three days at Jerez.
Luckily the weather was perfect and BMW’s Leon Haslam was the fastest rider of the day posting an unofficial best time of 1.43.6 with team mate Marco Melandri just a tenth adrift despite a crash earlier in the day.
Satellite BMW Italia’s Ayrton Badovini who was riding the 2012 S100RR with a modified swingarm and gas tank for the first timewas close behind the factory riders while new team mate Michel Fabrizio was seventh and a little less than a second off pace.
Continue reading: Leon Haslam fastest on day 1 of WSBK testing at Portimao
WSBK Portimao test Day 3: Noriyuki Haga in final session, Smrz fastest overall
The final session of World Superbike testing at Portimao was literally a washout, with only seven riders willing to venture out on the wet Portuguese track, and Noriyuki Haga taking the afternoon session.
The Pata Aprilia rider actually bettered his lap times from the morning session, it wasn’t enough to overtake Ruben Xaus’ morning times, making the Castrol Honda rider the fastest of the day. Haga was followed by Yamaha’s Eugene Laverty and Supersonic’s rookie Maxime Berger.
In the three day test, with rain affecting two days out of three, the fastest rider overall was Jakub Smrz with his lap time of 1’43.503 on the first day of testing that put him ahead of Jonathan Rea who was consistent not only in dry, but also in the wet, as was Eugene Laverty.
Continue reading: WSBK Portimao test Day 3: Noriyuki Haga in final session, Smrz fastest overall
WSBK Portimao test: Ruben Xaus fastest in morning session
Bad weather continues to hamper World Superbike testing at Portimao, on the third and final day. This fifth session was dominated by Ruben Xaus on the Castrol Honda with a best lap 1′47.065 leaving Michel Fabrizio on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 in second, and more than one full second behind.
Third went to Marco Melandri who head onto the track in the last four remaining minutes of the session, put in just two laps, but they were enough to put him in third, but he was a massive 7.283s off the top spot.
Sylvain Guintoli was fourth fastest, ahead of Carlos Checa, and they were followed by the Kawasaki duo Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz, who were sixth and seventh respectively. Jonathan Rea, Noriyuki Haga and Ayrton Badovini completed the top ten.
Aprilia Alitalia’s Leon Camier and Max Biaggi were back from Montecarlo, with Camier taking to the track for eight laps, while team mate Biaggi sat the session out as did Yamaha’s Eugene Laverty.
Continue reading: WSBK Portimao test: Ruben Xaus fastest in morning session
WSBK Portimao test Day 2: Jonathan Rea confirms top form in session
This afternoon’s World Superbike test session at Portimao, saw Jonathan Rea head the charts after deciding to take to the wet track for only 14 laps but they were decisive. The Castrol Honda rider stopped the clock at 1.54.718 enough to leave a resurgent Marco Melandri in second.
The Italian rider risking his recovering shoulder managed to put in 33 laps and they paid off, letting him climb up the chart and even lead for a short while.
Althea Ducati’s Carlo Checa took third, but unable to lower his lap times, while Liberty Ducati’s Sylvain Guintoli was fifth ahead of his team mate Jakub Smrz, who was the fastest rider on Day 1 in the dry.
Continue reading: WSBK Portimao test Day 2: Jonathan Rea confirms top form in session
WSBK Portimao Tests - Brit Pack Flex Muscles
Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea lead almost the entire three days of testing at Portimao except for the first day that was led by Alstare Suzuki’s Leon Haslam.
In dry and wet conditions over the weekend, Rea and Haslam swapped the fastest laps. Yesterday’s final test day saw Rea’s put in a best lap of 1′42.270 while Pocket Rocket Haslam did a 1′42.557. As a comparison, Ben Spies’ 2009 Superpole was a 1′42.412.
Althea Ducati’s Shane Byrne took third place with a 1′42.887. Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow impressed on Friday but could not better his time and a crash in the afternoon session didn’t help, but his previous times were enough for fourth.
Xerox Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio who was nursing a bad case of the flu all weekend finished fifth with a 1′43.157. James Toseland was down in sixth almost a second slower than Rea.
Continue reading: WSBK Portimao Tests - Brit Pack Flex Muscles
WSBK Portimao Tests - Day 1
The curtain has just come down on 2009 WSBK season on Sunday, but the first day of the official 2010 test got underway today at Portimao.
Not all riders had their transponders on, so the times are unofficial and from some reporters turned time keepers scattered around the track.
Jonathan Rea posted the fastest times in both the morning and afternoon sessions, with a best lap of 1′42″156 (Ben Spies best lap during the race was 1′42″412). Immediately behind Rea was Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio with a 1′42″362, which was also lower than the official record.
Newly crowned 2009 Supersport champion Cal Crutchlow, who was promoted to Yamaha’s Superbike team finished third. This morning he set a 1’44”139 on his first outing with the R1, but binned his bike, but this afternoon did a 1’42”795.
Noriyuki Haga who lost the championship to Ben Spies was fourth, but never dipped below the 1’43 mark.
James Toseland is present at Portimao. The Brit rider who got permission from Herve Poncharal to take part in the test, before the final MotoGP season race at Valencia. Toseland’s fastest lap this morning was 1’46”608 while getting to know the unfamiliar circuit, and this afternoon reportedly posted a best time of 1’43”7.
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