Winter testing Jerez. 28th to 30th November 2012. Jerez, 30th November 2012. The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team finished the 2012 winter testing season with a three-day test in Jerez (ESP). While weather conditions were sunny on Wednesday and Thursday, showers and cold temperatures did not allow for track activities on Friday. In total, works rider Marco Melandri (ITA) completed 123 laps (524 km). His team-mate Chaz Davies (GBR) did 125 laps (533 km) on his BMW S 1000 RR. Marco Melandri: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR “We certainly hoped to have more dry track time during winter testing. Anyhow, we can be happy as we were able to complete our planned programme on Wednesday and Thursday. I started working with the 17-inch tyres on the 2012 bike. The feeling of the bike was completely different compared to last year not only the chassis, but also the engine characteristics and the electronics. Pirelli has done a good job. In my opinion, the switch to the new tyre is a positive one. The tyre is more consistent and really good fun to ride. Once I was happy with the settings of the bike, we went on to test different 2013 parts. We clearly have an idea of which way to go, as we understand exactly what we need to do. I am looking forward to the winter break now, as I need some rest before I start working out in the gym again and preparing for 2013.” Chaz Davies: Bike: BMW S 1000 RR “The 2012 winter testing was quite difficult for me. Out of seven days in total, we had only two days in the dry. These last two days were very important for me. In Aragon I got an initial feeling for the bike in the dry, but here I really had a lot of track time, which helped me to get used to the BMW S 1000 RR, the working system and the team. We made good progress, and I am confident that I will make further progress when I get some more time on the bike. So far, I am not on the limit. Once I am close to the limit, I am sure we can improve a lot. We will continue to work methodically, and I am already looking forward to jumping on the RR again. Over the next couple of weeks I will stay at home and step up my training. Depending on the weather, I might go to Tenerife in January to find consistent conditions for preparing for the season.” Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team): “Overall, we were not particularly lucky with the weather conditions during our 2012 winter testing programme, as only two of the seven test days were in dry conditions. The rain has certainly not helped Chaz in his attempts to familiarize himself with the BMW S 1000 RR. Still, he has made good progress over the last couple of days. He has learned the characteristics of the bike and improved the way he works with his new crew. Day by day, he improved his feel for the bike and the situation, but we believe that he still needs some more time in the dry to reach the level he is capable of. “Marco’s target for this test was clear: on day one we set up the 2012 bike for the 17-inch tyres, and we have been working on all the areas engine, electronics and chassis. The new tyre required a few changes. On the second day Marco evaluated several new parts for the 2013 machine. He tested different solutions for the front end of the bike, for the engine, and for the electronics. Marco’s clear feedback and the data we acquired will form the basis, on which our engineers will define the 2013 bike, which will undergo its shakedown at the end of January. “Although we were only able to ride in the dry on two days, we are very happy with what we have achieved in terms of performance and preparations for the 2013 season. We will work full-throttle over the next couple of weeks, and are already looking forward to the start of the season.”