A mere 22 days after the final race of the 2006 AMA Superbike season, factory teams were back on track testing machinery in preparation for the 2007 season. Yamaha’s Eric Bostrom and Jason DiSalvo tested their new 2007 YZF-R1 Superbikes at Daytona International Speedway October 24-25. “The test went better than I thought it would,” said Yamaha Team Manager Tom Halverson. “The CCS guys were there running the old course configuration, so the AMA portion of the infield was green and really, really slippery when we got there. So to get the times we were getting with a brand new motorcycle was really impressive. Top speed was good, too.” Because the new YZF-R1 is so similar in external dimensions and ergonomics to the 2006 model, Yamaha did not have to sacrifice a day — or an entire test, as is common practice, to set the handle bar, footpeg and seat positions on their new bikes. The team simply set the controls of the new bikes like those of Eric Bostrom’s and DiSalvo’s 2006 Superstock YZF-R1s and started testing. Still, the team plans another test, probably in northern California, before heading back to Daytona for the annual Dunlop tire test in early-December. As soon as Yamaha moved out of Daytona, American Honda pulled in for two days of testing (October 26-27) with factory riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke, Erion Honda’s 2006 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Josh Hayes and the Rockwall Honda’s Ryan Andrews. The Honda teams primarily worked on their new 2007 CBR600RRs, while American Honda’s factory men continued working with the engine management (a.k.a. traction control) systems on their CBR1000RR Superbikes. Honda hopes to squeeze in another test on the West Coast before the Dunlop tire test. Kawasaki’s first test of the off-season is scheduled to happen at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama, in November. This will mark 2006 AMA Supersport and Superstock Champion Jamie Hacking’s debut as a Team Green rider and as Roger Hayden’s teammate. In addition to Hacking’s acclimation to the team, Kawasaki’s time at Barber will be its first opportunity to try its new, 2007 ZX-6R Supersport machine and to continue development on its ZX-10R Superbikes. Kawasaki also hopes to hold a second test before going to Daytona in December. Yoshimura Suzuki held its first test of the new season, a one-day test, November 1 at Willow Springs in Southern California. The outing had two goals. First, new-to-the-team Tommy Hayden needed to start developing his relationship with his new crew and get familiar with his new bike. And 2006 AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies and six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin needed to get shakedown runs on their new, 2007 GSX-R1000 Superbikes before the team headed to Sepang, Malaysia in November for the first real test of the new machine. Yoshimura Suzuki hopes to conduct a third test in America before going to the Daytona Dunlop tire test.