The Althea BMW Team concludes two days of testing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera.
With cool temperatures but sunny conditions, the Team was able to work on different set-up solutions for the new BMW S1000 RR bikes. Riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger each used various configurations as they worked to find a level of performance that can serve as a base for the future development of the Bavarian company’s machines.
Both of the Althea BMW Team riders were able to achieve solid results and, though lap times were not crucial this week, both Torres and Reiterberger were nevertheless able to lap consistently fast, with times that were very close to both the track record and those set by their strongest rivals present on track. Final lap times – a 1’40.531 for Reiterberger and 1’41.002 for Torres – serve as an immediate injection of faith that will boost the whole Team, with all parties working closely together to find the right direction in which to continue. The Italian and German engineers were coordinated by new Technical Director Jan Witteveen with a very positive outcome.
With regard to Superstock, Raffaele De Rosa completed roughly 100 laps and immediately found feeling with the BMW S1000 RR in its stock version. Right from the first laps, he was able to improve on his personal record of the 2015 season by almost a second, with a final best time of 1’43.040.
The team will return to the track on 14 December, at Vallelunga in Italy, where it will carry out one day of testing, providing the riders with new material and electronic solutions as they work to refine the new bikes.
Genesio Bevilacqua: “Team Althea embarks on a new experience, and this week the riders and team have worked together for the first time. We’ve tried to immediately give the riders an easy bike that can suit their riding styles. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with this debut because the engineers and riders have done a great job, meaning that Jordi and Reiti were immediately quick right from the first laps. After this initial outing, we’re very pleased and believe we can make another step forward already on 14 December at Vallelunga. I must thank BMW because the company has provided us with a very interesting work platform on which we, with our experience, can easily work.”
Jan Witteveen: “I’m pleased because we’ve come up with a solid base. From here on in, we have a lot of work to do in order to achieve much greater competitiveness by the time we arrive at the opening round.”
Jordi Torres: “In general I’d say it’s gone well, because we’ve completed some great work. We worked to find a solution for problems identified at the start of the test and the fact we found a solution, with a new bike, must mean we’re on the right track. We’ve a lot to do but we’ll soon be competitive and I want to do as much as I can to learn to ride what is a totally different bike to those I’ve ridden in the past.”
Markus Reiterberger: “I’m happy with how our first test has gone. I’ve got on really well with the whole Team and with my BMW. I was very fast today but we have a great deal of work to do in order to improve in all areas and become competitive. I hope I’m able to improve already in the next test at Vallelunga, and can’t wait to get back on the bike.”
Raffaele De Rosa: “I’m pleased with these two days of testing. I hadn’t ridden since Magny-Cours and immediately had a good feeling with the bike. The bike, as it is now, is already at a good level. We also carried out a race simulation and I was satisfied with that. My lap times have been very positive and, though it’s too early to make any predictions, I’m feeling very optimistic.”