From a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

GOOD TEST FOR TROY!

After a really relaxing but fun time with my family and friends over Christmas and New Year, it was good to get back in the saddle again. And what a good test it was for us! After three days and nearly 190 laps, I left Phillip Island with the feeling that I could’ve raced the Alstare Suzuki GSXR1000 the very next day! It was good because the bike was as good at the start of the test as it had been at the end of the previous test, so we had a good base to start working. Over the three days, I never felt that I was having to push hard, but my laps times were good and very consistent. I did a race simulation on the final day and we were all very pleased with the time we achieved.

During the tests, we tried many different changes and loads of tyres and tried to get a good base set-up. Phillip Island is a good track for testing, because it has a great variety of corners and if you can find a good set-up for your bike there, it’s going to work pretty well almost any other circuit.

As usual, I had a bit of a problem with the Phillip Island wildlife! Because there was only me and my team mate Yukio on the track, the local birdlife didn’t have heaps of bikes charging round to scare them off the track, so they were a constant threat. The stupid things would just stand there in the middle of the track usually on the racing line for some reason ­and only get out of the way (or not!) at the last moment. In three days, I hit three of them (all plovers I think) and ended up with one smashed screen and a cracked front mudguard. Twice I had to wipe blood of my leathers after a collision, but at least I didn’t crash like Yukio. Mind you he didn’t hit a bird, he hit a hare! And really, he didn’t crash when he hit it, he just tipped off in the gravel trap after he went off the track.

The team is gelling really well and the new members have all slotted in almost perfectly. Of course, the Alstare Suzuki is still very new and there’s heaps of work to be done, but at this stage things are looking good. Yukio did pretty good at the test and because he is such an aggressive rider, he’s gonna keep my on my toes for sure. It’s good having a strong team mate, and once he understands the limits of the Pirellis he’s going to be a real threat. At the moment, I think we have a great package and certainly I’ll be going for the title right from the start. With all the strong riders and new teams coming into the series, it’s going to be a tremendous year for World Superbike fans.

It’s great riding a fast bike again and after years of looking at the back of other riders, I’m looking forward to them seeing my back!

See ya.

Troy