Troy threw his leg over one of this year’s Yamaha Italia’s R1 WSBK bikes for the first time today and left Mugello at the end of the day with a smile on his face! Weather conditions were nigh on perfect at the undulating Tuscan circuit and Troy and his new team were able to start their new job together in the best possible way. At the end, Troy got down to some really good lap times – all without even pushing hard. The day went smoothly and completely without any dramas and now Troy is looking forward to the official tests in Valencia in just over two week’s time. “I can’t believe how well today went and I’m really happy with my first day on a Yamaha Superbike. I started off with one of Andrew Pitt’s bikes and worked with the crew getting a comfortable position and the usual stuff. The engine feels flatter off the bottom and is a bit peaky, but the bike is very stable under braking and the handling is pretty good also. The spin and wheelie control is very adjustable and, of course, one of the biggest differences is the suspension – which is now Ohlins. At the end of the day, I tried a few laps on one of Haga’s bikes, but it was way too hard for me! I’m happy today because it took me hardly any time getting comfortable and I was able to get down to some pretty good lap times without pushing hard at all! I had no dramas, no crashes, no running off the track or anything like that, and I am surprised how well it’s all gone today. Now I’m really looking forward to riding it at the Valencia tests and seeing how it stacks up against the rest of the boys.”