From a press release issued by Tony Meiring’s agent, Norm Viano:

Tiger laps Laguna

Monterey, CA. Teenage factory Kawasaki pilot, Tony “The Tiger” Meiring had a productive test at Laguna this past week, putting the new Kawasaki ZX-6RR through its paces by lapping feverishly throughout the three day test. Thursday alone saw Tony put in over seventy laps.

Riding a vastly different beast than last year’s Kawasaki 600, Tony is enjoying the new bike while simultaneously sharing in developmental duties with team-mate, Tommy Hayden. The two hope to show the world its capabilities in the coming season.

“We are learning a lot about this new bike. We tried different things with the (new for this year) fuel injection and are trying to get the most out of the new upside-down forks. My bike last year was really great and fun to ride. But this year’s bike has even better handling and brakes. When I get on the brakes, it’s just so stable. I’ll come up over Turn One, for example, and where my old bike would normally shake over the hill, the new ZX6-RR doesn’t shake at all.”

As this will be only Tony’s second season as a factory rider, he is benefiting from having some fast friends to learn from. “I was going down the straightaway and something started to grab my leg. At first, I thought it was something on my bike. I looked down and here is Kurtis Roberts on his Superbike, passing me and giving me a little tug! He and I are good friends, so I started following him and he showed me around the track. Showed me his lines. Then I had Eric (Bostrom) show me around as well. I followed him for a few laps, and then he followed me for a few laps in order to critique me. He’s really helping me with my corner speed.”

The squad will continue their preseason testing at Fontana in just a few weeks, where Tony plans on putting those lessons to good use.