BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) SMASHES UNOFFICIAL VALENCIA LAP RECORD TO COMPLETE TOTAL DOMINATION OF FGSPORT TESTING – LANZI MOVES UP TO THIRD BEHIND XAUS FOR A DUCATI 1-2-3 Valencia (Spain), Wednesday 29 March: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox Team) smashed the unofficial Superbike lap record at Valencia today to complete his total domination of the three-day FGSport official test. The Australian’s time of 1m33.758s, set on qualifying tyres in the morning, was almost one second quicker than the rest of the 28-strong field of riders and was six-tenths of a second under the time he set during February testing at the same circuit. Troy’s performance on race tyres was also impressive, his time of 1m34.60s a fraction under 2003 Ducati champion Neil Hodgson’s mark. “When I woke up this morning and saw that the conditions were good, I knew I could do some quick times” declared Bayliss, “and I immediately did a 34.7 on my first exit on race tyres. We tried a few more things this morning and then I put on a Q-tyre to set the time. My first long-run in the afternoon was not as good as we expected, but we made a few changes to the front and rear and did a great full-race simulation. My last lap was one-tenth of a second slower than my best lap so we did everything we set out to do. I’ve been wanting to do a lap in the 33s here for some time and I’m feeling great about it. Ruben also looked good today, it feels really strange to have my former team-mate and my current team-mate behind me!”. Ducati Xerox team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi made a further step forward today, the Italian recording third-quickest time behind Ruben Xaus on the F05 version of the Ducati 999. “We have improved a lot over the last three days and the results are clear to see because I set third quickest time so I am pleased with my performance” commented Lanzi. “This afternoon in the long-run I wanted to lap in the same times as the front-runners but I struggled a bit, maybe because it was so warm out there. We have changed my 999 a lot in these tests, but now I believe we are going in the right direction. It’s always a pleasure to be ahead of guys like Corser and Haga in the standings, but I can’t say the same about Ruben who is using my bike from last year!”. World Superbike now heads to the Santamonica circuit in Misano Adriatico, Italy for a further two days of testing on April 12-13 before the championship resumes on April 23 with the Spanish Round at Valencia. OVERALL TIMES: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m33.758s; 2. Xaus (Ducati) 1m34.659s ; 3. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.848s; 4. Corser (Suzuki) 1m34.933s; 5. Martin (Petronas) 1m35.178s; 6. Haga (Yamaha) 1m35.295s; 7. Nieto (Kawasaki) 1m35.377s; 8. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m35.423s; 9. Fabrizio (Honda) 1m35.437s; 10. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m35.538s; etc. More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha France – Ipone: With a time of 1’35.667, Norick Abe was quicker than last year (1’36.8) and also faster than during the last February tests (1’36.4). Shinishi Nakatomi did 1’36.737, while there is a time of 1’36.900 for Lorenzo Alfonsi who will race Sébastien Gimbert’s Yamaha R1 at Valencia when the French rider will be racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Team Yamaha Motor France Ipone tested many technical solutions during these three days of practice organized by FG Sport. “Our goal was to make our riders happy, explains team principal Martial Garcia. We are going in the right direction, especially with the feeling of the engine. From now on, we have a better balance between the torque ( low RPMs) and the power ( high RPMs). Norifumi Abe tested a new Ohlins fork and also new Nissin disc brakes and he was happy with that. Same positive results for Nakatomi and his Brembo disc brakes. We also tested France Equipement disc brakes and they look promising.” Norifumi Abe: “The tests were difficult for me as I had some fever. I did not feel well and it was hard for me to confirm the technical choices. I am not satisfied with the grip of my rear tyre, but some other riders are not happy either.” Shinishi Nakatomi: “I did some good times. I ran the equivalent of a full race distance, which means 30 laps, and my tyres looked good.” Lorenzo Alfonsi: “I could have gone faster, but when I wanted to use my qualifying tyre something hit my front wheel and my brake caliper, doing some damage to both. I think everything will be OK for the race.” Results: 1- Bayliss (Ducati) 1’33.758 ; 2- Xaus (Ducati) 1’34.659; 3-Lanzi (Ducati) 1’34.848 ; 4- Corser (Suzuki) 1’34.933 ; 5- Martin (Foggy Petronas) 1’35.178 ; 6- Haga (Yamaha) 1’35.295″¦ 19-Abe (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’35.967 ; 23-Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’36.737 ; 24-Alfonsi (Yamaha Motor France-Ipone) 1’36.900 Valencia stats Practice record (2003): 1’34.633 Hodgson (Ducati) 152.360 kph / 2nd free practice session 2003 Lap record (best race time 2003): 1’35.007 Hodgson (Ducati) 151.760 kph 2005 Yamaha Motor France practice times: Norifumi Abe: 1’36.862 / 8th and Sébastien Gimbert: 1’38.203 / 15th Round 3 of the Superbike World Championship: Valencia (Spain) April 23 More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: BAYLISS BLISTERS TO NEW VALENCIA RECORD ON FINAL DAY OF TESTING BAYLISS BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH A 1’33.758 LAP The current championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) once more proved his unadulterated pace against the entire World Superbike field, setting a new all time Superbike best at the 4.005km Valencia circuit. He is the first rider to official break into the 1’33s, and he simply smashed his way to an eventual 1’33.758. On a superb final day for Ducati 999 riders, Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) was second fastest, with a 1’434.659, which, like most of his peers, he set in the cooler morning session. Xaus’s impressive return to action in SBK is made all the more noteworthy as the tough Spaniard is still relying on crutches to get around off the bike, after an of-season training accident. In third place overall, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox) made it a top three sweep for the big desmo twins, outpacing reigning World Champion Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) who was over a second from his Aussie rival Bayliss. MARTIN DAZZLES US WITH PACE THEN FALLS IN FINAL SESSION Aussie rider Steve Martin (Petronas Racing) ignored the handicap of having 100cc less engine displacement at his disposal than most of his competitors to put the unique Petronas FP-1 fifth – out of 28 competitors. His brilliant display in the morning continued in the afternoon, and even a late fall failed to dampen his team’s ebullient spirits. His team-mate Craig Jones made great improvements across the three sessions, despite finishing 28th overall. Unlike almost every other rider, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) beat his previous personal best in the final afternoon session, despite the track grip degrading as the day went on. He was sixth overall. NIETO THE TOP KAWASAKI RUNNER Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Kawasaki Corse) scored seventh in the overall classification, with his team-mate’s Chris Walker and Regis Laconi 12th and 17th respectively. The entire Kawasaki crew tested a significant amount of new materials and components, and early season struggler Laconi declared himself particularly pleased with progress in his side of the garage at this particular test. Andrew Pitt, Haga’s team-mate, secured eighth fastest time overall, but spent most of his time working to ensure that he will have a fast and consistent set-up for the Valencia race itself. Top Honda rider on show was a pleasant surprise to some, as young Italian Michel Fabrizio (DFX Honda) overturned Klaffi Honda rider Alex Barros’s good first day start, to take a top nine classification. Barros was to finish 11th, and the top ten was rounded out by Corser’s team-mate, Yukio Kagayama. MUGGERIDGE INJURED AS TOSELAND STRUGGLES Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge suffered a fracture of his fifth vertebrae in a crash during a slow-down lap in the morning session, and was immediately taken to hospital. Preliminary checks showed that he is in no danger of further injury, but he is expected to spend two months immobile while the bone heals. James Toseland (Winston Ten Kate Honda) expected a tougher then normal test at Valencia, to some degree, and he had to battle to set a 1’35.879, good enough for 16th place. A very positive testing outcome for SBK rookie and former World Supersport champion Fabien Foret (Alstare Corona Engineering Corona Extra) saw him 13th out of 28, one place ahead of the experienced Marco Borciani (Sterilgarda Berik Ducati) and two ahead of former Superstock king Vittorio Iannuzzo (Celani Suzuki). Despite a strong start to his rookie SBK season thus far, Roberto Rolfo (Ducati SC Caracchi) scored only 21st on the Valencia testing timesheets. SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) could not improve on his day two best after only riding in the morning session of the final day at Valencia, but nonetheless won the battle of the transponders, with the fastest Supersport lap of 1’37.437 a truly impressive achievement. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) was fastest in the final session, which was interrupted near the end before a frantic final five minutes of track time was completed. Curtain finished the tests second overall. Kenan Sofuoglu (Winston Honda Ten Kate) was third fastest, despite a late fall which brought out the red flags. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany), added a second Yamaha to the top four, Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia) a fifth, with top Ducati rider proving to be Christian Zaiser (LBR Ducati). Josh Brookes was a disappointed 23rd out of 29 on his Ducati SC Caracchi 749. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP Alessandro Polita (Team Celani Suzuki Italia) left the Valencia tests secure in the knowledge that he is the fastest Superstock rider at the present time, after setting a 1’39.018 on the morning of the final day. Almost 0.6 seconds behind, Claudio Corti (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) was the testing runner-up, and Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Unionbike MV Agusta) raised another Italian tricolore in third place. Continuing the machinery variety, Matej Smrz (MS Racing Honda) was fourth. US rider Jason Perez (HP Racing Suzuki) finished 12th out of 23 entrants. MISANO TEST NEXT APPOINTMENT FOR SBK After the Valencia tests, Misano is the next testing venue, on 12 and 13 April, before the series returns to Valencia on 23rd April for Round One of Superstock, and round three of World Superbike and World Supersport. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Martin on song for FPR at Valencia Steve Martin produced superb form on the final day of the Superbike World Championship official test at Valencia, Spain, to finish the three days as the fifth fastest rider. The Australian hacked a further second off yesterday’s best time with a stunning lap of 1:35.178, two seconds quicker than his time on qualifiers at last year’s race. And he was then fourth fastest in today’s afternoon session with a time of 1:35.7, set on race tyres, and behind only Troy Corser, Nori Haga and Troy Bayliss, even though a high-side crash, from which he emerged unscathed, ended that session prematurely. Team-mate Craig Jones also continued to make encouraging progress and was 24th fastest in a windy final session, having made significant in-roads into yesterday’s lap times. Bayliss had earlier broken the lap record with a time of 1:33.758, while Karl Muggeridge was a casualty when he suffered a fractured vertebrae in a bizarre crash on entering pit-lane. Team manager Jack Valentine said: “This has been an excellent day and it’s very motivating to have made massive steps forward again with the chassis. We keep on managing to find something extra out of it. Steve’s riding was awesome and it’s so good to be able to set those times at a circuit where we have struggled recently. Craig has continued to make progress. He is now not far behind some of the big name riders and he will continue to improve.” Steve said: “Today was a good day. We made some more chassis changes, to the steering head and swing arm angles, to help stop the bike wheelying out of corners. The conditions in the afternoon were not fantastic, yet I went faster every time I went out in that session. Unfortunately I crashed and just have to put that down to one of those things that happens when you are pushing the limits. But I am happy that I came away with a decent set-up for the race at the end of next month and we are heading in the right direction going into the next test at Misano.” Craig said: “I managed to improve my times from yesterday this morning before we had a few things go wrong with the bike. Then conditions didn’t enable me to go quicker in the afternoon session, which was a shame. But I have regained my confidence on the bike, so there are positives to take away from here. I am a lot more comfortable on the bike and, if I can get it turning a bit better, hopefully the speed will come.” Final times, Superbike World Championship official test, Valencia, Spain: 1 Bayliss 1:33.758; 2 Xaus 1:34.659; 3 Lanzi 1:34.848; 4 Corser 1:34.993; 5 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:35.178; 6 Haga 1:35.295; 7 Nieto 1:35.377; 8 Pitt 1:35.423; 9 Fabrizio 1:35.437; 10 Kagayama 1:35.538; 28 Jones (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:38.020 More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY KEEPS IN TOUCH! Today was second day of the Valencia tests and Troy and his Alstare Suzuki team have been taking advantage of the near-perfect weather conditions to try out a variety of components and different settings. After the two race flyaway at the start of the season, these tests are vital for all teams as they prepare for the first European race in Valencia in almost a month’s time. Troy arrived at the track in pretty good shape apart from a sore finger and bruising to his back – a legacy of his tumble at Phillip Island a few weeks ago – but despite not using any qualifying tyres, he finished second fastest today, just half a second or so behind Troy Bayliss (Ducati). TROY CORSER – 1:35.571 I’m pretty happy with what we have achieved over these two days and know that we’ll leave here tomorrow with stacks of useful information. We’ve been trying loads of different stuff trying to make a good package even better and I feel that we’re making good progress. We had some clutch problems in Qatar, so this is one of the areas we are concentrating on and trying to sort out. There are quite a few different components in the clutch and it is a question of marrying all the good bits up to produce the best possible solution. We’re also trying different swinging arms, forks and rear shocks and it’s a pretty extensive schedule that we have to try and get through over these three days. The weather has been good – apart from some wind this afternoon when you had to be careful in a couple of areas on the track. Other than that, there have been no dramas and things are going pretty much as we expected. When the temperature rose in the afternoon, I felt that the grip level of the tyres went down a little. It’s something that we have experienced before, but Valencia is a track where the conditions never seem to be quite the same twice! We’ve got more different stuff to try tomorrow and then we will have to sit down, analyse the data and make the improvements accordingly. It’s a lot to carry out in three days, so I’ll be looking forward to a nice cold Corona when we’ve finished tomorrow afternoon. See ya. Troy More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Haga the top R1 rider in Valencia testing Valencia, Spain 29/3/2006 Noriyuki Haga set the fastest Yamaha lap at a three-day official SBK practice session in Valencia, finishing sixth overall on his Yamaha Motor Italia R1, with a time of 1’35.259. He worked his way through a full testing programme and undertook an extensive evaluation of new parts and modified machine settings, in preparation for the forthcoming Valencia race on 23 April. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) set a new Superbike track best in the morning session of the final day, with a 1’33.758. Haga, unlike most of his 27 rivals at Valencia, set his best time in the final session, held in hotter and winder conditions than the more favoured mornings, and he put it down to the incremental improvements in set-up he and his team had made from the first session on. Haga’s team-mate, Andrew Pitt, took his Yamaha Motor Italia R1 to a more than respectable eighth overall, in what is arguably the most competitive field in World Superbike’s relatively short history. Norick Abe, from the Yamaha Motor France Ipone squad, ended his test somewhat prematurely, as he had started to run a temperature, after contracting a ‘flu virus. He was to post a time good enough for 19th place, as he concentrated on trying out new engine specifications and front suspension components. Japanese World Superbike rookie Shinichi Nakatomi improved on his testing times from previous Valencia winter outings, and in the absence of team regular Sebastien Gimbert, Lorenzo Alfonsi, the 2004 European Superstock Champion, substituted on the team’s third bike. Nakatomi would finish the three days 23rd, with Alfonsi 24th. Noriyuki Haga – Yamaha Motor Italia “We are quite happy with the test and both bikes are working very well. The newer gas fork seems very good. Generally our settings are quite good already but to go full race distance is another thing. We tried to do a full race simulation, but we could not manage it this time. We also did not get so many laps in on qualifying tyres, but at this moment we are in good condition on race tyres. We were not that affected by the wind that builds up in the afternoon, and it was just a gradual improvement in the settings that allowed me to go faster in the final afternoon session.” Andrew Pitt – Yamaha Motor Italia “This is the first time we’ve really had the grip here that we wanted, at previous tests the grip has always been a problem, and that makes it a lot easier to open the throttle sooner. That’s a really big thing. We made some improvements to the existing machine and we played around with the engine settings, taking out a bit of power here and a putting it back in there. Just trying to soften the curve a bit, and it seems to be working. I put a soft tyre in this morning and made a reasonable lap but we mostly worked on race tyre consistency, and also tried a lot of front tyres, to work out which one is going to go the distance when we come here to race.” Norick Abe – Yamaha Motor France “I tried new suspension on the front today and it was a real improvement. The new forks are definitely much better. We tried many different engine specs but they gave us basically the same result. Despite my machine being the slowest of the three bikes in the team, I made my best lap time, 1’35.9 on the last day. I’m happy for that and we did a lot of laps. Unfortunately I now have a fever of 38 degrees, so I decided to finish early and go home to rest.” Shinichi Nakatomi – Yamaha Motor France “I was riding to be ready for full race distance, and we made a quite good lap time compared to my previous best, which was a 1’37.4. Now I have set a 1’36.7, in race conditions. Things are much better compared to the first test, especially the chassis condition. I have more confidence on the bike now as well.” Lorenzo Alfonsi – Yamaha Motor France “I could have gone faster near the end, but when I wanted to use my qualifying tyre something hit my front wheel and my brake calliper, damaging both. I think everything will be OK for the race.” Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Motor Italia Team Director “I think we had a good test because we came here with a plan, to test four or five different pieces, and we got through everything. We found something to help the increased durability of the tyre, and maybe that was also down to the track conditions. We have been making progress race-by-race, and test-by-test in terms of the engine characteristic. Every time we have new mapping which works well on the development dyno it works well on the bike when we get to the track. I think Andrew and Nori, and all the team, worked very well on all three days.” Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005km Lap Record: 1′ 35.007 (Neil Hodgson, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1′ 33.758 (Troy Bayliss, 2006) Date: 27-29 March 2006 Temp: 24ºC Curtain and Parkes in the vanguard again Valencia, Spain 29/3/2006 Yamaha Motor Germany riders Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain spent three fruitful days on track at Valencia, in what was a well-attended official SBK test. Of the 29 riders present, Curtain set the second best time, with Parkes’s 1’38.443 putting him fourth overall. Quickest rider was Sebastien Charpentier (Honda). The Yamaha Motor Germany squad had one new front and one new rear control tyre to test on their new-for-2006 R6s, and an updated specification of engine management settings, each of which was deemed to be a real improvement. The team will receive another new batch of tyres for the forthcoming Misano official test, on 12 and 13 April. Massimo Roccoli finished the three days fifth fastest, with Gianluca Vizziello 11th. Reigning FIM Superstock 1000 champion Didier van Keymeulen was 17th on his R6. Kevin Curtain – Yamaha Motor Germany “I’m glad we managed to squeeze in those last five minutes, because we had just to make one more small test to decide what tyres we should have for the Valencia race. We have to work on a few little things, because I am still scraping the fairing sides at full lean, especially on the right hand side. I’m even touching the engine down sometimes. I’m sure we can sort something out, and otherwise we’re pretty happy. Testing is always a never-ending struggle to get everything just right, but we’re getting there.” Broc Parkes – Yamaha Motor Germany “We made this a worthwhile test. We tried a lot of things, and in the afternoon session we found something better with the set-up. The bike is so new and we’re finding that there is still a fine line to walk to find a good set-up. Maybe later in the year we can predict how the bike is going to react from track to track, but at the moment we started this Valencia test with the settings from Phillip Island and had to change them quite a lot.” Official Valencia Test WSS Circuit: Valencia Circuit Length: 4005km Lap Record: 1′ 38.874 (Alessio Corradi, 2003) Fastest Lap Ever: 1′ 34.1 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2006) Date: 27 – 29 March 2006 Temp: 26ºC More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: World Superbike Champion Troy Corser and Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra completed the three-day test at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain today with valuable information to carry through to the next round of the World Championship. Corser left the circuit today with the fourth-quickest time as team-mate Yukio Kagayama posted 10th after testing new chassis and engine components on their GSX-R1000s in readiness for the next round. Troy Corser: best lap (3-day) 1:34.933: “Today we carried on trying a whole load of different stuff and maybe we got a little confused. Many times I went out to test something and was out for four or five laps to find out as much as possible. We have been here heaps of times, so we have a pretty good idea of a base set-up, so that was something we didn’t feel we had to chase this time. All in all, it was a pretty productive three days and we ended with lots of info and data. Today the clutch was pretty consistent and it seemed ok even after I had done a practice start. We were testing so many things that I think Pirelli left us alone for perhaps longer than we would’ve liked. That was resolved today and now we have got a short break for our next test in Misano. There we will have to concentrate more on finding a good set-up for the race.” Yukio Kagayama: best lap (3-day) 1:35.538: “Today we continued testing many different things including tyres and mapping. I put in over 200 laps during these three days and that is a lot of laps! In the afternoon the wind was quite strong and although it was not a big problem I knew it would not be possible to chase a very fast lap time. Valencia is a circuit where you need a good rhythm to set a fast lap, but it’s very easy to lose your rhythm if you make a small mistake, miss your apex or come up against a slower rider. You need a clear track and good rhythm for a quick lap and I don’t think I ever got that. But I am happy with the progress we made during the three days and now the technicians have got a lot of data to analyse before we make the next step.” Fabien Foret: best lap (3-day) 1:35.771: “My hands are completely blistered and I am a little tired, but I feel very positive about my next time on the bike – at the Misano tests in the middle of April. I’m physically and mentally drained now but, as I said yesterday, I am beginning to feel that this bike is my bike and I am starting to have some fun with it. There’s a lot to learn, but I’m happy that we are making progress and I am happy that my understanding of the bike is improving every time out.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: FGS OFFICIAL TESTS VALENCIA, SPAIN 27/28/29 MARCH 2006 Event Release 29th March, Valencia, (Spain) A three day test for Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock riders. There was something new when this test was compared to the usual sessions; in Valencia the whole paddock attended, along with the development teams, and their development tyres. As always Pirelli has been ceaselessly working on development of all its solutions, normally carried out at the racetrack with the development teams, but this time there were virtually full grids of regular championship riders as well, testing the existing solutions. Many important new initiatives designed to benefit the Supersport and the Superbike riders called for Pirelli technicians and teams to decide exactly which tyres are to be used for the Valencia round of the championships, which will take place in less than a month. For this event Pirelli brought more than 4,000 tyres, proving the strength of the Championship through full grids of riders, and a strong commitment from the tyre manufacturer. After the first two races the Championship has provided a halt of one month. No holidays have been taken, however, because subsequent to this testing event there will be another official test in Misano, in two weeks. The work goes on, for teams, riders and manufacturers, and also for Pirelli, to ensure that they always offer better and better tyres. Many interesting developments emerged from these three days: both in terms of confirmations and also surprises. The SBK class was provided with three new front and two new rear solutions, to be tested, analyzed, understood and evaluated. The result of this job provides the range of solutions that the whole starting grid will have at its disposal for the race itself, on 23rd April. The most impressive performance came from Troy Bayliss, totally comfortable on the Pirelli Diablo SBK and able to dust the previous best times set at this track. Bayliss also used the qualifying tyre that he didn’t use in Qatar (preferring a race tyre on which to win an incredible Superpole), and the end result of using the qualifier in the final morning session was a superb best lap time: 1’33.758. Weather conditions were good today, with air temperature of 23° and 33° on the track, on a circuit that can quickly change character when the temperature goes up. The time to be compared to Bayliss’ is the one set with largely the same bike by Neil Hodgson in 2003, albeit with prototype tyres: 1’34.633. Ducati took the entire first three places, Xaus and Lanzi slotting in ahead of reigning world champion Troy Corser. Another important confirmation of top-level performance came via the long runs, to simulate real race conditions. The fastest rider to set race distance was again Bayliss, able to improve on the total time of last year’s race one winner Troy Corser, by more than 30 seconds. It got better: he felt so confident about the tyres that he recorded his best lap the 19th time around, an impressive feat when the fastest times are usually set before five or six laps are completed. Definitely a great signal for the Italian team and most of all for Pirelli, to allow them to finish off race preparations. The riders did a lot of work, exploiting the three dry and sunny days and the tyres they were issued with (10 fronts, 10 rears, with 3 tyres for every new solution), and most set a huge number of laps, (217 for Abe, for example). In Supersport World Champion Charpentier confirmed again that he is the fastest guy with a 1’37.437 heading up Curtain and Charpentier’s own team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu. Supersport does not use qualifying tyres, only race solutions, even in qualifying sessions, making Charpentier’s time all the more impressive. The testing order in Supersport once more shows the high competitiveness of the teams, most of all from Honda and Yamaha. It also demonstrates the importance of working with a range of teams representing the whole paddock in the development of the tyres. For this reason, and for the differences in feel and feedback when tyres are fitted to different machines, Pirelli goes on with the proven formula of working closely with the development teams (chosen by the Manufacturers and the Federation) to supply each and every rider’s preferred solutions, responding to the different needs of different machines. Charpentier scored a 1’37.437 (on Tuesday) improving by two tenths Foret’s qualifying time of 2002 and most of all Corradi’s 2003 race lap record time (completed on the same kind of race tyres): 1’38.874 Valencia was the first appointment of the season for the Superstock 1000 class, a series that will offer up a big battle this season for sure. The fastest rider here was Alessandro Polita, veteran of the category and once more riding a Suzuki, but he faced a battle for supremacy. His strongest contender was Claudio Corti, riding for the first time on the Pirelli Supercorsa PRO but already very comfortable, scored his best time on the first day of testing. Now the appointment for everybody to meet is in Misano, in two weeks time, with many other important new developments and other records to beat.