KRT COMPLETES SUMMER TESTING IN GERMANY
Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes made use of the mid-season break in competitive action to test their Ninja ZX-10RR machines at the Lausitzring on July 25 and 26.
In readiness for the next round of the WorldSBK Championship the KRT duo completed a two-day test at the Lausitzring in Germany, taking away very positive results.
The changeable local weather provided periods of both wet and dry track conditions, with the official Kawasaki WorldSBK team concentrating on the dry periods to improve the race performance and other development aspects of the ZX-10RR’s race package. Rea also tried out some development tyres for Pirelli, on which he set his best time of the test.
The rains returned at around 2pm on the final day and the team decided not to test in the wet conditions, having already made such good progress in the dry.
The 4.255km long Lausitzring will be the venue for the next round of the WorldSBK Championship, to be held between 18th and 20th August.
Tom Sykes, stated: “We tried out various items at this test and the feedback from the bike was good. We set strong lap times and found consistency. On standard race rubber I set a 1’36.7 after seven laps. I am happy with that because I think it was about equal to my previous Superpole lap time. We would have tested just a few more things on the final day but the rain came along again this afternoon and put a stop to that. Overall, it was a successful test at the Lausitzring. I think we are ready to race on this circuit, and to race at a high level as well.”
Jonathan Rea, stated: “After last year it was very valuable to test here at the Lausitzring. We were able to do some functional tests for KHI and also evaluate some ideas for chassis and front suspension set up. The weather changed after lunch, which brought the curtain down on our test – but we knew it was coming. We were able to evaluate all the items in the plan before then thanks to Pere’s good planning. Yesterday we were also able to run a race simulation and it’s great to see that we have improved the overall base of the bike compared to last year.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes, stated: “We had a clear target for this test which was to improve the chassis performance to be able to close the gap to the championship lead. Even though our track time was limited by rain we were able to reach our goal. Tom showed good initial speed but more than that he was very fast over race distance. It is nice to enter the rest of the summer break in this way because we have a good feeling after this test.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “This test has been another very positive one. We started around 12 on the first day, because of rain in the morning, but when it dried we went through our plans. They were mainly to look for the base bike to use at the Lausitzring race weekend. Last year this one was maybe the hardest race of the season, but finally we made a big step and this bike worked better than last year. On day one we did a long run, which was faster than last year’s race. This means we took a step forward. On day two we tested some chassis items and some rear tyres for Pirelli. We worked through all the things we wanted to try and also Jonathan did a 1’36.6, on a race tyre.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Positive test for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team at EuroSpeedway Lausitz ahead of the ninth round of the season
To better prepare for the ninth round of the 2017 WorldSBK Championship, scheduled for August 18-20 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz (Germany), the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team held a two-day test on the German track together with several other teams from the production-based series.
Both Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri tried several setup configurations, getting a head start with the work before the official sessions begin. Also, the rainy weather that characterized both Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon’s sessions allowed Davies and Melandri to clock miles in wet conditions, which had rarely been possible thus far this season.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“It was a good test overall. On the first day we didn’t really stay within our usual window, and we experimented a bit. So, I was looking forward to this morning, to get back to what we know and gauge our level more in depth. We still have room for improvement but I’m happy with the way the Panigale R felt in its more usual setup. We did some important work. We had a good list of things to try and I think we learned something interesting. Also, it was important to lap in the wet, as I think we improved the setup for those conditions, so I’m really happy with that. Physically I’m OK, I just felt a little back ache on the first day, like in Laguna Seca, but it wasn’t an issue. Now we’ll take some time off to recharge ahead of the next challenge.”
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33)
“It was an important test for us, mostly because I didn’t know the track and it would have been really difficult to be competitive in Friday’s free-practice sessions without a reference. The track itself is fun, but it’s not an easy one to learn because the corner radiuses are a bit peculiar and most of all because the bumps force you to take unusual lines. Still, we managed to almost complete our work load. We just lacked a bit of time towards the end to fine-tune the details, but it was also important to lap in the rain. This track has little grip in the wet, so it’s a good benchmark, and we found a good feeling in these conditions. As the rain started to intensify, we decided not to take risks and ended our session. It’s been two challenging days, but we laid some good foundations to start from during the race weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team:
Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team completes successful test with Giugliano and Magnoni
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team has completed a two-day private test at the Lausitzring racetrack in Germany, the same venue hosting the ninth round of the 2017 Superbike World Championship in three weekend’s time. Joining the Netherlands-based squad this time out were Michele Magnoni and one-off test rider Davide Giugliano.
With weather conditions more favourable than initially expected, the two riders could complete a hundred laps in dry conditions over the course of the two days. As the rain made its appearance this afternoon, the team continued its on-track work by trying different set-up options for these type of conditions. Giugliano and Magnoni successfully tested new fairings and different electronic strategies, which have led to some improvements for the overall package.
The team will now return to its Dutch headquarters to analyse the data gathered at this test in order to be ready for the German WorldSBK round.
Marco Chini
Honda’s WorldSBK Operations Manager
First of all, I would like to thank Michele Magnoni and Davide Giugliano for their professionalism and their availability to help us with the development work. The team continues to develop the bike one small step at a time. We can verify that Davide Giugliano is back on good form and his vast experience with production-based motorcycles was really useful to get a better understanding of the current level of the team’s Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2. Davide surely deserves to be considered among the number of riders who could race alongside Stefan Bradl in the remaining rounds of the season.