Honda’s new World Superbike pairing of Nicky Hayden and Michael van der Mark have concluded a two-day private test at MotorLand Aragón today, in readiness for the 2016 FIM Superbike World Championship.
After an opening day of action that was heavily affected by a thick fog embracing the circuit – which fully lifted only with two hours to go – both riders made the most of today’s track time by putting in a significant number of laps aboard their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machines.
Nicky Hayden’s first taste of the new challenge translated into a significant number of new areas to explore – new bike, new tyres, steel brakes and different electronics. The 34-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky has worked tirelessly with the team to get comfortable on his CBR machine with a special focus on the front of the bike and on its electronics.
With one year of experience in the series under his belt, Michael van der Mark could concentrate on evaluating new material for his #60 Honda including a new software code, new brake pads and a small upgrade in terms of engine character. The Dutch flyer and the team also continued working on the bike’s behaviour with a full tank of fuel as well as on qualifying tyres.
Hayden and van der Mark completed 83 and 80 laps respectively over the course of the two days.
The Honda World Superbike Team will return to action next week (25-27 November) for a three-day test at Circuito de Jerez, the last outing before the winter testing ban.
Nicky Hayden
“Today we were able to improve immediately from yesterday and kept making small steps forward throughout the day. We got a little bit stuck at some stage on pure performance but then we were able to push through and improve under braking and on corner entry. We now have an idea on where we need to improve; we used two bikes with different configurations and I liked some things from both, so now it’s a matter of putting things together and see if the general feeling improves with it. It’s early days still and surely the weather didn’t help but I enjoyed riding the bike and working with the team. Now we have a week off to look through the data before Jerez and I’m looking forward to it. It’s a different kind of track compared to here and we’ll see what happens.”
Michael van der Mark
“The test was OK. It was just difficult because we had to wait a long time on the first day for the fog to clear and the temperatures to rise. Today I did 70 laps and tried a lot of different things but it all went too quick. We found some good things and some bad things but for me the aim was to give as much data as I could to the guys. I now look forward to Jerez; hopefully the weather will be better. The bike works very well there and lately we’ve scored some good results. It’s important to keep working hard and to get some valuable data before the winter break.”
Pieter Breddels – technical manager
“Overall we’re quite pleased with this first test of the winter season. Of course, there are still things to be improved but we managed to go through a lot of different settings and items with both riders. Nicky got to grips with the bike quite quickly; the main focus on day 1 was to change the rear brake because of his unique riding style but already on the second day things were going much better, especially at the front. He then tried the second bike, which had different front geometries and he made another step forward. With Michael we concentrated on solving the problems we’ve encountered in 2015 regarding qualifying and pace in the early laps. He was also able to try new brake pads and a different spec engine that gave him a better feeling. This is a good sign ahead of a bigger engine upgrade that will be available in January. Now we have a week break before Jerez, where we hopefully continue to improve like we did here.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team concludes another winter test session in Spain
Aragón (Spain), Tuesday 17 November 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team and its rider Chaz Davies have completed another two-day test session at the Spanish circuit of Motorland Aragón. Chaz Davies was joined on track this week by Xavi Forés.
The thick fog that blanketed the Spanish track for the duration of the tests limited the Italian team’s work, only allowing them to exit on track for three hours on day one and for little more than four hours on day two. Despite the reduced riding time, Chaz Davies and Xavi Forés were able to provide very useful feedback regarding the components tested.
While everything on Davies’ side of the garage was as normal, Forés’ squad saw the inclusion of two new technicians who will support Davide Giugliano during the 2016 season. Aligi Deganello (crew chief) and Paolo Biasio (electronic engineer) worked with Forés to adapt the Panigale, set up as it was for the Spanish rider during the final SBK round at Losail, to the Aragón circuit where Forés also raced back in April.
The outcome is, all in all, a positive one, with the team and riders having been able to complete more than half of the scheduled work, comfirming the improvements made to the electronics strategies and positively evaluating some suspension modifications that have improved the stability and precision of the Panigale R in its 2016 configuration. Chaz Davies completed a total of 71 laps over the two days, while Forés covered 98 laps.
The Italian team will next take to the track at Jerez de la Frontera from 25 to 27 November. For these final tests of 2015, the team looks forward to welcoming Davide Giugliano back to the garage; the tests will mark his return to the Panigale R alongside team-mate Chaz Davies.
Quotes at the end of testing:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7)
“This test has been useful despite the weather, which caused us to lose most of day one and almost half of day two. Despite this, we’ve been able to test a lot of the new components with mainly positive results. So I’m pleased although we haven’t had time to 100% perfect all of the aspects. I wanted to make one final exit to really push hard but the weather put a stop to that too. I’m feeling confident and now we’ll focus on the next tests in Jerez, spurred on by the positive results seen here.”
Xavi Forés
“I’m happy with how these two days have gone, they’ve been positive and I’ve been able to complete my first kilometres of the 2016 season. It was a pity about the weather, as we lost a lot of precious time, but we’ve worked well and collected a lot of data and useful information. I was also pleased with the lap times because I improved on my best time set in the race. The new components that Ducati brought here have given positive feedback in terms of both the chassis and the engine. I thank Ducati once again for this possibility.”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Pata Yamaha Complete Second Spanish Shakedown
Pata Yamaha World Superbike riders Alex Lowes and Sylvain Guintoli have completed their second two day pre-season test, this time at Motorland Aragón in north-eastern Spain, despite repeated interruptions from the mid-November weather.
The 5,077m modern circuit – located just outside the small town of Alcaniz and 100kms from the region’s capitol Zaragoza – was due to host testing from 10:00hrs on Monday 16th November. However, dense fog surrounded the area for much of the day, delaying track action until the early afternoon and preventing both Lowes and Guintoli from completing more than a handful of laps each. Tuesday initially looked to be off to a similarly murky start but the Spanish sun soon broke through the gloom, allowing the Yamaha YZF-R1 to stretch its legs on the undulating 17-corner layout and almost 2km back straight.
Continuing the test programme initiated in Jerez a fortnight ago, a positive Lowes achieved 88 laps across the two days, improving his familiarity and confidence with his YZF-R1 and setting increasingly positive and consistent lap times. Hampered first by the poor track conditions and then by minor technical issues, Guintoli completed 56 laps. With a raft of data and information to carry them through to next week’s return visit to the Andalucían circuit, commencing on Wednesday 25th November, both riders are eager to resume their progress in Jerez.
Lowes and Guintoli will now travel to Milan as Yamaha Motor Italy prepares to host the riders for their first public appearance in ‘Racing Blue’ at EICMA on Thursday 19th November.
Alex Lowes
“This afternoon we finally really got going after waiting for the weather – we didn’t have much time on track yesterday and today was a long morning waiting for the fog to clear. We did a race simulation and then some work on the bike, setting-wise, getting a better feeling on corner-entry. We are getting better every time we go out, we still have a lot to learn but I feel really good, it was my best-ever lap around here and I’m starting to really understand the YZF-R1. I still feel like there is a lot more to come but it was fun and I am feeling like I was getting more out of the bike this afternoon. I’m looking forward to Jerez!”
Sylvain Guintoli
“Unfortunately we’ve had a few issues, both with the weather and with the settings this week so we couldn’t really build on the work we had started in Jerez. Just a few teething problems, but it has meant I didn’t get as many laps in as I would have liked. Hopefully we can sort them out quickly and move forward again in Jerez next week because the YZF-R1 feels really good as a base!”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Motors Europe:
Winter Test Three Finishes On A High For KRT Riders
Kawasaki Racing Team pairing Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes made the most of the available track time at Motorland Aragon over a two-day test with the 2016 Ninja ZX-10R while also filming an interview session for the launch of the much anticipated KRT Winter Test Edition of the same bike in its road form at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan.
With some new parts to try, and confirmations being made of some components that have been tested already, both Sykes and Rea collected valuable data for their team crew and KHI to evaluate before the next track sessions, to be held in Jerez de la Frontera next week.
Rea, who rode in the short window of opportunity that appeared late on during day one, after heavy fog and low cloud had prevented any meaningful early action, finally set a best lap of 1’50.3 on day two. It was the fastest lap of the tests.
Sykes and his crew had elected not to do any laps on the first day, given the low track temperatures. He was out as soon as the sun had warmed up the track enough on day two. Tom set his best lap time of 1’51.1 and also tried some new parts, in addition reconfirming some existing components and settings.
Jonathan Rea stated: “We tested engine settings with a little bit different inertia and worked with some weight distribution ideas. We also tried a different rear spring and we confirmed everything was fine. I did some back-to-back comparisons with a new rear tyre that Pirelli had brought. It was like an SC1 family with stronger sidewalls, which gave more stability. For me it was a big step my riding style. We also used the new swing arm we first used in Jerez and we reconfirmed that too.”
Tom Sykes stated: “I am very happy considering the track conditions and the limited amount of testing we had. We have only worked with the hard tyres all day and I am really pleased with the lap times and the consistency. Overall the base seems very good and like always we tried some interesting items today. They were positive in some areas and, although there is still work to be done in other areas, generally we did not touch the bike in terms of set-up. We were just checking the updated 2016 parts. I am really pleased with the performance of them.”
Pere Riba, Jonathan Rea’s Crew Chief, stated: “Like the 2016 Ninja ZX-10R road machine, we have new engine inertia characteristics this year and with that it makes everything work differently, so also the engine management must be different. We have just tried different inertia settings to understand the changes. We are still at the stage of collecting information and now is not the time to set-up the bike to be too sharp. We also tried the new swingarm, rear shock and the big things we have to test. Now we can start to eliminate points and start to build the bike. The lap times were very good and Johnny is very confident. It was a positive test and I am very happy.”
Marcel Duinker, Tom Sykes’ Crew Chief, stated: “Today the morning fog was gone quite fast, the sun came out early and we could start testing this afternoon. The three or four priorities we wanted to test here, which we tried in Jerez last week, we worked with again. We have now confirmed on two tracks that this material has improved our general performance. Not only after one lap but also over race distance. We made a couple of steps on the engine and on the chassis and I am very satisfied with this result.”