TroyCorser.com
Troy Positive, Despite Three Days Of Difficult Conditions
The first official WSBK test of 2009 took place at the superb 4.592 kilometre Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal with difficult conditions throughout the three days. Dry track time was very limited but, despite the tricky conditions, Troy and the team gained a lot of useful info and are now looking forward to the next test and hopefully better weather.
The three-day tests also witnessed a try-out of the new Superpole procedure, in which three separate sessions are used to determine the grid positions. Troy finished eleventh fastest in the overall standings and sixth in Superpole. Briton Shane Byrne (Ducati) ended quickest overall, with a lap of 1:43.294, with Ben Spies (Yamaha) second and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) third.
Troy (overall best lap - 1:44.261)
The weather didn’t help any of us during these three days and I’m guessing that we only got about two and a bit hours or so dry track time. Considering that, I think the tests weren’t too bad for us and although there is still a lot of work to do, we are continuing to make good progress and learn more every time we go out. We did managed to test some stuff we didn’t have time for in the last tests, specifically different links and different geometry settings.
Considering I’m not completely comfortable on the bike, I’m pretty surprised how good my lap times are. If I can do these times, whilst not being completely comfortable, just think what I might be able to do when I am! I’m happy now with the clutch and now we need to work on smoothening out the throttle response. I feel that the bike is powerful and that’s a good feeling to have at this stage. Once we harness that power and smooth out a few things, we can exploit the bike’s potential. I don’t know how soon or how long that’s going to be, but everybody is working hard and we should have an indication of our rate of progress in our next tests. Hopefully the weather will be good and we will get a lot more dry track time.
See ya.
Troy
Yamaha World Superbike Team
Ben Spies
"I’m very confident we’ve got what it takes to win. The team have been great, we’re working really well together."
- Ben Spies
The first test of 2009 for the Yamaha World Superbike Team at the Portimao circuit in Portugal was hampered by bad weather for the duration of the three days. Despite this setback both new riders performed well, fine tuning their set ups for the upcoming test and first race of the 2009 World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Australia.
Young American three-time AMA Superbike star Ben Spies was consistently on the pace, and finished the test second fastest with an overall time of 1’43.484, less than two tenths of a second off fastest rider Shane Bryne. Spies team mate, Young rising British star Tom Sykes, took advantage of the test to catch up on time missed due illness at the previous test in South Africa and flew up the times, ending the test an impressive fourth, less than a tenth of a second from his team mate with a time of 1’43.546.
This was only the third outing for the riders on the M1 derived 2009 Yamaha WSB YZF-R1. The advantage of the revolutionary cross plane crankshaft and uneven firing interval resulted in more grip and smoother torque delivery for Spies and Sykes, enabling both riders to achieve faster times in the dry and in the wet. With more fine-tuning to come the team are looking to be serious contenders in the 2009 WSB Championship. From the South Africa test to Portimao, the Yamaha team achieved a big power output, clearly demonstrated when the R1 claimed the maximum top speed of all teams at the Portugese test.
Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team
“For sure it was good to be here and get more time on the bike and work with the team, the rain was a bit dodgy so it’s been frustrating to get some decent track time. In the first of the new format Superpole test sessions on the last day we were quickest, unfortunately for the second session it rained and I didn’t want to do anything silly so didn’t push too hard. We worked on some settings over the test and got down to some pretty quick times. We got to try a few things with the bike and made a big step up, taking half a second a lap off, but the weather didn’t allow us to get more. The bikes got good straight line speed now and we’re continually improving. I’m very confident we’ve got what it takes to win. The team have been great, we’re working really well together. I’m looking forward to getting to Australia and getting stuck in again!”
"We didn’t test as much as we would have liked to here, we didn’t make a lot of changes but in the end the guys performed brilliantly and worked well with the team. "
- Massimo Meregalli Team Manager
Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team
“Yesterday when we had a bit more stable weather I had two hours good track time. We used the time wisely and chipped away every time went out, a bit of improvement with everything and I got a nice feeling with the bike and got fast consistent laps so was more than happy. I’m very satisfied with how the test has gone, we’ve made up for lost time in South Africa, I was a little behind before but have caught up! I’m looking forward to getting to Australia. A couple more questions we need to answer with the bike then we’re ready for the race!”
Massimo Meregalli Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“The test went well, unfortunately the weather was bad every day and we only had two practices in the dry. But anyway, no matter what the conditions we were in front, in the top five. We didn’t test as much as we would have liked to here, we didn’t make a lot of changes but in the end the guys performed brilliantly and worked well with the team. There’s still stuff we have to fix, but considering we have a new bike and new riders we are pretty satisfied and confident. We know we still have a lot of jobs to do but we will get them done. In the end we have only had three months with this new bike so we have done a great job! We will have more performance from the bike in Phillip Island. Tom did a really good job yesterday, looking to find a good set up without pushing too much and Ben was consistently fast and on the pace. In the end to be in the front with both riders is very positive!”
Team Suzuki
"The biggest problem has been the rain and the fact that we have not been able to do as many laps in the dry as we would have liked, but our understanding of the bike is a lot better."
- Max Neukirchner
Team Suzuki Alstare's Max Neukirchner blasted the new 2009-model Suzuki GSX-R1000K9 to the second fastest time under heavy weather conditions at the first official World Superbike test at Portimao in Portugal.
Neukirchner lapped the 4.5 kilometre Autodromo Internacional Algarve circuit - which also tested the new Superpole procedure where three separate sessions are used to determine the grid positions - just a tenth-of-a-second behind fastest rider Shane Byrne (Ducati).
Yukio Kagayama kept the Suzuki Alstare flag flying by posting the seventh quickest lap of the new procedure to end up on what would have been the second row of the grid.
Max Neukirchner (best lap - 1:43.965 in 'Superpole', 1:43.674 overall in tests):
"Over the three days we've tried a lot of different things to do with chassis, traction control, wheelie control and engine and have learnt a lot about the new bike. For me, like all of us, the biggest problem has been the rain and the fact that we have not been able to do as many laps in the dry as we would have liked, but our understanding of the bike is a lot better. The lap times are very close, so this year's championship is going to be really hard and it's going to be important to be consistent. I think the 2009 bike handles better and I have a better feeling for it in the corners, but it's not really easier to ride yet because we are going much faster! Overall I am happy because our knowledge is improving and I think we are in pretty good shape for the year ahead."
Yukio Kagayama (best lap - 1:44.586 in 'Superpole', 1:44.425 overall in tests):
"Generally I feel that the conditions have been difficult and I wanted more dry track time. The conditions changed many times and each time we made a change to the bike, the conditions would alter and we would have to change the bike again! The track's grip level in the wet was not so bad, but this year I can push a bit harder in the wet because the 2009 bike is less hard work in the rain. This bike has good potential and all we need is more time to understand it better and then we will improve a lot. I am not happy about my lap times and the weather, but I am happy because of all the good work we've done and the progress we are making."
Ducati Xerox Team
The Ducati Xerox Team Concludes Three-Day Portimao Test
"It’s clear that the riders now have to work well with the team, it’s more about strategy with this new Superpole but it’s good that changes are made to the regulations. " - Michel Fabrizio
Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) have concluded the Pirelli tire development tests taking place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
The morning session was red-flagged early on and subsequently cancelled due to oil on the track. In the afternoon, and on a drier surface, Superbike teams took part in a mock-up of what will be the Saturday afternoon track schedule on race weekends, completing a half-hour free practice session before trying out the new-look Superpole. Superpole will now consist of three 12-minute sessions, with the fastest 20 riders competing in Superpole 1, the fastest 16 at the end of Superpole 1 progressing to Superpole 2 and the fastest 8 at the end of Superpole 2 continuing on to Superpole 3, thus establishing the race grid. This was followed by a simulation of the “flag-to-flag” scenario that would be implemented during a race in case of rain.
Both Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio have found the three-day test of benefit and both look forward to travelling to Phillip Island for the opening round of the 2009 championship.
Michel Fabrizio
“The new-look Superpole seems great, it was just a shame that today’s weather was as it was but this test of the new format was definitely useful. It’s clear that the riders now have to work well with the team, it’s more about strategy with this new Superpole but it’s good that changes are made to the regulations. Overall this has been a strange weekend, I feel like I only found feeling with the bike this afternoon. Of course the weather hasn’t helped us but I finally found a good tire today and worked a lot on the race setting, running the tires for a lot of laps and choosing not to take riskes just to record the fastest time. Now I am looking forward to Phillip Island, a track that I love and where the weather will surely be better!”
"The new Superpole is strange, and when the weather is like it was today, with rain coming on during the three Superpoles, it complicates things." - Noriyuki Haga
“Unfortunately we have not had good weather over these three days. I am however very happy with the work we’ve done, we’ve found the direction to take with the settings and I’ve enjoyed every exit I’ve made. The new Superpole is strange, and when the weather is like it was today, with rain coming on during the three Superpoles, it complicates things. We can have a plan but we cannot plan the weather! Now I’m looking forward to Phillip Island, and feel nearly ready to race. The Phillip Island tests, just a week before the race, will be useful too of course.”
OVERALL TIMES:
Byrne (Ducati) 1m43.2s;
Spies (Yamaha) 1m43.4s;
Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1m43.4s;
Sykes (Yamaha) 1m43.5s;
Checa (Honda) 1m43.6s;
Neukirchner (Suzuki) 1m43.6s;
Smrz (Ducati) 1m43.7s;
Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m43.9s
Pirelli
When newcomer and British SBK champion Shane Byrne finished his second day of testing and discovered that he had broken the track record on Pirelli Diablo Superbike tires, a record set by world champion Troy Bayliss just this past November, it was his eye-opening initiation to the upcoming season. Byrne’s new rival and 2008 AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies, another recent addition to the Superbike paddock and new to Pirelli Tires, finished the same session less than 0.2 seconds behind on his Yamaha R1.
These new additions to the Superbike starting grid, along with Noriyuki Haga taking over for the retired Bayliss on the Ducati Xerox team, promises a season filled with talent and valuable new feedback for Pirelli tire development. The commitment from BMW Motorrad and Aprilia to enter the series with factory teams completes this rich and competitive environment, both manufacturers who have the experience and technical competence to compete for the title.
With the reconfirmation of its agreement with Infront Motor Sports for the supply of tires through the year 2012, the support from Pirelli will not waiver as the series' visibility on a worldwide stage increases. 2009 may very well prove to be the year of World Superbike.
For this preseason test, Pirelli offered approximately 4,500 tires with 40 different solutions for the two classes in participation, Superbike and Supersport, assembling a variety of racing-slicks, intermediate, full-rain and DOT tires, with the goal of combining ultimate performance, safety and durability. As is typical, on the first day Pirelli technicians do not use the newly developed tires but reviewed the best solutions selected from the previous season. The technical staff of Pirelli that is committed to improving lap times is comprised of team support staff, compound experts and dynamic modelling engineers (3D).
Pirelli technicians arrived to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve prepared to continue this season’s development, which began in South African, on a track proving to be the ideal test environment, considering the challenging elevation changes, a new surface and variable weather conditions. The Superbike riders were given ample time on Saturday morning to utilize the various wet solutions which are often necessary at tracks like Donington Park and Magny-Cours, as the rain had been off and on since arrival to the track on Thursday. Anxious to work in these conditions, the two brand new BMW S1000RRs of Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus posted the two fastest times of 1’50.946 and 1’51.269 on Pirelli Diablo Rain tires.
Once the track dried out in the afternoon, Pirelli Diablo Superbike tires were mounted and times were steadily decreasing until Shane Byrne ran his fastest time on the 15th lap of the session, breaking Bayliss’s track record of 1’43.340 by just 0.05 seconds. Ben Spies, the lone American in the superbike grid and 2008 AMA Superbike champion, began his experience with Pirelli at the very top, having posted the second best time of the day. Haga nearly equalled Spies time with just three thousandths of a gap, having made a smooth jump from Yamaha to Ducati.
Pirelli and Infront Motor Sports agreed last year to a modification of the Superpole process, in which the first 20 riders from qualifying, instead of the one-lap qualifying for Superbike grid, make three 12-minute qualifying sessions in 7-minute intervals, a method which is adopted for a more exciting television broadcast. The first session will eliminate four riders, and the second session will eliminate eight, thus accounting for the first five rows of competition. This shall require more tire-strategy calculations, as riders are permitted to change tires during the intervals between the three Superpole sessions.
This testing weekend offered the first demonstration of this new format, during which Byrne took the pole on his Ducati 1098R, almost besting his track record set the day before.
Max Neukirchner was up to speed, finding the right setting and taking advantage of the qualifiers with a time just 0.091 seconds off pace.
The second rule change affecting this season’s racing structure is the new flag-to-flag procedure to be followed once the green flag drops. In this rule, a Superbike race will no longer be called on account of weather, thus requiring all riders to have a second bike prepared with rain setup, if weather is predicted to change at the start of the race.
Supersport is the class in which Pirelli is developing products dedicated to the end-user, having been able to transfer many the performance characteristics of the Diablo Supercorsa to street products which are now fitted on bikes such as the Ducati 1198 and Triumph 675.
The Spanish Kawasaki rider Joan Lascorz dropped his times by 4 seconds over the sessions from Friday, posting the best time of 1’45.214 just 0.5 seconds in front of former British Superbike rider Cal Crutchlow, now riding for Yamaha World Supersport team. Kenan Sufuoglu, world champion rider from 2007 HANNspree Ten Kate team, has returned to his 600cc bike and put in the third best time of the day with 1’45.397.
