Motourage

Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes joined forces in the new-look Kawasaki Racing Team World Superbike Championship squad for a first 2012 test at Spain’s Almeria Circuit on January 19-20.

The new initiative of a long winter test ban (brought in by the series organizers this season) has only recently ended and therefore the Almeria sessions gave the whole KRT effort an opportunity to get back together and enjoy some valuable track time with the Ninja ZX-10R.

Sykes left with the best lap time, a 1:34.6”, while Lascorz took a 1:35.1. Overnight temperatures fell to near freezing point, but track conditions once the sun had come up each day were such that the riders and technical staff had a great chance to work through the many setup options on the latest race version of the Ninja ZX-10R.

The team will now take their optimum material and set-up data to the awesome Phillip Island circuit in Australia for two separate test sessions before the opening race weekend of the season. The first of 14 rounds will take place there February 24-26.

Tom Sykes: “It went very well because we arrived at another kind of circuit compared to the ones we have tested at before and the bike worked well straight away. After a big winter lay off it only took me ten laps to go faster than I have ever been at Almeria. I was happy with that. After that it was a case of testing some small items we had requested from KHI. It was consistently around 15 degrees [Celsius] in terms of track temperature and the sun was shining, so we could not ask for any more in January. The track was in good condition as well, just a bit dusty off line.”

Joan Lascorz: “We tested everything. It was cold in the mornings at Almeria but the track conditions were good and it was sunny each day, but there was some snow in the mountains around the track. This is the last test before we go to Australia so we decided the final direction of the machine set-up to take there and, in general, for the rest of the season. Tom and I have very a different machine set-up now but it is just to suit our different riding styles. The most important thing is that the difference between the fastest riders and the others in the races is that they get the tires to last for the whole race distance. This is the most important thing.”

After two winter test sessions in Spain, at Aragon and more recently Valencia, Kawasaki Racing Team riders Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz enter the enforced winter break in good spirits after posting strong performances. The three-day Valencia test finished today, just before the new testing ban kicks in for all World Superbike Championship teams. Sykes, using race tires, set a best lap of 1’33.1s, which is a tenth or so faster than the best Superpole lap ever recorded at the former WSBK venue.

Overhead conditions on the first day at Valencia started out cloudy, but the afternoon and the final two days provided good track conditions, allowing Sykes and Lascorz to make improvements that saw them set consistently strong lap times, whether on fresh race rubber or nearing the end of a long run.

There were many developments to the race-winning Ninja ZX-10R for both riders to test, including suspension, linkages, electronics, chassis geometry and the latest ride-by-wire system.

With more direct control of the entire KRT Superbike World Championship project once more evident at these tests, there were several Japanese engineers in the pit garages as all the team members refined their working methods and strategies.

After the test ban is lifted in mid-January the team will take to the track once more in Spain, at Almeria, to make further steps down the road toward the start of the new WSBK season. The 14-round/28-race campaign commences at Phillip Island in Australia on February 26, 2012.

Tom Sykes:
“The tests went well and we ended up doing a 1’33.1 lap time on a race tire. We have worked through a lot of different things, we are working well in the garage and I am relaxed. It is no secret that when I’m relaxed I work my best. We have had some good weather – consistent weather – in Valencia and that made it better to work through all we needed to do. We have a new electronics package and found a better overall machine balance for me. We also went well at Aragon even though we only really had half a good day there, because of weather and some car tire rubber laid on the track surface. Once the conditions improved it took us only four outings of four laps each to beat the kind of lap times I set at the race last summer. Right now we are on a package that we have not changed so much between the two tests. We have a fairly good base setting that works for race distance and, when we put new tires in, for a fast lap time as well. I think we have come a long way even since the post-season Portimao test. The bike tells me what it is doing quite a lot better than before, and the improved feedback tells me when I am arriving at the limit.”

Joan Lascorz:
“I am very happy the way the test went because I set good lap times and I was very happy with the performance of the bike and the team. We made a lot of changes to the bike, changed a lot of general settings and worked on the suspension. Some are now much different from last year. All the staff worked well together again. I think I learned most from this test in terms of finding out more about our latest machine settings and then finding a more consistent good pace. These things should allow us to challenge closer to the top in 2012. Tom was very fast and we both worked well with race tires.”

Nürburgring race winner Tom Sykes has signed to ride for the official Kawasaki Racing Team in 2012, joining existing rider Joan Lascorz. Sykes, who has been an official Kawasaki rider for the past two seasons and a key figure in the development of the current Ninja ZX-10R racebike, has already won a world championship race for Kawasaki, at the German WSBK round in early September.

Tom Sykes

Lascorz and Sykes had their first test in preparation for the 2012 season at the Portimao Algarve Race Circuit in Portugal on Tuesday, October 18, only two days after the end of the 2011 campaign, and it was a test that turned out well for both riders.

The team’s European logistical base will be in Spain but with overall control coming direct from Japan, as the Superbike World Championship program is a full Kawasaki Heavy Industries project.

“I’m very happy to be continuing with Kawasaki and the Ninja ZX-10R in 2012,” said Sykes. “I believe the bike has good potential and we saw some of that come through in 2011 with a race win in Germany and superpole at Misano. These are the kind of results I am looking to achieve in the coming season on a regular basis and I really believe we can do this. I have a lot of confidence in Kawasaki and the team around me, so if we can improve a couple of points with the set-up of the bike on the track which I feel are restricting performance this would be a big step forward for us in the final results. I am looking forward to re-starting our test program again very soon.”

“We are very happy to run with Tom in 2012,” said Guim Roda, Team Manager. “Kawasaki always tries to keep the people it has in place and Tom has been making a good job in the last two years with Kawasaki. He has the potential to go fast, as he has shown in 2011, and now we have to repeat that for full race distance at each round. He is young and determined, which are good combinations for a fast rider. I’m sure working closer with Marcel, his new crew chief, and taking part in all the tests we have planned means he will take one step more and he will be able to fight for the podium places at every race. Let’s see what he can show us all next year.”

“It’s great that Tom’s with us again for 2012 in the World Superbike Championship,” added Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki Europe Race Planning Manager. “He’s worked hard within the project over the past two years and has always dug deep when it mattered to give us our first pole and race win with the new Ninja ZX-10R. [Paul Bird Motorsport] had good insight to hold onto him this year as part of the three-rider team, and now Tom has justifiably been rewarded with a full KHI factory rider contract for next year and being part our new WSB project. With a year under his belt on the new bike and a strong test plan being coordinated from Japan, I’m sure we will get to see Tom on the top step of that podium far more regularly in 2012.”

Having qualified sixth at the Nürburgring, Team Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes secured a brilliant debut win in a wet race two, which was finally red-flagged after 13 soaking laps. Today’s victory marked Kawasaki’s first World Superbike Championship race win since 2006, when Chris Walker took full points at Assen. This was also Tom’s first career WSBK race win, and his success in Germany puts him 11th overall in the championship, just one point from the top 10.

Tom had a dramatic day, running well in the early laps of a dry Race 1 before slipping back to 11th as he lost rear grip. His right ankle was still not feeling 100 percent after his Silverstone crash, but in a wet Race 2 he rode with composure and controlled aggression in ever-changing track conditions, capitalizing when race leader Noriyuki Haga fell from the lead. Sykes also repelled occasional pressure from second place finisher Sylvain Guintoli to win by four seconds.

Joan Lascorz had a strong Race 1, going seventh after starting from the fourth row as he pulled through the pack in impressive fashion. He did not have the same kind of feel in the rain as Sykes did in Race 2 and finished 11th. He is 13th in the championship, only three points behind Sykes.

Pedercini Team rider Mark Aitchison was 12th in Race 1 then a faller in Race 2 after running in high positions for much of the time. His teammate Roberto Rolfo secured points in each race; 13th in Race 1 then 14th in Race 2.

Tom Sykes: “To get a first World Superbike win under my belt is fantastic, also with the new Kawasaki. Everybody in the team knows every time I put my leg over the bike it is all or nothing; that is the way I ride, and fortunately today that commitment paid off in Race 2. I got a gap behind me in the worst conditions, but as the track had less water on it for a time, unfortunately our times seemed to tail off and I came under pressure from Sylvain. But as the standing water increased again we found our pace. In Race 1 everything went to plan at the start, but both the wrong tire choice and my physical condition did not help, so when it started raining I had a bit of a grin to myself. We changed the bike quite a lot from the last time in Misano when we got pole position, so obviously it was a little bit of a gamble in wet conditions. The guys gave me a great package today.”

Joan Lascorz: “Race 1 was not so bad, especially given our starting position. I made good pace to come forward. I chose the soft tire options in Race 1, and I was going to change the some things on the bike for the second race, but it proved to be wet anyway. In Race 2 it was difficult in the wet conditions, but I am happy for Tom and Kawasaki as this was the best result for the team.”

Two official Kawasaki riders will be going for glory this weekend at Silverstone as Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes set out to get into the leading mix in each race at the revamped British venue.

Silverstone is a home event for not only the Paul Bird Motorsports-operated team (based in Cumbria) but also Sykes, who is in his second year in the official outfit. Sykes, originally from Yorkshire but now living relatively close to Silverstone, is particularly keen to get back to top form at is home race. He has recently completed a short test at the hilly and narrow Cadwell Park circuit in England to try out some chassis settings in an effort to save some set-up time once he gets to Silverstone.

Joan Lascorz moved into the position of top-ranked Kawasaki runner at the previous round at Brno, stepping one place above Sykes to 13th overall in the process. The immediate aim for Lascorz is climbing his first ever World Superbike podium, but two strong finishes would help him eradicate memories of the crash at this track last year, which cost him the chance of going for the World Supersport  championship. His injuries held back many of his preparations for his assault on the WSBK class this year, but Joan is now settling into the Superbike role well, having already posted two top-five race finishes in what is a particularly tough season.

Team regular Chris Vermeulen will not be racing at Silverstone as a fall at Brno cut short his raceday in the Czech Republic, and he has been advised to sit this meeting out to be fully race fit for the next WSBK round at the Nürburgring on September 4.

The Pedercini Team is mounted on Kawasaki machines again in 2011 and they will field Roby Rolfo and Mark Aitchison at Silverstone, with Rolfo two places above his teammate, in 17th place overall.

At 5.9km in length the Silverstone circuit is not only one of the longest used in modern day racing, it is also one of the fastest, with best average lap speeds of 168kmph. The pits and paddock complex are now situated in the new Silverstone “Wing,” a fact that even British riders like Sykes may take some time to get used to after so many seasons using the former paddock buildings.

Joan Lascorz:
“I like this track and last year I expected to make a very good race in Supersport, if I hadn’t had my mishap. Let’s see this year how it goes with the Ninja ZX-10R. We are forming a greater understanding, race by race, of the reactions of the bike. From the Kawasaki side they always try to give me the bike I need and they are working hard after every race. From my side I am trying to adjust my riding style to make the best of the tyres and the bike and I am also working hard to keep my body fit. In particular, what we need to improve is how to open the gas correctly and also how to explain to my crew chief the important reactions of the bike. I am trying to understand what the really important aspects are to let me go faster and which are the ones I have to remove from my riding style. Our goal now is try to stay between tenth and fifth in the races as often as we can and, maybe even more importantly, to qualify well and make a good starts to learn from the most experienced riders.”

Tom Sykes:
“I am in highs spirits at the moment and looking forward to the Silverstone weekend. It is a massive circuit and really enjoyable. It has a fast average speed and it is very flowing in nature. I hope we can pick up the pace and have a result like we had in Misano and Aragon. I like to stop the bike, turn it and when I open the throttle I want to open it hard. I see no reason why we cannot go to Silverstone and pick up our game. The test we had at Cadwell last week was an eye-opener! I had just come from Brno and I think it must be four times the width of Cadwell, so it felt so fast to be running on a track so narrow. We tried a couple of things and got a bit of a direction on where I would like to improve the bike. It was good to get a couple of hours of track time to help us make the most of our practice time this weekend. Silverstone is only 30 minutes from my house now, so it is even closer to home. I want to put on a good show in Britain and having friends and family there is just another nice little added ingredient to race weekend. I want to have two strong results this weekend.”

The Paul Bird Kawasaki trio of Tom Sykes, Joan Lascorz and Chris Vermeulen join forces once again this weekend; this time at the new World Superbike venue of Motorland Aragon, in Lascorz’s home country of Spain.

The entire WSBK paddock is now involved in a trek across southern Europe directly after last Sunday’s Misano round, and for many this will be their first visit to Aragon. It is, however, the official Kawasaki squad’s test track, and all three riders have posted laps there, albeit some more than others.

Sykes left Misano with a Superpole win and a season best of fourth in race one and his confidence has been boosted in general by an ever-improving real race set-up on the new-for-2011 Ninja ZX-10R. Holding 13th place in the championship standings, Tom is keen to post two good results and start moving up, starting at a very modern circuit in northern Spain that has a wow factor for riders and spectators alike.

A home race for Lascorz may mean extra pressures but the laid-back rider from Barcelona has at least had the chance to lap Aragon in testing recently, albeit for a short time. He ranks the circuit as one of the most challenging on the calendar but he is nonetheless looking forward to his second WSBK race in seven days, particularly as it will be on home soil. Joan is just one place behind Tom in the current overall rankings.

A successful return to action for Vermeulen at Misano saw him in the points in each race, and even score a satisfying tenth place in race two, putting him on the leader board in 20th position after some dreadful bad luck with injuries in the past months. Still not absolutely 100% recovered, Chris still showed at Misano that he is ready for the rest of the season as he gets to know his Ninja ZX-10R better with every lap. He has already had two days of testing under his belt at Aragon, which he rates very highly as a new venue on the championship trail.

After the Spanish weekend, the Czech Republic circuit of Brno will welcome the WSBK circus, between July 8 and July 10.

Tom Sykes:
“We did quite well in our test at Aragon, so hopefully we can take our Misano momentum forward. I am looking forward to it and a couple of days should give my sore back a chance to rest, because I struggled with it a bit at Misano. That race gave us a lot of confidence and we were fast in hot conditions, which was particularly good. It will be good go racing again in just a few days time.”

Joan Lascorz:
“I made a short test at Argon but I really do not know how well we can go there this weekend, because we only did a few laps. Misano gave us some positives to work on, but we will have to see how things are in Aragon. At least I have ridden there and I know the lines; not so much but enough to know it is a difficult circuit. It is my home race, and I will have some family and friends there to cheer me on.”

Chris Vermeulen:
“I am looking forward to Aragon because we had a two-day test there a week or two ago. Conditions were not perfect because it was very windy and there was a lot of rubber on the track from cars. I have learned the circuit and I’m glad because it is quite a difficult track to learn. It’s really nice and I think it is going to make for exciting racing. I hope it does anyway. There is a lot of everything there, blind corners and a big long back straight with a very hard braking area. The Kawasaki seemed to work well in the test and I will be going out to improve on where we finished at Misano.”

All three official Kawasaki riders will be challenging at Assen, as Chris Vermeulen joins his fellow regulars Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes for what should be his first full race weekend of the season.

Despite being so early in its overall development program, the Ninja ZX-10R has already proved its worth as a serious contender in the hands of Sykes and Lascorz, after only two rounds of a 13-round season have been completed. The push for top finishing positions continues apace with everyone involved in the Kawasaki effort energized by the front row qualifying performance of Sykes at the previous Donington Park round, followed by a strong top five race result from WSBK rookie rider Lascorz in the second contest of the day.

Assen is a firm favorite with the vast majority of riders, but for Lascorz it will be another new challenge, as he has not ridden a Superbike before at the classic Netherlands venue. He has many of happy memories of racing there on Supersport machinery, however, which fills him with hopes of two strong results as he continues to recover full strength around his injured right shoulder and arm.

For Vermeulen, Assen is almost a second home track when you consider his family connections to the Netherlands. While Sykes is not only a fan of the track layout itself, he should be able to count on support from a good number of fans from Britain as many UK bikers make an annual pilgrimage to Assen for the WSBK race weekend.

In readiness for the Assen round both Vermeulen and Sykes undertook shakedown tests at the Brands Hatch circuit on Tuesday, April 12, all of which went according to plan. Now the entire team heads to round three in confident mood that all possible preparations have been made to take on their latest challenge.

The supported Pedercini Team Kawasaki squad will also arrive at Assen with their usual pair of Superbike riders, Roberto Rolfo and Mark Aitchison, but they have even more combined confidence after Rolfo beat the opposition at the opening Misano round of the Italian Superbike Championship last weekend, while riding the all-new Ninja ZX-10R.

Tom Sykes:
“I am looking forward to Assen partly because Donington was a bit unfortunate for me, but there were a lot of positives to take away about the ability of the new Ninja ZX-10R. I really enjoy racing at the Assen circuit and we were not too shabby on the older model last year. I never got to sample the real old Assen layout, but judging by the sections that remain the full old circuit would have been interesting to ride. But to be honest most circuits on the WSBK calendar are fun to ride, especially with this new bike that is able to work at each circuit. It is pleasing to ride. As long as the bike works at every track I am happy to ride at every track, but Assen is still one of my favorites.”

Joan Lascorz:
“The result of Donington was good for my motivation and for Kawasaki to see that we are heading in a good way. Is nice to ride with people like Biaggi, Rea, Haslam, Xaus and others, so I learned a lot. I’m not at 100% yet physically but even with this we were able to make a good race in England. I’m better than I was in Australia and in Assen I will be better than I was in Donington. I like Assen, and used to made good races there in the past in WSS. We will see in WSBK how we can manage. Since Donington I have ridden some Supermotard with my chief engineer Pere Riba, which was very funny. We also tested with a 600 in a small circuit just to keep up my race fitness a little. Kawasaki is working so hard all the time so I hope to have a good weekend in the Netherlands.”

Chris Vermeulen:
“My impressions of the new bike are all positive. Kawasaki has done an amazing job with it and I am just excited to look at the development of this bike, even though it is in the early stages. I think the biggest difference on the new model comes from the chassis, the balance and the character the bike has in turning. Also the electronics are a big step forward. The engine feels smoother even though it is more powerful, and the whole bike is what we need to compete.”

Roberto Rolfo:
“My win in the Italian Superbike series at Misano boosted both my morale, and that of the team, because we were finally able to see the fruit of the work we had put in at Phillip Island and Donington. At Misano we found a good set-up for my Ninja and so we’ll go from there this weekend at Assen. I really like the track, as it is very technical and hard work. I’m confident and hope to do well in Sunday’s races, for my team and for all my fans.”

Mark Aitchison:
“At Donington we collected a lot of valuable data that will enable us to refine our bike setting and hopefully make me more comfortable on the bike throughout the upcoming weekend. So really the goal for Assen in the first two days of practice and qualifying is to regain the feeling that I had with the bike in Phillip Island. Once I get this sensation back, I can really start to push for better lap times and look for some race consistency.”

Joan Lascorz

Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes each ran at a competitive pace at the Donington Park round of the Superbike World Championship this weekend, with Lascorz posting a fifth place in the second race to secure the best single result of the season so far for the Kawasaki World Superbike Team.

Lascorz, starting from 12th place in each race, was unable to make a strong push in race one because of the mix of tire choice and track temperature, plus arm pump in his right forearm. He still finished in a more than respectable tenth. His run to fifth in race two wowed the onlookers at the English circuit, after he had been able to make a better tire choice in the slightly warmer track conditions.

The locals were highly vocal in their support of Tom Sykes, who has sent them into raptures on Saturday by qualifying third. He was sitting in a confident top four position in race one when he fell at the remodeled Esses section. In race two Tom was not able to use his favored machine after his earlier crash and he was unable to match his best pace from race one. He finished 12th and is now tenth in the championship, one place ahead of his team-mate Lascorz.

Roby Rolfo and Mark Aithchison from Team Pedercini each scored points today, with Aitchison scoring his first of the year in race one.

The next round at Assen should see the return of the third official Kawasaki rider, Chris Vermeulen, who practiced at Donington but did not race.

Joan Lascorz: “Things were better in the second race than the first. I made a change for the second race and from the beginning the bike was very easy and the tire did not want to spin so much. The team did a good job so I am very happy to take a fifth place. It was also easier for me to ride in the second race, despite my old shoulder injury, because my physical trainer worked on it, loosened it up and I had no arm pump in race two. There has obviously been a big improvement since Australia. Two races in the points and a top five, not a bad end to the weekend.”

Tom Sykes: “Not what I was expecting going into the day after a front row start. I was quietly confident of coming away with top three or top four results. Race one was going to plan but I had a bit of an issue and it was mainly my mistake that I had a crash at the Esses while lying fourth on lap 18. I was still looking forward to race two, but I had to use the spare bike, which wasn’t in the script. Things did not go to plan again but I got tipped into on lap one, and didn’t really have anywhere to go, lost some ground and I finished 12th. I look forward to Assen now and I think we have done good positive work this weekend in any case.”

Tom Sykes

Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz will be joined in the official Kawasaki Racing Team this weekend by Chris Vermeulen, as the regular KRT trio gets set to meet the challenge of Donington Park in England.

Sykes feels that Donington is an ideal circuit to make the next development steps at, as he and his former British Superbike team have an intimate knowledge of the circuit in a variety of weather and track conditions. That may well be an important part of race weekend, as this early in the English springtime weather conditions can be variable but almost certainly on the cool side compared to most other races through the season.

Chris Vermeulen undertook some track tests recently, in Spain on Monday and then yesterday at Cadwell Park in England, to determine whether or not he could ride at Donington. The intention now is that Chris will ride as much as he is able to this weekend, including race day if his knee injury allows. He will then take part in the full weekend of racing at the next round at Assen on April 17, and should be back to his competitive best at the Monza round, on 8 May.

In his debut WSBK season Joan Lascorz has had some highs and lows but his long recovery from injury to his arm continues and he expects to be even more competitive than he was at round one in Australia. He is a big fan of Donington, and like his fellow competitors he will find some changes to the circuit when he takes part in first practice on Friday. Increased runoff, a remodeled Foggy Esses and other detail changes will appear at a circuit that WSBK last visited in 2009.

The Kawasaki Racing Team effort in Europe is based at the premises of Paul Bird Motorsports (PBM) in Cumbria, England, meaning that most team members – including Sykes – arrive at Donington for the first of two home rounds in the 2011 season.

Tom Sykes: “I’m obviously looking forward to Donington, not just because it is my home round but it is a circuit I really enjoy. We still need to keep working on the development of the bike so going to Donington is probably a good thing. Both the team and myself know what we need to make the bike work well round this track, so that will help us in our development stage. I am more confident this year that we can put on a better show for the British fans. I am very lucky in that I have a good fan base and hopefully I can repay them with something good this weekend. Everybody on the grid is in the same boat and at this time of year it will be cold around Donington. The team and I also have good experience there in a variety of conditions so I am looking forward to it. It is a good track for us at this stage of the new Ninja ZX-10R’s race development.”

Chris Vermeulen: “I will ride to use this weekend but almost as a test at first. From my doctor’s point of view I am improving well, but I should just be increasing my riding step-by-step. I rode yesterday at Cadwell Park in England, did about 30 laps in total on the Ninja ZX-10R, and it felt really good. My speed was OK but I was not going to break any lap records. My knee started to swell up afterwards so we rested it up. We have decided to ride this weekend but to look at it as a test; not only for my knee but to get some information on the bike, to ride the new generation Pirellis and just get out there on track and see how it goes. If it goes well we will race, but at this stage races may be quite difficult.”

Joan Lascorz: “I like Donington and I have good memories of racing there last time when I finished second in the WSS race. It is quite a hard track in terms of the muscle power you have to use to move the bike around, particularly down Craner Curves, and there are also places where you have to use the brakes very hard from high speed. I have been working out a lot physically and my arm is improving every day. The bike is still quite new for me because it was only my third time on the new bike in Australia. So I am looking to Donington to improve settings and feelings on the bike. I have been working hard with my personal trainer and I’m more fit and strong than in Australia. I hope to make another step and be nearer the top riders for the second round. For sure Sykes will be a good reference on this track because is his home and he should go well.”

At the start of four days of testing for World Superbike’s factory Kawasaki Racing Team at Sepang in Malaysia, Chris Vermeulen had his first taste of the 2011 Ninja ZX-10R as he made his comeback ride after recuperating from knee surgery.

Unlike his teammates, Tom Sykes and Joan Lascorz, Vermeulen had never ridden the new bike before today and was instantly impressed with it, despite setting a limited number of laps. This was a first ride in Malaysia for Sykes and Lascorz, although Vermeulen has ridden at Sepang on many previous occasions.

Sykes and Lascorz used the first day to familiarize themselves with the wide and comparatively long circuit in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and find base settings to work with for the rest of the tests.

Chris Vermeulen said of his first day back in the saddle: “I eased into it today and only did a limited number of laps, over three separate runs. I stopped before lunch today and then the rains came later in the afternoon, but we will go out again tomorrow. The new bike feels really good. The last bike I rode around Sepang was a GP machine, so to be impressed with this motorbike already shows it is a very good start. All the guys have done a great job in developing it. I was happy to come away with that positive impression, even after a relatively short number of laps so far. Right now I cannot quite bend my knee enough when going round right hand corners, but my knee has improved a lot over the last couple of weeks. Everything in the recovery of my knee is going to plan, and in fact I am quite a bit ahead of what the doctors expected. My muscle growth is good, particularly considering I have only been walking for three weeks.”

Also joining the three works KRT riders in Sepang is the Pedercini Kawasaki Team, which will be using the opportunity to learn more from the factory team’s experience with the new Ninja ZX-10R (and seriously needs to update its website). The crews will continue on track tomorrow, take a break for a day on January 12 and then complete their final tests on Thursday and Friday.