Quick chat with Mike Jones after opening day of ASBK Testing
With the Number One plate emblazoned on the front of the Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1M for the first time since 2008, defending champion Mike Jones is determined to keep it there for a number of years.
The Wednesday of the ASBK SMP Test was the first time on track for the freshly prepped 2023 YRT YZF-R1M, which before Wednesday had only done a short dyno run at the factory workshop before the team headed to SMP for the two-day test.Â
After four sessions on the opening day, Jones was fourth on the timesheets about half-a-second behind his team mate Cru Halliday who claimed the bragging rights to end the day on top, but Jones is far from stressed with four more sessions in front of him today.
MB: So how was the day on the new bike?
MJ: “It was the first time on the R1M at start of today with the brand new 2023 model bike, so in the first session we were just running those bikes in and going through the process.
“In the next few sessions we were working on a few different set-ups because we were trying to find out what suits me, and what I like from the bike around here.
“We worked on a bunch of different stuff today with electronics and chassis both of those things combined together to try and work out what feels comfortable for me.
“In the last session (opening day) we made a bit of progress and started to get on top of the settings and I think that we finished up in a good spot so I am looking forward to riding tomorrow to find a few more things.”
MB: How does the new bike compare with obviously different power delivery etc? And how does it suit the tyres?
MJ: “From a tyre point of view there are a couple of different things we have to look at. As you said we were here on the practice bike a couple of weeks ago for the summer night series, and the power delivery is different on the old bike compared to this current model, and as well we have a few additional sections that have been resurfaced, but overall the way the bike is using the tyres is quite good, and as always that’s probably a strength of the R1M. I don’t think that is going to be too big of an issue for us come race day.”
MB: Even though you weren’t at the top of the time-sheets are you happy with were you are?
MJ: “Yes, definitely. The main thing for me is just focusing on me and my progress.”
MB: You have two different mind sets don’t you? A testing mind set and a race mind set…
MJ: “It’s been a trait of mine, where I am a very reactive type of person . When you put me under a pressure environment it seems to be where I am able to knuckle down, get focused and perform at my best, but in a testing scenario there is not that level of pressure to perform.
“Obviously we are here to find a setting that’s generally comfortable for the bike and me, and just work through a variety of different settings so there – as much as you want to be the fastest guy always – there’s no pressure to do that, so I find from a mindset point of view, testing is not my strongest place to be, but racing for the win is where I seem to excel, so it that regard I am very happy with how we went after one day.”
2023 ASBK Calendar
| 2023 ASBK Calendar | |||
| Round | Circuit | Location | Date |
| Test | Sydney Motorsport Park | NSW | Feb 1-2 |
| R1 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | VIC | Feb 24-26 |
| R2 | Sydney Motorsports Park | NSW | Mar 24-25 |
| R3 | Queensland Raceway | QLD | Apr 28-30 |
| R4 | Hidden Valley Raceway | NT | Jun 16-18 |
| R5 | Morgan Park Raceway | QLD | Jul 14-16 |
| R6 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | VIC | Oct 27-29 |
| R7 | The Bend Motorsport Park | SA | Dec 1 – 3 |
