Tom Sykes Under Race Lap Record at Misano WorldSBK Test
Following Jonathan Rea’s double victory at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Round 8, the majority of the WorldSBK field was back in action on Monday for eight hours of Official Testing.
Recently re-signed Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) rider Tom Sykes topped the timesheets as he ducked underneath Rea’s race lap record from last year, posting a lap time of 1’34.674 in the last breaths of the session.
An overnight thunderstorm left wet patches scattered around the circuit in the morning, meaning most of the meaningful running came later as the sun shone again and ambient temperatures soared into the high 20s. Not only did the teams have their own programs to progress through, they also worked with sole WorldSBK tyre supplier Pirelli as the Italian company brought four new front tyres and three for the rear.
At KRT, there was an announcement that Sykes had re-signed with the team, thus remaining alongside Rea for at least another two seasons. At the test, both riders focused on 2017, specifically electronic settings and suspension ideas with supplier Showa.
Tom Sykes
“The test was so good I am quite depressed thinking about yesterday’s races – because we had such good results today! It is so difficult to go into test mode over the race weekends so in the test we evaluated some things from Showa and KHI, which were sitting ready to go, and the results were fantastic. I am really happy with our pace, especially after a long distance, and it compares well to our race pace from the weekend. I am really pleased the sun came out eventually. We did well over 70 laps and got really valuable information because we worked through a lot of things. I am happy that we have made a step forward in terms of what I need from the bike.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes
“The first part of the test we dedicated to chassis performance. We made quite a big step – almost an unrealistic step compared to yesterday’s race. After that we tested some material that was an evolution of what we had tested over the winter and combined the best from all of those into one piece, tried it on track, and we found benefits. Even if the day was short because of the weather conditions this morning we did nearly 80 laps and made a nice step in the bike’s performance. One of the new Pirelli tyres improved our best time by four tenths and Tom said he is looking forward to using that one in a race.”
Jonathan Rea
“A very good test and we had a huge list of things to test and we got through all the items. We tried many things and first on the agenda were some new Pirelli rear tyres. We took our time, evaluated all the rears and one tyre was very interesting. It is good that they are developing them. Then we moved onto the team stuff and we had some items to test for gear shifting, braking, and quite a lot to do with Showa. On the electronics side we continued working with some ideas we found in our recent Jerez tests. We tried a new swingarm in the end and we got through everything we had here. This was a pure test, an evaluation test, and we were able to make a good rhythm. Every single lap we made was consistent so I am really happy.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea
“We tested many, many things. Only in the afternoon because it had been wet during the morning. We did not even start the bike then. So in four hours in the afternoon we tested three different rear tyres, rear shocks, front forks, and different parts for gear shifting. We tested many different things. We tried all the parts we had and it all appears positive. Some things have been very good and we can use them in the next race, so I am happy.”
Closest championship rivals Aruba.it Racing – Ducati were next up with Davide Giugliano, working with the new Pirelli tyres, as was team-mate Chaz Davies who went sixth quickest but suffered a small crash at Turn 4 during the last five minutes.
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) 1:34.895
“It’s always interesting to test, especially when you get a chance to explore different solutions from those utilized during the race. Pirelli brought several new options, for both the front and rear, and we gathered interesting data for the development. We’ve made another step forward and now we’ll go to Laguna Seca, a track that I don’t love after last year’s injury, to cancel the bad memories and fight at the top.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) 1:35.385
“Today we tried a different configuration compared with the race. We focused mostly on the front, where we still have some options to explore, and on the engine, where there’s still room for improvement. The new solutions brought by Pirelli gave a good feedback and, most important, my right wrist didn’t bother me too much and I managed to ride without too many difficulties. We’re confident we can head overseas in full shape and bounce back in Laguna Seca.”
Fifth and sixth fastest were Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse, focusing on chassis configuration and electronics) and Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team, with a modification to the front fork). Torres was joined by FIM Superstock 1000 Cup rider Raffaele de Rosa, as Markus Reiterberger remains on the sidelines following his heavy crash in Race 2 at Misano on Sunday.
Jordi Torres
“Today went very well. We’ve carried out various electronics tests, working on the traction control and anti-wheelie systems, and also testing some front tyres, some of which worked better than others. At a certain point I had a small crash at Turn 4 but it was nothing, a low speed crash. The important thing is that at the end of the day we’ve increased our level of confidence, particularly with the front of the bike, and have understood how the bike behaves with the various front tyres. We’ve done a good job and I feel better prepared for Laguna Seca.”
Raffaele De Rosa
“I’m pleased with how we’ve worked today. I’ve got over what happened yesterday and think we worked effectively here. I rode the Superbike in order to gain confidence and be better prepared for Laguna. I’m glad to have the opportunity to race in America, but I’m really sorry for Markus and hope he’s back very soon. I’ve never been to Laguna but know it’s a spectacular track, the experience can only do me good. I thank Genesio for giving me this chance.”
Michael van der Mark was the leading Honda WorldSBK Team rider in seventh position, and both he and team-mate Nicky Hayden – who was tenth on the timesheets – ran with a new software code to dial out the issues suffered in recent rounds, when they did not correctly receive their split times. Hayden also used the afternoon to try out new a changed geometry and steering angle as well as swingarm adjustments at the rear of the CBR1000RR SP.
Michael van der Mark
“It has been a good day. We evaluated many things without caring too much about lap-times. It was also good to return to the track straight after the end of the round. Towards the end of the day, we went back to the race set-up and tried some tweaks with suspension settings and front fork and my times were improving lap by lap. We ended the day very strong and my pace was competitive, so now we have a much clearer idea of our package ahead of Laguna.”
Nicky Hayden
“We started the day in the damp and used our time to try some software updates, basically in and out laps. Everything seemed to be working quite well. Throughout the day we tried a good variety of things, including suspension settings, for the second part of the season. We made a few gains but also hit a few walls, which is normal in testing. I hoped I would have made a bigger step because my lap-times were similar to the ones I did at the start of the month. Just before lunch I tried some new Pirelli tyres with some good positives; I must say I’m surprised about the huge amount of work they are putting even though they’re the sole supplier for the series. We gave the team a lot of data to work on and hopefully we can put it all together for Laguna.”
Pieter Breddels – Honda WorldSBK Technical Manager
“We tried different things today: from front fork settings to different geometries and electronic upgrades with Nicky, especially after the problems he had in race one with split times. He also tried the Pirelli intermediate tyre for the first time in the morning when the track was drying up. We used the same set-up we had in Sepang and he was happy with the grip level. Michael tried also different linkage and shift settings with the electronics; he also did two 11-lap runs with some good times in the 35s. We’re happy with today’s information. Now it’s time to go back home and start preparing for the next round.”
Alex Lowes was eighth as the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team looked into engine upgrade development parts and chassis updates. However, the primary focus was to work on electronics strategies while Japanese MotoGP engineers remained alongside the team at this test.
Alex Lowes – 8th / 1’35.468 / 64 laps
“A good day testing at Misano today as I managed to do 64 laps. It’s slightly frustrating as I’m still not able to do as many laps as I would want. We also ended up with some good weather this afternoon so I’m slightly annoyed with that, as I always want to do more work, but what we did get through was very positive. We tested some different suspension parts, different electronics and at the end of the day we put a better set-up together so I feel like we’ve made a step forward compared to the race weekend. I’m looking forward to Laguna now and see if we can keep trying to improve further!”
Niccolò Canepa – 11th / 1’35.746 / 86 laps
“I am really happy about today and the whole weekend, especially today because we tested a lot of things and improved the bike in many aspects, including the electronics, the chassis and also the comfort on the bike. For me it was very important to test but honestly I have to say I’m a little bit tired as in the past 13 days I have been on track riding for 12, so now it is time for me to relax a little bit! I’m really happy and want to say thank you to Yamaha and to the team for this opportunity, it has been very important for me and I have enjoyed it a lot.”
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Logo Andrea Dosoli Road Racing Project Manager
“Overall it has been a positive test after an important weekend for us. A positive test because we could evaluate important components for the chassis and the engine, and we could improve the setting of our electronics package, getting a clear indication for further development. The test for us is crucial and fundamental in the first year of the project and I am glad we were fully able to use the track time today. I want to thank Alex, who has been able to complete more than 60 laps even if his physical condition is not perfect, he gave us very clear feedback and the same for Niccolò. I fully believe that the information and the data that we have gathered today will be helpful not only in the coming race at Laguna but also for the mid-term development. Thank you to all the guys in the team for a good job well done.”
For Lorenzo Savadori, mileage was the name of the game; the Italian admitted that he preferred dry conditions, even though he would have gone out should rain have fallen in order to hone his skills after having struggled in the rain-affected Rounds at Assen and Sepang earlier this season. Like Torres, Savadori did suffer a harmless fall during the course of the day, the Italian Aprilia rider finishing the day ninth quickest, just ahead of Nicky Hayden.
The Milwaukee BMW squad gained valuable testing time as the BSB Champions continue their somewhat testing conversion from their British Superbike Championship winning YZF-R1 machines to the BMW S 1000 RR. The Mick Shanley ran team concentrated on testing electronics ahead of the next round at Laguna Seca. A venue that Josh Brookes has not seen before but one that his teammate Karel Abraham does have some experience. Brookes ended the day 13th, while Abraham was 17th on the timesheets.
Anthony West worked on some different approaches to riding the Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R and put in 51 laps but failed to improve on his best race time set on Sunday.
There was a new face at Team Toth as Superstock 1000 rider Luca Marconi rode alongside Pawel Szkopek, while Dominic Schmitter was highly enthusiastic as he and the Grillini Racing Team mechanics received a 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R for the first time.
At Team GOELEVEN, Roman Ramos experimented with a new shock absorber, whereas Xavi Fores did not feature as his Barni Racing Team left the venue in order to focus its attentions on the next Italian national championship round. Nevertheless, Marco Barnabo’s squad had already tested at Misano prior to weekend’s races.
WorldSBK next heads for the Geico US Round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on the weekend of 8-10 July
