World Superbike Prep
As many other World Superbike teams are participating in the three-day official Infront Motorsports test at Portimao, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport privately prepped during a three-day session in Eastern Creek, Australia.
In hot conditions (40 degrees Celsius), BMW Motorrad Superbike team riders Troy Corser (Australia) and Leon Haslam (UK) completed 1.453 kilometers aboard their BMW S1000RR motorcycles
The BMW Motorrad Superbike Team says after two very hot days, on Friday the temperatures were lower, reaching 28 degrees Celsius.
BMW chose the Australia track over Portimao because the team wanted a track with very low grip so they could focus on that area of the BMW S1000RR. BMW says the conditions in Eastern Creek proved to be perfect for that aim, as the very high temperatures made the race track slick.
The conditions in Australia were also more similar to what the 2011 World Superbike Championship will endure during the 13-race schedule.
Besides dealing with grip, the BMW Motorrad Superbike team tweaked the chassis and engine mapping, reporting positive results.
The team reported that Corser progressed quickly and set a new lap record (1:29.5 min). Haslam’s best time was 1:30.5 min.
Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will now travel to Phillip Island, Australia, where it will continue its work with another test Feb 2-3.
Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Superbike): "I am pretty happy with the progress that we made on my bike. We worked on electronics, traction and rear wheel activation. In all areas we made some good steps. I also tried some chassis, geometry and fork setting.
"We concentrated on these areas to give us some information and to understand what we need to do if we get the same situation. The lap times got better and better as we improved the bike and the better the circuit became. The lap time we got to quite comfortably is very good for this track.
"I think with what we have learned here we are now very well prepared for the test next week, regarding the set-up of the bike. It was nice to come back to Eastern Creek. The last time I was here was 18 years ago, in 1993. It was a good experience to ride on the superbike here."
Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Superbike) says: "We mainly worked on the electronics, just trying to dial it in. We also focused on setting up the chassis to get a base set-up, because in the hot conditions the bike behaves very differently. We had a few issues but we are making progress with the bike.
"Certainly you always want to go faster and make things happen quicker. But we got in a lot of testing, which is good, and are definitely improving. I am very confident the team will give 100 per cent and that it should be good.
"I am just looking forward to the next test in Phillip Island. This is a track where we also race, so we know what lap times we should be doing. It will definitely be a good guideline for us. And then I cannot wait until the season starts.
"Testing is one thing but racing is another. All you want to do is go out there and race. It is not long to wait, just one more month. Also physically I feel very good and I have my trainer coming over to Australia for a couple of weeks more before the race."
