WSBK Test
Yamaha 2011 World Superbike riders Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri completed the second of two days testing at the Phillip Island circuit ahead of the season opening round this coming weekend.
Both World Superbike Yamaha riders spent the sessions working on set up to deliver consistent pace for the Australian circuit.
The WSBK Yamaha team achieved their target of testing all updates for the 2011 Yamaha R1 superbike, and will now take a couple of days rest in preparation for the two races on Sunday, Feb. 27.
Italian rider Marco Melandri is still recovering from his previous shoulder operation and so rode less on the final sessions to give himself enough time to rest before the weekend.
Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team, 8th, 1’32.122) says: "I am very happy because I feel a big improvement from my shoulder. The second day was still quite difficult though, I didn’t ride a lot as my shoulder was having some pain. The bike has made a small improvement over the last test and we have a good plan to make it even better for the race. My physical condition for the race distance is a question mark but we will see what happens on Sunday!"
Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team, 9th, 1’32.137) says: "It’s been a tough test but we’re making progress bit by bit. We’re focusing on consistency for the races, that’s been the focus since we started the test. We’ve found that now and all we need is a little bit more pace. I’m excited about the race, it’s a strange track like no other and requires a unique set up. I think it’s going to be the smart guys who are there at the end of the race."
Andrea Dosoli (Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager) says: "All our jobs are done here for the test which gives us the confidence that we’ve achieved our targets. We wanted a more consistent bike and we’ve got it.
"The Ducati is very quick at this track so we need to improve some more and reduce the time difference. For the two races on Sunday I am feeling quite confident as Eugene is improving everyday and is very consistent. Marco has also put a lot of laps in on his shoulder so we believe that with two days of rest he will be OK for the races.
"After all the winter tests we are ready. Considering both riders are World Superbike rookies and Marco recently had an operation we are happy with our results here."