BSB riders test at Valencia

British Superbike riders have been using the Valencia test to make last minute alterations to their bikes before the first round at Silverstone on March 30.

Steve Hislop spent the three days making massive alterations to the chassis on his R1 after crashing it on the first day, damaging the crank case and shaft.

The work vastly improved the bike, leaving Hislop comfortable with it for the first time. He said: ” It’s all about confidence and now I’ve got real feel from the front end. That’s what I need to go fast on this bike. Now I’ve got the R7-style chassis settings I was looking for. ”

The improved chassis helped him knock almost two seconds off his time during the test, finishing with a best lap of 1:36.9.

Honda rider Steve Plater spent the three days riding race distance simulations and came away with more confidence in his SP-2.

He wanted to concentrate on getting consistent times rather than going for the fastest lap and finished the test lapping in the high 1:37s at the end of a 27 lap stint.

Honda took three new engines to the test to allow Plater to get the perfect set-up. He was also using a completely new chassis after damaging the last one in a crash at his last test in Almeria.

Shane Byrne managed to get a best time of 1:36.1 in a total of just 50 laps and was so happy with the bike that he decided to leave it at that. He said, ” There’s no point fitting qualifying tyres to go a fraction faster. I know I can go at least a half a second quicker with them, but what does it prove? I’ve done my best times on race rubber and I’m happy with the bike. ”

Renegade Ducati riders Michael Rutter and Sean Emmett missed the test completely because their new bikes hadn’t arrived yet. This fuelled rumours that the team can’t afford to race but team boss Mark Griffiths was adamant that the delay was purely down to a lack of spare parts from the Bologna factory.

Griffiths said that parts were due to arrive mid-April so the team might have to get some from another source until then to allow them to compete at Silverstone.

To comment on this story click the link on the right to visit our BSB discussion board.