BSB: Suzuka test boosts Linfoot at Brands

Dan Linfoot has said his pace in both the wet and dry at Brands Hatch this weekend shows just how far the Honda Racing team has come with the all-new CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

The Yorkshireman was able to take something from the Moriwaki Fireblade he tested for next week’s Suzuka Eight Hour and feedback to his Louth-based team in order to improve the throttle connection issues he’s been struggling with all season.

After setting his quickest ever lap of Brands Hatch to place second in the combined free practice times, Linfoot would go on to replicate his pace in the wet to secure a front row start for tomorrow’s opening race.

“It shows the progress we’ve made with the bike,” he told MCN. “If I was struggling with some of the stuff I had at start of the year it maybe would have been highlighted even more in conditions like this.

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“I would say the bike feeling is improving and I’m getting more familiar with it every race meeting. The Suzuka bike felt something I was more comfortable with and I’ve tried to bring a bit of that to this bike.

“I’ve done my best ever lap here this weekend, we’ve gone quicker than I went last year and I was very happy with the bike here last year.

“Ideally, things would have started going my way sooner. It’s been heartbreaking to lay in bed at home after a weekend knowing my team-mate has been consistently on the box and I’m a long way off. We ride in different ways and want the bike controlled in different ways, I’ve struggled to keep the bike controlled on corner exit all year and still think there are improvements to make and when we get more parts later in the year I’m sure we’ll make those.” 

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