Haga gets in practice

After choosing to miss the washed out Valencia WSB tests last week the Yamaha Italia squad of Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt headed to Monza for a final shake down.

The two-day test over Friday and Saturday saw Haga using a revised seating position and lower rear ride height while Pitt, who has had much more time on the bike, just used it as a chance to rack up some miles.

Massimo Meregalli, Team Coordinator Yamaha Motor Italia, said: “Today gave Nori a chance to try the changes he asked us to make to the bike. We had planned to go to Valencia on Monday and Tuesday but we changed our plans when the weather was predicted to be so bad. The two days spent here were a chance to fix a few more small problems as we want to make sure we lose as little time as possible in Qatar. Everyone in the team is very excited about Qatar and our first race in what is a new championship for us.”

The whole WSB paddock heads to Qatar next weekend for a final round of testing before the first race of the season at the same track on Saturday February 26.