BMW Team Avoids Bad Weather, Tests In Australia

The vast majority
of the World Superbike Field is currently sitting trackside in
Portimao, Portugal, waiting for some inclement weather to pass so
that they can get in some testing on the Portimao Circuit. But
while those riders are dealing with slick tracks and iffy
conditions over their three-day testing period, BMW Motorrad
Motorsport were taking advantage of the balmy weather Down
Under.
While other teams were in Portimao for the official test, the
Motorrad Motorsport team opted to head down to sunny Australia,
currently in the midst of summer. Troy Corser, an Australian
native, and his teammate Leon Haslam had the track at Eastern Creek
to themselves as they prepped for the first World Superbike race on
February 27th at Phillip Island in Australia.
If the results from this test were any indication, Corser and
Haslam will be a force to be reckoned with. Corser set an
unofficial track record with a lap time of 1:29.5, besting a 1996
record held by Alex Criville by less than a second.
Haslam, meanwhile, worked on fine-tuning some of the electronics
and settings to accommodate his riding style. The rider said he is
still getting used to his new BMW after making the switch from a
Suzuki team earlier this year.