Yamaha World Superbike Team Prepare For Round One At Phillip Island
With all winter testing now completed the Yamaha World Superbike
Team is all set to challenge for the opening round of the 2011
season at Phillip Island this weekend. The historic circuit has
been a feature of the World Superbike Championship since 1990,
featuring on the calendar more than any other track.
Word Superbike rookie riders Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty have
now had time to adapt their 2011 R1 Yamaha race bikes to their
riding styles and have successfully completed several tests at
Phillip Island, Portimao, Valencia and Magny Cours. The Portimao
test in particular proved challenging for the team as bad weather
hampered any attempts to simulate full race distance runs. Their
testing has been under the guidance of new team manager Andrea
Dosoli, now fully bedded in and working effectively with his new
team.
The updated R1 includes many developments implemented over the
winter including a revised weight distribution for better handling,
as well as increased engine performance, new electronic maps and
uprated cooling systems. The bike has also been updated to include
changes to the 2011 regulation changes, now having standard fuel
injectors and a standard fuel pressure regulator
24yr old Laverty from Northern Ireland made a big impression when
he climbed on board the R1 for the first time at the Magny Cours
test at the end of the 2010 WSB season. Taking his first ever ride
on a World Superbike, the two year World Supersport runner up was
incredibly quick to get up to speed, wrapping up the test as the
fastest rider against far more experienced competition. His
progress over the subsequent tests has been extremely consistent,
improving every time and continuing to impress his team and Crew
Chief Frankie Carchedi with concise feedback and development.
Marco Melandri
Yamaha World Superbike Team
"I am very excited about starting this season. I'm enjoying being
in the World Superbike paddock and I really have the feeling that I
now have a competitive machine and the right conditions to
challenge for race wins. My shoulder has taken some time to recover
from my operation which has meant I have not been able to give 100%
at times in testing, but progress continues to be very good to full
fitness. This weekend's two races are still quite soon for it, we
will have to see how strong it is over race distance."
Eugene Laverty
Yamaha World Superbike Team
"I'm happy to be familiar with the circuits we are going to race on
having ridden them in World Supersport, however having two races on
a Sunday will be a new challenge for me. Having said that I've been
training very hard and my fitness level is high so I'm confident
I'll be good for the distance! Testing has been really positive and
the bike feels incredibly powerful after my Supersport machine, I'm
ready to start!"
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
"I'm very pleased with our completed testing schedule and feel we
have achieved everything we set out to do to prepare for this
weekend. Last year I understand the team had some issues here at
Phillip Island but worked hard over the following races to improve,
the results could be seen with Crutchlow's double win at
Silverstone. As a result of this we are confident that those issues
won't play a major role here this season and we believe we are
ready with a package that is capable of winning races. There is
still a question mark over Marco's full fitness for race distance
however he has been resting for the last couple of days so we will
see what happens on Sunday."
The Yamaha World Superbike team has found a new partner in RIZOMA,
a company producing and marketing a variety of bike accessories and
components. RIZOMA products are well known for their innovative
design and developed with functionality and increasing safety in
mind. RIZOMA Products are available through a global network of
offices in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria and in
Scandinavian countries. Website : http://www.rizoma.com
Yamaha ParkinGO Team Prepare for Phillip
Island
Yamaha ParkinGO Team riders Luca Scassa and Chas Davies will line
up on the grid this Sunday for their first race onboard the 2009
World Supersport Championship winning Yamaha R6. The team made a
late agreement with Yamaha just two weeks before the winter test at
Portimao in mid-January, allowing the team very little time to test
and prepare for this season.
A combination of bad weather hampering testing at Portimao and a
switch to a new suspension supplier for the Phillip Island test
last weekend means a challenging start for the team. Despite this
both riders showed great form at Portimao, adapting quickly to the
Supersport machine and delivering highly competitive times, hinting
at the potential for competitive results over the season
