Phillip Island tests, January 17-20th 2006 - Overall Report
 Team
Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra completed a very successful four
day test at Phillip Island and left Australia in a happy and
positive mood. Strong winds hampered proceedings on the final
day but by then Troy and Yukio had already completed most
of the work they had set out to do. Troy did a race simulation
faster than his race last year and finished the tests nearly
three quarters of a second quicker then his nearest rival.
Yukio was only able to do his race simulation on the final
day - in conditions the other rides described as ‘scary’.
However, Yukio knows no fear and completed the race distance
without any major dramas. Unlike most years, the tests were
not blighted by large seabirds and the only wildlife to put
in a track appearance was a kangaroo on day two just as Troy
was going round Honda corner. Fortunately he saw it in time
and was able to take avoiding action.
Troy
"I was happy with our preseason tests at Phillip Island
last year and I’m even happier this year! These four
days have been very positive for all of us and we’ve
done a lot of very useful work. The 2006 bike feels better
then last year’s bike already and although there are
no major changes, a lot of things are working better and I
feel very comfortable on the bike straightaway. The engine
feels better (both in mid-range and top end) and, thanks to
all the work we’ve done, the electronics are working
better as well. I can easily adjust more things on the bike
and that’s a great feeling to have at this stage. The
2005 GSX-R1000 Alstare Suzuki was a great bike, so there was
no need to make any radical changes, but this year’s
bike feels really good. I’m also happy with the progress
Pirelli have made and looking forward to even more improvements.
Overall, I’m very happy how the tests have gone and
feel ready to race this bike tomorrow!"
Yukio
"The tests were very good and very positive for our
team. There were no problems and no crashes, though the last
day was a little dangerous because of the strong winds. There
was a very big tailwind when I was doing my race distance
simulation and going into turn one was a little scary - but
no big problem for me. There were a couple of other turns
on the track where I had to be careful, but I was determined
to do the race distance, so I stuck it out. I just couldn’t
push as hard as I wanted to, because I did not want to crash.
I think the 2006 bike is an improvement over last year’s
bike. For me the engine feels a little stronger and I’m
happier with the front suspension now. We tried many things
over the four days, including spending a lot of time on the
electronics. It’s an area where you need to spend time
away from a race weekend, so it was good to make progress
there also. Like Troy-san, I am happy and feel ready for the
first race. I’d like the same start as last season please!"
Troy’s overall best lap : 1'32.’79
Yukio’s overall best lap : 1'33'50
Unofficial times
TROY CORSER (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1’32.79
Steve Martin (Petronas) 1’33.40
YUKIO KAGAYAMA (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra)
1’33.50 Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
1’34.5 Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France)
1’34.6 Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Motor France)
1’35.1 Craig Jones (Petronas) 1’35.6
|
