Superstock 1000 FIM Cup
Valencia tests, Saturday 17th March 2007
Circuit: 4.005 kms. Weather: Dry, mostly sunny 18 C.
XAVI STARTS HIS NEW CHALLENGE
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Xavier Simeon began
his Superstock 1000 challenge at Valencia today with his new
Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7. Despite the bike being virtually standard,
Xavi managed to record the ninth fastest time of the tests
with a lap of 1:39.027, just inside the lap record set by
Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha) in 2005. Italian Claudio Corti (Yamaha)
posted the day’s fastest time, with a lap of 1:37.420,
followed by Ayrton Badovini (MV) and Nicola Canepa (Ducati).
XAVI
I am reasonably happy with my lap times today, but not happy
that so many riders went quite a bit faster. But, here my
bike is completely standard so perhaps my results aren’t
so bad after all. We don’t have the shifter on the bike,
so it means I have to change gear using the clutch every time
and that costs fractions of a second every gearchange. The
engine is also completely standard and once the work is done
on it, I’ll be able to go faster. There is still a lot
of work to be done to make our bike competitive, but unfortunately
the next time I’ll be on it will be in first practice
at Donington at the end of the month.
But at least I’ve managed to put in a lot of laps (80
altogether!) and start getting used to the bike. We started
today getting myself dialled into the bike - seating position,
footpegs, handlebars and all the usual stuff. But what I can
say straightaway is that this bike is very different to either
the 600 Superstock or Suzuki Cup bike I rode last year. Riding
this bike is much more physical and so I have to learn where,
when and how to push it.
In the Superstock 600 class last year, there were only three
or four riders fighting for the top spots and then quite a
gap before the rest of the field. Last year was my third year
on a 600, so I knew the bike really well. This is my first
time on a 1000 and there are probably ten to fifteen top riders
in this class, so it’s going to be much harder then
last year. But this is part of my learning curve and I am
ready for the challenge. It’s a bit of a shame that
I won’t have any more track time before Donington, but
I’ll be going there to do my best - as usual.
Valencia tests
1 Corti (I-Yamaha) 1:37.420, 2 Badovini (I-MV) 1:37.582, 3
Canepa (I-Ducati) 1:38.211, 4 Pirro (I-Yamaha) 1:38.320, 5
Sacchetti (I-MV 1:38.616, 6 Van Keymeulen (NL-Yamaha) 1:38.685,
9 XAVIER SIMEON (B-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:39.027,
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