AIRWAVES DUCATI START THEIR COUNT DOWN TO THE 2007 SEASON
With one week to go before the action kicks off at Brands
Hatch the Kent based GSE Racing Airwaves Ducati Team are looking
ahead to a championship that is set to be one of the most
competitive for many years.
In 2006 Airwaves Ducati riders Leon Haslam and Gregorio Lavilla
finished the season in 2nd and 3rd respectively, achieving
11 wins, five 1-2 finishes, 38 podiums, 9 pole positions and
6 lap records, in a title chase that came down to the last
race.
The team will return to the championship this year with the
same riders and team line up for an unprecedented 3rd year
running. They will be looking to regain the BSB title they
won in 2005 and retain the coveted 2006 Manufacturers title,
beginning on their home track, Brands Hatch, on April 9th.
Throughout the team’s European winter testing schedule
they have recorded some excellent times whilst working on
key aspects with the bikes. Dunlop, especially, has made huge
progress with the team’s tyre requirements providing
development tyres that have returned superb results. During
the teams final test at Snetterton last weekend both riders
re-acclimatized to the colder, wetter UK weather and completed
final preparations for Brands Hatch in a week’s time.
Gregorio Lavilla is excited about the prospect of getting
the season underway saying, “I am really looking forward
to going to Brands Hatch and starting the season now. During
testing we have concentrated on problems that we experienced
at the end of last season and we have been able to try a number
of different set up’s which we talked about last year
but have not been able to try until the winter. These have
worked well and if the bike and Dunlop tyres continue working
as well as they did in Almeria and Albacete then I am sure
we will get the season off to a good start and be highly competitive
in 2007.”
Leon Haslam echoed his teammate’s excitement about
the start of the new season saying, “Everything has
gone really well during the winter and I am really happy.
The bike is feeling good, I just can’t wait to get to
Brands and get started.”
GSE Racing Team Principal Darrell Healey is also looking
ahead with anticipation to Easter weekend adding, “We
are very excited about the 2007 British Superbike season;
it is going to be one of the most exciting seasons ever and
just reaffirms that GSE Racing is at the forefront of the
most competitive domestic championship in the world. We have
enjoyed great success at GSE Racing over the past few years,
and we are hoping that 2007 will be no different and will
see us reclaim the British Superbike title as well as retain
the Manufacturers title that we won last year. I for one just
can’t wait to get started!”
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