Productive End of Season Test in Jerez for Yamaha WorldSBK teams

“It’s been a good two-day test here in Jerez and we managed to work our way through what was a pretty big list of things, some positive some not so much, but that’s what testing is for. Yesterday we worked on the front of the bike and today on the rear, before putting together the best combination of the two. I was quite happy with how I felt on the bike today; we’ve highlighted two main areas that we want to focus on at the January tests, so it was good to end the season on a positive note. A massive thank you to the guys in the team for all their hard work this year; now we’ve got some time to recharge the batteries before getting back to it here in Jerez in January.”

“It’s been a really interesting test, but it’s a shame that I’m still not fully fit after sustaining a wrist injury in the final race in Qatar. Still, we completed a lot of work here in Jerez; the first day we had a long list of things to try and I didn’t really feel comfortable on the bike, but today was much better. Again, we were trying many things, mainly with the geometry and suspension but also the electronics. This afternoon I managed to find my rhythm, improve lap by lap and we made some steps forward. Initially we were struggling a little on corner entry, but at the end we found quite a good solution. I’m really happy with the end of the second day and I’m already looking forward to January.”

“I am really pleased with my first WorldSBK test with the new team and with the Yamaha YZF-R1. It was a special experience for me because I’ve never raced a superbike before, but I think we made a big step over these two days and I now have a much better understanding of how to race this bike. Of course, I’m still facing a steep learning curve, and I also need to prepare my body for the demands of racing this bigger bike, as I can feel it wasn’t ready after two full days on track here! Now I understand how I have to work with this bike and I am really looking forward to returning to Jerez with the team in January.”

“This has been a very positive test, from more than one perspective. With the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK team, our reference team in WorldSBK, we were able to evaluate new hardware and start to define the specification of our 2019 machine. Together with his crew Alex worked his way through a very detailed test plan and we achieved our goal of coming away from this test with a clear direction for development. Michael’s test was compromised somewhat by his injury, but we will confirm the direction with him in January, once he’s back to full fitness. Overall it was a positive test with the Pata Yamaha riders, both of whom showed good pace here in Jerez, and it means we are on target to improve our consistency in 2019 and be in a position to fight for podium finishes at every track. The step up to WorldSBK by GRT Yamaha in 2019 is an important milestone in our project. It doubles the number of YZF-R1 machines on the grid but, more importantly, it underlines Yamaha’s commitment to providing a progression path for young riders that stretches from national R3 championships all the way up to the FIM Superbike World Championship; a fundamental aim of our racing program. Bringing together Sandro and a rider as experienced as Marco at GRT Yamaha is already working well, with both team and riders impressing with how quickly they’ve adapted to this new challenge. It required a huge effort from everyone at Yamaha Motor Europe to realise this project, but already we can see those efforts paying dividends.”