As we were sort of busy following MotoGP this weekend we almost forgot that the Yamaha World Superbike team tested for two days at the Aragon circuit on Thursday and Friday.
Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty who won both races at the Monza round, had his first chance to get know the spectacular Spanish circuit, while Melandri is already familiar with it having raced there in 2010 when he was in MotoGP.
The first day of testing was concentrated principally on getting acquainted with the new track which offers plenty of grip, tight corners and long straights.
On day two Laverty proceeded to test the tyre wear, working on race simulation where he completed a series of consistent laps, in order to find a suitable set-up which reduces wear and tear on a track that’s particularly harsh on rubber.
Both riders worked on their R1s, modifying the chassis set up, gearbox and electronics.
Melandri concentrated on evaluating the rear of his machine, gathering necessary data to make improvements.
“I like Aragon, it’s an interesting one, yet not simple at all.
I just wanted to learn the track and I’m glad we had this opportunity,” said Eugene Laverty.
“It was tricky to get good speed in due to the fast change of direction.
I worked a lot on improving my lining and adjusting my riding style to suit the flow of the track.
The bike was working very well though and I’m pretty sure that we can head to the race here next month with confidence.
”“We worked very hard over the last two days.
I had some problems with the bike in Monza and that’s become clearer now in Aragon,” declared Melandri.
“I suffered a lack of stability on exiting curves but we started working on solving the problem and the input from this track has been extremely useful.
We have a lot of work to do still, but I’m definitely more confident and I’m glad we had the opportunity to test here.
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