HANNSPREE TEN KATE HONDA HAPPY WITH PROGRESS
24 December 2006 - Honda Racing

The HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team is leaving Qatar in high spirits following a successful three-day World Superbike Championship development team tyre test with Pirelli.

Roberto Rolfo and James Toseland experienced challenging track conditions at the Losail circuit due to severe rain ahead of their visit. However, both riders have been able to demonstrate improvements across the duration of the test.

James set his fastest time of the test on day two in 1:59.1 while putting the new prototype tyres through their paces. This was an improvement of more than one second on last year’s Superpole time and the British rider came close to matching that on the final day of the test. The main focus for James though was on set-up and chassis. He is happy with the progress that the team has made ahead of the first race of the series at Qatar on 24 February.

“We’ve had a really good test,” said James, “but we still have a lot of work to do. Last year was difficult for me because I had a new bike and team to get used to. I was always trying to catch up with my competitors because of those disadvantages. As a team we are working well together and I feel confident about the year ahead. The weather conditions in Qatar are so extreme that we can’t predict what will happen on race day, but I think that we are well prepared.”

For Roberto Rolfo, it was the first time he had experienced traction control on his HANNspree Ten Kate Honda race machine. However, the Italian was able to improve his times on each day of the test, resulting in a best lap of 2:01.7. He is adapting well and is confident that he will adjust to the Honda CBR1000RR’s electronic system.

“I feel positive about my first test,” said Roberto. “I think that Losail is one of the more important tracks to test at because this is the location for the first race. There is a lot for me to learn, but the team is very focused and they have the experience to help me, which will hopefully make a difference on race day.”

HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Team Manager Ronald ten Kate was equally satisfied. “We have definitely taken steps forward with the electronic system and chassis,” he said. “I am pleased because I feel that the set-up was the most important factor to focus on at this test. The riders and team have worked very hard, which means that we have reduced the areas that we still need to work on.”

Day three times: Bayliss (1:58.1); Corser (1:58.9); Biaggi (1:58.9); Laconi (1:59.2); Toseland (1:59.4); Lanzi (1:59.3); Haga (1:59.7); Nieto (2:00.5); Kagayama (2:00.1); Rolfo (2:01.7)

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