FIRST TEST JAN 2007 – JEREZ
02 February 2007 - Superbike School

Caffe Latte 250 and 125GP training

Coming to Spain in the middle of January the weather can be a little bit unpredictable and therefore the testing can be both productive and counter productive. The threat can be that the rider pushes a little bit too hard and crashes and is then injured for the first race of the season. By the same token if the rider is not running good lap times then the test is pointless. It’s a catch 22 situation.

Thomas Day One

With the weather switching from cold to rain Thomas only did 10 laps but in that time there was plenty to see and plenty of work to be done. The main issues were coming from last year’s riding and that of the 125 which has very high corner entry speed but little acceleration on the exit. The 250 requires a slower entry and using more of the bike’s power and torque to exit quicker. It’s not easy to get a rider to go in slower!

At the end of the 10 laps Thomas was quickest of all the riders but the data logger showed clearly that he was too late on the throttle because of the high entry speed. Of course, this is relative to the size of bike. Thomas finished the day as the fastest rider.

Sandro Day One

Fifth fastest but also with work to do. The Aprilia 125 is a very different machine to the Honda of last year. The seating position is designed for top speed with aggressive cuts in the tank to keep the rider tight behind the fairing. This creates a problem for the rider when he has to lock into the fuel tank in the corner as the back of the tank pushes the rider’s leg away instead on into the tank. Working on this by getting Sandro to move further back in the seat) the exact opposite technique was needed on the Honda) it improved but a new tank would be a much better solution.

Thomas Day Two

With much better weather there was more time for longer sessions and improvements. The first thing to work was the braking technique. Thomas first needed to have really well defined braking markers for us to work from, without these it would be hard to improve, you cannot change what you don’t know after all. Once sorted then the actually braking method was improved allowing a slower entry speed without having to brake earlier.

Now it was time to work the line to fit the 250 style. Effectively this was based on the 2 step drill from Level one as in the 125 this was not as critical as it is now with the bigger bike. As ever Thomas adapted quickly and set the second fastest time of the day, ahead of World Champion Lorenzo.

Sandro Day Two.

Getting quicker as the day went on the faster turns at Jerez proved to be the biggest challenge to Sandro. As ever, the key to speed is based, ultimately, in the eyes and what and when you see things. If the eyes dwell too long in one place then the throttle control is affected. Moving the eyes to the right place at the right time creates the space a rider needs to be better with the throttle. Last year there was always a hesitation showing on Sandro’s throttle data logging graph, this has now gone but the drive to full throttle is weaker and the next stage of improvement needed.

Thomas Day Three

Waking up in the morning the weather was cold and damp so no-one got out on their bikes until gone 3 o’clock in the afternoon!

As the track was so cold it was not likely that the riders would get anywhere close to the times of the previous day. Someone should have told the rider’s that as the pace was just as hot!

Refinement was the leading point with Thomas and we used a little rear brake in-between turns one and two to keep the front wheel on the ground so the bike was more stable on the brakes into turn two. It worked but as it was a double right combination it was difficult to get the foot in the right place in time. So, a retiming of the Level 2 drill, the Pick Up and it was sorted and comfortable. Despite a small lowside as the temperature dropped Thomas set the second fastest pace of the day – again.

Sandro Day Three

Sandro still had several areas that needed improving, most of them based around the timing of his visual skills. 2 step timing is the key on this one and although it was better work is needed over the coming weekend in Valencia. This track really does challenge the eyes to the limit as the many blind crests can affect a good lap. The data logging graphs confirmed the issue with the throttle coming on but not being applied briskly enough in the turn. Another throttle point is related to the pick up drill which is much improved over last season but still not quite right. Another two days of practicing these points will bring him back up to speed and into the top ten where he belongs.

Sandro finished 10th.

Summary

With a new team in place and new Aprilias for both riders. The three days were not just about riding but learning how the team would interact with each other. I have to say that the level of information and communication for me with the chief mechanics is unbelievable. The team believes in working as a whole rather than individuals and this is a refreshing change from the last two seasons where information sharing was, err, lacking. It is always a fine line as both rider and bike have to be able to work together, if one is out then the other doesn’t perform well. And yet some manufacturers believe that it is all about the bike and coaching of the rider is not needed or even wanted…

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