Donington BSB: Camier fights cold and new power delivery

Pole-sitter Leon Camier is fighting an energy-sapping cold as he aims to build on his run of three consecutive race wins on the Airwaves Yamaha in the British Superbike championship.

“It’s difficult to keep concentrated, and I’m fighting with it instead of flowing with it,” the 23-year-old Kent rider said after stepping from his 1,000cc R1 on the 2.5-mile Donington circuit.

“I’m trying to sleep a lot and I’m drinking lots of water and energy drinks to keep rehydrated.”

But Camier’s time of 1m 31.414s, on a bike now equipped with factory engine internals, was enough to keep him ahead of Sylvain Guintoli’s last-minute challenge on the Worx Crescent Suzuki in the qualifying session.

The lighter parts enable the R1 to spin rapidly to its 14,500rpm redline faster, but the Airwaves team is now having to rethink the bike’s setup, as the power delivery is affecting the way it tackles corners.

“It’s changed everything to do with the setup – how the bike enters corners and how it finishes them,” Camier said. “It accelerates out of the corner faster, but it rolls in too far.”

But he and team-mate James Ellison, who finished third fastest, will not tamper with the setting they now have for Sunday’s two BSB races.

“I can do that for ten or 12 laps at a time with that tyre,” Ellison said of his best lap on his Pirellis. “We’ve got good race pace and we’re not going to change anything.