Wet weather WSB test

Wet Spanish weather has hampered an unoffical two-day test for World superbike and Supersport teams at Valencia.

Over the two days (December 13-14), intermittent rain and cold temperatures saw Lorenzo Lanzi post a fastest unofficial time of 1:40.0 following his switch to the WSB Scuderia Caracchi 999 from World Supersport in 2004.

World Endurance racer David Checa was present with the GMT Endurance team at his local circuit, posting a time of 1:40.1, with Yamaha Italia’s Andrew Pitt third with 1:40.5

Pitt first rode the Yamaha R1 in mid-November, and used the poor conditions to test new suspension components, revised engine mapping, and work on a slipper clutch.

“I did about 40 laps today, around 50 yesterday, and I set my best time the first time I went out with slicks on. As soon as I came into the pitlane again, the rains came back.” said Pitt. ” With it being so wet it was hard to get some of the info but we could definitely feel some improvements.”

The second Yamaha Italia rider will be announced in january due to contractual reasons, and will join Pitt at the next test at Phillip Island on January 23-25. Other Yamaha riders who were present at Valencia were Sebastien Gimbert on the Yamaha Motor France, and the three DFX Yamahas of Jose Luis Cardoso, Miguel Praia and Marco Borciani.

PSG-1 Kawasaki team-mates Chris Walker and Mauro Sanchini also clocked up plenty of laps testing different shocks and swingarms, with Walker posting a best time of 1:41.5. Felllow Kawasaki rider Giovanni Bussei was also attending with the Bertocchi machine.

In the Supersport class it was another Ducati heading the unofficial time lists, with the Scuderia Caracchi 749 of Gianluca Nannelli posting a 1:41.3. Yamaha-Italia team-mates Broc Parkes and Kevin Curtain were postive despite times of 1:42.00, and Michel Fabrizio, Fabian Foret (both team Italia Megabike), Pere Riba (Kawasaki) and Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh (Ducati) were also braving the bad weather.

Unofficial time lists:

WSB:
1) Lorenzo Lanzi 1:40.0

2) David Checa 1:40.1

3) Andrew Pitt 1:40.5.

4) Cardoso 1:40.7.

5) Gimbert 1:40.8.

6) Bussei 1:40.9.

7) Walker 1:41.5.

8) Sanchini 1:42.4.

9) Nebel 1:42.7.

10) Borciani 1:43.3.

Supersport:

Parkes 1:42.00

Curtain 1:42.00

Fabrizio 1:40.4

Nannelli 1:41.3

Foret 1:45.00

Riba 1:45.00

VD Goorbergh: No time given.