Llewellyn sees the potential of the racing Blade

MOTOPOWER invited another rider to Bruntingthorpe last week to test a Blade – former British champ Matt Llewellyn.

The team asked him to try the British Superbike-spec machine before offering him

a ride in this year’s series. And the 34-year-old only took 10 minutes to make up his mind.

He said: ” The bike shocked me. It took just a couple of laps to appreciate the incredible stomp of the engine. I rode V&M’s Formula One TT-spec R1 last year, but this puts it in the shade. I’m well aware the Ducatis will start the season as well-developed packages, but the Blade handles like a dream and I know the team is still developing the motor. Everyone is looking at the Blade as a rank outsider, but being an underdog suits me! ”

Motopower is already claiming 180bhp at the rear wheel for the Supersport-tuned motor, and the bike features many of the parts available for the road-going version.

Llewellyn was particularly impressed by the Beringer quadruple front brake set-up, and he reckons the chassis is a winner, too. He said: ” I use FireBlades at Ron Haslam’s Race School, so I already know how good they handle. I was clocking 180mph on the race bike at Bruntingthorpe and it was incredibly stable. ”

Before Llewellyn signed for MotoPower, the team tested Sean Emmett and Paul Brown, but both turned down offers to join. Team boss Russell Savory, however, is delighted they did. He said: ” I know people scoff at the thought of a Blade being competitive, but Matt’s hungry and he is desperate to prove he’s still competitive on a superbike. Now he’s ridden ours I know he shares our view of being on the podium every race. ”

Llewellyn won the Shell Oils International superbike series riding a Ducati in 1995 and returns to superbikes after two seasons in the British Supersport class.

In last year’s supersport series, he consistently qualified well, claiming pole twice among nine front-row start. But DNFs late in the season robbed him of a chance at the title.

Llewellyn’s team-mate will be Gary Mason, who raced for Motopower in the British Supersport and Superstock classes last year. He also tried the bike and said: ” It’s still sinking in that I’ll be in BSB. Last year was my first as a pro, so I’ve still a lot to learn. ”