Haslam beats BSB champ

Leon Haslam edged out team-mate and defending BSB champion Gregorio Lavilla by one one-hundredth of a second in the Airwaves Ducati team’s final test in Albacete, Spain.

Round one of British Superbikes is at Brands Hatch next weekend (March 26).
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Haslam completed 132 laps of the circuit, recording a fastest time of 1m30.44. Lavilla rode 127 laps clocking a fastest time of 1m30.45. Both riders completed two simulated race runs in which they both averaged 1m31.0 laps.
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Lavilla said “The test has gone very well here in Albacete, the team and the bike are working well and it has all gone as planned. I am very happy with everything as I have been consistently fast, which has been pleasing, and now I am hoping it all goes well at Brands Hatch.”

Haslam added “It’s been fantastic, another good test. I was the quickest by the end of the day and both Gregorio and I were the quickest on the track. I had two good race simulations with good average lap times and some fast laps. On the whole I am really happy with the bike and how testing has gone here, I am now just looking forward to getting started with the races.”

The testing in Albacete may have been the last chance for the 2005 champion Gregorio Lavilla and one of the strong contenders for the 2006 title, Leon Haslam, to ride their bikes prior to the start of the season but it was also an exclusive opportunity for Michael Neeves from MCN to test ride an Airwaves Ducati 999F06.

A full and exclusive review of the bike test will be in the next issue of MCN, out on Wednesday March 22.

Expect video interviews and action from the test on this site on Wednesday, too.