World Superbikes: Vent Axia VK Honda head to Spain for vital testing

Gregorio Lavilla and his Vent Axia VK Honda squad will get three days of vital testing onboard the all new 2008 specification Honda Fireblade before Valencia.

Lavilla has ridden the opening two rounds of the World Superbike Championship on the team’s 2007 spec British Superbike bikes due to the late arrival and limited availability of parts for the new machine.

The team have two days of testing scheduled at Almeria on Sunday and Monday and a further day at Calafat on Wednesday before heading to Valencia for the round three of the championship.

Speaking to MCN, Team Coordinator Stuart Bland said: “It’s going well. The new bike already has more power than the old one plus we’ve got more revs to play with.

“We’ve gone straight over to the Magneti Marelli electronics and haven’t bothered with the Honda Kit system at all.

“We’ve actually updated the Marelli system from last year to Marvel 4 system which gives us more options and runs a faster processor.

“All the data from last year’s bike is transferable we’ve been able to do 99 per cent of the set-up on the dyno.

“Although Gregorio hasn’t ridden it yet, he’s happy because although the bike is very small he actually has more room to move around on it because the riding position is pretty roomy.”

Like the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders, Gregorio Lavilla will use the Kenny Roberts built swing arm and will have two options of stiffness available for next weekend’s race.