Motec
Brogan and BMW move up to BSB
Source: British Superbikes - BSB Blog - Mirror.co.uk - Thursday, 15th April 2010, 16:30 GMTSteve Brogan will race the Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad S1000RR in the main MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship this weekend at Thruxton. The team were granted dispensation for Brands Hatch only by MCRCB due to technical issues involving compatibility between the Motec official series ECU and the BMW drive by wire system. With a race against time between Brands Hatch and Thruxton, the team, working closely with Motec have conceded that S1000RR will not comply with the EVO technical specification and will therefore be eligible only for main championship points this weekend. Brogan said: "I am absolutely stoked to be in the main championship this weekend, it is going to be a challenge but I am definitely up for it. Although I am on a standard BMW, I think the S1000RR won't be too far away to get me back in the top ten again. That is my aim as that is what we managed at Brands Hatch and despite not competing in the Evo class this weekend I still need to beat them. I know that we have the potential to do well here as most of the time the pack all bunch together and it is about slipstreaming so I just need to keep my head down and achieve as much as we can here. It is going to be important to have a strong qualifying and then get a good start to get away in the leading bunch and then just go for it." BSB Series Director, Stuart Higgs said: "The rule break was only ever granted by MCRCB for round one of the championship, and going forward it would not have been in the overall interests of the EVO project to keep rolling over dispensation. We've had a very positive session today with Motec, Bernie Toleman of Jentin and Steve Brogan with a fixed schedule to get the BMW S1000RR fully compliant to EVO specification and on track in advance of the Oulton Park round. The Jentin BMW team came together quite late and Bernie Toleman has done a great job pulling it together and I hope Steve can deliver a strong set of results this weekend." Don't miss the next round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Thruxton on 16/17/18 April. For more information visit www.barc.net Read article
Josh Brookes quickest at Guadix
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » BSB - Thursday, 11th March 2010, 15:17 GMTJosh Brookes is top of the unofficial timesheets, ahead of Tommy Hill, on the second day of the Guadix British Superbike pre-season tests. The Australian, who won points at last week’s Phillip Island Word Superbike event, finished around three tenths faster than Hill with a time of 13.6 seconds as he practised on the Spanish circuit. There were some problems on the opening days of the test, with snow interfering with the riders being able to start the test. Brookes put the time to good use however and spent it working on Honda’s new Motec ECU control system and Ohlins suspension. Brookes said: “We did lose out yesterday unfortunately due to the weather but we have made some really steady progress today and I am now definitely feeling more confident about the first round at Brands Hatch.” “We still have a few areas that we can work on when we are back testing in the UK, like the suspension and fuelling but we are leaving here happy with the work we have done.” Hill was in second position followed by Swan’s James Ellison, who was also last season’s runner-up and who has spent time getting reacquainted with the machinery of Honda and managed to beat former champion Ryuichi Kiyonari as well as team mate Stuart Easton. In sixth position was Suzuki’s Yukio Kagayama who was narrowly behind Stuart Easton, while bringing up the rear were Simon Andrews in seventh and Gary Mason in eighth. There is still one more day left of testing of the Guadix testing in Spain, however, HM Plant will reportedly not be participating in the test. Read article
Worx Suzuki complete Portimao test
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash - Tuesday, 16th February 2010, 10:25 GMTWorx Suzuki completed their three-day test at Portimao yesterday as they prepare for the 2010 British Superbike championship. With a bigger operation this season, running both Tommy Hill and Yukio Kagayama in the championship this season, the rain-drenched test in Portugal provided the team with an ideal opportunity to test their new operations ahead of the upcoming season. There was little interest in lap times, with the soaked track making conditions difficult but the test did provide plenty of opportunity to try out the new suspension and electronics systems on the GSX-R. “We’ve completed a lot of preparatory work that we had to get out of the way, putting together some good base settings with the suspension and electronics,” said Hill. “We’ve also been trying some different clutches and different engine braking systems. It’s been busy. Now I’m looking forward to Cartagena and meeting up with the rest of the BSB riders.” “I’m very happy to be back with the team and this has been helpful as a lead-up to the test at Cartegena,” added Kagayama.”There are many parts which are specific to the Crescent Suzuki - different to my bike from last year - so it’s been helpful coming here to get a feel for the bike. Now I go back to Japan for a short time before coming back with my family - we’re really looking forward to a year living in England” Team manager Jack Valentine was also happy with the progress made over the three days despite the less than idea conditions. “It’s been a successful shakedown,” he claimed. “We’re a much bigger team this year with some new personnel, so this test has been a great opportunity to get everyone together and to gel as a team. “For Yukio, it’s been an introduction to the Crescent bike and the Pirelli control tyres as used in BSB. Tommy and Yukio have also been working on getting base settings for the new Öhlins suspension and the updated Motec electronics package we’re using this year. The rain has compressed our schedule but we were still able to run through many settings and we’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made.” Read article
