From a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

2005 World Superbike Championship
Winter Test- Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia
17th November 2004

TROY LEADS THE WAY.

Troy Corser:
“It’s great to be riding a bike and having fun again! Yesterday, was basically about me getting on the bike and making it comfortable to ride, so we spent a lot of time playing with the position of the foot-pegs, seat and handlebars. We also tried some different offsets and changed the head-angle to get a good base setting. At the end of the day, I was a little surprised to find out that I had been the fastest rider of the day! Especially because, I hadn’t pushed hard at all, I had just been riding the bike and getting used to it. I ended up with a 1:36.92 – and that was half a second quicker then anybody else!

“Today we altered the shock a bit and tried different tyres, so once again we weren’t chasing any lap times. I was thinking that somewhere in the 1:35s might be possible and I told a journalist that if I didn’t get under 1:36, I’d buy him a beer. I was pretty close at 1:36.11, so I guess I owe him that beer. But even though I didn’t get into the 1:35s, I was still over half a second faster then anybody out there today and that gave us all a bit of a buzz.

“Even though I am riding a 2003 (Iannuzzo) Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000, I’m already very happy and excited about my future prospects. The bike feels so much better then my last bike from mid-corner to the exit of the corner. The engine responds in a very linear way to my hand on the throttle and I can feel that it has a lot more torque. Also, I can go a bit wide in the corner or be on a different line and can still run a good lap time. The bike is very rider-friendly and the rpm or gear is not so critical.

“It’s also good for me that two of my old Aprilia mechanics (Giacomo and Massimo) are with me, because I feel we know have the complete package for success. They have slotted into the team as if they have always been there and we have a great atmosphere in the garage – everybody is walking around smiling! I cannot wait for the new bike when it comes, but I feel that I could race this very bike right now and be a contender for sure – and that’s a wonderful feeling to have at this early stage. I’m looking forward to getting into the 1:35s tomorrow – or I’ll have to buy yet another beer!”

Times
1 TROY CORSER (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:36.11
2 Laconi (Ducati) 1:36.83
3 Toseland (Ducati) 1:37.11
4 Gimbert (Yamaha) 1:37.97
5 Muggeridge (Honda) 1:38.21


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Further Set Up Successes In Spain

Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s Garry McCoy and Steve Martin today made good progress with their preferred set up of the PETRONAS FP1 during the second day of testing at Valencia.

The team was scheduled to tyre test for Pirelli today to evaluate new compounds and constructions. However further important set up work for both riders has delayed tyre testing until tomorrow in order for the team and Pirelli to gain the maximum benefit.

Continuing dry and sunny conditions enabled both riders to capitalise on the initial adjustments made and work trouble free through the day’s comprehensive bike set up schedule. Each completed more than fifty laps, with consistent lap times over short runs adding to the day’s many positive outcomes.

Garry said, “I had to get checked over by the doctor this morning and he gave me the ok. I feel a bit sore from yesterday’s crash and my leather’s being quite tight put a bit of strain on my muscles, but I wanted to bear with it. The bike is really beginning to feel good for my riding style so I was able to get in some smooth laps this morning, but the bike developed a small electrical problem which slowed progress up a bit until we resolved it.

“We spent a lot of time working on clutch settings this morning to get it more where I’m used to, so that then enabled us this afternoon to play with suspension settings. Although there’s still more to work on, I’m happy with where we’ve got to with set up in this short space of time.”

Team mate Steve Martin made further significant in roads with the set up of this FP1, also feeling more relaxed having had a day’s running on the bike and further learning how the team works.

He commented, “We’ve tried a huge amount of set up changes today, including clutch and suspension, which is something every rider goes through when they get on a new bike. I’m starting to find a pattern of things that suit me though so we now have a good direction for further work tomorrow. We’re going to add front suspension to the game plan as well tomorrow and then hopefully I can start to pull together all the individual elements and get the most out of the track time.”