From a press release issued by FGSport:

2005 CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

PRE-SEASON TESTING – VALENCIA, SPAIN 7-8 FEBRUARY 2005

RAIN AFFECTED VALENCIA TEST ENDS SBK PRESEASON IN EUROPE

TWO DAYS, ONE CLIMATE: With some top runners in attendance at the final unofficial World Superbike test of the 2005 off-season, the expectations were for class-leading times. But the weather conditions, damp and cold on day one, fully wet then slowly drying on day two, prevented too many fast attacks on the tortuous Circuito Ricardo Tormo, situated in the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. The 4.005km circuit is a favourite for testing but the weather was hardly kind to the assembled competitors, all looking for an advantage before the championship embarks on a new adventure – the first ever World Superbike race in Qatar, which will be preceded by an official SBK/Pirelli test at the Losail venue on 19 and 20 February.

TIME OUT: With conditions proving treacherous on the track on both days, few riders pushed the stopwatch too hard this close to the start of the season, making times from this test almost irrelevant in the great scheme of things. Nonetheless, this was an important test; for some it was even their first real chance to ride their 2005 machinery.

FASTEST MAN: On day one of the test Regis Laconi (Xerox Ducati 999F05) took the best time of all, with a 1:41.36, edging out new SBK competitor Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX) and his 1:41.70 lap. Laconi also set a respectable full rain tyre time of day two, but Cardoso used his local knowledge to set a best of 1:42.39, electing to use intermediate Pirelli rubber. Laconi had a crash on day two, but was unhurt.

CHAMPION’S PROGRESS: James Toseland (Xerox Ducati 999F05) left the Valencia venue happy that he had set some reasonable times on his 2005-spec machine, but frustrated at not having a chance to make a true full speed run before heading off to Losail for the first race of his title defence. 1:43.6 was his best and the Englishman was lucky after a punctured front tyre caused him some moments of alarm on day two.

NIETO LIGHTS UP SPANISH SKIES: Despite the dark clouds overhead Fonsi Nieto made a sunny debut in World Superbike, taking his Scuderia Caracchi Ducati 999RS to a fine first day time of 1:43.80. He set 50 laps on day one, and 25 on day two, despite no rider venturing onto the track until just before the unofficial lunch break on the 8th. A welcome addition to the SBK paddock, he has shown he can make the transition to vee-twin four-stoke machinery already. His team-mate in the Caracchi set up, Lorenzo Lanzi, joined in one day of action, but erred on the side of caution in such slippery conditions, with a best time of 1:47.00, set after only a handful of laps.

ABE MAKES SBK TESTING DEBUT: Norick Abe, a big name inductee into the Yamaha Motor France squad alongside Valencia absentee Sebastien Gimbert, spent two days trying to overcome a slippery track, all the time learning the nuances of his Yamaha YZF-R1. Turning 41 laps on day one and 29 on the second, he had a largely incident-free test, and scored a best time of 1:46.15.

WINSTON TEN KATE HONDA: SBK rookie Karl Muggeridge passed on the chance to make any laps at this test and indeed the entire Ten Kate team, in both Superbike and Supersport categories, cleared out of the Valencia circuit after the early weather proved so atrociously wet on the second day. Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) did single digit laps on day one to make a basic shakedown of one machine, but the Dutch-based team erred on the side of caution by leaving early.

DFX MEN MOVE ON: An impressive four rider Yamaha DFX team has made a quick transition to R1 power in SBK, with local ace Cardoso the fastest of the group. Marco Borciani, Miguel Praia and European Superstock Champion Lorenzo Alfonsi were also in the yellow and blue of DFX. Kawasaki Bertocchi rider, Giovanni Bussei and Ivan Clementi only did one day of testing on their Bertocchi ZX-10 Kawasakis. Lucio Pedercini and Allessio Velini, of the Pedercini Ducati squad, also attended the test, but did not register lap times.

SUPERSPORT: Of the top Supersport runners on display, the best recorded time came from Gianluca Nannelli (SC Ducati 749) who scored a 1:43.96 on day one, while Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Ducati Foti) slithered around to get the hang of riding a Ducati in such slippery conditions. Winston Ten Kate Honda rider Katsuaki Fujiwara lapped in a lowly 1:49.40 on day one, and his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier did not ride at all.

SUPERSTOCK. Alstare Suzuki Superstock riders Riccardo Chiarello and Javier Simeon riding at Valencia, with Simeon the faster, setting a 1:48.50.



More, from a press release issued by Suzuki:

SUZUKI’S SPANISH TESTS RAINED OFF

Team Suzuki Press Office – February 9, 2005.

Heavy rain at Valencia in Spain cut short Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra’s first World Supersport and Superstock test sessions this week involving new riders Javier Fores, Xavier Simeon and World Superstock number five Riccardo Chiarello.

But, according to the team, it was a successful first meeting for the new riders, team members and unveiling of the new 2005 GSX-R600s. Fores (pictured) and Simeon lapped the circuit on the 2005 Supersport and Superstock bikes while Chiarello rode his 2004 GSX-R1000 Superstock machine.

Due to the inclement weather and also because the track was very slippery, the Suzuki squad and other factory race teams were unable to put down a great deal of laps: Formula One teams had also tested extensively at the circuit previously and had laid down a lot of rubber, which kept lap times down.

JAVIER FORES (World Supersport). Best lap 1:48:
“Yesterday, conditions were terrible and it was very hard to do any good lap times because the track was so slippery. It was hard to learn much but it was a good chance to meet all the team and begin the work this year. I don’t think there was any time when the track was completely dry so we just used the test to try and find a good base set up and get some ideas. For me, the next time on the bike will be in practice at the first round so I hope that I can be competitive right from the start.”

XAVIER SIMEON (Superstock 600). Best lap 1:52:
“Like Javier, I have raced many times in Spain and Valencia is one of my favourite tracks, but the conditions made it very difficult to put in some good lap times. After last week, there was a lot of rubber on the track. That would have been bad enough, but then it was wet and that made it a bit like an ice rink. Now, I’m looking forward to riding the Alstare Suzuki in good, dry conditions.”

RICCARDO CHIARELLO (Superstock 1000). Best lap N/A.
“The track was very slippery and I didn’t want to do anything stupid, especially as I will be getting the 2005 bike soon. Xavier and Javier are so young, that suddenly I feel a bit old now! I’m looking forward to the next time out on the bike because the conditions should be much better – and also because I shall be on the new bike.”


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

New Yamaha Motor France rider Norick Abe may have hoped for better weather for his two-day test on his Yamaha YZF-R1 but the Circuit Ricardo Tormo track surface remained wet for both days of his acclimatisation test, hampering his preparations for his rookie season in the Superbike World Championship.

A veteran of the MotoGP field, and a three-time MotoGP race winner for Yamaha, rode the 2005 R1 at Valencia, in what proved to be treacherous conditions. Despite the inclement weather on day one Abe completed 41 laps, setting a best time of 1:46.15 as he got to ride on a track, if not a machine, he knows well. The torrential rain which heralded the second morning of testing looked as if it might wipe out the entire day but Abe carried on to set 29 laps, although conditions did not enable him to improve on his first day time.

The Yamaha Motor France team could not complete all the tests they had planned; such was the condition of the circuit throughout. One more two-day test at the Losail circuit in Qatar, the venue for the first of 12 world superbike rounds in 2005, separates the entire paddock from the first race. With Abe having raced there in MotoGP last season, he is well acquainted with the circuit’s nuances; an advantage he will draw on as testing begins on February 19. Abe’s track knowledge will also be of great assistance to his team-mate Sebastien Gimbert, who had already planned to sit out the Valencia test. The two-leg race itself breaks world superbike’s tradition of Sunday racing by being held on a Saturday, February 26.

The Yamaha Motor Italia squad elected to miss the test due to the inclement weather.

Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France)
“Today was the same as yesterday. Both days were not like a real test because we could not make the performance better, just because of the weather. Maybe in Qatar, in the two-day test, we can try many different settings on the bike, which even in this bad weather feels strong. I was not sure how the R1 racebike would be. I thought that it would maybe have a softer chassis than I’m used to, and much less power, but I was surprised. Even though we were limited by a wet track, the bike felt stiff and the power was not so bad. Still less than a MotoGP bike, but not by as much as I expected. The whole bike feels good; it feels like a racebike. I think it will be the first time in Qatar for most of the other riders, but it will be the first time racing the R1 for me. So it will be a bit of a balancing act.”

Martial Garcia (Team Co-ordinator Yamaha Motor France)
“We did not get to test everything because of the weather but at least Norick got some kilometres in on the bike; that was the most important thing. We only used wet tyres on day two because testing intermediates was not important. We prefer to test only fully wet or slick tyres. Of course communication is different between the Japanese and the Europeans but Norick is obviously very professional and we had a good first contact. Sebastien Gimbert did not come to the test because he has already made tests in November, December and January on the bike, and all our equipment has to be in the crate in two days from now, and on their way to Qatar. We are nearly happy but we are very close the first race. I hope we can have a small advantage over the others due to Norick’s track knowledge, because as a beginner in this category you need every advantage you can get.”