Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies was the fastest of all riders at an AMA team test Tuesday at California Speedway, in Fontana, California.
Riding his 2005 GSX-R1000 Superbike for the first time, Spies turned a 1:26.67 using race-compound Dunlops on a 2.36-mile infield road course most riders labeled as “green,” “slippery” and “dirty.”
Mat Mladin’s fastest race lap time at California Speedway in 2004 was a 1:25.750.
Spies also rode his Supersport GSX-R600, turning a 1:29.75, the fastest time by any 600cc pilot at the test.
Mat Mladin did not attend the test for Yoshimura Suzuki, but Aaron Yates was present and riding his Superstock-spec 2005 GSX-R1000 for the first time. Yates said his new bike “accelerates like crazy and turns good.”
Yates will race in Superbike and Superstock, Spies will compete in Superbike and Supersport and Mladin will concentrate on Superbike in 2005.
American Honda’s Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel worked until they ran out of daylight Tuesday because the team has a lot of work ahead of it. Like the team did with its Formula Xtreme CBR600RRs in 2004, American Honda will develop its own CBR1000RR Superbikes in 2005. Starting with “kit” bikes frees the team to use different hardware on the racers, according to Team Coordinator Ray Plumb.
Zemke and Duhamel tested Brembo and Nissin brakes and Showa and Ohlins suspension back-to-back Tuesday.
In his first test since breaking his left hand at VIR in October, Zemke was the second-fastest Superbike rider, and Duhamel, who said he immediately felt the weight reduction on his 2005 CBR600RR, was the second-fastest 600cc tester Tuesday.
Kawasaki’s Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden tried a few small changes on their ZX-10R Superstock racebikes and worked on getting comfortable on their all-new ZX-6RR Supersport machines at the test.
2004 AMA Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden, who has ridden the new 600cc machine four times now, said it’s hard to compare the new bike with the old version because the new bike has “a completely different feel.” Roger Lee Hayden was uninjured when he lowsided his ZX-10R in one of California Speedway’s few right-hand turns late in the day.
Attack Kawasaki was the fourth and final team at the test. With few parts to test, Josh Hayes experimented with the riding position on his ZX-10R Superbike. Attack Kawasaki’s newest rider, Australian Ben Attard, sat on the sidelines while the team finished preparation of his ZX-6RR Formula Xtreme bike. Attard expects to ride Wednesday, when the test concludes.
Unofficial Lap Times (as supplied by each team):
1. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:26.67
2. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:27.30
3. Josh Hayes, Kaw ZX-10R Superbike, 1:28.20
4. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000 Superstock, 1:28.50
5. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:28.58
6. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:28.86
7. Ben Spies, Suz GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:29.75
8. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:29.84
9. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-10R Superstock, 1:29.84
10. Tommy Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:30.37
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Kaw ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:30.66
