Positive mood for Haslam and Torres after Jerez test
Both factory Aprilia riders are happy with the steps forward made in Southern Spain.
Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils duo of Leon Haslam and Jordi Torres completed an intense testing programme over the last two days on track at Jerez de la Frontera, during the last private test of the pre-season. Thanks to nearly perfect weather conditions, both riders were finally able to enjoy some continuing track time and to get to grips with their RSV4 machines.
Their lap-by-lap improvement was clear and the plan that was made ahead of this test had been completed by both riders. Especially Haslam, who was already quick at Portimao last week, managed to display a great race pace as he mainly rode with used tyres throughout the test. On the other hand the ‘rookie’ Jordi Torres from Spain still feels he needs to fully adjust the powerful WorldSBK-spec 1000cc bike, especially on corner entry and at halfway through the turn. Despite that, the Spaniard was able to show great speed aboard the Aprilia superbike.
Leon Haslam: "We put in a lot of laps yesterday, more than anyone else. We analysed a lot of things and now I feel really good on the bike in terms of setup. In a race simulation toward the end of the testing we were able to find a good speed and I gained confidence, even managing to improve on my best time using a soft tyre. That has always been a problem for me, putting the qualifier tyre to good use is another reason for us to be pleased with these tests. Phillip Island is a track that I like and apparently it suits my Aprilia well, so we'll definitely be optimistic going into our first race."
Jordi Torres: "I'm pleased with the way things went. We were able to try a lot of things. The bike is easy to ride, that's my first impression, even if I still don't feel like I'm at 100%, especially when braking in the middle of a turn. There are still a lot of things I need to figure out, but I'll be heading to Phillip Island confidently, especially since we did a good job with race tyres. We could have shaved off a few more tenths of a second, maybe testing the qualifier tyre, but overall I'm quite pleased."
