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Laverty sees all round improvement coming

Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:45 GMT
Laverty sees all round improvement coming

When Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing) first got on an Aprilia at the post-season Portimao tests in 2011 he was a revelation, jumping from the very different Yamaha he had ridden in his rookie year to the vee-four RSV4. He won races on the Yamaha in 2011, and in 2012 he would eventually win a single time for Aprilia, near the end of the year, during a season in his team-mate Max Biaggi won the championship itself.


Laverty's Aprilia still needs to be fine-tuned into the 17-inch aluminium wheel set-up, but for him the latest tyres themselves are the main difference from 2012. "We set good lap times at Jerez and I think it shows how good Superbike is and how good a job Pirelli has done with the new tyres," said Laverty. "Everyone asks about the 17-inch tyres and if they are better but it is not the difference in wheel sizes, it is the development Pirelli has done with the tyre. They have really improved the construction and now the tyre is a race tyre. It works so well."


"We tried some swingarms at Jerez and with the 17-inch tyres we are going to have to re-evaluate some things all over again. One swingarm made the bike very stable but we lost a bit of grip in some areas, so we still have not quite cracked what we need from the swingarm but at least we have narrowed it down to two swingarms now. Honestly, there is not much in it, everything is good, and what we have been working on most is getting that front-end feeling. Halfway through the year we were working to improve the feel from the front end confidence and we made a good step at Magny-Cours, and at testing in Aragon and then again in Jerez."


He continued, "We have been trying some different sized forks, different diameters, but either way the damping is working strongly with either fork. That has been the big benefit. We have been using a lot different damping to the direction that Max had taking the bike, in compression and rebound. I think that has been the biggest benefit because before I crashed so much at the start of the year because there was no confidence with it. Max could ride it because he flows and rides very smoothly, but I wanted to attack it, and any time I did that the front couldn't take it. Now the bike is more suited to me."


The Jerez tests were a busy time for Laverty, "We did a lot of evaluation work because we had to understand the 17-inch tyre. But either way the front of the bike gives me good feedback. It was important to do some good laps in the test to show what we are capable of, and it is good for Aprilia to know how strong the bike can be. Hopefully I can pick up where Max left off and win some races."


Laverty, like all his peers is now prevented from testing until mid-January, although it appears that he would be keen to keep going rather than stop for a well-deserved holiday. "I may have a bit of a holiday now, this is a good time for training and I enjoy it and have some holiday with the family over Christmas. This year I was looking forward to riding my bike more than anything. Normally at the end of the year you are looking forward to having a holiday, but when you have such a strong end to the season - especially after such a tough start - I wanted to keep going. I am quite sad that we are not racing already!"