Foggy Petronas Racing is quietly preparing for the 2003 WSB season – having finished its most recent test at Almeria. Team leader Carl Fogarty, as well as riders Jaymes Haydon and Troy Corser, claim they are satisfied with their progress, so far. Here is the FPR press release describing the results of their Almeria test.
The climate of southern Spain provided ideal conditions for Foggy PETRONAS Racing to maximise track time at its two day test this week at Almeria, and work through a comprehensive test programme to include further ignition and engine mapping work, chassis analysis, geometry settings and extensive tyre evaluation with the support of Michelin.
Team Owner, Carl Fogarty said, “We’re making progress with every test, as is expected at this stage of development, but it’s good that data and rider feedback is clearly highlighting our areas of strength but also specific areas requiring more consideration.”
Set-up alternations carried out to assess chassis behaviour confirmed that the Foggy FP1 chassis responds exactly as it was designed to, which is a major step forward for the project.
“This two day test has been fantastic and we have gained more beneficial data and worked through a good proportion of the scheduled testing programme,” commented Nigel Bosworth, Team Manager. “Considering the superbike lap record at this circuit is 1:38.4 minutes, James’ and Troy’s lap times here are very encouraging given the early stage of development of the engine.”
FPR’s British Star, James Haydon said, “Tyre evaluation and testing is crucial to performance and we made excellent progress in this area at Almeria. We also gained a better understanding of how the engine performs through the bottom, mid and upper power ranges and combining this information with the chassis data obtained, gives us a clear picture of what’s required for continued development.”
Troy Corser commented, “I haven’t ridden on the Almeria track before so I used the first day to complete as many laps as possible to familiarise myself with the circuit. The whole test has been very productive as we’ve made some important steps forward with tyre testing and with various elements of the Foggy FP1’s overall development. I’m also happy with the lap times I was achieving considering I was riding as you would for a test rather than pushing to the limit.”
