Team Suzuki Press Office – March 28. FIXI Crescent Suzuki will make a three-day test at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain next week ahead of the first European race of this season’s eni FIM Superbike World Championship.
Leon Camier and Jules Cluzel both have an exhaustive schedule ahead of them as they look to continue with the positive potential they showed during the tests and first races of the year at Phillip Island in Australia last month.
The 5,344m Aragon circuit is FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s nominated test track for the 2013 season and the forthcoming test will be the second time the team has visited this superb venue in preparation for this year’s races. The Motorland Aragon circuit features eight right-hand and nine left-hand corners over its layout, with the longest straight just under a kilometre in length. The track features undulating sections, blind crests and downhill corners, making it an ideal and challenging test-venue for riders, machines and tyres.
Camier and Cluzel will both be looking to pick up some important information and pointers from the test – which begins on Tuesday April 2nd – as the WSBK paddock will all be returning to the Spanish venue just over a week later for the second round of this season’s championship on Sunday April 14th.
Frankie Carchedi – Leon Camier’s Chief Technician:
“The basic schedule at Aragon for Leon is primarily electronic and engine testing. We have a new spec test engine coming from Yoshimura in Japan and we also want to refine the electronics with some new strategies and modified components. The chassis of the GSX-R is working really well, so it is just a case of concentrating on the electronics and engine performance side of things. We’ve done some dyno work at Crescent, since we raced at Phillip Island, to try and get as much out of the motor settings as possible and it will now be important to see how that translates on the track. Leon will also be doing a lot of practice starts, using different settings, during the test – it’s something that we need to work on because it was a weak point in Philip Island and we have to get away with the front pack at the start.”
Lez Pearson – Jules Cluzel’s Chief Technician:
“The main plan for Aragon is to get Jules more at home with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki Superbike. The first day will be simply about riding, because to change anything would be counterproductive while he learns a different character of circuit with the Superbike. After day one I want to experiment with machine height settings and for the final day I plan to alter the steering to help Jules to complete the corner better. We will also be making sure the electronic control strategies are finding the right balance between helping the performance and holding it back. Overall the purpose of the test is to increase Jules’s confidence and comfort level on the GSX-R, so that we have a good base to start from for the race weekend.”
