The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team moved directly from Donington Park in the UK to the Italian Riviera this week, to conduct a one day test at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli. Yamaha World Endurance and STK1000 rider Niccoló Canepa joined WorldSBK regular Alex Lowes at the Misano Adriatic track, standing in for Sylvain Guintoli as the Frenchman continues his rehabilitation from injury.
Lowes immediately got down to work at Misano, managing to ride for multiple short stints throughout the day – having had an extra few days to allow his shoulder to recover before taking to the somewhat physically easier track in comparison to Donington Park. Completing around 60 laps in total, the British rider worked through an extensive range of test items including new electronic control strategies, with a particular focus on traction control. Suspension-partners Ohlins also introduced new front fork settings, again with positive results, while additional chassis setting parts were tested to further develop the YZF-R1’s suspension and handling response.
Canepa’s recent experience on the YZF-R1M as part of the STK1000 campaign, and his recent testing on the YZF-R1 endurance machine allowed him to get up to speed quickly with the WorldSBK-spec bike, developing a good feeling early on. The Italian’s breadth of experience throughout his career provided invaluable background as he worked on the testing program delivered by the Pata Yamaha team. Working primarily on the development-spec engine, Canepa put in considerable distance around his native 4,226m circuit to understand both the performance and the durability.
The first full test completed since Phillip Island at the start of the season, Misano provided valuable track time away from the added stress of a race weekend for the Pata Yamaha team, allowing the opportunity to test both new parts and a full array of different settings components and configurations with positive results. Heavy rain interrupted the afternoon session at around 15:00 local time, with Lowes choosing to conclude his day early. Canepa continued with some wet settings work before also calling time on the day slightly earlier than planned.
Paul Denning, Andrea Dosoli and the entire team send their thanks to Lowes for his efforts to test despite his injury and to Canepa for supporting the team and doing a great job at short notice. The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team will be back to full strength when they return to Misano for the forthcoming eighth round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship on Friday 17th June.
Alex Lowes
“I am still frustrated as we have plenty of things to try but I’m not fit enough to get through them all. However, the work we did manage yesterday was good and I’m optimistic for the race in two weeks. I want to send a massive thank you to the whole team for all their hard work to make the test happen in such a busy schedule. I really appreciate it!”
Niccoló Canepa
“I am really happy with the test and I want to say thank you to Yamaha for this opportunity. I tested many things to continue the bike’s development and we had a lot of good feedback. Usually it is not easy to switch from a Stock to a Superbike but the YZF-R1 is very easy and I felt comfortable from the first lap. It’s a shame that it started to rain in the afternoon but it was good for the team to also be able to test in the wet conditions. I hope that the new improvements found will help Lowes and Guintoli to be fast in Misano for the next Superbike round in a few weeks.”
