News

Pata Yamaha WSBK team conclude Aragon test

Yamaha's official return to World Superbike is progressing, with Alex Lowes turning his "best ever lap" at Aragon

November 19, 2015

Although the Pata Yamaha team didn't release any lap times, Alex Lowes stated that he ran his "best ever lap around" the Spanish circuit, showing that he's getting along well with the new R1.Gareth Harford

Lowes graphically exemplifies the racing term "hotshoe" by making smoke come off his boot as he hangs his leg off on the entrance to an Aragon corner. Hopefully his boot sponsor has plenty of spare soles on hand...Gareth Harford

Former WSBK champion Sylvain Guintoli was hampered by "minor technical issues" that prevented him from turning a good number of laps when the weather cooperated at the Motorland Aragon test.Gareth Harford

Both Lowes and Guintoli seemed to gelling quite well with the new R1 superbike, although the real test will be next week at Jerez when all the teams are together and lap times are printed.Gareth Harford

After showing impressive speed on the underpowered Suzuki for two seasons, Alex Lowes will likely get the opportunity to show his real potential on the new R1 superbike in 2016.Gareth Harford

While not quite displaying the boot-smoking style of teammate Lowes, Guintoli's speed and aggressive corner entries are undeniable.Gareth Harford

The Pata Yamaha World Superbike team completed its two-day test alongside the other factory WSBK teams at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain, and while the weather conditions weren't the greatest for getting a lot of work done, it was enough to help the team and riders prepare for the next official WSBK test scheduled for November 27 at Jerez. Although the November weather wasn't kind to the teams during the test, with dense fog preventing much action on the first day until mid-afternoon, conditions were better on Tuesday as the sun broke through early and the teams were able to get a decent amount of laps in.

Alex Lowes was able to turn a total of 88 laps over the two days at the 3.15-mile, 17-turn Motorland Aragon circuit, and is growing increasingly comfortable on the new R1.

"This afternoon we finally really got going after waiting for the weather," Lowes said afterward. "We didn't have much time on track yesterday and today was a long morning waiting for the fog to clear. We did a race simulation and then some work on the bike, setting-wise, getting a better feeling on corner entry. We are getting better every time we go out, we still have a lot to learn but I feel really good. It was my best-ever lap around here and I'm starting to really understand the YZF-R1. I still feel like there is a lot more to come but it was fun and I am feeling like I was getting more out of the bike this afternoon. I'm looking forward to Jerez!"

Teammate Sylvain Guintoli wasn't quite as satisfied with his test at Motorland Aragon, as technical glitches forced the Frenchman to agonizingly sit in the pitbox while the issues were ironed out. "Unfortunately we've had a few issues, both with the weather and with the settings this week," Guintoli lamented, after turning a total of 56 laps over the course of the test. "So we couldn't really build on the work we had started in Jerez. Just a few teething problems, but it has meant I didn't get as many laps in as I would have liked. Hopefully we can sort them out quickly and move forward again in Jerez next week because the YZF-R1 feels really good as a base."