25 February 2016

Free Practice 3 and Superpole report – 2016 World Superbikes

Australian Round: Phillip Island, Saturday February 27th

Josh Brookes:
FP3 – 1’32.322
8 laps
Superpole 1 – 1’31.927 

“We made a big step forward this morning, particularly with the throttle, and we managed to find nearly a second a lap which is good. Most of the improvements came overnight in preparation for FP3, and they definitely helped.

We only had limited time between practice and Superpole to make changes that really affect the bike, so starting 14th isn’t that great. But, we’ve still got more to come, and I’m glad we’ve made the step where the bike feels much improved.

Karel Abraham:
FP3 – 1’32.788
10 laps
Superpole 1 – 1’32.117

“We made a really big step today; you can’t tell maybe because we are still quite deep in the times, but compared to yesterday we are nearly a second and a half quicker, which is great.

If the progress keeps going this way, I think we will get some good results soon. There are few things we need to try on the bike and some things that I need to try when I'm riding; I don’t know all the limits on the bike yet, but I’m very positive about what we’re doing.

Shaun Muir, Team Principal: 

“We’ve made full advantage of the overnight changes we made, and we’ve made positive steps for both Josh and Karel. In particular Josh’s race pace looks like it will be nearer the top ten, and on Karel’s side there are a few small changes to make.

Looking at the grid overall I think we’ve probably made bigger steps forward that anyone else, and we have at least closed the gap on the top ten.”