Troy On The Pace From The Start In Assen World Superbikes WIth BMW S1000 RR
24/04/2010 11:00:53

TROY ON THE PACE FROM THE START

Troy finished the first day of qualifying at Assen with the third quickest time of the day and afterwards said “Today the bike has been the best it has ever been on the first day of a Superbike Weekend!”

It has taken a long time for Troy to make such a bold statement, but recent good work by the team in the last round in Valencia and in tests at Mugello has given him a bike that he’s really happy with. Of course there is still more work to be done, but today has been the best first day since the team entered the championship at the start of 2009.

Troy was second quickest in the morning untimed practice, behind Jonathan Rea (Honda) and was on course for a low 1:36 this afternoon, but had to slow when the flags came out for an oil spillage. In the end, his lap of 1:36.489 was good enough for third, behind Jakub Smrz (Ducati) and Rea.

Troy - 3rd, 1:36.489

Well that was the best the bike has ever been on the first day of race weekend and I am happy that we’re at this stage. The bike came on a step in Valencia and then we made further progress in our tests in Mugello last week. The improvements in the traction control and engine braking have made the bike a lot better. The bike feels like a normal bike now and I can just go out and ride it.

I was on a hot lap when the flags came out and think I would have got into the low 36s for sure, so it was a bit disappointing to have to roll off the throttle and end third. But, I am happy with the way the bike is and I am not pushing that hard. There are some areas of the track where I know I can go quicker, so we’ll see how tomorrow’s practices and Superpole go, but I’m pretty confident that we’re going to be competitive.

The boys have done a good job, the engine feels strong and fast and the gearshifting is nice and smooth. All that, together with the improvements in the traction control and engine braking, is allowing to me to go out and ride quickly.

The new section of the track is faster, but I am not sure if it is better to go in fast and exit slow or the other way round. In the race it could be a new passing place and that’s good because there aren’t many passing places around here. The track felt quite grippy today, especially in one area where I think there is some new tarmac. All in all, I’m looking forward to tomorrow and getting even more out of my bike.

See ya,

Troy

1st Qualifying Results

1 Smrz (CZE-Ducati) 1:36.041, 2 Rea (GBR) 1:36.339, 3 TROY CORSER (AUS-BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:36.489, 4 Haslam (GBR-Suzuki) 1:36.618, 5 Crutchlow (GBR-Yamaha) 1:36.752, 6 Checa (ESP-Ducati) 1:36.805