Jason DiSalvo may not have as much seat time on the XR1200 as series regulars like Chris Fillmore and Steve Rapp, but the Daytona Sportbike rider lead the way during the Harley testing session at the Indianapolis Speedway.
DiSalvo brought his Latus Motors Harley-Davidson around the Indy track with a 1'58.342 lap time. Steve Rapp and Tyler O'Hara were the next fastest, finishing just a few tenths behind DiSalvo's XR1200.
"The track seemed to come in really well there toward the end of the day," said DiSalvo. "For the race, this track is just going to get better and better. We've been working on some stuff with the tires, but the spec Dunlop tires we run are lasting pretty good and it's only going to get better.
"I love riding the XR1200. I'm actually riding my teammate, Chase McFarland's, backup bike and I haven't changed one thing -- spring rates, anything -- from the time I got on it. All in all it's been really good. It's a blast to ride, and fun. It's going to be a great show for the fans out here and I can't wait to see thirty-plus Harley-Davidson XR1200s line up in front of a packed house here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
Chris Fillmore could have challenged DiSalvo at the top of the time sheets, but the XR1200 series leader only did a limited amount of laps during the final day of testing.
"We're ready to go," said Fillmore, "I wanted to rest my shoulder a little. It's been a good couple of days and we feel pretty good about this race. After that, we'll look forward to the final race at New Jersey, where I'll also be riding my KTM AMA Pro SuperBike."
22 Harleys tested at Indy over the weekend, and a few more are slated to hop on the grid during the double header next weekend at the Indy GP.
"It's a great thing to see the class out here and the number of bikes we're going to have on the grid for the MotoGP weekend," said Vance & Hines' Terry Vance. "I'm just really happy everybody has come together with Harley-Davidson, Vance & Hines, and AMA Pro to make all this happen, culminating in the upcoming event.
"We only started this class a year and a half ago, and we have thirty-three guys entered for this race, so we're doing really good. There aren't too many young racing series in the United States that are actually growing, and to look at the Harley-Davidson class and say it's made leaps and bounds is an understatement."
