Michel Fabrizio and the Suzuki Alstare team went back to work this week at the Motorland Aragon circuit. Fabrizio is currently getting use to his new team, his new bike, and this week, he had to get used to a new circuit.
The Motorland Aragon circuit will be new to the World Superbike series in 2011, and both Fabrizio and Suzuki Alstare were eager to test out the new track. But Fabrizio also had to worry about adapting to his new motorcycle, the GSX-R1000. Fabrizio has been riding two cylinder bikes for years, and the four cylinder machine will take some time to get used to.
"After our test in Magny-Cours in early October, it was good to get back on the bike and continue where we left off in France,” Fabrizio said. “Here we spent a lot of time working with the bike and trying to make me feel comfortable with it. After years of riding a twin-cylinder bike, there is a lot to adapt to, because the characteristics of a four-cylinder bike is very different to that of a twin. After these three days, I felt much more comfortable on the bike and I was able to steadily-build up my confidence. We haven't been chasing lap times or pushing too hard, but what we've done here is build up our understanding step by step.”
As far as the team is concerned, Fabrizio and Suzuki Alstare have already started to gel.
Fabrizio raced for Suzuki in 2003 when he won the European Superstock Championship, and feels comfortable to be back in Suzuki's corner.
"Having known most of the mechanics from when I raced for the team before has helped a lot and I've felt pretty comfortable with the team right from the start. That has made the work more-easy and our progress quicker. To be honest, I didn't expect to get on with the bike as quickly as I have - but that is a good sign.”
The most difficult part of the testing at Aragon was the track itself. Fabrizio and the Suzuki Alstare team went through tire after tire on the abrasive, technical track.
"This track is quite technical and there are many ups and downs, but I like it a lot. It's a demanding track and although it's not that hard to learn, it is quite hard to shave off those last fractions of a second when you are chasing lap times. The surface is very abrasive and none of our tires have lasted more than about eight or so laps. It's the same for everybody here - not just us. We are using a different layout to the MotoGP boys and have one really slow corner after a long, fast straight; and this interrupts the flow a lot. It's a shame that we cannot use the same layout as MotoGP because it might have been fun looking at our different lap times.
"There have been no big problems or dramas during the tests and I'm pretty satisfied about how everything has gone. Now I'm looking forward to the next tests, getting to know the bike better; and improving all round."
