Yamahas 1-2 in Misano testing

From worldsbk.com & Yamaha Racing

After two days of testing at Misano four of the top WSBK teams - Aprilia Alitalia, Alstare Suzuki, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Yamaha Sterilgarda - are now prepared to face the next round of the championship on June 27, despite rain affecting the first day of action.

A full day of testing on Wednesday, on standard Pirelli race tires that were used as a reference, saw the top riders closely grouped together at the generally twisty Misano World Circuit.

The fastest riders on show proved to be the Yamaha pairing of Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland, with Crutchlow just a tenth ahead at the end.

“It’s been a pretty good test for us," Crutchlow said. "The weather’s been difficult, either really hot or wet which has been challenging. Still, we managed to get down to the fastest time here and I did that on a used tire, which should stand us in good stead for next week’s races. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it again.”

The first day started well with both riders posting competitive times, Toseland in particular ending the morning session second fastest with a 1:36.7 and Crutchlow not far behind in fourth with a 1:36.8.

The afternoon saw rainfall which disrupted the test and made the track conditions slower Wednesday morning. The day gave very hot temperatures for most of the session, but cooled towards the end allowing the riders to post their fastest times.

“We tried a lot with the electronics," Toseland said. "All in all it’s been a good test for Yamaha. I’m putting a lot of time into the bike to try and find some extra time in the second half of the race and be more consistent. Everyone is doing a great job but we’re busy trying to catch up with the Aprilia.”

Ruben Xaus and Leon Camier were less than a second back from the fastest in the final two places, according to some trackside stopwatches. Xaus missed the later stages of the test, as he had to catch a flight home.

Almost all of the top teams have now completed tests recently, with the official Ducati Xerox Team and the Althea Ducati squad having been on track at Monza after World Ducati Week, and the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team having finished their own private two-day tests at Assen on Tuesday.

Misano Test Times (unofficial; no transponders)
1. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1:36.2
2. James Toseland (Yamaha) 1:36.3
3. Troy Corser (BMW) 1:36.4
4. Leon Haslam (Suzuki) 1:36.4
5. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) 1:36.5
6. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki) 1:36.6
7. Leon Camier (Aprilia) 1:37.1
8. Ruben Xaus (BMW) 1:37.1