Cold start to Castrol Honda testing

From Castrol Honda SBK

The Castrol Honda World Superbike Team was able to complete just a handful of laps at Motorland Aragon during a two-day pre-season test which concluded Friday afternoon.

The test was primarily arranged to give riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus an opportunity to ride the new Spanish circuit after they missed a World Superbike championship test at the 5.078km circuit last October.

However, rain Thursday morning precluded any testing until the afternoon and, with freezing conditions all day Friday, the riders and team decided not to test the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR machines any further.

Instead, the team packed up early to begin the journey to Portimao in Portugal for an official three-day test next Wednesday, where better conditions are expected.

"The wet and cold conditions really allowed us only yesterday afternoon to test and then it was -5° overnight with a really cold wind all day today," said team manager Ronald ten Kate. "Of course, we were hoping for more laps, but we were happy to test at this new track for the championship and I'm sure that after the laps they did yesterday, the riders now know which way it goes. We got a little bit of information on the set-up we'll be looking for but we could certainly have used more. But it is what it is and we'll go to Portugal next week to test the bikes and new parts properly."