Yamaha Takes Successful First Steps to Superbike Return

Yamaha Motor Europe’s return to the FIM Superbike World Championship began in earnest this week with a preliminary two-day test at the Circuito de Jerez, in Spain, introducing riders Alex Lowes and Sylvain Guintoli to the new Pata Yamaha YZF-R1.

Successfully achieving its objectives, the initial test programme focused on familiarising the new riders, team members and management structure with each other, and with their tools for the coming season’s championship challenge, the YZF-R1.

While the forecast threatened limited track action for the opening day, the poor weather failed to materialise allowing Lowes and Guintoli to complete 121 and 100 laps respectively throughout the two full-days. Tuesday’s session began tentatively as the track dried from the previous day’s deluge, but both riders were fully up to speed by the afternoon, continuing the hard work and good weather into Wednesday.

Having productively completed the pre-defined programme, Lowes, Guintoli and the Pata Yamaha World Superbike team move on to Aragon, in north-eastern Spain, in just under two weeks’ time to continue the evaluation of the current findings during a second two-day test commencing on Monday 16th November.