The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team and rider Bradley Ray have completed a two-day test at the Autodromo do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal as they continue to prepare for the opening round of the Superbike World Championship.
All WorldSBK teams were in attendance, during what amounted to a preview of the 2024 season.
Sandro Carusi’s team worked with Ray to set up their Yamaha YZF R1 and the results already looked promising on day one, when the British rider set a best of 1’41”027, improving on the time he recorded during last year’s Superpole at the same Portuguese track.
On day two, Bradley and his team continue to work on bike set-up in order to find good race pace, and the Englishman was able to improve further on his lap times, putting in a 1’40”852.
The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team will soon travel to Australia, and the Phillip Island Circuit, where it will complete two more days of testing on 19-20 February before taking part in the first round of the 2024 championship on 23-25 February.
“These first two test days have allowed us to get back into a rhythm ahead of the new season. I’m pleased with the work completed, both in terms of preparing for Australia and the outright lap times, achieved without using the SCQ tyre. This means I’m confident as to our potential.”
“I’m really pleased with how these two days have gone. I hadn’t ridden my bike since the November test, but I quickly felt comfortable. We mainly worked on the electronics and took some important steps forward. We’re not far from the frontrunners and could have done better but we chose not to use the qualifying tyre. I can’t wait to complete two more days of testing at Phillip Island before we head into round one. A huge thanks to the entire team for all their hard work.”
