Haslam fastest on day one of test
Added on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Haslam fastest on day one of test
Leon Haslam was the fastest man on day one of the two-day World Superbike test in Valencia yesterday.
The Suzuki rider recorded a best time of 1:34.5 in Valencia yesterday to put him ahead of Aprilia’s Max Biaggi and fellow Brit James Toseland.
Toseland’s Yamaha teammate was lapping in the 1:35′s whilst Leon Camier also impressed, lapping a best time of 1:35.8 on his Aprilia.
Both Toseland and Honda rider Jonathan Rea both suffered crashes during the opening day, WITH Toseland low-siding after the rear wheel of his R1 locked due to what he later attributed to an electrical issue.
“Its nice being on a track I know so I could really concentrate on the bike, unlike Portimao in the last test where I was learning the circuit as well,” he claimed afterwards. “I think we’ve been really competitive today, the times I’ve been doing have been really comfortable, so a sign for me that the bike and team is working well. We’ve been mainly working on the electronic side of things today.
“It’s such a new bike, there were a lot of things the team wanted to try out during the 2009 season but didn’t have time to do, so the team are taking the opportunity to try some new things with a new rider to see if there’s an improvement.”
Unofficial Times, Day One:
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Leon Haslam | GBR | Alstare Suzuki | 1:34.5 |
| 2 | Max Biaggi | ITA | Aprilia | 1:34.7 |
| 3 | James Toseland | GBR | Sterilgarda Yamaha | 1:34.8 |
| 4 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Ten Kate Honda | 1:34.9 |
| 5 | Cal Crutchlow | GBR | Sterilgarda Yamaha | 1:35.1 |
| 6 | Leon Camier | GBR | Aprilia | 1:35.8 |
| 7 | Max Neukirchner | GER | Ten Kate Honda | 1:35.8 |
| 8 | Sylvan Guintoli | FRA | Alstare Suzuki | 1:35.8 |
| 9 | Alex Hofmann | GER | Aprilia (Test) | 1:35.8 |
