It was the first outing for the team on the new Ducati 1098R’s with both riders recording consistently good times and feeling confident on the new machinery. With an air temperature of 19 degrees and a track temperature of 28 degrees, the 4km circuit saw 397 laps completed by the Airwaves Ducati riders; 220 by Shane Byrne and 177 by Leon Camier.
The test allowed the team to familiarise themselves with the new bike and experience the new Pirelli tyres. Team manager Colin Wright commended the service of the new BSB tyre provider saying: "Pirelli have been excellent during this test; I would like to thank them for the service and support that they have provided. The whole team has worked well and we are all very happy with the way we have started 2008."
Leon Camier was pleased with his first test as an Airwaves Ducati rider. Although he acknowledges he still has further to go before he is fully recovered from his injury. "I am happy with the way things have started here; it’s all been pretty good! I still have lots to learn in order for me to get the best out of the Ducati but the team have been awesome; they are really easy to work with and I felt we achieved a lot in a short space of time. It has been a learning curve with the tyres but the bike has been great and I know there is a lot more to come. My plan now is to go home and continue to work hard on my fitness, I was impressed with how strong I felt but I want to feel even stronger in time for the next test."
Shane Byrne was also pleased with his progress saying: ‘This test has gone really well for me. I have done six or seven race simulations and I think I have completed more laps than anybody else and it all felt really good. We have started exactly as I wanted to, in order for us to be as strong as we can be come the start of the season. My concentration has been on lapping consistently here and whilst we need to understand the Pirelli tyres more I feel we have started well. The team have worked really hard and we are all looking forward to getting going again at our next test."
