Milwaukee Yamaha rider James Ellison experienced the Snetterton 300 track for the first time today. Ellison missed out racing on the updated track last year, due to competing in the MotoGP series with the Paul Bird Motorsport team in the CRT class.
Even though weather conditions were better than the freezing and snowy conditions yesterday, the temperature was far from ideal but Ellison did manage to set some fast lap times and did enjoy his time out on track, even though he says he does miss some sections of the previous layout.
“It’s alright actually, it’s a bit tighter than I thought it would be, having seen it on TV you don’t get a feeling of what it is going to be like. But it is tighter and I do miss the back straight, that was a good part of Snetterton. It’s a nice flowing track, even though it is tight and twisty it is kind of flowing as well and you are not stopping in first gear in every corner, but it is nice and I am enjoying it," says the Yamaha rider.
Ellison is well aware that many riders in the MCE British Superbike paddock have more experience than him on the Snetterton 300 circuit, but admits that he has already learned the track and is concentrating on the bike set-up.
“We are trying to adapt everything, we are learning the circuit and the bikes, and we are playing around with the bike at the moment. The track is in my head now so there is not a disadvantage or anything like that. I do miss the old Snetterton, they have done a good job but I do miss the straight, but they have done a good job with the new layout.
“We are finding turn three hard and we are struggling with most of the left handers because of the temperature. We have had some big moments on the left hand sides so we don’t want to crash with the one bike rule and everything. We are trying to go fast, but we don’t want to throw it down the road. The left handers are catching us out, so I will remember this when I come back here."