Fresh from the Czech WorldSBK round, Leon Haslam headed to Barcelona with Team HRC for a two day test ahead of next week’s seventh round.

Haslam began his fortnight in Spain with a relentless work schedule at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya test, identifying a preferred base set-up for use during the Catalunya race weekend in a month’s time.

Testing a raft of new elements for his CBR1000RR-R Fireblade, alongside engine refinements, geometry and overall set-up, Haslam is now confident of his pace ahead of the championship’s inaugural competitive visit to Navarra next weekend.

“This has been the most positive session of the year so far for me,” Haslam said from Barcelona.

“Both in terms of what we’ve tried and how we’ve improved, and also my feeling with the bike,” he continued.

“The track temperature has been high, and we normally struggle in these conditions, so to have this constructive feedback this week leaves me feeling happy. Yesterday, we found some good pace and were the fastest on track, and we’ve done well again today, despite the hot conditions.

“The feeling with the chassis is better as we’ve had time to work on various mechanical parts, and we’ve taken a good step in terms of lap times. The team’s worked hard and it’s all gone well, and now we can look ahead to Navarra with more of a smile on our face.”