Former British Superbike star Tom Sykes has settled into his new Santander Yamaha team after two days' testing at the Portugese curcuit of Portimao and is happy with his lap times on the new YZF-R1.
The Huddersfield youngster rode both the 2008 and 2009-spec bikes and managed a lap-time of 1'44.5s, which was less than a second off Troy Bayliss' race lap time.
“For me it’s been a very good test. Having done two days I now feel fully part of the team. It was quite difficult arriving on Tuesday morning for the 1st day of the test, facing a new bike, a new circuit, and a new team. It was important to me to get it right from the start," said Sykes.
"We are developing well together and we have a good understanding. I was very happy with my time on the 2008 bike, and happy with a good race pace. For the 2009 bike, considering it’s at a very early stage of development, I think it’s a fantastic package.
"The feeling coming out of the corner is unbelievably smooth, the power is so controllable, the whole bike remains incredibly stable. There is still lots to be done but the outcome is already very good. All in all it was a great weekend for me, I was really happy to get started and learning, getting on with the new team and feeling part of it.”
