The Gearlink Kawasaki British Supersport team completed a shakedown test at Mallory Park on Wednesday as preparation for their forthcoming official Kawasaki test at Valencia in Spain.
Chris Martin was aboard the fully prepared 2009 Ninja ZX-6R Kawasaki Supersport machine and spent considerable time on track putting it through its paces while Ben Wilson rode the new, yet to be prepared standard machine, spending his afternoon concentrating on set up and getting the feel for the new machinery.
Seventeen year old Marcus Woodbine was also at the test to get accustomed to his 600cc Superstock Kawasaki and to familiarise himself with the Mallory Park layout. It’s been four years since the young rider competed at the Leicestershire circuit and the track time gave him some valuable experience.
Chris Martin "We had a fantastic test here at Mallory. The new bike is brilliant and the team have been working really well. We have a few more adjustments to make and then we will be fully prepared for Spain. I have enjoyed my time on track today and getting the new suspension set, plus getting the cobwebs blown away after the winter break."
Ben Wilson "Although my bike is still standard I have spent a lot of time today getting the set up to my liking. The time on track was invaluable and once the bike is prepared we will be raring to go in Spain. I am certainly impressed by the way the Kawasaki handles and can’t wait to get my season underway at Brands Hatch over Easter."
Marcus Woodbine "The Kawasaki is fast and we had the opportunity to make some improvements today. The bike felt good and the team have made an excellent job with the preparation. I have been using standard forks today and now feel ready to move forward."
Michael de Bidaph – Team Owner/Manager
"We made a lot of progress with the bikes today at Mallory. Chris has the full spec Supersport bike and by the third session he was setting some quick times.
"Ben’s bike has yet to be fully prepared. Unfortunately due to a problem with the new rear shock absorber Ben only managed to make the most of the final session, he never had the ideal set-up but still managed to set an impressive time. We fully expect Ben’s bike to be up to full Supersport specification by the time we go to Spain. Both riders are itching to get their season underway.
"Marcus is showing potential and spent a lot of time on track at Mallory familiarising himself with the bike. In the final session Marcus was setting some reasonably good times for the Superstock class. He won’t be taking part in the Kawasaki test at Valencia but we are happy with his progress and the whole team is looking forward to seeing him at Brands Hatch in the first round of the championship over the Easter weekend."
Accompanying pictures by Helen Pask
