Last week at a sunny Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia on Spain’s east coast, a gathering of Yamaha racing teams and riders from thirteen countries occupied thirty-one pit-boxes at the MotoGP venue to take part in the sixth edition of the distinguished YRT (Yamaha Race Training) programme. Fifty teams and one hundred and one riders from national Supersport standard to FIM Superstock 1000 level meant that over three hundred personnel filled the site. The objective was to improve the participant’s understanding in terms of the technical set-up and tuning of the 2008 YZF-R6 or the 2007/2008 YZF-R1 for Supersport, Superbike and FIM Superstock competition.
HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Andrew Pitt was well on the pace in the first day of practice at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. Pitt improved his best lap time set in the free practice with another 1,2 seconds in the qualifying session and claimed provisional pole position in 1’36.773 ahead of Jones and Fujiwara. Pitt claimed 2nd in last year’s Valencia race as he replaced injured Sebastian Charpentier for the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team
With the opening two flyaway rounds behind them, competitors in the 2008 HANNspree Superbike World Championship are now on European soil for the third round of the series at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia, Spain. The form guide after two events shows Ducati Xerox Team’s Troy Bayliss at the top of the standings with 88 points and three wins to his name in four races, but other riders and teams are now emerging as powerful threats to the Australian, in particular Suzuki Alstare’s Fonsi Nieto and Carlos Checa of HANNspree Honda Ten Kate. “Valencia is one of those tracks where I expect everyone to go better and I think those teams that have perhaps been a little behind us with getting ready for the championship will now start to show results,” said Bayliss.