The official two-day test at Phillip Island involving all Superbike and Supersport world championship teams has now concluded. These sessions were very important for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, which has completed its preparation ahead of the opening rounds of the championship, taking place at the same Australian track on 24-26 February.
In Superbike, Tom Sykes and his team were able to get through all the work they had planned. Having set a best of 1’32”388 on Monday, the Englishman was able to lower his time on Tuesday, recording a 1’32”181 despite a crash that caused damage to his bike.
In Supersport Can Oncu once again proved to be a frontrunner in the category. The Turkish rider was able to improve on his lap times with every exit he made, setting a best of 1’34”285 on day one, and a 1’32”181 during the final session. A performance that saw the Kawasaki rider round out in the test in third place overall.
The riders and technicians will now rest up for two days before returning to the Australian track on Friday for the first round of the 2023 WorldSBK and WorldSSP championships.
Manuel Puccetti
“In Superbike we tested everything that we could and are now clear as to the direction to take with Tom as we work to make our bike increasingly competitive. We tried many different setups and focused on race pace rather than flying lap times, so I think our real potential is a lot greater than the timesheets may suggest. In Supersport we made an important step on day two and are sure that Oncu will be one of the riders to beat. All the updates tested have brought positive feedback and so although there’s still work to do, overall, the test has been positive.”
Tom Sykes
“We’ve collected a huge amount of data during the course of these sessions. We didn’t attempt a flying lap but focused on some important aspects of our bike. We’re still lacking a little speed and need to improve in certain areas, but we know what direction to take. Unfortunately, I lost the front through a corner and crashed at one point. I want to apologise to the guys as they had a lot of work to do to repair the bike. In the final session we tested the bike we’ll use in the race and I have to say that it made a great impression. We now have two more days to analyse the data and I think by Friday afternoon we’ll be clear as to where we are and can start focusing on results. I want to thank the entire Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team for their great work – I feel optimistic as we head into the season.”
Can Oncu
“I’m really pleased with what we’ve got done over the last two days. We’ve improved in many areas and the bike is very competitive. We’ve found a good setup that adapts perfectly to my riding style, and I’d say we’re ready to take on this first round as frontrunners. We’ll be going all out to win.”
