Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty faced differing weather conditions at Portimao as they put 2011 Yamaha YZF-R1 through its paces.
With limited dry race time available, Yamaha were left a little disappointed with the testing but say they did manage to at least confirm there were no issues with the updates and developments for the bike.
The team confirmed there were no issues with the different weight distributions of the bike and updated electronics to match the 2011 FIM regulations.
Marco Melandri, like quite a few riders at the moment, isn’t fully fit having had shoulder surgery before Christmas. He was just focused on learning the track and gaining some valuable ride time on the R1.
Yamaha say Laverty has impressed and the young rider has adapted well to Superbike riding. He finished the combined timings in third overall.
Eugene Laverty:
“Despite the weather it has been really beneficial for me to get some more laps on the bike. I hadn’t had any time on the R1 in the wet before this test so if race one at Phillip Island is wet now it’ll be fine! I’m really happy with the bike, in the wet and the dry. It was a slow start on the first day but then we made a big breakthrough with the front setting and I jumped up to third which is at least where I should be. It shows we can be strong so I’m confident we can be on the pace wherever we go. When I walk into the garage I feel at home. We came here and picked up where we left off from last year’s Phillip Island test really smoothly. I’m looking forward to getting back to Australia now for the two day test and then getting stuck into some racing!”
Marco Melandri:
“I’m very happy with the results of this test. It was very important for me so soon after my shoulder operation to be careful and take it easy on the bike. I came here to focus on seeing the track and learning it along with some more time on the bike. We haven’t pushed very hard at all but I’m feeling very comfortable on it despite the discomfort of the shoulder. We seemed to find a very good wet set up very easily and I was surprised how easy it was to go fast. I’m looking forward now to getting to Australia, I’ve been training really hard to get back to full fitness so I am looking forward to being fully fit and really going for it and pushing.”
