After the mixed conditions in Portimao last weekend, Troy was hoping for better weather in Valencia so that he and the team could make further progress with the 2010 bike. But it was not to be, the first day saw an almost total washout, due to the adverse conditions and, although the weather improved for day two, Troy was unable to take to the track until well after 11.00 am. With so much time lost, it was impossible to carry out the complete programme scheduled for the two days, but Troy and the team did the best they could in the time available.
Troy (approx 80 laps, best lap, 1:35.3)
One thing is for sure, these tests were not about lap times! It would have been good to have had two full days of testing and then maybe spend the last hour or so going for some quick times, but the bad weather changed everything. I don’t think I’ve known such cold conditions at a racetrack and when the team and I arrived to start on Wednesday morning, it was obvious that not much would be going on. Cold is one thing, but cold and wet is another, because when the conditions are so cold, the tyres just don’t work. I think Ruben and I did about five or six laps each, just to find out what the track was like, and then we were told that there was no point going put because a) we wouldn’t learn anything and b) it would be so easy to crash and maybe ruin the whole test. So, we all went off to lunch and then had the rest of the day off! There were some other teams testing also, but they felt the same way and nobody did any laps in the afternoon at all.
Day two started off sunny, with an almost perfect blue sky, but very, very cold. When the technicians pointed the temperature gun at the track in front of the pit straight, it registered minus 4! The problem with Valencia in winter is that even if it doesn’t rain, moisture comes up through the track in some areas and it is so easy to get caught out and have a get-off. And for some reason, falling almost hurts more when it’s cold, so that was the last thing I or anybody else wanted. The team finally decided that we could go out just before 11.30, which meant we’d already lost two hours track time. We started off a bit cautiously and tried to work out where the problem parts of the track might be. Then, once that was done, it was down to the usual programme of going out for five or six laps, then coming back in and giving info the technicians. Because we had lost so much time, the team threw quite a lot of stuff at us and maybe there was a bit too much to try in the available time and it was quite easy to get a bit confused sometimes. The bike has improved quite a bit since the end of last season and it’s natural for the team to want to get as much info as possible, but sometimes that’s a bit hard on us riders because only so much can be done in a limited amount of time. Having said that, I feel we learnt quite a bit and found have some good ideas and directions to take the next time we go out.
I feel very positive about our possibilities as long we can put together all the different elements. Ruben and I are both happy with how the bike is going now and we just need that last little bit extra to complete what is already a pretty good package.
Hopefully the next tests (in Phillip Island) will be very productive and make up for the time lost in Portimao and Valencia. And hopefully the weather will be better also!
See ya,
Troy
