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On May 23rd-24th, Cremona will host the first World Superbike tests in view of the World Championship round scheduled for the second half of September. Everyone is obviously really looking forward to seeing the SBKs in action on the track in Lombardy, as it makes its debut in the series.
As we all know, the works have recently been completed and, consequently, everyone is interested in understanding what the circuit looks like and whether or not the work carried out will satisfy the stars of the Circus.
Last week, Dominique Aegerter tested the Yamaha R1. The GRT team’s Swiss rider got a chance to train with the road bike, in order to learn the track and understand all its secrets.
We stopped him yesterday and asked him his thoughts.
"I did a test in Cremona last week with the road R1,” he told us. "The track is great, the circuit is fun, even if it’s small for a Superbike. Not really because of the length but because of the width, so overtaking is going to be difficult. In fact, there are several tight corners, many of which must be tackled in second gear. That said, I quite enjoyed testing the R1."
Do you think the track is ready for the World Championship challenge or is further work needed?
"From what I saw, the track has three different types of asphalt, and each has different grip. When it rained on the first day, there was a lot of water on the track, so I hope it doesn't rain during the race weekend. I think that they’ve done everything possible, especially for the ride-off areas. We’ll see if there’s room for some other work or not. They certainly can't change the size of the track, so we need to take a good look at where the overtaking points could be."
What other circuit does it remind you of?
"Cremona reminds me a bit of Navarra. It’s small, tiny, with many first and second gear corners. We'll see what happens during the tests May 23rd and 24th, and then during the race in September. We’ll obviously compare ourselves with all the other riders."
Do you think the track can adapt well to the qualities of the Yamaha?
"It shouldn't be difficult for our R1, but we have to wait to give a final opinion. As I already pointed out, we’ll have a test in two weeks, and then we’ll be able to assess our potential. However, the fact that the track is smooth and there are no recoveries could be useful for our bike."
