Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira today inaugurated the new course for German manufacturer BMW. For the moment, the two riders cannot make any declarations, but Chris Gonschor did appear in front of the microphones.
The German engineer, in charge of the Superbike project, took stock of what the new riders did at the Andalusian track on this Wednesday.
"Today was a perfect day because of the conditions encountered on the track," he stated, "our riders were able to ride a good four hours. They didn't make any mistakes and they helped give us a lot of positive feedback, which will be useful for the course of the work. We are aware that we speak different languages, but this path will help us get to know each other better, aiming to extract the maximum potential from our bike."
What are the first feedbacks?
"More than much I cannot say because of contractual logic. Petrucci and Oliveira are happy to be on the BMW: they come from different situations and, as we know, the tyres used in MotoGP are different. Miguel had to work hard because he was used to a different bike, but we are moving slowly to grow and improve. Oliveira has to understand the tyres, but I'm very satisfied with what we did today."
Petrucci, on the other hand, what did he say?
"Petrucci is coming from a bike that is a competitor of ours and he is looking for what he has used in the last years. Now he has a new bike, a new package and as a result he wants to look for the maximum, but I saw a smile on his face."
What is the balance?
"They were impressive because they did so many laps, as many as 80. They constantly wanted to go out, get on the track to understand the bike and improve. On their part I saw a lot of motivation, and I really appreciate all this."
What is the plan for Thursday?
"To continue to put miles on the bike and gain confidence. Of course we are aware that it will take time, but for sure they are doing a great job. Then in January we will focus on new things."