Well prepared for Australia | Max Neukirchner Racing

Well prepared for Australia

Exactly six weeks after the test in Valencia the long waiting came to an end for Max. Last weekend Max could try out his new Honda CBR 1000 RR extensively in Portimao. The three-day Infront test started on Friday on good weather conditions.

Max reached good lap times pretty fast, but he didn’t get a proper feedback from the bike, similar to the first day in Valencia. This was also the reason for him not being able to improve anymore in the afternoon and the two harmless falls. When Max came to the track on Saturday morning it looked like rather a river than a track. Due to the weather conditions some time went by before they were even thinking about a first turn.

Max did the most laps of all riders in wet conditions and was extremely satisfied with the performance of his Ten Kate Honda. On Sunday the sun was shining again at the track in Portimao which dried completely now. After the lunch break Max tried the set-up from J. Rea at his Honda. But it was pretty soon obviously that it doesn’t go with the driving-style of Max. After another fall the Ten Kate Team converted the set-up basically. In doing so they took the line of the last Valencia test.

Already in his first lap after the change of the set-up Max could improve his lap time by one second. Unfortunately, there were only eight laps remaining with this new set-up to improve his times and for a better adjustment. Finally, Max was very satisfied with position nine at the official Infront test and now he has a good base which can be improved by the Ten Kate Team in Australia.

Max: "Friday was idle for me. I had no proper feedback from the bike and fell twice. When it was raining buckets on Saturday my mood was not much better. This reminded me of some bad trips in the rain, e.g. Donington in 2008 … But after a few laps in the wet I was feeling pretty well. I haven’t had so much fun for a long time in the rain and I could improve myself with my Honda steadily. On Sunday the sun was shining again but my feeling for the rear wheel still left much to be desired. In the lunch break my crew fitted in the set-up of Johnny and we went together on the track. Indeed, I could follow him well but I was constantly in the danger of fall. When I actually fell we immediately changed the chassis. Johnny and I have completely different styles of riding. He is riding extremely hard, rather a moto cross style. We have made my bike softer in the rear and with this we made the breakthrough. During the last laps I felt again what happened under my butt, a really good feeling! Now we have a good basis for Phillip Island and we know what is not working for me at all. This makes me really happy and finally I am satisfied with the test in Portimao. In a few weeks we are heading to Australia and I am really looking forward to Down Under. The track there is very fast and one of my favorite tracks in general."

Tue, 26.01.2010