The boys are working to continually improve the bike through the winter so it is looking like it is going to be one of the most competitive packages out there so I have to get myself into good shape, lean down a wee bit more. For the Superbike I had to try and get built up and now I’m trying to get smaller again for the 600. I’ll be putting one hundred percent into it and hopefully I can come out on top next year.
We tested at Valencia and it went well, we had two days of sunshine and blue skies. I must admit it took a few sessions to get back into the 600 style; I had to find all my breaking points again and remember to carry more corner speed. We tested lots of parts and now know how to go forward with the bike so it was a very productive test. The Pirelli tyres and the bike have come on a lot since I last used them, it really is impressive. I tried about ten different types of tyre and know which ones I got on with. We are hoping to get some testing in at home in Northern Ireland, if the weather holds, and then we will head away to either South Africa or Spain.
I’ve been fairly busy since the end of the season. I did the Sunflower race in Ireland, it went pretty good. I then had a weekend in Prague for a stag party, and the following weekend was my mates wedding so I was back to Ireland for that. I’ll be training over Christmas and into the New Year. I’ll also be sorting out my helmet and leathers deals for next year and just doing al the bits you need to do in the winter. I’ll be keeping myself occupied and making use of the new Suzuki moto crosser and doing a bit of off road which is good for fitness.
It is excellent that my younger brother Eugene is stepping into 250 GPs that has been his goal for a long time. He had a few Superbike options but when the step into GPs came along he jumped at it. It is a good team and everyone is getting behind him and if the bike is competitive he could surprise a few people next year. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do. John is staying with Buildbase in Superstock, he showed he was fast this year and he was on the front row a lot. He had a lot of bad luck with crashes, so hopefully he can put that behind him and go out and win the Superstock Championship which would be good for him. Ideally we could have two British champions and Eugene setting the world alight out in the GP scene! It would be nice. It is good for us all to be settled this time of year and it lets our parents be a bit more settled too. It is nice to be all done and dusted.
Talk to you soon.
Michael
