Foggy Petronas rider Steve Martin had a tough time at the first World Superbike round at Qatar at the end of February trying to utilise the FP1 at a circuit it was not expected to perform at. Despite this he picked up the teams first points of the season, here is how he did it...
What a mixed-up month it’s been. I've gone from removal man and gardener to Superbike racer, from south of the equator to north of the equator, and from extreme heat in Australia to cold and snow at home in Lake Lugano in Switzerland. It’s the first time I have driven in the snow and I can’t get used to 80-year-old dudes flying past in their Fiat 500s while I am struggling for grip at 2kmh!
Yes the season is underway and, to be honest, I’m glad. It’s always nice to have a long holiday but I am really excited to finally have got back on the bike after such a long rest.
The last time I rode the Petronas FP1 was in November last year so I had completely forgotten everything about it. It was difficult at the pre-season test - to say the least. The track in Qatar is one of the longest and open tracks I've seen in a long time and that, along with having to dust off a few cobwebs, made it difficult to get myself up to speed quick enough. The test went smooth enough and I made progress over the two days but we really didn’t find our potential with the bike that weekend.
