"Out of all the bikes and teams that I have tested for this year, I was most impressed by what the Virgin Yamaha team have accomplished in terms of bike set-up and also team dynamics, and I clicked well with both elements," revealed Steve. "I only got to lap
Donington for an hour during the lunch break of a track day, but it was enough to let me know that things just seemed to click, that the R1 was fast, steered well and looked good so had all the fundamentals of a good package.
"I've had a number of years experience motorcycle racing and have ridden every make of bike; two, three and four cylinders, Superbike, 500GP and Supersport. Given this I know how a bike should feel and what feedback a team needs in order to make the package work, so it's been great that I've really been able to use my skills to experience over the last few months and also that they have been recognised and wanted by teams.
"I'm still not sure what I will be doing in the future," he admitted. "I don't want to rush into any decisions and end up in another situation like at the start of this season. But I have options which is the positive thing and so I'll need to assess these over the next few weeks and then I should be in a clearer position to make some decisions and update everyone with more news."
