Factory veteran Kagayama had been fastest of all during last week's official test at the Australian circuit and, after enjoying more track time down under, the Japanese is explained his aims for the 2008 season.
"Although this year's bike is not a big change, the small differences have made this a better bike, I feel," said Yuki. "We worked in all areas, including engine, chassis and electronics and my personal feeling is that the electronics are working very well. Concerning the chassis, we tried many different things, but for me the standard setting is pretty good. This means we have a good base and that's important.
"Phillip Island is a good testing track because it has a big variety of corners and that means that the bike has to work very hard. My goal for 2008 is to be consistent and take as many podiums as possible. If I do that, I am sure some race wins will follow," declared Kagayama, who was dogged by accidents and injury last season.
New team-mate
Fonsi Nieto also said he's ready for his GSX-R race debut, even though he wants the turn-in characteristics of his machine to be improved.
"Remember this is a new bike and a new team for me so there is a lot to learn. But I feel we have made good progress since the last test and have been able to try many different things," said the Spaniard. "At the moment, I have a very good feeling about the engine. For me, the front end is not quite what I would like yet, so this is an area where we have to do more work. It affects my turning in, but exiting corners is no problem at all. Phillip Island is a good track for testing and we were lucky because the weather has been pretty good and not caused any problems. My next time on this bike will be in Qatar on the race weekend and I am looking forward to it already."
After his illness, which caused him to miss two days of the official test last week, Max Neukirchner was pleased to complete 269 laps this week - more than either of his team-mates.
