Maybe there has been a drop in budget, which resulted in less winter testing? In WSB Honda spend a lot less than Suzuki and Yamaha who made a big investment this year not just in securing Ben Spies, but also in the new R1. TK is not a works team in the same sense as Suzuki and Yamaha - TK start off with a bike and a kit of parts - the same as the other Honda teams - the Honda works team withdrew from WSB when the control tyre was announced and has been competing in BSB since then, although this year their budget has been severely cut. On top of the above Ben Spies is very special and Crutchlow and Laverty have raised the bar in WSS.