HM Plant Ducati make headway at Phillip Island.

Britain's premier Superbike riders Neil Hodgson and James Toseland have just completed a three-day test session at the Phillip Island circuit. The HM Plant Ducati men both expressed satisfaction with the results of the test that was attended by the cream of the Superbike World Championship.

Britain's premier Superbike riders Neil Hodgson and James Toseland have just completed a three-day test session at the Phillip Island circuit. The HM Plant Ducati men both expressed satisfaction with the results of the test that was attended by the cream of the Superbike World Championship.

Hodgson was extremely impressed with the new HM Plant Ducati 996R. After putting in an impressive 280 laps, he finished the session as the fifth fastest rider at the first official SBK test of 2002. Toseland put in an equally determined 257 laps, during which he recorded the ninth quickest time.

Hodgson's best lap of 1min 33.443secs, less than half-a-second off the pace set by reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss, is a good starting point for the man who was fifth in last year's championship.

"This has been my first real track time on the HM Plant Ducati," said Hodgson. "We didn't come here to set fast times. The entire session has been used getting the set-up right and the bike is starting to feel much more like my own now.

"The fact that I went fifth quickest is very encouraging, particularly when we were using a race set-up. I'm just looking forward to the next session at Valencia when I can begin to explore the HM Plant Ducati's capabilities a little more."

Toseland also gained a much better insight into his new bike, clocking a 1min 34.201secs in the process: "When you consider that the other teams have already had at least two previous tests of their machines, it makes our times seem even more respectable", said the talented 21-year-old. "The HM Plant Ducatis are dialled in now and the improvement on last year's bikes is incredible. Things are definitely looking good for 2002."

Team Manager Colin Wright summed things up when he said: "Everything has gone exactly to plan. The team is really gelling as a unit and morale is high. We came here to familiarise ourselves with the new machines and have been making steady progress in all the right areas. The riders are happy and we now know what needs to be done to make things better."

HM Plant Ducati will next be in action at the SBK test at Valencia on 23-25 February.

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