Rain no pain for Foggy Petronas.

Foggy Petronas Racing today overcame the rain in Spain to complete their final test of 2002 at Valencia, venue of the 2003 World Superbike season opener.

Persistent rain on the first day forced the team to remain in the garage as excessive standing water gathered on the asphalt, mainly due to the flat circuit's poor drainage. It was felt this would unnecessarily compromise rider safety since the gains of riding would be so small.

However, despite forecasts of similar weather for today's second and final day, the rain clouds held off until late in the afternoon enabling both Troy Corser and James Haydon to complete a plenty of laps on the damp track, although any ideas of setting a quick lap were dashed by the conditions.

Team owner Carl Fogarty felt that despite the worrying start to the test, good progress had once again been made.

"It was a shame that the weather spoilt things a little but we did manage to learn a lot, especially on the cooling system," Foggy revealed. "We are still at a stage when, even if the weather is bad, we are able to learn and make progress."

FPR's main aim was to compare the data from recent wind tunnel tests with on track performance, so that the indicated aerodynamic gains could be confirmed in real track conditions - the team reported that the evaluation of the new aero parts had been 'encouraging', although no lap times were released.

"Given that we lost the first day, we've achieved a great deal at this test and I feel quite happy with the stage we are at, at this point in time," commented former world champion Troy Corser, who conducted limited tyre testing in addition to his other work.

The Aussie's team-mate, James Haydon, back on a bike for the first time after his hefty crash last time out, also felt he'd used the time available well.

"We made up for lost time today, working really well through a number of development areas and further clarifying our path for moving forward," stated the Brit. "I can't wait to get back on the bike in January in Australia and Malaysia and get down to more in-depth preparation for the start of the racing season."

Foggy Petronas Racing have a further three tests planned for early 2003, prior to their much anticipated debut in the World Superbike Championship, at Valencia, on 2 March.