o, o, .... moet ik mijn mening toch bijstellen
British World Superbikes racer Leon Camier is not yet happy with his Aprilia RSV4 ahead of the season-opener at Phillip Island.
Reigning British Superbikes champion Camier told Eurosport the switch to the worldwide series is far from simple.
"The bike is very different from the Yamaha: for two years I had the bike exactly as I wanted it and that is not the case now," he said in Australia.
"There's still a lot of work to do to get it right, but we'll do what we do - keep persevering and trying things.
"A combination of factors - getting the setting right, adjusting the bike to suit me and learning a new track - are making it a whole new learning curve for me.
"Phillip Island is not a difficult track to learn but it is difficult to learn to go fast on it: there are so many fast corners.
"I'm losing a lot of time on the final section, which I'm looking at. And conditions can change so quickly here, which doesn't help."
Camier took a dominant victory in the domestic championship in 2009, but does not feel the eventual ease of that triumph will either help or hinder him Down Under and throughout 2010.
"It's irrelevant to be honest," he argued. "It's a totally different situation: in BSB I had two mechanics and a main engineer, whereas now there are about 15 people to work with, which makes it a lot more complicated."
This weekend sees the return of twice champion James Toseland following a two-year hiatus in MotoGP.
"The main technician I now work with used to work with Toseland," Camier added. "I know James, but not very well.
"His two years in MotoGP could affect him as he tries to get used to Superbikes again, but from what I've heard he's a pretty realistic guy and knows his s*** so he should be fine."
And what of the rivalry between Camier and the six other Britons in the world series this season?
"I haven't spoken to any of the other Brits, we're all left to our own devices," he revealed. "We're all good riders, very quick, so I can imagine there is a rivalry to come between us.
"But to be honest I'm keeping totally out of it."
Blijf me wel steeds verbazen over die ouwe romein!
While he wasn’t quickest over a full lap at any stage during the opening day of action for 2010 World Superbike curtain raiser in Australia, Max Biaggi did at least set new standards in a straight line.
Much has been made of the Aprilia RSV-4’s impressive engine statistics, which went a long way to make up for the fact it wasn’t quite so adept at negotiating corners at times in 2009.
However, when Biaggi blitzed across the Phillip Island speed trap clocking 318.9kph (198mph), he set a particularly impressive new standard for the Australian circuit.
Proving 3.7kph faster than any other rider, it still wasn’t enough for him to beat Leon Haslam to the quickest lap time during opening free practice, while his effort of 313.4kph during provisional qualifying (fastest through the speed trap again) was only good enough for sixth.
To put into perspective, Shane Byrne was fourth fastest, but was travelling some 13.1kph slower than Biaggi at the fastest point on the circuit.
Still, should Biaggi find a happy medium between handling and power, then he is going to be a dangerous prospect during the races when he is likely to have the added benefit of a tow…
