Reigning World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli left the Jerez test with his base setup work done on the Pata Honda and a clear direction in which to go after the winter test ban.

The Frenchman, who switched from Aprilia to the Fireblade for 2015 and took the number one plate with him, spent time in Spain looking at all the extremes of setup on a bike that is totally different to the RSV4 he is used to.

"It’s been a really positive first encounter with my new team and the CBR. It’s clearly a different machine to what I’ve been riding for the last two years so this test was really all about dialling into the Honda and learning about its strengths,” said Guintoli.

“We’ve gone in a big, wide circle to learn how the bike reacts in a number of different situations. So, while the lap times are nothing to jump up and down about, we’ve done the base work here and we have a good direction to go in the next time we test. It’s also been good to get to know the mechanics, the technicians and the rest of the team this week. We’ve had some good laughs and there’s already a great atmosphere in the box.”