Moto Rapido Ducati’s newest recruit, Stuart Easton has been getting to grips with the Panigale after parting company with the ePayMe Yamaha team, and the Scottish rider came away from the MCE British Superbike round at Cadwell Park feeling like his new crew have made progress with the bike.
It did not take him long to adapt from riding the R1 to the Panigale, and after missing out on competing at the Lincolnshire track last year through injury he used the race weekend to get himself comfortable onboard the Italian machine but admits that his development has been a ‘learning curve’.
Easton did have a test before the BSB round, and he found the Ducati very different from the Yamaha, especially with power characteristics. The former British Supersport champion left the track feeling positive that he was able to make progress, but felt his results of P21 in race one and P20 in race two did not reflect how much work his team did at the Lincolnshire track.
“It has been a steep learning curve, it has been good and we have been making a lot of progress and in race two I felt more comfortable. We made some small changes in between races and I felt quite good on it,” said Easton, speaking to bikesportnews.com from the track.
“But I was starting way back down the grid and I was in a group and on the back of them and it was really hard to make a move but I felt a lot better on it and a lot more comfortable and happy.
“It is totally different - its power characterises and the way it delivers its power, it is a different bike to the one I was on before and it takes a bit of getting used to, but we did that quite quickly and its a tough pace out there and it is a close pace. The results don’t reflect the progress but I am happy.”
Cadwell is not a favourite circuit for Easton, but round nine at Oulton Park is, and he is going to aim much higher and to get results well inside the points for his Moto Rapido Ducati team.
Easton added: “We will be aiming high at Oulton and it is my favourite circuit, and it is a triple header so lots to look forward to.”
