Time spent at training camp in Valencia helped JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider Leon Haslam recover from his heavy end-of-season fall and prepare himself for a two days test with his team-mate Luke Mossey at Jerez in Spain.
After one day on track, in dry conditions, Haslam affirmed that his recent ankle injury is largely behind him. “They said it would be three months for the ligament to re-attach and it is three months next week, so I am well ahead of schedule on the ankle itself,” Haslam told bikesportnews at Jerez.
“I have been out in Valencia for the past two weeks riding pitbikes and Supermoto 12 out of 14 days, so I am good. I feel like we are on track with everything. This test has been really good just to blow the cobwebs off of everything. We do not race until April so this is kind of me getting my head back up to speed. It has been a good smooth day and I am really happy where we are at.”
Haslam will not feel the lack of track time before the first round of BSB in 2018, as he explained. “I am going back to Valencia for another training camp. I have got six days of testing in March, and three days testing in Japan, all before the first round.”
This Jerez test is in some ways a follow-up to a previous one, as Haslam said after going 14th fastest overall on day one.
“We tested in November with a lot of new components, different gearboxes and fairings, chassis components and a different way of controlling the engine - and a different radiator that gave a lot more horsepower,” said Haslam. “There were a lot of components that we evaluated, but I was injured. Now we are re-evaluating those parts and experimenting with the chassis with those parts on.”
One more day of testing remains for Haslam and Mossey at Jerez.
