Tyco BMW’s Michael Laverty experienced his S1000RR for the first time today during the opening day of the Pro-Test outing in Cartagena, ahead of the start of the MCE British Superbike Championship which gets underway next month.

The Northern Irishman admitted that he got a ‘slow start’ but for him the first session was about getting a good riding position on the bike, and feeling comfortable. There were a few teething problems, which involved a small fire on the bike, but that was swiftly rectified – but for Laverty the real testing gets underway in the sun on Friday.

“It was good to get a shakedown today. There were a few teething problems but I got more comfortable on the bike as the day went on. The last session of the day I put more laps together, but testing proper starts tomorrow for me,” said Laverty, speaking to bikesportnews.com.

“There is huge potential with the bike, and everything we did today was positive. We have been looking at the engine and electronics today too. We had a tiny fire which ended up meaning we had to replace a rear calliper.

“If I leave the test with the bike feeling like it is my bike, and I am setting some good laps, and feeling comfortable then I will be happy. To be honest things were pretty slow today, but I am not looking too much at the lap times – it’s all about feeling confident on the bike and getting a good riding position.

“If I am going around the track in the 34’s then I will be happy, and I want some consistency over the next few days, but every time I visit this track I get different results, but I can’t wait to really start testing tomorrow.”
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