Jon Railton Newsletter – 12/04/2014 2014 Pre-season Testing
“Pre-season testing has gone well and as expected with a brand new bike there was a lot of things to try. A couple of setbacks early on slowed progress but the team worked well to overcome them and move things forward. Changes were made at the Donington test to make the riding position comfortable but despite that I was struggling to find the speed we expected. The main complaint was the bikes ability to turn. Constant adjustments were made to improve the turning at every part of the corner. By the end of the test the settings were maxed out, particularly the rear shock. For the next test at Brands Hatch a new part was available to try which increased the length of the shock significantly. This instantly transformed the bike and the turning was much improved. The pace then came much more easily and I could make the most of the track time to make changes to improve the overall handling. Front end feel whilst trail braking and initial turn in were much improved.”
“By the end of the day the bike was feeling good and I could start to push for lap times. The second day was the first round of the BMCRC championship and I was racing in the Powerbike class against more powerful 1000cc bikes. Qualifying went well and I was happy with the lap times and to qualify 8th amongst the bigger bikes. The races were difficult but good fun battling in the corners to make up for the lack of straight line speed. Overall I am happy with how pre-season testing has gone. I feel prepared now for the start of the season particularly as there are more improvements to be made which will again improve lap times. I can't wait for Round 1 at Brands Hatch this coming weekend and fully expect to start the season as strongly as I did last year. Big thanks to the team for their hard work to improve the bike during testing and to all of my personal sponsors.”
Photos courtesy of Alan Lygo & Holly Monk
Jon
www.jonrailton.com www.facebook.com/JonRailton#40 @JonRailton
Huntingdon Business Centre Tel No. 01480 458600