Kyle Ryde set the benchmark in the opening R&G Official Test of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship season at Donington Park earlier this month, and now the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider is ready to get back on track this week at Circuito de Navarra.
Ryde edged out Glenn Irwin in the opening track action of the season, and was the rider to beat at the test at the circuit in Northern Spain last year. The OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team tested two different specifications of the Yamaha R1 at the opening test, and Ryde is feeling confident that they will be able to start the final pre-season test tomorrow in a strong position.
Speaking after the Donington Park test, Ryde said: “I was in a very lucky position to have two bikes to test at Donington Park; one was brand new and one was a Brands Hatch replica, so the same as last year.
“On the first day, I rode the new bike and I wasn’t particularly a fan, I set a good lap time but it didn’t feel great, it was really tiring. So we went back to the old bike on day two and took each new part off and added it to that just to see which ones I liked and which I didn’t.
“I liked one thing and that’s what we stuck with for the rest of the day. The confidence grew and grew and then for the last session, the weather wasn’t great, but I thought, might as well have a go and see what I can do and did one lap and it was pretty good.
“I think my confidence is pretty similar to last season to be honest. The thing I’m more confident about now is the new parts we’ve got and I’ve found a bit of a window that I’ve not been in for a while. Look at Brands last year, Donington, Cadwell, I was in that window where I was getting trophies, but the rest of the time I was just out of it and struggling to get a trophy. If I can try and keep myself in that window that I was in for the last hour of the first test, then I should be in for a good year!
“I have just got to stick with it, write down what was good and what was bad. We can always reflect on trying to keep myself in that window. When you’re in it, it feels absolutely massive, but when you’re out of it, it’s so hard to get back in it. We’ve just got to stick to what we know, we know what bike works at Navarra and we can try this version and see if it’s any better, if not, I’ve got a decent bike from last year.”