Troy Corser was forced to sit out the second day of testing for BMW Motorrad at Phillip Island after a crash Wednesday left him heavily bruised. The team was testing at Phillip Island after skipping the official World Superbike test at Portimao in favor of warmer climes, first at Eastern Creek and now at Phillip Island in Australia. Though the team said the test was satisfactory, any crash major enough to force a rider to sit out a day of testing can be worrisome. He is apparently fine, but had “painful bruises” that kept him from riding effectively.
That crash left Leon Haslam to do the bulk of testing for his new team. “We were still focusing on electronics and worked on a setup for this race track,” Haslam explained. “This was important as in three weeks time we are going to have our first races of the season here. We have already found a good base to work on. I am happy; we made some good progress. My lap times were quite good for these hot conditions. Of course we still have some work to do before the season starts but I am happy with the progress we made so far. The bike improved a lot in the last month.”
Haslam was also able to introduce his new sponsorship by Dainese while at Phillip Island. He will wear Dainese “neck-to-toe” through the 2011 WSBK season. As has become a bit of an obsession here at A&R, it can noted that he has joined the ranks of riders with their leathers out over their boots instead of tucked inside, a patented hallmark of Dainese.
“Having visited the Dainese headquarters it’s clear that the heritage of motorcycle racing and safety protection is synonymous with the Dainese name,” said Haslam. “The technical guys at Dainese are excellent and the suits I’ve tried so far are extremely practical, lightweight and – following my small crash at Cartagena two weeks ago – offer the necessary protection.” Haslam will use the D-Air technology airbag leathers throughout the season, as have Nicky Hayden, Jorge Lorenzo, and Valentino Rossi in MotoGP.
Source: BMW Motorrad via SuperbikePlanet/Dainese
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