Cartagena test - Richards close to record pace already

Reigning British Supersport champion, Glen Richards, was happy to get his first real taste of the new Smiths of Gloucester Triumph machine, after an earlier test at the Spanish circuit of Calafat last week, was declared a write-off due to the Adelaide rider suffering from a bad strain of man-flu.

The new Honda TT Legends race manager says that after a day at Cartagena, he was surprised by just how good the all new Daytona 675 was and it has given him mucho confidence before the start of the season and he was able to get close to his best laptime of last year by the end of the first day.

"It's been a great start to the test and it's nice to get some miles under my belt after not getting many laps done at Calafat last week. As a team we have been solely focused on getting the new Triumph Daytona to run properly and in honesty, it has gone better than expected," said Richards.

"I can already see that I have a great balance with the bike and the overall geometry of it is setup really well. The bike has massive potential so we're full of confidence for this coming season, but at this moment in time, it's all about finding it's likes and dislikes and tuning it to perfection. By Sunday, the team and I are confident that we'll be somewhere near where we want to be. 

"The lap times today were really pleasing despite the conditions and to get close to last year's best with a brand new bike can only be a great sign for the rest of the test and beyond."

Fellow Adelaide man and team-mate Billy McConnell was also pleased with his days work at Cartagena, saying the latest Triumph is a big improvement on last year.

"The bike is fantastic. The chassis has improved no end compared to last year's Triumph. The bike is really nimble as a consequence and I think this could suit my style a bit more, as I can attack the corners and have confidence in the bike that I'll get it back to the curb and out. We have a base engine in at the moment but once we get something with a bit more punch, this bike will be a real beast. It was a bit windy today so difficult to get a good setup but all the Supersport riders here are in the same ballpark so there's no need to worry."

By Jack Appleyard at Cartagena

Image by Double Red