Snetterton BSB: ‘Cautious’ Superpole for front rower Haslam

JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Leon Haslam was able to put his ZX-10R on the front row of the grid for the opening MCE British Superbike race at Snetterton, but the former World Superbike star feels he is struggling in some areas out on track, and was ‘cautious’ during Superpole.

His team have made some big changes, and the bike does not feel the same as it did at the recent test at the circuit. Last month Haslam got his first taste of the 300 track and this weekend the fuelling and mapping was not working the same as it did a few weeks ago.

The Derby-based rider is confident that if the issues are solved his bike can perform well at the circuit. But the wet weather conditions this morning, and Friday morning meant that the team were not able to test out some dry weather settings.

“We made some radical changes in every exit and just to try and get the bike to get me into the corners. The boys did good and we made some big changes and we need to make a lot more,” said Haslam, speaking to Bikesportnews.com at the track.

“What we had in the test is just not working here and fuelling, mapping - nothing is working the same and the bike is reacting very differently and we need to analyse why that is. So with the bad conditions we have not been able to have the track time to figure out a new setting which is kind of frustrating. Second and third gear corners are running me in and first gear corners are locking up solid.

“I was a bit cautious just making sure I didn’t run wide but cautious is not good enough for pole position. We are looking at that lap I did then and I am hoping I can run the same pace as them guys.

“Shakey is good in the last sector especially, and that is one of the main areas we have been struggling with. If we can solve our issues there is nowhere, where our bike can’t perform. It stops good, it turns good and race distance on tyres nobody knows because we have not had the mileage.”