Snetterton BSB test: O’Halloran tops overall times

McAMS Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran ended three days of Bennetts British Superbike testing at the top of the Snetterton timesheets, finishing more than half a second under the lap record.

The opening action of the new season began with an intense pace at the top as the leading six riders ended the test inside the existing lap record.

O’Halloran’s benchmark lap from the final session was enough to keep former WorldSBK champion Tom Sykes in second but only by 0.068s.

“It’s been a really good few days for us, the weather has been perfect so we’ve had loads of track time. It’s good to be back with the team, we’ve done a lot of work through this test,” said O’Halloran.

“I’ve tried so many different versions of the bike here, at least one maybe two per session which is perfect for information and data.

“It’s really encouraging to have been able to go fast on pretty much all of the settings we’ve ridden and also often when you make quite big changes it takes a bit of time to get used to them and find speed, but that wasn’t the case here.

“To go fast at the end is good, I made quite a big mistake on the fast lap too, but more importantly testing is to gain information and feeling and I am very happy with what we have achieved. The whole team have done a great job and I’m looking forward to the next test.”

Sykes rapidly adapted to the MCE Ducati on his first visit to the Snetterton 300 layout, as the former World Superbike Champion ended his debut test with the team just 0.072s adrift of the leading time.

Bradley Ray saved his best until the final session of the three-day test as he continues his preparations for the new season after a change in manufacturer and he fired the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha into third place.

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