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By Graeme Brown<br />
With an increase in horsepower on<br />
the production version of the Ninja<br />
ZX-10RR, the race machine will now<br />
have parity with the other manufactures<br />
when it comes to the top end<br />
of their rev limit. The engine characteristics<br />
have changed to make<br />
it more responsive. <strong>On</strong>e complaint<br />
JR had last year was that losing<br />
top end revs meant that in some<br />
corners he struggled to find the<br />
right gear to get sufficient drive. I<br />
remember he told me how tough<br />
Misano was last year for that reason.<br />
It was tough, but he claimed<br />
a double win. That therefore can<br />
only lead me to think that with an<br />
improved bike the 2019 championship<br />
is his to lose rather than go<br />
out and win it.<br />
For me the obvious challengers are<br />
the same ones as before – both<br />
Ducati and Yamaha riders, Tom<br />
Sykes, now on the new BMW, and<br />
his team-mate, Leon Haslam. Who<br />
will it be and will they have enough<br />
to claim the title themselves?<br />
Standing trackside shooting on<br />
Monday morning one thing struck<br />
immediately, Alvaro Bautista looked<br />
lightning fast, way quicker than<br />
anyone else.<br />
Experience has told me that that<br />
never translates to the timesheets.<br />
However, today I would be put back<br />
in in my bock. Bautista topped the<br />
timesheets all day, but only by a<br />
few tenths from Alex Lowes on the<br />
Yamaha. Rea finished third fastest<br />
of the combined sessions, but in<br />
the afternoon he fell behind team<br />
mate Haslam, albeit the wind had<br />
got up, and the morning times<br />
remained the fastest over the whole<br />
day.<br />
Sykes and Davies were further<br />
down in the final scores. The Yorkshireman<br />
still learning and adapting<br />
to his new steed whilst I fear Davies<br />
may still be suffering from the back<br />
injury that sidelined him in Jerez<br />
and Portimao.<br />
The other quick fella today, and<br />
looking the part, was Alex Lowes<br />
on the Yamaha. Alex is a rider<br />
with a style that always ‘looks’ fast<br />
and today it was great to see him<br />
knocking on the door. Pre-event he<br />
was quoted that he feels he can be<br />
an ever present on the podium this<br />
year.<br />
It’s a bold statement but on today’s<br />
showing at least, why not?<br />
However, one swallow doesn’t make<br />
a summer and we have another<br />
full day of testing tomorrow. By the<br />
time you read this you will know if<br />
what I have written is irrelevant –<br />
well more so than normal - and in<br />
any event Saturday’s podium places<br />
will be decided on Saturday after<br />
22 laps of one the best motorcycle<br />
racing circuits on the planet, not<br />
from a day of testing.<br />
I have slowly moved out of the FO<br />
Zone and back into my normal<br />
slightly grumpy, mildly miserable,<br />
West of Scotland self. That’s just<br />
me but I am in the Happy Zone.<br />
At 9:15am I was standing on the<br />
outside of Siberia corner, camera<br />
in hand, blue skies above and<br />
the southern ocean off to my left<br />
watching a string of motorbikes<br />
creep out of pit lane, down to turn<br />
one and make there way round the<br />
Southern Loop towards me. I can’t<br />
think of many better places to be<br />
on a Monday morning.
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