The Castrol Honda World Superbike Team was able to complete just a handful of laps at Motorland Aragon, Spain, during a two-day pre-season test which concluded this afternoon.
The test was primarily arranged to give riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus an opportunity to ride the new Spanish circuit after they missed a World Superbike championship test at the 5.078km circuit last October.
However, rain yesterday morning precluded any testing until the afternoon and, with freezing conditions all day today, the riders and team decided not to test the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR machines any further.
Instead, the team packed up early to begin the journey to Portimao in Portugal for an official three-day test next Wednesday 26 January, where better conditions are expected.
It's been a frustrating couple of days really because after the rain yesterday morning it's been sunny, but it's been really, really cold, Rae explained.
"At least I got some laps in yesterday afternoon - maybe 30 or 40 - so I know which way the track goes and I was able to give some good feedback on gearing to my crew. It wasn't a complete waste of time - it's a really nice circuit and I enjoyed riding it but we were understandably a little way off where our rivals were when they had three days testing here last October. But when we come back in June, at least we won't be starting completely blind.
Ruben Xaus said, "It was freezing! Much colder than when the team was launched in the UK earlier this week! Today, it was maximum 3å¡ in the sun and always below zero in the shadows. And there are many shadows here, because the circuit has many hills. In fact, it was difficult to ride yesterday afternoon when the sun was very low because of all the shadows. The circuit is blind everywhere, but still very interesting. And the bikes looked amazing on track for the first time.
team manager Ronald ten Kate concluded by saying, "The wet and cold conditions really allowed us only yesterday afternoon to test and then it was -5å¡ overnight with a really cold wind all day today. Of course, we were hoping for more laps, but we were happy to test at this new track for the championship and I'm sure that after the laps they did yesterday, the riders now know which way it goes. We got a little bit of information on the set-up we'll be looking for but we could certainly have used more. But it is what it is and we'll go to Portugal next week to test the bikes and new parts properly."
