The Swan Yamaha pairing of Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty will make their track debut with the Guisborough-based team this week when both riders begin their 2011 pre-season testing campaign, riding the new Yamahas for the first time in Spain.

The team will kick off their preparations for the forthcoming season with a shakedown test at Calafat before travelling to Cartagena for a further two days on track as Hill and Laverty aim to utilise the time to work on base settings ahead of the forthcoming season that gets underway at Brands Hatch on Easter weekend.

Hill said:

"It is finally time to get back out on track after a long winter and I definitely can't wait to get started now. This is our first chance to ride the new Yamaha and this opening test is really going to be about gelling as a team and working out where we need to make changes or for me to adapt my riding style slightly to suit the new bike. The first days at Calafat are going to be getting dialled back in and getting in as much mileage as possible. The team have been sending me updates of all the latest developments at the workshop so now I just want to get out and get cracking. These pre-season tests are always important so we need to utilise the track time and come away ready to hit the ground running at Brands Hatch."

Laverty said:

"I am really looking forward to getting testing underway; a new bike and a new team is always an exciting prospect. Our first test is at Calafat which is a new track for me but I have been doing my homework and have been watching some onboard laps and it has very similar characteristics to some of the UK tracks, which is going to be beneficial without a doubt. It will be the first time on the bike for me so it is going to be a case of getting the positioning right and having a shakedown initially before heading to Cartagena to then make further improvements and get things really rolling. It will then be a good indication of where we are against the competition and how we can then continue to move forward ahead of the first round."

Swan Yamaha team manager Shaun Muir concluded:

"We have new bikes and new riders this year and so this is going to be new territory for us, but we are ready for the challenge. The team have been working hard behind the scenes over the past months and the test schedule we have planned will give everyone time to work on base settings and adapt to the Yamahas. We will see what emerges from this initial test before deciding if we need to return to Spain for a further track time. If all goes well, we will conclude our test programme at a selected number of UK circuits before the season opener at Brands Hatch."