The HM Plant Honda team completed its second and final day on circuit at Cartagena today, as Kiyo, Shakey and Jason prepare for the final build up to the start of the British Superbike Championship season.

Kiyo and Shakey had lots to work through on track and with the opening day hampered by shortened sessions, both riders had to utilise the final day to work through various changes before the conclusion of the test.

Kiyo said:

"The first day was difficult with short sessions but we worked hard. We had a bit of a problem early in the test that we spent time working on so it was a very busy two days for us at Cartagena. On the final day we tested changes to the suspension and the front forks and some of what we tried was good and some not so good, but it is always the same at testing – a learning curve. We had lots to try and Adrian (Gorst) and the team worked very hard so I am happier than before. I am now looking forward to testing in the UK again in a few weeks.”

Shakey said:

"The first day at Cartagena was at times a bit frustrating as we had a bit of a stop start morning with the red flags. We still had lots to work on and things that needed changing, so when track time is short it isn't easy. In the first afternoon session it seemed to pan out in the end and then we went into the final day with things still to work on. To be honest yesterday I had just been riding around to get more laps in as I didn’t get too many on the first day with all the stoppages. We ran the same tyres and I am feeling happy and comfortable with the team and the HM Plant Honda Fireblade now, the bike really feels like mine and that’s what I wanted to achieve. We worked on the suspension settings yesterday and put in a load of laps despite the limited track time so I am pretty happy as we have a good plan of attack for when we test in the UK so I am feeling positive. I love the team and we have been getting on really well in the garage, so now it’s back to the workshop and analyse all the data before we go testing again.”

Jason said:

“We have made some good progress with the rear of the HM Plant Honda superstock Fireblade but the track was a little greasy after the rain so we had to take it a bit steady on the first day. We had a good direction for the final day and a few things to try before we headed home so we went into the last sessions with a good plan of what we needed to achieve. We made a big step forward in the penultimate session of the test and I improved my lap time and felt more comfortable, but in the last session the temperature dropped and we didn’t go any faster but we ended feeling really happy. We have had a good start to the pre-season testing and I am looking forward to the next time we get out on track.”

Team Manager Havier Beltran concluded:

“It was a busy two days on track for all three of the riders at Cartagena. On the first day the track time was limited due to stoppages and that reduced the time both Kiyo and Shakey had to work on the various elements we needed to test, however both remained focused on the task ahead and worked hard on the final day to achieve as much as possible in the time we had. There is still more to come from all three riders and we have some track time scheduled in the UK before we get the season underway at Brands Hatch at the end of April.”