McAMS Racing and Kent Ready to Race after Positive Navarra Test
With the opening round of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship due to commence this weekend, Danny Kent and the McAMS Racing by Mar-Train team got stuck into a final period of testing at the Circuito de Navarra in Northern Spain.
In preparation for the season’s start, the squad turned their attention to numerous set-up changes to improve Danny’s feel with the R1 superbike. Regularly appearing towards the top of the timesheets, he ended the test in fifth overall.
Kent and the team hit the ground running from day one, placing second overall after Tuesday’s opening two sessions, before improving his time by just under two-tenths and slotting into fifth on Wednesday.
A morning session on Thursday saw him bag another fifth-place finish, ending the test in positive spirits and amplifying the teams’ excitement for the much-anticipated season opener.
Throughout the two-and-a-half-day affair, Kent completed a total of 103 laps aboard his newly built Yamaha R1 superbike. After spending a significant proportion of time out on track, he and the team feel cautiously optimistic as the weekend approaches.
Round one of the championship looks slightly different for the BSB grid this year. The nature of the Circuito de Navarra sits apart from the remaining tracks on the calendar and provides a wide range of overtaking opportunities through its low-gear corners.
After a long winter of preparation and a productive stint of testing, the team are looking ahead to the weekend with eager eyes and feel confident in their ability to secure some good results.
Round One of the 2024 British Superbike Championship is due to commence with Free Practice 1 at 10:50 on Saturday morning. Every session matters as we approach the weekend with the return of the highly popular Omologato Superpole held at 16:45 later that day.
The two-day weekend features a duo of races throughout Sunday, with lights out on the first races of 2024 at 12:50 and 16:30.
Danny Kent
Rider
5th
“I can’t wait for the race weekend to get started. The team did an awesome job at the test this week, we got through a lot of parts and managed to test many things for the rest of the season. We didn’t throw new tyres on the bike, my race pace on used tyres is very good so we’re going into the weekend feeling confident. We managed to complete a good number of laps throughout the test and I feel like I’m gelling really well with the Yamaha R1.”
Tim Martin
Team Owner
“It’s not been as warm as we’d hoped when we first arrived. It’s been dry for most of the time, although quite windy. Danny has put a good shift in over the last two and a half days. He’s done everything that we’ve asked of him from long runs on the bike to practice starts. There’s been a lot of different changes made to the bike throughout the test. We’ve got a bike that we feel can be competitive at the weekend which is always positive. Spanner (Crew Chief) and the team have worked hard on improving the bike for this weekend. Overall, we’re feeling really positive, we’re glad that the test is out of the way now and feel ready to get back out on Saturday for Free Practice 1.”
Official Test 02
| Pos | Rider | Time | Bike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Ryde | 1:36.374 | Yamaha |
| 2 | Andrew Irwin | 1:36.559 | Honda |
| 3 | Ryan Vickers | 1:36.697 | Yamaha |
| 4 | Leon Haslam | 1:36.716 | BMW |
| 5 | Danny Kent | 1:36.874 | Yamaha |
| 6 | Josh Brookes | 1:37.022 | BMW |
| 7 | Andrew Irwin | 1:37.129 | Honda |
| 8 | Tommy Bridewell | 1:37.158 | Honda |
| 9 | Peter Hickman | 1:37.166 | BMW |
| 10 | Jason O'Halloran | 1:37.199 | Kawasaki |