“It will be nice to finally get going this season after testing was pretty much a washout! I’m feeling really good, it’s been one of the best winters I’ve had in terms of preparation for a season, so I can’t wait to roll down pit lane for free practice one. Even though the tests were wet, what was reassuring was I jumped on the bike for a few hours at Silverstone and even though conditions weren’t ideal, I felt good and was able to lap competitively with the others even after not really riding the superbike since Brands last year! The early signs are we’ve made some improvements with the bike, especially the engine, and from the laps we did at Silverstone the guys have been able to refine that further so I’m really excited to try it in what looks like dry conditions this weekend. After the last three years we’ve had, we can’t pretend we’d be happy to walk away from Silverstone with anything other than three strong results fighting at the front. Three wins would be the ideal goal, but they don’t come easy in BSB!”

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this weekend. The weather impacted all of our testing and I didn’t do a single lap in dry conditions, but all things considered I felt more comfortable each time I rode the bike in the wet and at Silverstone we weren’t too far off in terms of lap time – my last lap of the test was actually quite strong but unfortunately it didn’t count as the red flag came out as I crossed the line. Silverstone has always been a strong circuit for me and the R1 has had some incredible results at Silverstone in recent years so I’m hoping we can get off to a strong start. It’s difficult as with being a rookie I don’t want to place a number on where I want to be, but if we can get off to a strong start, keep learning and improving in every session then I’ll be happy!”

“There is a great buzz around the team ahead of this season, everybody is itching to get started! On paper, we are the most successful team in the championship over the last three seasons with 37 wins and a shedload more podiums, so we are no doubt in a strong position heading into the season. There are a few changes with Tim replacing Tarran, and that adds a new dynamic to our team as in the past two seasons we’ve had two proven frontrunners while now we’ve got our proven frontrunner in Jason and Tim as a rookie. The goal for Jason is the same as it has been for the last four years – to win the championship! We know he’s capable, he’s won more races than anyone else in the last three seasons and we have hopefully taken another step with the bike to help him along the way. There’s no pressure on Tim, we want him to take each session as it comes and improve throughout the year. These Superbikes are a different kettle of fish, so he needs to learn to walk before he can run but we know he’s capable, so I’m confident he can have a strong year.”