By International road racing royalty was in attendance this week at Monteblanco, Spain taking in the season opening British Superbike Championship testing event.
The four closed roads exponents gaining valuable track time throughout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were all multiple TT podium finishers, race winners.
Heading the International roads brigade on Spanish shores was world’s fastest road racer Peter Hickman, who ended the three day test with a best lap time of 1 minute 37.606 seconds plus racked up in total over 120 laps.
Reigning Senior TT Champion Dean Harrison who’s winter testing helmet piqued the curiosity of many, recorded a best lap time of just under the 1 minute 39 seconds mark, whilst his overall laps total stood at an impressive 150.
New Rich Energy OMG Racing signing James Hillier, having his first outing on his new Superstock S1000RR BMW steed, topped the Superstock time sheets and banked in excess of 140 laps of the Monteblanco circuit.
Rounding out the roads royalty attending the first BSB test of 2020 was 16 times TT winner Ian Hutchinson.
Hutchinson who was in action on the Boyce Precision Engineering Yamaha by Russell Racing, that’s he’s anticipated to pilot at the North West 200 and TT 2020, showed solid, consistent pace, completing like Hickman, Harrison and Hillier over 120 laps whilst ending the test with a best lap time of 1 minute 41.678 seconds.
The next BSB testing event which looks certain to include various pure road racing talents, gets underway on the 1st of March at the iconic Jerez circuit.
Words by Stevie Rial
