Bautista limited for HRC, Haslam 10th fastest at Official test

HRC endured a mixed test as Bautista was limited due to injury, while Haslam finished in the top ten on both days. 

Bautista suffered an injury during MX training last week, and was unable to complete the full program for HRC as he only rode on day-one. 

That left Haslam on solo duty for the second day of action. As the former 2019 BSB champion went through an intense schedule for the Japanese manufacturer. 

Even so, Bautista was able to gather a good amount of data from the first day in Catalunya and is happy with the steps made. 

"Last weekend I had a small crash while training with the MX bike and I hit my chest," said Bautista. 

"Once I got on the bike here in Barcelona, I realised that the pain was more intense than I expected but, luckily, we were still able to complete yesterday’s testing schedule. 

"We had a lot of new items to test, across different areas of the bike, from the engine setup to the electronics, the weight distribution, and my riding position. 

"HRC has done a great job over the winter. We are happy and are preparing a good base for the start of the season, and the bike is much more consistent throughout the entire lap, especially in terms of the electronics."

Haslam on the other hand had a much smoother test and was consistently running inside the top ten throughout. 

The British rider finished tenth overall, but could have improved late on if not for a red flag. 

Speaking after the two days, Haslam said: "I'm happy with how these tests have gone because we've enjoyed great weather conditions and we've been able to make good use of both days. 

"I realised straight away that the updates HRC brought for the bike were promising, because we were fast right away, at a track where I wasn't particularly comfortable last year. 

"I really like the change they’ve made to turn ten too, as my feeling is now much better through that section. 

"Most importantly we haven’t just been quick over the single lap, but also in terms of our race pace, which is crucial and one of the points I wanted to improve on compared to last year. 

"In Jerez we worked a lot on my riding position and balance, while here we’ve focused mainly on the electronics."