After being World Champion in endurance, the Val-de-Marnaise team plunged into the deep end of Supersport, with the best motorcycle of the moment, the R6, one of the great favorites, Jules Cluzel, and the little young man who arrives with long teeth Corentin Perolari.
The GMT94 team has just met its opponents from the 2019 season at Phillip Island, including the Bardahl Evan Bros team who attacked from the start. The results of the four preliminary testing sessions were as follows:
Session 1: 1st Federico Caricasulo (Evans Bros) 1'33.882, 4th Jules cluzel at 0.675, 8th Corentin Perolari at 1.814.
Session 2: 1st Randy Krummenacher (Evans Bros) 1'33.820, 2nd Jules Cluzel at 0.378, 8th Corentin Perolari at 1.030.
Session 3: 1st Randy Krummenacher (Evan Bros) in 1'33.111, 3rd Jules Cluzel at 0.680, 9th. Corentin Perolari at 1.250.
Session 4: 1st Randy Krummenacher (Evans Bros) in 1'33.111, 4th Jules Cluzel at 0.524, and Corentin Perolari 5th at 0.722.
We asked team boss Christophe Guyot for his opinion on these two days of free testing:
How did these two days of testing go overall for the GMT94?
“Our tests ended very well. No crashes on the second day and good performances for the two drivers who finished in the top 5. »
Did Jules Cluzel feel comfortable and physically well?
" Yes. Jules feels really good physically. He no longer has any pain in his left ankle and he has now adapted perfectly to the right selector.”
How did the discovery of Phillip Island by Corentin Perolari take place?
“As usual, Corentin impressed with his ability to learn a circuit. Phillip Island is not an easy circuit, however. However, he still has a few keys to find to be perfectly comfortable.”
The Bardahl Evan Bros team looked relatively dominant with Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo. What is the reason ?
“The pace is indeed very high for these two drivers. Randy Krummenacher has always been very fast in Australia and so has Federico Caricasulo.”
The Kawasakis, like that of Lucas Mahias, and the MV Agustas, like that of Raffaele de Rosa, seem to be in the mix. Was it predictable?
“Indeed, the category is full of podium contenders. Lucas Mahias and Raffaele de Rosa are among them ».
Do MecTronik* electronics play an important role?
" Yes. It helps level the performance of motorcycles. The keys to winning the race are to find the right balance in the chassis and above all to seek a constant pace during the race, which is difficult to obtain due to the tires which suffer a lot on this circuit.
* *Extract from the 2019 FIM regulations: “2.5.9.1 Electrics and electronics
- a) The ECU must be the FIM Supersport:6 approved ECU – the Mectronik MKE7. (FIM Supersport: 6 internally licensed ECU's compulsory in 2020).
- b) The software and firmware must be championship approved and listed in the approved parts list”.
Do you think that the GMT94 team, with Jules Cluzel and Corentin Perolari, is ready for the race at the end of the week?
" Yes. We still have details to improve, the competitors are competitive, but the objective of reaching the podium for Jules and entering the top 5 for Corentin seems achievable to me.”
Moreover, for Jules cluzel : " Little by little, I am measuring my bike. The gear selection on the right is now adapted. We still have things to improve to have a constant racing pace. I am optimistic. I will give everything to get on the podium! »
Corentin Perolari : " Thanks to Jules (Cluzel) for allowing me to reach the 1'34'' mark. I would like to finish the race in the same position as during these tests »
Photos © GMT94 Yamaha
