The first Official BSB test will take place at Cartagena from the 1st to 3rd of March, and will be limited to just 32 British Superbikes on track. Meanwhile, the support classes will be at Alcarras for a four day test from 1st to 4th of March. The Superbike competitors will then be travelling across to Alcarras for another three day Superbike test.

PacedayZ are also offering an unique trackday package immediately following the official BSB test at Alcarras. Customers will have the opportunity to fly out and watch the final day of BSB testing before having three days on track themselves, with expert advice from some of the BSB riders.

PacedayZ boss, Craig Fitzpatrick: “It is great that we have secured this deal to organise the Official 2012 British Superbike testing in Spain. Obviously, having been at these tests as a rider recently, I have a good idea of what the teams and riders needs are and we are aiming to make this a success for all.”

“We hope that the three-day Alcarras trackday will offer public a unique chance to come out and watch the BSB riders get to grips with their new machines one day and follow in their footsteps the next. We will be having some of the BSB riders instructing too, so there will be a great opportunity to learn from the best.”

“If people want to ride Cartagena, the other spanish track which BSB will be testing at, then we still have some places available for the inaugural PacedayZ event from 23rd to 25th of November.”

“Unfortunately, with all the time I am investing in PacedayZ, it means I am not going to be able to concentrate on my own riding commitments in 2012. So I have got a Kawasaki ZX-10R which I am going to run at selected rounds of the National Superstock 1000 series. But i will be back! ”

www.pacedayz.com

Fitzpatrick has not raced since round 6 of the series at Snetterton due to technical problems with his Honda Fireblade. A couple of early season crashes had left the Close Print Finance Honda squad on the back foot and the decision was taken to sit-out three rounds. The break has enabled the team to regroup and prepare for a more successful end to the season.

The Derbyshire circuit will be making a comeback of its own as plays host to the British Superbike series for the first time since 2009. The track has undergone a minor refresh since then with mainly slight safety tweaks to increase run-off and a small alteration to the Fogarty Esses.

Fitzpatrick will be competing the remaining three rounds of the 2011 championship aboard the rebranded PacedayZ – Close Print Finance Honda. Long-time title sponsor Close Print Finance continue their considerable support, joined by the brand-new Derbyshire-based venture PacedayZ.

PacedayZ has been founded by Fitzpatrick and Billy Lilly, who’s transport and logistics company have sponsored Fitzpatrick for many years. The new company will offer trackday solutions to everyone from novices to British Superbike factory teams, in both the UK and Europe. For more info visit www.pacedayz.com.

Fitzpatrick told moto-media.co.uk: “I am really looking forward to getting back out on track at Donington. I have missed three rounds now because we have had some trouble with the bike, but hopefully those problems have been resolved and we can move on.”

“The first half of the season didn’t go according to plan and after a couple of crashes we had to reassess the finances. We had been struggling to resolve a niggling electrical issue so took the decision to miss a few races and sort it out properly. ”

“Whilst I haven’t been racing, I have been busy setting up the new company and getting the first event organised in Cartagena (Spain) in November. I have been talking to all the teams and riders at BSB regarding PacedayZ. It’s been tough to be at the rounds and not getting out on track but it has given me something to focus on.”

“We came to Donington the other week for a bit of a shakedown and to try out a few chassis changes. Unfortunately the weather meant we only had one dry session and didn’t get to try all we wanted.”

“I am under no illusions about this weekend; I am not expecting to be fighting for race wins. A lot of the guys have been getting stronger through the year, so it will be difficult after missing three rounds. I am hoping that we can give a good account of ourselves at our home circuit and push for our best finish of the year.”

Speaking to www.bikesportnews.com Fitzpatrick said: “We currently will be running European track events; the first is scheduled 23rd-25th November at the Spanish circuit of Cartagena for a total cost £439. This includes all transport, accommodation at 5* catering apartment and on track tuition. The bikes drop off/pick up point is central by Derby, all people need to do is get themselves there.”

At the company’s debut event Fitzpatrick will be supported and joined by British Superbike talents Michael Laverty and Dan Linfoot who will also be tutoring throughout the three days. The company will be a great opportunity for the more daring, advanced or intermediate riders; however, Fitzpatrick is extremely keen to also cater more than usual for novices. He wants to create a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere as well as a structured guidance plan for them to develop and get the most out of the experience.

He added: “I am also really interested in focusing on helping/training novices, I really enjoy it. Most track days are geared up for racers, some instructors can be a bit intimidating for novice riders this can put them off trying especially doing a European track. There will be a specific session where we will all go out and learn the track, have a debrief and then riders will be able to go on from there.”

The website www.pacedayz.com is due to be up and running over the next day or two, but has links to relevant information pages such as Facebook. If you would like to speak to Fitzpatrick directly you can ring 07554 797030 or for more information on him generally you can visit his personal website www.craigfitzpatrick.com

Story courtesy of Bikesportnews, click here to view the story

The Close Print Finance Honda squad have undergone some personnel changes since the last round, with Chief Technician Pete Clifford leaving the team.

During Friday and Saturday’s free practice sessions, the Fife circuit was hit by heavy rain, making track conditions treacherous. Throughout practice, the team made continued improvements to the Honda Fireblade, enabling Fitzpatrick to improve his lap times by a second.

As qualifying got underway, the track was still wet, but the rain had stopped. Fitzpatrick used the early part of the session to try a few changes to the set-up. With a dry line gradually beginning to appear, Fitzpatrick made the switch to intermediate tyres.

Soon after making the switch however, Fitzpatrick was reminded of the dangers of the white lines. He clipped the white line at the Chicane and ran off onto the sodden grass. By the time he had managed to escape the mud, the tyres and bike were covered. It took a number of laps to get the heat back into the tyres. With only two chances to record a fast lap before the end of the session, Fitzpatrick encounter traffic on both occasions and could only manage to finish 8th fastest.

Fitzpatrick took a gamble on a set-up for the opening race, with the track the driest it had been all weekend. After losing a place at the start, Fitzpatrick was soon back up into 8th. Having chosen a soft chassis set-up, he struggled to push on any make further ground on those ahead. At the end of the thirty lap race, Fitzpatrick crossed the line in 8th.

For race two, Fitzpatrick tried a stiffer setting. In the early laps, he was able to make his way up into 5th. Unfortunately, the changes to the chassis had made the Honda less stable in the harder braking sections of the lap, into Clark’s and the Hairpin. Fitzpatrick eventually took the chequered flag in 7th place.

“It’s been a positive weekend for us,” stated Fitzpatrick after the race. “We have scored more valuable points and we are continuing to make improvements to the Close Print Finance BLDS Honda.”

“I felt stronger this weekend than I have done so far this season. I obviously could have done without running into the mud in qualifying, I just got caught out on the white lines. I thought I was never going to get out of the mud.”

“We hadn’t had any dry track time before the first race, so we took a bit of a gamble on a set-up. As it turned out, we were too conservative and ended up of too soft a setting. The plan was to go stiffer for race two, but we were unable to fit the front springs we wanted, and it ended up being even worse.”

“I would like to thank Pete Clifford for the hard work he put in this year, but unfortunately things haven’t worked out as we had both hoped and we have agreed to go our separate ways. The other boys, Johnny and Chris, have both stepped up and continue to do a fantastic job working on the bike.”

“We are looking forward to the next round at the new Snetterton 300 circuit. Obviously it’s a bit of an unknown, and none of us have raced there yet. It is a great track now and it looks set to provide some exciting racing.”

Fitzpatrick is 10th in the BSB Evo standings ahead of round 6 at Snetterton in two weeks time.

Sam Farrington

Thruxton was the scene of Fitzpatrick’s first Superbike Evo podium last season, and he was hoping for another good result this time, having had a difficult start to the campaign.

In Practice Fitzpatrick was unable to match the lap times he had achieved last year. The Close Print Finance BLDS squad worked tirelessly to try and improve the set up of the Honda CBR1000RR.

On Sunday Fitzpatrick managed to knock three quarters of a second of his best practice time. He qualified 7th fastest of the Evo competitors.

As had happened at Croft, the rain began to fall just before the Superbike riders took to the grid for the first of their two races. Having had no practice in wet conditions, the riders were given 8 minutes of track time ahead of the race.

The race finally began in damp conditions, with most of the field choosing the full wet tyres and only a few gambling on intermediates. Fitzpatrick opted for the full wets.

On the opening lap of race Fitzpatrick lost a few places, dropping back to 11th. As the race developed, Fitzpatrick began to climb through the field. With the rain beginning to fall harder, those on the intermediate tyres soon started to struggle. Fitzpatrick passed some of the top factory riders as he got to grips with the adverse conditions. By the chequered flag, Fitzpatrick had moved up to 8th.

The rain refused to ease between the two races, meaning conditions were even worse for the race 2. Fitzpatrick struggled in the spray on the opening lap and was back in 10th. Fitzpatrick’s vision was impaired In the early stages, as his visor misted up. Once he had managed to clear the visor, Fitzpatrick began to lap considerably quicker and started to close the gap on those in front of him.

By lap 9, Fitzpatrick had caught the Kawasaki’s of James Hillier and Josh Day. He soon dispatched the pair and sought to close the 4 second gap to the next group. Fitzpatrick crossed the line in 7th, equalling his best finish of the year, and only 0.3 seconds behind 6th.

“The conditions were pretty difficult out there,” stated Fitzpatrick after the race. “The track conditions were actually fine; there was plenty of grip. It was just the spray. On the first lap it was awful, I couldn’t see anything. ”

“I had problems with my visor steaming up and I was really struggling. I managed to get it sorted after a couple of laps, but I had lost a load of time.”

“My lap times after that were good. I caught some of those in front of me and if I had had another lap then I think i would have had 6th. My laps times were good enough to put me 4th.”

“It definitely wasn’t easy out there, but I want to thank the team because the rain makes more work for them too. We have got a great bunch of people here and they work really hard to get me out there.”

“This is the first weekend where I have scored points in both races, so we are happier with that. Let’s look forward to Knockhill and continue to move in the right direction.”

The weekend began positively for Fitzpatrick, as he ended practice with the fourth fastest Evo time, and looking like he had a good race pace. Qualifying saw Fitzpatrick again finish 5th fastest and with a personal best lap time and less than 0.3seconds behind pole for Superbike Evo

Fitzpatrick got a bad start in the first race and dropped to ninth place on the first lap. He quickly made his way past Scott Smart’s Ducati to move him up to 8th. He was then unable to find his way past the Superbike Championship Aprilia of Hudson Kennaugh. After finally getting past Kennaugh, Fitzpatrick was able to close the gap to the group ahead. However, by this time he had pushed too hard and his rear tyre was struggling for grip. Unable to hold on to his seventh place, Fitzpatrick slipped back down to 8th in the closing stages.

Fitzpatrick got a good start in race 2 but then unfortunately got boxed in at Druids again, pushing him back to 8th on the first lap. Adamant not to lose time on the podium positions and show the pace he was capable of; Fitzpatrick swiftly made it past the Ducati of Scott Smart and Barry Burrell’s BMW, up in to 6th. Next up was the Swiss rider Patric Muff. As Fitzpatrick turned into Graham Hill bend he slightly altered his line to give him a good run out along the Cooper straight. Unfortunately, he slid off on the apex of the left hander and with the damage to the bike, his race was over.

After the race Fitzpatrick commented: “It’s been a disappointing day really. We have shown good pace all weekend but we will go away from here with only 8 points to show for it.”

“I was happy with how competitive we were in qualifying. I was only 1.2 seconds slower than Shane Byrne’s pole lap, which was the fastest anyone had ever lapped round here. I was fifth fastest which was OK because there are some top riders and top teams with big budgets in Evo this year.”

“I made a bad start in the first race and got pushed back down the order as a result. I got caught behind the Aprilia for too long which cost me.”

“In race two, I wanted to try and push on from the start. I was trying to pass Patric Muff, so I wanted to get a really good run out of Graham Hill bend to give me a chance into Surtees. I think I may have clipped the engine casing on the kerb which sent me down the road.”

“Thankfully I didn’t hurt myself in the crash and the bike doesn’t look too bad, because we only have 3 days until the next round at Oulton Park. Hopefully we can get the bike ready and have a better go at it next weekend.”

“I would like to thank all my team for the hard work and commitment over the weekend and my sponsors without whom we would be here.”

Sam Farrington

The week began with three days of track time with some of his sponsors and to get a bit of time aboard his new machine ahead of the four-day Pro-Test. Early running of the new Honda highlighted some technical problems similar to some of those experienced last season with the 2010 machine.

Thursday saw the start of the Pro-Test and Fitzpatrick continued to troubleshoot electrical and mechanical issues. The team spent much of the first three days of the test ironing out all of the issues and ensuring that all of the fixes were robust enough to enable them to develop the chassis set-up.

Come Sunday, the final day of the test, Fitzpatrick was finally able to clock-up some unhindered set-up time. Working on improving the chassis rather than chasing quick lap times, Fitzpatrick was able to make steady progress through the day. Fitzpatrick was able to lap in the high 1 minute 35s, which is the fastest he has been around the 3.5km circuit.

Fitzpatrick commented: “It’s been a useful test out here in Spain and we have made some big steps forward with the new bike. I would have liked to spend more time working on the chassis rather than bug fixing, but it’s better that we find these issues now than at the first round.”

“The bike feels pretty good, and I was able to push quite hard. I managed to go faster than I have ever gone around here, so that’s definitely a positive. Although to be honest, laps times aren’t really important at this stage.”

“Although the sun has been out, the temperatures have been cold and the track temperatures have been lower than everybody would have liked. A few of the riders have been getting caught out and crashing, thankfully we managed to avoid any mishaps.”

“We are currently looking into coming back out to Spain over the next few weeks to get some more track time. It really depends on the weather, but we may just end up going somewhere in the UK. It would be good to get some more time on the bike before the official BSB tests at Brands Hatch and Snetterton 300 in April.”

Sam Farrington

Last season saw Fitzpatrick make the switch from the British Supersport Championship to the Evo class with some early success. After scoring a fine third place finish at Thruxton, Fitzpatrick struggled to get the most out of a package hampered by technical difficulties.

2011 sees the Evo regulations altered, particularly in regard to the clutch and gearbox changes which are permitted, and it is widely regarded that this will greatly benefit the Honda.

“We are really looking forward to this year. As a team, we learnt so much in 2010 and as a result have changed a lot on the bike in addition to how the team is going to work in 2011. We have Pete Clifford coming to run the team leaving me to concentrate on the riding. Pete came and worked with us at Silverstone last year and gelled with everyone in the garage.”

“We always knew it would be tough last year to make the step up from the Supersport class, and it certainly proved to be challenging. With all the knowledge and experience that both myself and the team gained, we are aiming to make a big improvement this year.”

“It’s fantastic that all of my sponsors have agreed to continue in their support again for 2011. We have decided to stick with a very similar package to last season, and will be on the Honda Fireblade again. Fortunately there have been some rule changes for next year, which should definitely resolve some of the issues we were experiencing previously.”

“Things are progressing well at the moment, we just have a few things to sort out before we head to Spain for some pre season testing. I can’t wait for it all get under way at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend”

Sam Farrington