'We'll get better as season goes on', says Swaffham race boss ahead of British Superbike opener
After a winter of change, the Swaffham-based Lee Hardy Racing squad are ready to get on track for the opening round of the British Superbike Championship this weekend.
All roads lead to Silverstone for the newly rebranded Visiontrack Kawasaki squad, with the first of 33 races between now and October taking place on Saturday.
The team will head to Northamptonshire in good heart after their rider, former champion Leon Haslam, recorded the second fastest lap time in the final test session on its National circuit layout last week.
But team boss Lee Hardy believes their package will only get better as the season wears on.
He said: “We had a really good test last week. The weather was horrendous but we were still fast. I’m happy. Leon’s happy and the team are all working well together.”
But he went on: “Realistically Silverstone is going to be about coming away with a points haul.
“There’s still more to come with the bike. We’ve got an engine sitting in Italy that we need to work on.
“There’s 11 rounds to come all year. You’re not going to win the championship in the first round, but you can lose it.”
After the past two seasons were run with condensed calendars because of coronavirus, the championship has returned to a more traditional schedule for 2022, with the first three meetings taking place before the end of May.
And the team’s home meeting at Snetterton in early September is likely to be crucial as it is the last one before the Showdown series which decides the champion.
But, after the challenge of keeping the show on the road through the pandemic and securing new sponsors during the winter, Hardy is concerned that off-track issues, such as the current problems with diesel supplies, may well hit the paddock this year.
He said: “The last couple of years were hard. I can’t believe BSB got through it the way we did. We laugh and joke about it but you’re flying by the seat of your pants.
“We’re OK for race fuel, but how long is it going to be before one of these teams can’t attend a meeting because they’ve got no fuel in the race transporter?”
Away from the British paddock, it has also been confirmed that Haslam will test himself against the world’s best after securing a World Superbike Championship wildcard ride.
He is due to race for Team Pedercini Kawasaki at four events, the first of which will take place at Misano in Italy in June.
His other WSB outings will be at Donington Park and the Most circuit in the Czech Republic in July, plus Portimao in Portugal in October.
