Quick start for Light Speed Racing

Starting off their campaign to regain the FIM-E Pro Stock Bike crown, Bertrand Maurice and the Light Speed Suzuki team managed to pick up a series of positives from the truncated Main Event at Santa Pod recently.

“We’ve kicked off the first round on a very positive note, being first by a single point in the championship, with the rebuilt 1850cc 2-valve V&H engine and a freshly redone top end we completed last year.

At the Main Event we finally solved an issue that has been following us for several years, where we had a 50/50 chance of getting a good launch on each run while still experimenting with the settings. Winter gave us time to reflect, and after studying the data, we tested two different solutions during qualifying. We thought the problem was solved as early as Q1, but [an aborted run] Q2 showed us it wasn’t quite there yet.

However, the second test proved successful in Q3 and was confirmed again in Q4 and E1, as shown by our excellent launches (60ft: 1.06 and 1.07). We were getting closer to our personal best, but the wind held us back from performing better this weekend, just as the rain stopped us from aiming for the perfect weekend.

A big thank you to all the Santa Pod staff and the FIM-E team, who do an amazing job allowing us to race under the best conditions.”

With the stumbles off the line now hopefully behind them, the French team will be looking to continue in a positive vein when the FIM-E championship resumes in Sweden later in the summer.

Text and photos: Ivan Sansom & Rose Hughes