The new look Tysers Yamaha squad have returned to Yorkshire following a double test in Spain, after putting their 2020 Yamaha YZF-R6’s through their paces at Monteblanco and Jerez, with riders Brad Jones and Rory Skinner. The team logged impressive times that put them in amongst some of the Superbike entries. The Macadam Recovery supported team, which runs out of the Colin Appleyard Motorcycles workshops, are looking to extend their winning streak to a fourth consecutive Supersport title but this time are looking to develop two talented young riders along the way. Formerly the team took the title with Keith Farmer in 2017 and Jack Kennedy in 2018 -19 on their formidably well-prepared Yamaha YZF-R6 machines.

The opening three days were spent at Monteblanco, a new circuit for both Brad and Rory, however after a spending half a day learning the track on the opening morning the pair were quickly up to speed. They then began to develop their respective machines, with Brad focusing on tyre life and working on his times with used race tyres. Teammate Rory continued to find a strong base setting onboard his machine, posting strong times along the way.
Both the West Country man and young Scottish rider notched up times quicker than some riders in the superbike class, leaving the 2.76 mile circuit full of confidence after making great leaps forwards.

Following a day of rest, the team then headed out on track at the Andalusian track of Circuito de Jerez on Sunday and Monday, with tricky damp conditions on both mornings leaving the youngsters with limited time on track. By virtue of the typical Spanish sunshine, Brad and Rory were able to venture out on track and once again improved their feelings onboard their own R6’s, with both again lapping strongly.
The machines are now being refreshed for the Official BSB at Silverstone, before round one at the British home of Formula One on Easter weekend 11-12th April.

Brad Jones said, “Overall I’m happy with what we achieved in Spain, it was great to get our first laps in on the 2020 bikes and iron out a few things. The bike now feels like what I raced last year and that is very important, the team have done a mega job in building the new bikes for this season.
Monteblanco was a strange circuit with its really rough surface which made bike set-up a little tough but we got it to a point where I could run a consistent pace and feel comfortable. For me, my main aim for testing was to focus on longer runs and understand managing the tyre a little bit more, so I feel we achieved that, which is a big tick in the box.

Jerez was a little harder for me as I had a very short amount of time to learn the circuit, it’s more technical than it looks, an amazing place nonetheless. We worked through improving the chassis and we got it to a good place, also learning how to dial out some chatter which could be crucial at some stage in the season. With more time spent on the circuit I am confident my lap time would have dropped significantly but most importantly I was satisfied with the progress we made on the bike which sets me up nicely going into the Silverstone test.
I’m really excited for the season ahead after testing and I just can’t wait to get racing.”

Rory Skinner said, “I’m really pleased with how testing went and how well we all clicked as a team so quickly. I’ve really enjoyed my four days riding the YZF-R6, it’s completely different to the Kawasaki I rode last year so to be able to jump on it and with the help of the team go so fast was mega!
We tried many different setups over the four days of riding and I feel that now we have a good base setting from which we can work from. I had one little slip off but nothing major and quickly got back up to pace after understanding what went wrong. I feel like we’re already pretty strong; so I’m really looking to round one to continue from where we left off at the official tests!”

Crew Chief Alex Smith summed up: “Both lads rode really well and logged times faster than some Superbikes which shows the level of our riders and bikes.
It was their first time at Monteblanco which is quite bumpy and hard to find a good setup. Onto Jerez, Brad had only been once before and Rory has raced there previously; meaning he could push for a fast time immediately. He managed to break into the 43’s which is a good World Supersport time. Moving on to the Silverstone test, all of our competitors will be there and I feel it will be a more even platform for everyone, so we will know exactly where we are.
Brad’s work ethic is great and Rory fits straight into our team, his set-up knowledge and understanding of the bike is impressive. It’s going to be a very interesting season!”