Though the final day of testing at Aragon for the World Superbike teams took place under sunny skies, an oil spill and a strong headwind down the back straight made improving times difficult. The test ended with Tom Sykes as fastest, finishing ahead of 2012 World Champion Max Biaggi by two tenths of a second. Leon Camier set the third fastest time on the Fixi Crescent Suzuki, though matched by Biaggi's Aprilia teammate Eugene Laverty.
The oil spill was caused by Carlos Checa's Ducati Panigale, which locked up on the front straight and dumped a lot of oil onto the track. The riders lost a lot of testing time while the track was cleaned, and by the time the circuit workers were finished the wind had picked up, making it difficult for riders to improve their time.
Kawasaki's Sykes finished the three-day test as fastest overall, with Biaggi in 2nd and Camier in 3rd. The introduction of the 17-inch wheels has failed to slow the bikes, with times easily faster than the fastest race laps set here during the race weekend at July. Sykes set his fastest times on race tires, the bike and the new wheels clearly demonstrating their combined potential.
The teams now head home, but only for a few weeks. The World Superbike off-season is due to culminate in a joint test for all of the teams at Jerez at the end of November.
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