2013 TECH BRIEF
“The goal is always not to overwhelm the rider with too much power, however much power that might be at any given time at any given track,” says Zaid Saleemi, tuner for Alex Welsh’s AW7R Racing Suzuki Superbike program.
Motorrad S1000RRs. “Jodi and I have worked together for a
while, we understand each other well, and he is very intuitive,” reflects Sharrard. “We can usually get things sorted out fairly quickly. Now the challenge isn’t just to maintain our title in Sport Bike, but to han- dle our development goals in the same manner moving to our first full year with the Superbike. “It helps that the Honda is a joy to work
on, and the CBR1000RR has a wide setup window, you can be a little off and it still works well. But as you add 35 or 40 horse- power, you have to be sure to dot your i’s and cross your t’s! “Jodi isn’t inclined to ride around a prob-
lem, he wants to find solutions, work toward a bike that really handles. We debrief, we target areas of concern, we prioritize, and then we work to cover as many items on our list as we can.
“Jodi doesn’t have any one thing we have
to nail in order for him to be fast. In terms of preferences, he is a guy who likes a lot of corner speed, and he needs to work his rid- ing style in a way that makes the most of the grip available. On any given day, he might need to adapt to a modified style of riding to get the most from our bike.” Former Pro Sharrard has ridden on
track with Christie, and knows the strengths of his charge. “This is going to be a great development
year for our whole team,” continues Shar- rard. “The data acquisition will show us a lot, and all the teams are starting to make the most of the electronics. “When I worked with Kawasaki in 2005,
we were gathering data with Tom Kipp and Matt McBride, it was cutting edge. We learned that there were different areas to focus on, depending on the rider. There is still lots to learn, and first you have to be comfortable using all the tools we now have at our disposal, tuning the engine, working on the chassis and evaluating the whole package at the track, so you can move for- ward each session.” Sharrard also looks beyond 2013 and the
Every track presents its own challenges, from the high speeds of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to the tight layout of Shannonville and the technical layout of Atlantic Motorsport Park in Nova Scotia.
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current program, considering a path for Christie that could lead to U.S. or World Championship events. All the top teams, tuners and riders, are aiming toward a 2013 Mopar National crown to allow them to fur- ther their racing ambitions.
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