‘Excited to be back’ – Kent and McAMS Racing focused on Donington Test
The newly named McAMS Racing by Mar-Train Bennetts British Superbike team are ready and waiting to gear up ahead of the first official test of the year at Donington Park.
Under the new title sponsor of McAMS, Mar-Train Racing are eager to get back on the track over three months after their winter test at Almeria last December.
It’s not just a new name for the family-run Mar-Train squad for 2024 with the addition of McAMS as title sponsor, but a new rider in the shape of 2015 Moto3 Grand Prix World Champion Danny Kent. While the R1 is new to Kent, he enters his fourth season in BSB after his strongest campaign yet saw him as a regular podium contender in 2023.
Kent got his first taste of the R1 in the Sunflower Trophy races at Bishopscourt last October where he took a brace of podiums before a further test at Almeria in December. Now, after a long break away from the saddle, he is eager to return and is feeling optimistic for the upcoming two days of track action at the Leicestershire-based circuit.
Donington Park has been one of Yamaha’s strongest venues on the Bennetts British Superbike calendar in recent years, with the R1 dominating both rounds at the Leicestershire circuit last year winning all six races.
The first official test of 2024 comes just one week prior to the team heading out to the Circuito De Navarra in Spain for a further two days of testing ahead of the long-awaited season opener.
Round 1 will see the Bennetts British Superbike championship return to overseas racing for the first time since 2019, with the Spanish circuit set to host a two-day weekend from April 20-21.
Danny Kent
Rider
“I’m really excited to get back aboard the McAMS Racing by Mar-Train Yamaha R1 at the Donington Park test. It’s a track that I really enjoy, and one that the R1 has worked well at over previous years, so I’m looking forward to seeing what steps we can make. It’s been a long break since the winter test at Almeria, where I had a productive first outing on the R1 and settled into the team really well. A lot of work has gone in behind the scenes since then, to get everything ready in time for the start of the season. With a good amount of track time this weekend, we’re confident that we’ll be able to make some more steps with the bike, ready to hit the ground running when we get to Navarra.”
Tim Martin
Team Principal
“The Donington test looks like it’s going to be a cold one. We’ve got nothing to prove and we’re not going out looking for lap times. If the weather conditions allow us to put some laps together then that’s what we’ll do. But there’ll be no pressure to jump on the bike and get out on track in any condition. It’s a two-day test so hopefully, during that time, we’ll get a weather window to be able to do some race simulations with the new bike. It’s a very short amount of time between the Donington test and Round 1 in Spain, where the real show begins. The amount of work that has gone on in preparation for this year has been truly breathtaking. We’re excited for the season to start and want to do a good job for all the sponsors that are supporting us. Crucially, our main aim for the season is to keep improving, getting stronger as the season goes on.”
