Capirossi impressed by Arena layout
Loris Capirossi has given Silverstone's new grand prix circuit a thumbs-up after the Suzuki MotoGP ace tried out the new Arena layout this week
Capirossi and his team-mate Alvaro Bautista both completed a handful of laps of the revised circuit on GSXR-1000 Superbikes, six weeks ahead of the British Grand Prix, which will be held at the circuit.
"It's quite impressive," the 37-year-old Italian told AUTOSPORT. "The layout is quite nice for sure and for MotoGP it's a quick track, maybe one of the fastest I've ever seen.
"The esses [Maggotts/Becketts/Chapel] is very nice, very nice, and very fast. You can get a good rhythm there I think, and the next corner after the long straight too.
"There are a couple of corners in the new part though that are really tight for this bike, and will be even tighter on a MotoGP bike because we'll brake later even. The right is tight, the left is really tight, but the rest of the circuit is really great."
The former 125 and 250cc world champion was critical of the bumpiness of the circuit, however.
"For sure that's the worst part. Around the last corner before the pits [Woodcote], it's particularly bad, because it's a really old type of tarmac and today the circuit is very dusty and the weather conditions means there is not too much grip," he added.
"The first corner [Copse] is bumpy too, but the last one is definitely the worst, although at least they've taken out the stupid chicane that used to be there. I saw a Superbike race where they used it, and the quick corner looks much better."
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