Jack Kennedy is confident his Mar-Train Yamaha Racing R1 can deliver a strong performance at this weekend's opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
The 2023 season kicks off at Silverstone, with qualifying and racing set to get under way on Saturday before another two races on Sunday.
It is a bumper Easter weekend schedule and Kennedy insists he can't wait to get going after encouraging pre-season tests in Spain and England.
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"I can't wait now. I am excited and I am just eager to get going," Kennedy said.
"I am on the best package I can have with Mar-Train Yamaha Racing. When the feeling is right I know I have the bike to be competing at the front end.
"And that's a great feeling to have; it's peace of mind. The test sessions have given me a lot more confidence going into the first round at Silverstone.
"We had a really good test in Spain and we got good mileage on the bike. I always said that's what we needed, plenty of laps under the belt.
"And the weather forecast for this weekend seems positive, unlike the recent test session at Silverstone when it was wet. So hopefully it is dry all weekend and we get as many practice laps in as possible so I am ready to race come Saturday afternoon."
Four-time British Supersport champion Kennedy admits the biggest difference in the Superbike class is the hectic schedule.
"There is so much more track time and it is a busier timetable," he added.
"Saturday is nuts with Free Practice 3, Qualifying 1 and Q2 and a race. Then on Sunday there's a warm-up and two more races. There is no end to it.
"It is a late start on Friday, but once it gets going it is non-stop until Sunday. You literally have no time, and any time you do have will be debriefing, hydrating, and refuelling."
Kennedy expects an "ultra-competitive" opening round at Silverstone, with fine margins determining whether riders will secure vital early points.
"I am under no illusions. Scoring points is no mean feat so I know how difficult it will be," the Dubliner said.
"But I know I have the best package beneath me, so there is no reason why we can't be where we need to be when everything is right.
"Silverstone is such a short lap so the lap times are always very close together. One second will probably cover the top 20.
"A tenth of a second can make a massive difference. It sounds easy, but trying to find that tenth can sometimes feel impossible."
He added: "Our target when we did the last two Superbike rounds last year was to score some points. This year I would like to be in the top 10. People might say it is quite optimistic, but you have to be ambitious.
"You have to go out there with a determination and focus and set the bar high for yourself. Once everything comes together there is no reason we can't be up there challenging."
Mar-Train Yamaha Racing Team Owner, Tim Martin, believes Kennedy and the R1 can be competitive in the Superbike class, but accepts it will be a steady learning curve in the elite class.
"We have lots to learn, and the expectation is to progress and be more competitive every time we go out. And we want to get three good finishes in the three races and score some points," he said.
"We are not dreaming of anything else at this stage. We want to show good pace in every session and be competitive, and keep improving.
"We have these longer sessions in the Superbike class to give Jack more track time which is important. Jack will find the limit on the bike, and when he does then we will see the progress and developments made with the chassis and electronics.
"We have been going in the right direction and now we have arrived to the first race. You always have a degree of apprehension, but that's not a bad thing.
"As a team we are going from one class to the next, and it's like moving from the Championship to the Premier League. We were previously going for wins, whereas now we will probably find our base level and progress from there.
"It is a completely different animal. Don't get me wrong, we are still very hungry for success. But you need a dollop of common sense.
"So we know where we stand and where we want to go, and we can't wait."
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