COWARD CONFIDENT AHEAD OF TT RETURN WITH NEW KTS RACING BMW PACKAGE
As the countdown to TT 2025 continues, Jamie Coward has expressed confidence in his new KTS Racing powered by Stanley Stewart BMW setup.
Coward and the KTS Racing team made the decision to switch to the German manufacturer over the winter months having spent the two previous years with Honda power and the two before that on a Yamaha. Coward’s last outing on a BMW was in 2018 when he rode the Penz13.com S1000RR model.
This time around, however, he’s on the M1000RR version, with the team having acquired the ex-FHO Racing machine used by Josh Brookes at last year’s TT. And although some of the pre-season testing has been disrupted by the weather, Coward has already been lapping quicker than before.
“We had seven days planned in Spain but that turned into just two and a half due to poor weather,” explained Coward. “Andalucia was almost a write off, but I got some decent track time at Calafat, and I’ve been really impressed with the BMW.
The bike’s fast but a lot easier to ride than my previous bikes although experimenting with the split throttle bodies bamboozled me a bit!”
“The whole bike suits me a lot better though. The BMW’s quite a big bike but for a bigger rider like me that’s ideal. The bike’s been developed around Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark in the World Superbike Championship and Peter (Hickman) has also had input and they’re all tall riders. The Honda was small and compact which made it difficult for me to get properly tucked in but that’s not the case with the BMW.”
Since returning to the UK, Coward has also enjoyed productive track time at Castle Combe, where Jackson Racing were also testing, and at the recent Donington Park BSB test. Like Calafat, lap times have also been favourable.
“I’ve been bettering my previous best lap times at all the circuits and that’s really good for the confidence,” said Coward.
“The BMW’s power is very user-friendly and it’s more stable in the mid-range whilst it’s similar in those aspects to my factory Triumph which is making it a lot easier to switch from one machine to another.”
“The bike was very stable over the bumps at Castle Combe and held a tight line well, so the whole package is just suiting me better. It was a similar story at Donington where I bettered my previous personal best in just the second session.”
“Everywhere we’ve gone, I’ve gone well and gone faster so I’m really looking forward to the TT now. The fact I’m feeling so comfortable on the bike is allowing me to concentrate on myself and the aim this year will be the same as previous year’s, to improve on every bike and go quicker on every bike.”
