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New signing for Voltcom Crescent Suzuki Eugene Laverty was one of the main protagonists of the first round of the 2014 eni FIM Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island. The 27 year old Irishman delivered the team's maiden win in the series at his very first attempt, before a technical problem ruled him out in the second race.

During winter testing you were wearing leathers with a puzzle theme, have the pieces of the puzzle come together already?
"They certainly came together much sooner than I expected. Following my debut test I knew that the GSX-R had potential but there was still a lot of work to do. The progress that the team made during December and January was phenomenal."

How much did the team's first win help everyone to fully realise that you can fight for the title this year?
"It really did confirm that we are ready to fight for the title this year. We’d been strong in recent tests but nobody wanted to get too carried away because testing is one thing and racing is another. But in this case we managed to tick both boxes!"

Your stellar weekend at Phillip Island was half ruined by the technical problem you suffered in the second race. What really happened in the end to the bike? Anything new about it that the team found out?
"We’re quite certain that this exact problem won’t happen again as it was such a small issue. Unfortunately, it was very costly as we lost out on a potential twenty-five points but better now than the end of the season."

With the win in Race 1 you reached the 1000 points plateau in World Superbike, how does it feel?
"I didn’t know! That’s incredible. It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was a rookie in World Superbikes. Now I feel like a veteran of the sport!"

 Are you going to test before the second round? If yes, when and where?
"We will test in Jerez at the end of the month. We have a few important test items to go through so we’ll be hoping for dry weather to make the most of our time. Jerez was the scene of my debut test onboard the GSX-R back in November and so I’m keen to see how we’ve progressed since then."

Aragon has not been kind to you last year, but you always showed great speed there. How much are you looking forward to the next round?
"I’m really looking forward to getting back racing as the break between rounds one and two is quite bit. After Aragon we will race every fortnight all the way through until July. I’ll get to ride my bike every few weeks and that thought puts a smile on my face."

How would you describe MotorLand Aragon? Do you think your GSX-R will suit the track?
"The GSX-R chassis will work well around Aragon but we could suffer on the long straight. Honestly Aragon is one of the two circuits that I’m worried about this season. If we can podium in Aragon then I’ll be delighted."