Haslam: Miller will show BMW progress

Leon Haslam says this weekend's Miller Motorsports Park round will be a measure of how far BMW have come in the last twelve months as he looks to continue the manufacturer's strong run of form. Despite the wholly unsatisfying outcome of his weekend at Donington Park, where victory was scuppered by a last corner skirmish with team-mate Marco Melandri and Honda's Jonathan Rea, Haslam has otherwise shown encouraging form on the S1000RR this season. Together with Melandri breaking BMW's WSBK victory duck at Donington Park, Haslam is keen to see how the bike performs at Miller Motorsports Park having struggled for form there in 2011. Indeed, having managed just an eighth and 13th place finish last season, Haslam is hoping a strong weekend will be indicative of the rapid gains made by the manufacturer in recent months. “Every weekend now we have been challenging for podiums and have been really close to the win, so we want to do the same in the USA. Last year, it was one of our worst race weekends and I am interested to see how the RR works this year with all the improvements we have made. “One problem last year was that the conditions were changing so frequently, so it was not easy to find a fast set-up. We have been watching the forecast for this weekend. The weather looks like being good with temperatures possibly reaching as high as 30 degrees. So hopefully we are going to have some sun. “The circuit at Miller Motorsports Park is a mixture of many different things. For whatever reason, Carlos Checa's way of riding seems to suit this track. But I have finished second there before, so we know we can be strong.”