FOUR-TIME World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty believes his new team are making giant strides as they prepare to make their debut next season.

After testing at Almeria in Spain, the Blackburn-based team owner revealed he was content with the progress made with the all-new FP1 machine before a full season in the World Superbike Championship in 2003.

He said: "We're making progress with every test, as is expected at this stage of development. It's good that data and rider feedback is clearly highlighting our areas of strength but also specific areas requiring more consideration."

The warm and sunny climate in southern Spain provided the ideal conditions for the Foggy Petronas Racing team to work through a comprehensive set-up programme lasting two days.

Chassis analysis, ignition and engine mapping work, geometry settings and tyre evaluation -- with the support of Michelin technicians -- were the main areas of attention.

Although no lap times were released, Fogarty described the pace set by riders Troy Corser and James Haydon as "encouraging".

He said: "Considering the superbike lap record at Almeria is 1min 38.4secs, James and Troy's lap times are very encouraging given the early stage of development of the engine."

Former World Superbike champion Corser also believes the team is making significant strides towards developing a race-winning bike.

The Australian said: "I haven't ridden on the Almeria track before, so I used the first day to complete as many laps as possible to familiarise myself with the circuit.

"The whole test has been very productive because we've made some important steps forward with tyre testing and with various elements of the Foggy FP1's overall development.

"I'm also happy with the lap times I was achieving considering I was riding as you would for a test rather than pushing to the limit."

British team-mate James Haydon added: "Tyre evaluation and testing is crucial to performance, and we made excellent progress in this area at Almeria.

"We also gained a better understanding of how the engine performs through the bottom, mid and upper power ranges.

"Combining this information with chassis data we've obtained gives us a clear picture of what is required for continued development."