WSBK and MotoGP tests at Misano J2 at midday. Rea: “We had to reduce the grip of our bike”

While Ducati, Aprilia, KTM and Suzuki have almost completed their testing with their MotoGP machines, Kawasaki and Ducati were carrying out their second and final day of testing, with the factory teams of these two manufacturers and the Ducati satellite teams, as well as a few invited friends in Supersport and improved road bikes.

The start of these tests on Italian soil satisfied the two official Kawasaki riders. So Jonathan Rhea believed that “the first day (Wednesday) was very productive and valuable because we were in no rush to test and I was able to do a lot of laps and check a lot of settings. After the long health break, I was not very happy with the normal setup of the base bike yesterday morning. The Misano circuit has been resurfaced and the grip level is very high – abnormally high – which means we have had to reduce the grip on our bike to make it a little softer. I crashed in the morning and was able to get going again quite quickly. For that first day, I felt satisfied, but we still had work to do to be comfortable. »

Among the Reds, according to Scott Redding, “I had a good feeling on the bike and I felt very comfortable overall. On Tuesday we only did a short ride and we didn't work too much on the bike. On Wednesday we tested some parts and everything went very well, especially in the hot weather. We worked a lot during the lunch hour as it is important to be competitive in warm weather – the rest of this season's races will probably take place in similar conditions. This Thursday we are going to try a few more things. »

To alex lowes, “We had a great day and it was great to get back on the bike. Obviously, it took me a few laps on Wednesday morning just to get the feeling back and get my brain working again. There were a couple of things I wanted to try that we had considered at Phillip Island. We managed to get into a good enough rhythm this Wednesday to be able to try them and we had a good direction for this Thursday. I did my best lap of the first day during a long run, at the hottest time of the day, so I'm really happy with that. I've done 84 laps and I'm ready for another good day today. »

According to Chaz Davies, “We were able to make some interesting modifications to the bike, which made me feel comfortable. After 20 laps with a single set of tires, I was able to do the same times as at the start of the run. It was frustrating, but at least with used tires I feel fast, that's very important. The bike is fantastic, I just need to improve my performance with new tires. »

Participants in the Misano Superbike tests:

Kawasaki: Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes

Aruba.it Ducati: Scott Redding, Chaz Davies

Barni Ducati: Leon Camier

Go Eleven Ducati: Michael Rinaldi

Brixx Ducati: Sylvain Barrier

Motocorsa Ducati: Leandro Mercado

Results of the first day of SBK testing:

1. Scott Redding (Aruba.It Racing – Ducati) 1’33.957

2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Goeleven) 1'34.043

3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1'34.381

4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1'34.745

5. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’34.900

6. Leandro Mercado (Motocorsa Racing) 1'35.183

7. Leon Camier (Barni Ducati) 1'35.773

8. Sylvain Barrier (Brixx Ducati) 1'37.0

Reference times:

Test record: 1'33.640 by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) in 2018

Lap record: 1'34.720 1 by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) in 2015

On this morning of the second day, we were particularly following Michael Ruben Rinaldi who had set the second time the day before in 1'34.043, 0.08 behind leader Scott Redding. It was all the more interesting as Rinaldi had achieved his best time (seventh) in 1'35.226 last year in Misano. He finished fifth in Race 2 ahead of Sykes, Davies and Pirro. He was racing on a Ducati from the Barni team, while this year he is entered by Team Goeleven, which is in fact Ducati's junior team.

On the morning of the last day, Aprilia and Ducati, who had completed most of their MotoGP tests, gave their riders a break to thank them for their long work in full sun, and Aleix Espargaró took the opportunity to achieve his best performance, faster than Michele Pirro by 0.106.

Result of the third day (Thursday) at midday in MotoGP:

1 – Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) 1’32.932

2 – Michele Pirro (Ducati) 1’33.038

3 – Bradley Smith (Aprilia) 1’33.768

Results of the second day (Thursday) at midday in Superbike:

1- Scott Redding (Ducati) 1'33.675

2 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’33.854

3 – Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Ducati) 1’34.269

4 – Chaz Davies (Ducati) 1'34.381

5 – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki) 1’34.519

6 – Tati Mercado (Ducati) 1’35.421

7 – Leon Camier (Ducati) 1’36.759

8 – Sylvain Barrier (Ducati) 1’37.675

Max Biaggi was also visiting Misano, with theAprilia RSV4 1100 with which he has just turned in 1'52 at Mugello. It continues its development here, because this bike will compete this year in the CIV (Italian championship) in the Superbike category, before perhaps one day being approved in the World Championship. This is why it will be interesting to compare his times to those of the other Superbikes present today.

It is with 500 rpm less than the 1000 cm3 (14 for the first, 300 for the second) that the RSV14 800 Factory was approved for the “Campionato Italiano Velocità”, with 4 kg more (1100 against 7). From 177, competitors will have to use a single Motec electronic box for all, as in British Superbike and MotoAmerica.

Max Biaggi today in Misano (photo © thanks to GPOne.com)

As for the Supersport category, only the teams from the Supersport World Championship Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha were present for this last day of testing with the leader of the World Championship Andrea Locatelli, and MV Agusta Reparto Corse with the World Champion Randy Krummenacher, Raffaele de Rosa and Federico Fuligni.

For current World Championship leader Andrea Locatelli, “Going to race in Jerez and then immediately after in Portimão* is very important for us, and for me too, because I haven't spent much time on the bike. It's important to me because I've only ridden at Phillip Island. »

*Jerez, first world race, August 1 and 2, then Portimão, second event, August 8 and 9.

“I want to be better and I want to win, keep doing it because it’s important,” said the rookie. “It's definitely difficult, because in Jerez I know the track, but in Portimão I don't know it very well. I only rode there two days in January, but the route is very complicated, like a roller coaster. It's essential to go quickly in Jerez, and also in Aragón, because I know the slopes there. Maybe in Portimão it will be a little more difficult, but nothing is impossible. »

 

Reference times:

Test record: 1'37.482 by Jules Cluzel on MV Agusta in 2005

Lap record: 1'38.193 by Sandro Cortese on Yamaha Kallio Racing in 2018

Photos © Worldsbk.com / Dorna, Ducati, Kawasaki, and GPOne.com for Biaggi's photo