Kawasaki Team World SBK Superbike and its rider Garrett gerloff are finalising preparations for a number of test sessions which will take place at the Angel Nieto circuit in Jerez on 22 and 23 January.
This will be the third time the American rider has tested the factory Ninja ZX-10RR at the Andalusian circuit, ahead of what will be his first Kawasaki season in the FIM Superbike World Championship, and his sixth overall.
His last test on the ZX-10RR took place at the end of November, with Gerloff setting the fourth fastest time overall. Over the course of the two days, Garrett will be able to test new parts and adjustment options and compare them with the materials and settings used on his previous outings at Jerez.
The presence of more other teams, both factory and independent, than at any other outing at the end of the 2024 season adds an extra level of interest for riders and fans alike, who are eagerly awaiting the start of the championship at the end of February.
The 2025 WorldSBK season will be the first as an official Kawasaki team for Manuel Puccetti's squad, which has now taken the name Kawasaki WorldSBK Team, which is a tangible demonstration of the Akashi manufacturer's desire to continue its official participation in WorldSBK.
Following the Jerez test, Gerloff will also ride the Ninja ZX-10RR through the ups and downs of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal on January 28-29.
The first round of the Superbike World Championship will take place at the legendary Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Australia from 21-23 February, following the traditional two days of official pre-season testing, which will take place a week earlier on 17-18 February.
Manuel Puccetti : “We are very excited to be back testing our bikes less than a month before the season opener at Phillip Island. Unfortunately the weather forecast is not the best for the first test in Jerez, but we will still try to make the most of all the sessions. We have already had the opportunity to work with Garrett Gerloff on the 2025 version of the Ninja ZX-10RR, but this time we have a lot of new parts to test and we hope to achieve this before sending the bikes to Australia.”
Garrett gerloff : “I am very excited to be back on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR which I have not ridden since the last test in Jerez in November. I am looking forward to returning to the same track as my last test to see if we can find further improvements. I am also happy and very excited about the next test in Portimao, as it will be the first time I will ride this bike on a circuit other than Jerez. I know we have a lot of room for improvement, both for me, the bike and the team, so it should be fun to officially start our 2025 season in Jerez.”
Superbike Gerloff