After the test in Jerez, the Superbike heads to Portimão. What's new will be the presence of Bassani, Ray and the MIE Honda riders.
About Matthew Bellan de Corsedimoto.com
A week after the start of Jerez, Superbike is ready to get back into action in Portugal. After the two days of testing organized in Spain, the teams and drivers will be the protagonists of new tests at Portimão Tuesday January 31 and Wednesday February 1. Each team will continue the work already started in Jerez and look for improvements in preparation for the first round of the championship at Phillip Island, set for February 24, 25 and 26. The last test will also take place in Australia on February 20 and 21 and all the drivers hope to arrive there in optimal conditions.
In Algarve, Ducati will be complete. The Aruba Racing factory team will continue development work on the new Panigale V4 R with Alvaro Bautista et Michael Ruben Rinaldi, very satisfied with the two days spent in Jerez. Feedback has been positive, particularly on the new engine. Danilo Petrucci with the Barni Spark Racing team will be able to ride the 2023 version of the bike for the first time and it will be interesting to know his feedback. Philipp Öttl (Go Eleven) had some difficulties in Spain and will want to improve. The novelty will be the presence ofAxel Bassani, who skipped the previous test with the Motocorsa team and will therefore start his year in Portugal.
Yamaha will also be complete this time. Bradley Ray was absent from Jerez with the Motoxracing team, but in the next two days the 2022 BSB champion will make his debut with the Italian team in Portimão. Even though he has already ridden the R1, the configuration used in World Superbike is different and he will therefore have to adapt. Remember that he will only participate in the European rounds.
The Pata team Yamaha with Brixx will continue testing the new features, starting with the new swingarm which gives more rear grip and improves acceleration. Toprak Razgatlioğlu said he was very satisfied and would like to make further progress. His teammate Andrea Locatelli will also be looking for improvements, just like the pair of rookies Aegerter–Gardner of the GRT team and the other rookie Lorenzo Baldassarri from the GMT94 team.
Superbike: “Uonce again absent, the Pedercini Viñales team worries in the Kawasaki clan »
At Kawasaki, the team will miss Pedercini Viñales again. It has not yet announced the driver for the 2023 WSBK season. We cannot rule out the possibility that the Mantuan team could start the championship only in Assen, skipping the first rounds in Australia and Indonesia…
In Portugal, the factory team will continue the development of the Ninja ZX-10RR with Jonathan Rhea et Alex Lowes, who in Spain tested some innovations, particularly in terms of electronics, suspension and balancing. The work of Tom Sykes is also important, as he has to adapt to Akashi's bike and will have a lot of work to do with the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team to be at the desired level. The young Czech Oliver Konig is also in action with the Orelac VerdNatura team.
Honda will be present with both the factory team and the independent MIE Racing team, which missed the previous test. In addition to the confirmed Hafiz Syahrin, there will be the newcomer Eric Granado. The Japanese HRC technicians were in the garage in Spain and will also be in Portimão. The duo Lecuona – Virgo will attempt to extract more potential from the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.
BMW will continue the development of the new M1000RR, a motorcycle which has not impressed Scott Redding in Andalusia. With Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team), Loris Baz et Garrett gerloff (Bonovo Action team) he will ride as much as possible to collect valuable data and arrive at the start of the championship with a good basic package.
Read the original article on Corsedimoto.com
Matthew Bellan
