De Luigi Ciamburro / Corsedimoto.com
Jonathan Rea finishes first day of the Superbike Test in Aragón. The Kawasaki champion is happy with his ZX-10 RR.
One more time, Jonathan Rhea signs the best time, even if it is a simple Superbike test. At the end of the first of the two days of testing in Aragón, the Kawasaki champion leads the ranking by putting 4 tenths on the Ducati of Scott Redding, on a track which should in theory favor the Panigale V4 R. But the Northern Irishman is leaving nothing to chance and, for tomorrow, he plans to lower the time further.
P1 for @jonathanrea in Motorland Aragon Test Day 1 💪 pic.twitter.com/N3E7toBw2f
— KRT WorldSBK (@KRT_WorldSBK) August 13
He set a 1'50.466 on hot asphalt at over 50°, achieving his best lap just before 17 p.m. “We had stable conditions on the track all day, with a track temperature of 52 degrees”, said Jonathan Rhea. « I did a lot of runs of 6, 7 or 8 laps, and they were very productive. We compared different frame parts to get a better feel with the front wheel. In Portimão I had some problems with the front tire towards the end of the race. Other than that, our base setup for Portimão works quite well. I need to drive better in the last sector, especially coming out of the last corner. I understand the bike well, it speaks to me. » Jonathan Rhea also worked on tuning his Ninja ZX-10 RR for racing. Superbike will return to Aragón on the last weekend of August for the first of two races scheduled on this circuit. The champion remains quite self-critical, not yet entirely satisfied with the feeling of the bike. “ In the last few races I didn't get the feeling I would have liked with the ZX-10RR. That's why we tested a lot with the bike and also worked on my riding style. I hope the data analysis shows me the way for Friday. »
