[WSBK] Jerez J1 tests: Alvaro Bautista already 0.3 behind leader Johnny Rea

The arrival of Alvaro Bautista in Superbike at Ducati was attracting all eyes, after the Spaniard had to miss the first WSBK test session last week in Aragon, when he was preparing his last Grand Prix for the Angel Nieto Team. But this Monday also welcomed the GRT Yamaha Team now in Superbike, as well as of course the Kawasaki Racing Team, but not the recent BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, nor Honda-Moriwaki-Althea. Lucas Mahias made his debut on the Kawasaki in Supersport.

Ducati:

According to Chaz Davies, his new teammate Alvaro Bautista came at the right time: “ He's probably coming to us at the perfect time. The character of the new bike is more like a MotoGP than the V2. I expect him to be fast, very fast. The switch from Michelin to Pirelli's Superbike tires should not pose a major obstacle for Bautista. Pirelli tires are “friendly” tires. A few years ago, the Pirellis gave a vaguer feeling. Today, they are not very forgiving, but they are more precise. You are now closer to what is happening in MotoGP. You have no trouble getting used to the Pirellis. MotoGP tires are stiffer and require a few turns to work. The Pirellis are different because you can immediately attack violently with them. »

Alvaro, for his part, approached this first day of testing with caution and modesty: “ I have everything to learn: the bike (which is new), the team and the tires.” He nevertheless achieved an excellent second time in 1'39.979, 0.322 behind Jonathan Rea's best time. Chaz Davies took the third time in 1'40.202 at 0.545

On the private side, Eugene Laverty (absent here in Jerez) saw his season narrowly saved by Team Go Eleven – the team of Gianni Ramello and Denis Sacchetti – thanks apparently to a little help from Ducati in the form of a discount on the price of the Panigale, with the probable help (it's a guess) of Dorna who would have tried to stop the bleeding after the losses of Xavi Forés (left in British Superbike for Honda), Loris Baz, Jordi Torres , Lorenzo Savadori, Jake Gagne and Patrick Jacobsen. Note that Ducati and the organizer of the Championship had already joined forces in the past to help riders in difficulty, such as Sylvain Guintoli in 2012 when his team, Team Effenbert Liberty Racing, experienced problems. Pata also gave a helping hand and Sylvain won two races in these colors at Silverstone and Magny-Cours.

Kawasaki:

According to Jonathan Rhea, who achieved the best performance in 1'39.657, " We need to improve the level of basic settings a little because the new engine has more power and more potential, especially when accelerating and braking. This requires a slightly different driving style. »

For his team leader Riba pears, « the important thing is to understand the new engine of the ZX-10RR which has a different character from the previous one. It must be optimized to allow pilots to get the best out of it in relation to their personal styles. We also need to improve corner entry, while developing their new front tire for Pirelli. There are lots of things to do and lots of pieces to try. But the engine is the priority, and we must not spread ourselves too thin because in this season the weather is never guaranteed. We must strictly adhere to our priority list, that is, engine first. »

Leon Haslam, 2018 British Superbike Champion with 15 victories and 70 points ahead of second (Jake Dixon), was pleased to reunite with Rea, his Suzuka 8H teammate. Their children have played together in the paddocks since they were born. “ I am confident because we have good equipment, estimated “Pocket Rocket”, but there are five factories present so the Championship will be much more competitive than in previous years ».

Manuel Puccetti enters another Kawasaki for Toprak Razgatlioglu, absent during these tests.

Yamaha:

The great armada of R1s was brought together in testing for the first time, with Michael van der Mark et Alex Lowes for the Pata Yama Official WorldSBK Team, while Sandra Cortese et Marco Melandri officially released their new GRT Yamaha Team machines.

Marco Melandri, well aware that his place in Superbike had been narrowly saved by his manager Alberto Vergani (also President of the Nolan group), showed his motivation by being the first to set off on the track this Monday morning, despite some traces of damage. 'humidity.

Under Ducati contract until the end of December, Melandri could not estimate himself publicly, but Alex Lowes expressed the point of view of Yamaha riders by explaining that “ there are a lot more competitive bikes and riders, which is better. Some teams coming in this year can jump straight into the lead and that's positive. »

His Dutch teammate was ready to attack: “ If I wasn't aggressive, I would never have won anything ", van der Mark told Cycle World. “ But I wouldn't say I'm very aggressive. I am not afraid, I am learning to fear my opponent. It's part of the race. » Van der Mark's grandmother is from Indonesia. “ I inherited my father's talent, but I look and behave like my mother. I'm quiet and reserved until I get on my motorcycle. I can then change modes, like my mother: she is generally calm, but if she needs to be aggressive, she becomes so. It helps me run. »

Honda:

The official team bringing together Honda, HRC, Moriwaki and Althea enters for the 2019 championship Leon Camier, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Alessandro Delbianco. It was not present in Andalusia.

BMW:

Absent during these Jerez tests, the new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team now entrusts its interests to the former Shaun Muir Racing (ex-Milwaukee Aprilia in 2018) with as drivers Markus Reiterberger et Tom Sykes. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is responsible for the development of the engine, electronics, chassis and aerodynamics. All other areas are the responsibility of SMR.

After 8 seasons at Kawasaki, including a World Champion title in 2013, Tom Sykes declared himself “ very excited to join the new BMW project in the WorldSBK Championship. I believe that the partnership between BMW and Shaun Muir Racing is a fantastic opportunity, and assumes that we all share the same goals of where we want to be. »

BMW's great German hope Markus Reiterberger (2018 FIM Superstock 1000 European Champion) is not left out: “ I am very happy to stay within the BMW family, and to race for a competent and experienced team. I'm looking forward to working with my new teammate, Tom Sykes. I have a lot of respect for him; he has already been World Champion and has been one of the best for several years. However, we need to be careful not to set our expectations too high. We have a new bike and we are a new team. »

MV Agusta and Aprilia:

« Arrived and gracious ", good bye and thank you. If MV falls back on Supersport, Aprilia is now confined to Grands Prix. They are leaving the World Superbike Championship. If you are a fan of track days, there is some very nice Italian equipment for sale: 4 RSV4 ex-Laverty and Savadori (Brembo, Öhlins, Akrapovic, etc.) at 65 euros/each.

Results of the first day of testing:

1-Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1.39.657

2-Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1.39.979 +0.322

3-Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1.40.202 +0.545

4-Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1.40.296 +0.639

5-Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1.40.390 +0.733

6-Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha Team) 1.40.663 +1.006

7-Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1.41.572 +1.915

8-Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha Team) 1.41.972 +2.315

Reference times:

Test record: 1'38.960 by Marco Melandri (Ducati) in 2017

Lap record: 1'40.640 Marco Melandri (Ducati) in 2017

SUPERSPORTS:

MV Agusta:

Raffaele de Rosa does not yet have a contract for the 2019 season, but his presence in Jerez seems to indicate that the signing should not take long. With the MV Agusta, the 1000 Superstock 2016 champion believes the Supersport World Champion title is possible. This Monday he achieved the best time in the category in 1'43.303. According to de Rosa, “ Nothing has been signed for next season, but I would like to continue with MV and the team. Our negotiations are at an advanced stage. There are all the conditions to improve the results in 2019 because we will focus on Supersport. I am convinced of the technical package. The F3 drives well, the chassis is very good. With a little more power, we will be able to drive up front. »

Kawasaki:

To regain the brilliant level he experienced with Kenan Sofuoglu, the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team has decided to recruit Lucas Mahias while retaining Japanese Hikari Okubo, second this Monday in 1'45.190, at 1.887. This Monday in Jerez, Lucas carried out his very first day of testing on the ZX-6R which can be described as official, or at least solidly supported by the manufacturer. He could only complete 19 laps. Team Pedercini also supplied a Kawasaki to Ayrton Badovini, who only completed 11 laps. Absent in Jerez this Monday, Team Flemmbo enters a ZX-6R for Gaëtan Matern.

Yamaha:

There is now no longer one “official” team, but two “assisted” teams, it was decided Eric de Seynes (responsible, among other things, for the Superbike and Supersport competition). These are the Kallio and GMT94 teams, which will also be in blue livery like the two Superbike teams. Kallio extended his contract with the Belgian Loris cresson (20 years old) for one year, second place is available. Vesa Kallio sold it for 150 euros. On the GMT side, we will find alongside the young and fast Corentin Perolari (20 years old) a second driver who has still not been officially announced, but we often hear the name of Federico Caricasulo (22 years old) mentioned. The third strong, but unassisted Yamaha team is Evan Bros, who continues with the Swiss Randy Krummenacher. No R6 was present at Jerez.

Results of the first day of testing in Supersport:

1-Raffaele De Rosa-MV Agusta F3-1:43.303

2-Hikari Okubo-Kawasaki ZX-6R-1:45.215 to 1.912

3-Lucas Mahias-Kawasaki ZX-6R-1:45.624 to 2.321

4-Ayrton Badovini-Kawasaki ZX-6R-1:47.820 to 4.517

Reference times:

Test record: 1'42.969 by Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 2016

Lap record: 1'43.922 by Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) in 2017

Video: A tour of Jerez with Alex Lowes this Monday in Jerez:

Photos and videos © Alvaro Rivero for Circuito de Jerez, Yamaha, Aruba Ducati, Kawasaki Racing Team, worldsbk.com / Dorna