[WSBK] Jerez J2 tests: Johnny Rea shatters Jerez record

Johnny Rea started the day well by running a time of 1'38.713 in the morning, with a lead of 1.819 over second place Alex Lowes. It was impressive compared to his personal best time the day before in 1'39.657, and especially compared to the official test record established in 1'38.960 by Marco Melandri (then on Ducati) in 2017 and which was worth that year pole position for the Italian.

Kawasaki:

Rea knowing the Jerez circuit and its characteristics well, in the morning he took advantage of an air temperature of 17°, blue sky, sun and a clean track to pass a set of qualifying tires and establish his best time during his eighteenth loop. He set the best lap in 1'38.713, which was a little slower than his 1'37.986 from last year's winter testing. For comparison, the MotoGP test record was achieved by Cal Crutchlow on May 5, 2018 for pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix in 1'37.653.

Jonathan Rhea was getting used to his Kawasaki's new engine with some lighter moving parts, resulting in more aggressiveness at high revs. For the reigning four-time World Champion, “ The bike has more stability when braking and we have more revs available. Increasing the engine speed has changed its character, which I still don't have complete confidence in. I don't know if these are exactly the specifications that will be used to start the season. In the upper engine speed range, the engine is very aggressive. There is potential, but there are pros and cons.

“The new bike definitely has more potential than this year’s. The engine has more power – which has been difficult to find – because the connecting rods are a bit lighter. We are now trying to get as much use out of the top gear as possible without the engine becoming too aggressive. I know, that's how the racing engineer's brain works! But last season our performance was reduced and we were still much faster. We had a perfect motorbike to use. What is written on paper is not always what comes out on the track ».

Leon Haslam continued to discover the subtleties of the technical regulations of the World Championship, in particular more advanced electronics than that which he used this year in British Superbike (Motec ECU for everyone, without anti-slip, anti-wheelie, nor device of departure assistance or “launch control”). The main modification in terms of driving for Leon was to straighten out quickly at the exit of the curve to be able to pass the power on the wide part of the Pirelli.

Ducati:

Alvaro Bautista had tried a qualifying tire for the first time on Monday and said the biggest improvement was stability when exiting corners. He explained that he was riding the V4 like a 250cc, trying to maintain maximum speed through the corner because he didn't really have confidence in the front. A MotoGP rider (awaiting his own tests on Wednesday and Thursday) was watching from the side of the track and thought it was interesting to see Baptist fit Pirelli tires. He noted his high passing speed and that he even used a higher gear ratio than Davies in certain corners. This informed observer believed that "you can do it with a Michelin, but with a Pirelli you can only do it when it's fresh » (editor's note: at the beginning of use).

For Alvaro, “ The Ducati Panigale V4 R is different from the Desmosedici in terms of engine, chassis and tires, but the character is similar. However, you have to ride differently, a little more smoothly. We didn't make a lot of changes, we only made small adjustments, and we just tried to do as many miles as possible to get familiar with the whole thing. I was surprised to be so fast, but don't get carried away, it's just the beginning. »

Bautista fell without seriousness during the morning in the second corner. It then calmed down, having to replace these Wednesday and Thursday Michele Pirro injured, as a test rider for Ducati in MotoGP.

According to Chaz Davies, who are " the V4 is better at braking. We are discovering the new bike step by step and, although it is still early, the start has been positive. The whole thing really has a lot of potential. I am very confident because we have a better weapon to fight with. That said, we just need time. We try to walk before we can run, because there's a lot to learn about the V4 R and it's easy to get carried away. So, I was careful. We have to find the nuances and differences with the previous bike, and put the whole experience together. »

Among the drivers present this Tuesday in Jerez we noted Alexander Valia (44 years old), winner on a Panigale V4 S of the 2018 Pan Delta Racing Series, title obtained at the Zhuhai International Circuit on behalf of the CER – Ducati Hong Kong racing team. According to Fabrizio Cazzoli (Director of Ducati China), it was the first title won by this Italian manufacturer in Superbike in this country.

Yamaha:

Marco Melandri looks comfortable in GRT Yamaha alongside the reigning Supersport World Champion Sandra Cortese. Melandri first rode a Yam in 2003 in MotoGP after becoming the youngest 250cc World Champion the previous year on an Aprilia. Melandri and Yamaha then parted ways in 3, Marco switching to a Honda Movistar from Fausto Gresini's team with which he would finish second in the championship behind Valentino Rossi, but in front of the bosses of the time like Biaggi, Hayden, Capirossi, Gibernau, etc. After 15 years of GP (from 125 to MotoGP), in 2011 he moved to Superbike, precisely with Yamaha. The Italian obtained his first podium of the year during the opening round at Phillip Island, with a first victory straight away at Donington Park. During a season dominated by an imperious Carlos Checa, Melandri managed to finish second with four victories and 15 podiums, beating the defending champion, Max Biaggi. However, the Japanese brand would temporarily abandon the championship the following year, and Melandri moved to BMW, Aprilia then Ducati. Here he is, in a way, back home.

Michael van der Mark worked on suspension, electronics and a new swingarm, but never being able to complete many consecutive laps due to his broken scaphoid in Qatar a month ago. He nonetheless produced great performances for someone who is in such a physical state.

His teammate alex lowes was testing a new fork and trying to improve grip when exiting curves using electronics and he achieved a superb second time in 1'39.377, 0.664 behind leader Johnny Rea. “ With the new fork I feel better and have a lot more confidence, we have made progress » Lowes said. “ But Kawasaki is a step ahead of us, Ducati is coming with a new bike and half a second better than us. We have to try to change the bike – not just the fairing or the fork spring.” At the Aragon test in mid-November, Yamaha used a new swingarm for the first time. “We only have one swingarm for four riders », Regretted Lowes. “ But it's not like that swingarm saves half a second. We need to improve our electronics and the swingarm so we can make progress coming out of corners where we are losing time. We are too slow compared to others. We need to find at least half a second. »

Melandri's teammate, the reigning Supersport World Champion Sandra Cortese, studiously continued his discovery of the Superbike category and the Yamaha R1. He only completed a few laps in the morning due to a technical problem. It got better in the afternoon. His Yamaha shook much more than the other three when braking, but he nevertheless achieved an eighth correct time for a rookie.

Honda: Ten Kate Racing declared bankrupt

It's the end of an era with the sporting part of the Dutch Honda dealership's business declared bankrupt. This does not concern the commercial part. “I'm disappointed for Ten Kate " concluded Jonathan Rhea, who are " because they took over from Honda when the manufacturer left the World Championship, taking charge of the development of engines, electronics with Cosworth and the chassis part. It's difficult to accept that when Honda returns, Ten Kate will be left behind. I spent many years with them and they will always have a place deep in my heart. »

Results of the two test days combined:

1-Jonathan Rea-Kawasaki ZX-10R-1:38.713

2-Alex Lowes-Yamaha YZF-R1M-1:39.377 to 0.664

3-Leon Haslam-Kawasaki ZX-10R-1:39.766 to 1.053

4-Alvaro Bautista-Ducati Panigale V4 R-1:39.845 to 1.132

5-Chaz Davies-Ducati Panigale V4 R-1:39.852 to 1.139

6-Michael van der Mark-Yamaha YZF-R1M-1:40.092 to 1.379

7-Marco Melandri-Yamaha YZF-R1M-1:40.235 to 1.522

8-Sandro Cortese-Yamaha YZF-R1M-1:40.592 to 1.879

Alessandro Valia-Ducati Panigale V4 R road version-1:44.882 to 6.169

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:

In the absence of the official Yamahas of Kallio Racing and GMT94, the MV driven by Raffaele de Rosa allowed us to get an idea of ​​the performance value of the Kawasaki. The Neapolitan set the best time in 1'43.059.

Kawasaki:

Lucas Mahias, whose day had been interrupted the day before by a fall, significantly improved his time from Monday (1'45.624) to 1'43.574 this Tuesday on his ZX-6R entered by Puccetti Racing. So more fear than harm for the 2017 World Champion who moved up the Supersport hierarchy into second final position. His new teammate Hikari Okubo ranked third in 1'43.745.

After a year on MV Agusta, Ayrton Badovini is now a Team Pedercini driver on a ZX-6R. “ I am very satisfied with this agreement », he is satisfied. “ This puts me in a position to race a competitive bike. I think we can aim high and I will do everything possible to achieve the expected results. I know the Pedercini Racing Team since I made my debut in World Superbike in 2008. I know how much involvement Lucio and the whole team put into making this team work and for me it is a motivating and happy return . »

Results of the two test days combined:

1-Raffaele De Rosa-MV Agusta F3-1:43.059

2-Lucas Mahias-Kawasaki ZX-6R-1:43.574 to 0.515

3-Hikari Okubo-Kawasaki ZX-6R-1:43.745 to 0.686

4-Ayrton Badovini-Kawasaki ZX-6R-1:45.293 to 2.234

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

alex lowes

Leon Haslam

Alvaro Bautista

Video below: A lap of the Jerez circuit with Michael van der Mark (thanks Yamaha Racing)

Photos © Alvaro Rivero for Circuito de Jerez, Yamaha, Ducati, Kawasaki