WSBK, Misano Tests, J2: Despite the humidity, Loris Baz progressed

After an essentially wet first day, the weather was no better for Thursday, with intermittent rain and a track that was never really dry for this final day of testing at the Marco Simoncelli Circuit. Despite this handicap, the teams managed to prepare for the races on June 22 and 23 in Misano, to test new parts (possibly for 2020) and to evaluate the four new tires offered by Pirelli.

Without official timing, it was not easy to navigate the numbers announced by the teams. So Wednesday, the time of Johnny Rea was changed after Yamaha announced the fastest lap in 1'35.7 for Alex Lowes, and Rea moved ahead in the evening in 1'35.5. Ducati resolved the problem by not announcing any time for Alvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies. Others preferred not to ride on Wednesday, like Honda driver Ryuichi Kiyonari, the Japanese complaining of broken ribs and hand pain following a fall during preparatory practice for the Suzuka 8 Hours.

Progress for Loris Baz

Loris Baz had turned in 1'36.9 on Wednesday, and on Thursday in 1'36.6 (despite two falls), a completely honest time for a rider who was discovering a new bike in tricky circumstances. “The last two hours the track was partly dry, but still half wet, Baz said. The track was getting better, but it was never completely dry ". This allowed the Savoyard to compare his new R1 favorably to the S 1000 RR which he had last year: “ The Yamaha is a racing machine, Loris explained. With the BMW we had difficulties last year because it was too close to the production bike. The Yamaha works like a racing machine, electronics, traction control, everything. That's the biggest difference. You can immediately see how much work Yamaha has put into this bike over the last few years, it has a lot of potential. It's no longer like back then when the bike was new, today it no longer has any faults ". What is his potential compared to Álvaro Bautista and his Ducati V4 R? “Yamaha has closed the gap on him, but there is still a lot to do. We must not forget that he is a very fast driver. It won't be easy to catch up with Ducati. They have a very powerful machine, but also a great rider – their package is extremely good. What is the Yamaha really worth? I can't say at the moment because I'm not on the bike at the limit. My times were OK, but I didn't push because I need to get familiar with the bike first and get my feeling back. The last time I sat on a motorcycle was in October in Qatar ».

If Loris moves from BMW to Yamaha, his team Ten Kate leaves the CBR1000RR for the YZF-R1. “ Our team is comprised exclusively of Ten-Kate staff members. If we have any questions, people from Yamaha help us » said team principal, Kervin Bos, to Speedweek. com. “ We have enough experience to know what we want. The biggest difference for us is that we can now actually talk to the builder. If we have any questions or suggestions, the manufacturer helps us. In the past, we were always alone. It is a pleasure for us that Yamaha can help us. They not only provide us with a complete package, but can also answer questions – that helps a lot ". Yamaha uses Magneti Marelli electronics, as has been the case since April 2018 on the Honda. “ We have also gained a lot of experience with Cosworth » underlined the Dutchman. “ Ultimately, it depends on how the strategies work. If an electronics engineer has used two or three different systems, they are more likely to adapt to a new situation and know very quickly which areas need improvement. Yamaha works with Magneti Marelli and 2D, and of course if you already have experience with Magneti Marelli it's helpful. »

Bautista falls, but stays with Ducati in SBK

“Sorry, but we do not communicate times, said Ducati spokesperson Julian Thomas. But I can tell you that Álvaro Bautista rode fast, until he crashed on the thirteenth lap, just before the end. Chaz Davies wasn't feeling great, but the conditions weren't ideal. In the morning the track was still wet, there was little sun and the surface was dirty in some places ». Alvaro Bautista have nothing to worry about next year. According to Paolo ciabatti, sporting director of Ducati, quoted by worldsbk.com, who are " The idea is to continue with Álvaro as long as he wants to do it with us. We will start thinking about the riders of our Superbike and MotoGP teams after Mugello and Montmeló. But it is clear that with what he has achieved in Superbike, Álvaro plays an important role. “It wouldn’t make sense not to continue with him in this category, and there’s no reason not to.” His teammate will again be Chaz Davies whose contract expires at the end of 2020.

In addition to the falls of Bautista and Baz, there were also those of Leon Haslam (twice), Markus Reiterberger, Tom Sykes, Michael van der Mark and Chaz Davies. Bautista completely destroyed his Ducati in his accident and it was Jonathan Rea who offered him a place on the back of his bike to bring him back to the pit lane.

Johnny Rea rather satisfied

Jonathan Rea declared this Thursday evening: “ We accomplished a lot this Thursday. I was in bed until lunchtime yesterday because I had the flu, but I felt a little better this morning. So the morning humidity every day kind of helped me. We worked on a different balance and weight distribution, as well as some Pirelli tires. We tested different front fork settings but the biggest thing we did was change my position on the bike. At the end of the afternoon, I had a very positive feeling. This test was the perfect opportunity to do this sort of thing because these big changes can't really be tested during race weekends. It was a very positive test and that makes me happy ».

Reiterberger in difficulty

At BMW, Markus Reiterberger was not very dashing: “ I had the same problems as at Imola. Due to the weather you can't really tell what it is. The others were partly faster, so we have to continue working. It's a shame we couldn't use both days because on a race weekend you don't make big developments. But I need a big improvement and we need to do it in a test. I'm more than a second behind Tom (Sykes), we absolutely have to find a solution ».

Mercado returns to Jerez, but not Camier

With Leandro “Tati” Mercado injured and withdrawn, the Orelac Racing VerdNatura team replaced him with Héctor Barbera in Assen and Imola (18th and 16th in the Netherlands, 13th in Race 1 and 14th in Race 2 in Italy). “ My hand is feeling much better, and it has regained much of its strength, explained Mercado. We're still working on improving his mobility, but I'm doing rehabilitation every day, and there's still a week until the Jerez race. I am convinced that I will be in even better shape for the weekend ". On the Honda side, Yuki Takahashi will replace Leon Camier at Jerez.

Chris Vermeulen explains the Honda malaise

Due to the package of Leon Camier (injured a shoulder ligament), for the Misano test, the Moriwaki Althea Honda team lined up Xavi Fores who races in BSB for Honda Racing and Yuki Takahashi who competes in the All Japan Championship, as well as Ryuichi Kiyonari by Moriwaki Althea Honda. Honda is currently in a difficult situation in World Superbike, as estimated Chris Vermeulen, Supersport World Champion with Honda and Ten Kate in 2003, then Vice-Champion in Superbike in 2005 with the same team, behind his compatriot Troy Corser on Suzuki Alstare. “ When I heard that Honda was parting ways with Ten Kate, it was a surprise » Vermeulen told Speedweek. com. " But not in light of the results. Whatever the reasons, I don't think it's Ten Kate's fault. You always have to look at the bigger picture, but for a long time no good results were achieved. Since Toseland (in 2007), no Honda rider has won the title. Even though Rea finished third in 2014, he then went to Kawasaki and won race after race.”

“The details make the difference, they are also the ones that are expensive “, explains Vermeulen. “ Swingarm improvements and tricks to make this or that adjustable or more comfortable for the rider take time, money and work. HRC is the biggest company in motorcycle racing, they can do it right. The current bike is underdeveloped and not perfectly suited to Pirelli tires.” Especially since according to the SBK races of the All-Japan Road Race Championship in Sugo last Sunday, the factory Honda is not doing that bad if we are to believe the rankings:

1. Takumi Takahashi, (Honda CBR1000RR SP2)
2. Katsuyuki Nakasuga, (Yamaha YZF-R1), at 6.828
3. Kohta Nozane, (Yamaha YZF-R1), at 7.173
4. Ryo Mizuno, (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), at 25.946
5. Kazuma Watanabe, (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR), at 26.142
6. Yukio Kagayama, (Suzuki GSX-R1000L9), at 30.560

Race 2:

1. Takumi Takahashi, (Honda CBR1000RR SP2)
2. Katsuyuki Nakasuga, (Yamaha YZF-R1), at 3.340
3. Kohta Nozane, (Yamaha YZF-R1), at 6.769
4. Ryo Mizuno, (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), at 22.515
5. Kazuma Watanabe, (Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR), at 22.585
6. Kazuki Watanabe, (Suzuki GSX-R1000L9), at 22.675

 

Results of the second day of WSBK testing in Misano:

1.Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki, 1'34.9

2.Michael van der Mark, Yamaha, 1'35.1

3.Alex Lowes, Yamaha, 1'35.2

4.Sandro Cortese, Yamaha, 1' 35.4

5.Leon Haslam, Kawasaki, 1'35.8

6.Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1'35.8

7.Tom Sykes, BMW, 1'35.9

8. Loris Baz, Yamaha, 1'36.6

9.Markus Reiterberger, BMW, 1'36.7

10.Javier Fores, Honda, 1'36.8

11.Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1'38.5

Reference times:

Test record: 1'33.640 by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) in 2018

Lap record: 1'34.720 by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) in 2015

Video: Loris in Misano

Video: Michael van der Mark this Thursday in Misano on board camera:

Video: “Kawasaki Racing Team 2019: Ganbarou! Let’s do our best!”

Video: Round 3 of the MFJ Superbike JSB1000 Japan Championship, Race 2 at Sugo, illustrating the paragraph “ Chris Vermeulen explains the Honda malaise ":

Photos © worldsbk.com, manufacturers and teams