It's not what it used to be, winter tests in Andalusia... After having to give up the first 2 days of testing scheduled for January 20 & 21 due to rain, the HRC team had reserved the Jerez track on January 27 & 28, but the weather played tricks on them again…
Thus, after having had to postpone the two days of testing planned for the 20th and 21st, the HRC team postponed its tests in Jerez de la Frontera by one week. Unfortunately, on Wednesday, the Andalusian track was still wet : Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista therefore preferred to stay at the hotel. On Thursday morning, the fog got in the way and delayed the start of practice, but at 13 p.m., Bautista and Haslam went into action, as soon as the sun appeared and the track began to dry .
Testing ended around 18 p.m., with the track completely dry. Taking into account the weather, the track conditions, and the lack of driving following the winter period, the times achieved by the WSBK drivers are honorable: Haslam clocked 1'40.9 and Bautista achieved a time of 1'41.2 . For comparison, during the round of the WSBK Championship in 2020 on the Jerez track, Rea clocked 1'40.801.
Stefan Bradl was also on track on Wednesday, in the rain, where he completed around twenty laps, with a time of 1'47.760 on a wet track. Yesterday, the track conditions were more suitable, his best time was 1'38.9.
Given that the tests took place behind closed doors, no information was leaked concerning the developments tested on the Honda CBR 1000RR-R Superbike and the RC213V prototype fielded in MotoGP, but it seems that the work of the technicians was concentrated on the chassis and electronics.
It will be recalled that the official Kawasaki team was also due to take part in these tests, but given the unfavorable weather forecast, the team remained in Barcelona in order to use wisely the 10 days of testing authorized by the regulations.
Today, if the current fog clears, the HRC Superbike team will carry out a second day of testing.
