Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the fastest rider over the course of the two-day test at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, setting the quickest time on both days. On the second day, the Australian put in a lap that was under than the pole time from the recent Prometeon Spanish Round to claim top spot and, speaking after the day’s action concluded, the #87 revealed that “there was a bit more I could’ve done” despite being almost three tenths clear.
On the opening day of action, the 2021 Moto2™ Champion set a 1’39.837s to claim top spot but he improved on this massively on day two. Using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, Gardner put in a barnstorming lap of 1’38.448s to finish in P1, almost three tenths clear of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The Yamaha rider’s time would’ve put him on pole position at Jerez last weekend by two tenths, to show how rapid his speed was during the test.
Despite his strong pace, Gardner believed there was more to come from him after a few mistakes on his fastest lap cost him time. Despite this, it continued his run of strong form over after enjoying one of his best weekends of his rookie season at Jerez. He was P4 in Race 2, equalling his best result, as he ended 2023 on a high.
Looking back on the test, Gardner said: “It’s been a positive test. The pace has been really good over the two days, with the race tyre and obviously today, at the end, we put in two SCQs and did a really great lap time. There was a little bit more I could’ve done. I made a few mistakes on that lap but quite happy with the two days went. It wasn’t a perfect lap, but it wasn’t bad. More than the lap, I’m happy with the improvements we’ve made over the two days with what Yamaha have brought.”
Yamaha lost Toprak Razgatlioglu for 2024 but replaced one Champion with another as Jonathan Rea joined the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK team. Although not in the same team, Gardner was keen to learn from the six-time Champion as well as see what the Northern Irishman can bring to the manufacturer, as they look to win back the title they last won in 2021.
Discussing Rea’s arrival, Gardner said: “Jonny surprised me with how fast he got on with the bike. That shows the experience he has. I’m really excited to see what Jonny can bring to the table and help develop the bike, and also for me to learn off Jonny. With so much experience, you can always learn something. Really great to have Jonny with Yamaha.”
Catch up on all the day two action HERE and watch interviews and highlights from the test using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Police motor school orthodoxy says to use all four fingers when braking and to not cover the lever while riding. Is that the best approach? (Sumo glove from Lee Parks Design. Vario brake lever from Wunderlich America. Photos by Kevin Wing.)
Covering the front brake is a big no-no at most police motor schools across the country. By this, I mean resting any number of your fingers on the front brake lever when not actuating the front brake. Instead, instructors teach riders to keep all fingers on the throttle until you need the brakes, then all fingers on the brake lever. Having been exposed to lots of motorcycle riding disciplines over the last 40 years, I was always curious where this idea originated, as it seems odd not to have all my tools at the ready while riding.
I’ve heard different reasons from motor instructors over the years as to why covering the front brake leads students to eternal damnation. Here are a few:
Heavy police motorcycles require the strength of all four fingers to effectively slow down during an emergency stop.
Motor officers will panic and tense up in an emergency, inadvertently jerking the fingers covering the brake lever and causing a crash.
If you don’t have all four fingers squeezing the brake lever during a collision, the remaining fingers around the throttle could get pinned between the lever and the throttle, causing them to get crushed or severed.
To find a definitive answer, I decided to confer with my old pal Russell Groover out in Florida. A former motor officer and longtime instructor, Russell was instrumental in the creation of the first Basic Motor School used by the Tampa Police Department and later adopted by most agencies in the Southeast in the 1950s. As a youth, Russell grew up racing scrambles and competing in regional hillclimbs, and he was considered a sand specialist in his day, racing enduros down Daytona Beach on his military surplus 1942 Harley-Davidson 45ci. Yep, Russell is a genuine American bad-ass, and if I’m honest, it surprises me that he still takes my calls. But I digress. What did the Oracle tell me?
“Well, Quinn, keep in mind bikes back then had clutches on the floor, shifters on the tank, and front brakes on the left side of the bars, so we were busy just getting through a work shift. All these bikes had basic cable drum brakes, and at best, they were lousy if you had them set up perfectly and the roads were dry. It wasn’t unusual to snap a brake lever pulling so damn hard trying to get the bike to slow down.”
When I brought up the idea of covering the front brake with a few fingers in preparation for emergency braking, Russell just laughed and explained that it wasn’t even a consideration in anybody’s mind back then because even four fingers weren’t enough.
Adjust lever
Pulled lever should not touch fingers
My takeaway is this: A poor braking system demanded far more work (and more fingers) from the rider back then, so they instructed motor officers to access every bit of braking power they could muster, and the training manual reflected it. It makes sense given the antiquated systems they had at the time, but that was 1955. Unfortunately, even with the adoption of hydraulic disc brakes and riders no longer experiencing white-knuckle pulls trying to stop, motor programs have yet to update curriculums, as if we’re still living in the past.
Let’s pretend we’re in the future…say, 2023. You have a motorcycle with big brake rotors, powerful hydraulic calipers, and ABS. We’ll call this system “Brembo.” I know it’s crazy, but we’re talking about the future, so just go with me here. Let’s also assume that you always cover the front brake while riding your motorcycle.
Are these futuristic brakes strong enough to stop you with less than four fingers? Check.
By covering the front brake, are you minimizing your reaction time in an emergency due to your finger(s) being staged for rapid deployment? Check.
Will this enable you to perform smooth trail braking, creating a far more stable chassis during cornering? Check.
Will you now be able to smoothly overlap your controls transitioning from throttle to brakes, further stabilizing the motorcycle and generating better overall traction? Again, check.
If I haven’t been clear, let me come out and say it: I am a huge proponent of covering the front brake in all riding situations, on pavement and in the dirt. And dammit, if it were up to me, I would allow anybody in your riding group to smack your hand with a heavy ruler every time you failed to do it.
I cover the front brake with my index finger alone and have all-day comfort, dexterity, leverage, and enough force to handle any situation, from gentle slowing to threshold braking. And if you’re wondering, my one finger provides enough pulling power on the lever to brake hard enough for my BMW 1250 RT-P’s ABS to kick in, rain or shine.
Here’s the thing: Motorcycle riding takes loads of coordination, skill, concentration, practice, more practice, good judgment, and maybe even a dash of psychic ability. If you think that by covering the front brake, any unexpected event will overwhelm your senses and cause you to go “condition black,” blindly grabbing a handful of brakes and crashing in a panic, I suggest you consider scrapbooking instead of motorcycling. And because I’m supportive, feel free to use the photos we took of you skipping around in the butterfly sanctuary a few weeks back.
So yes, covering the front brake it is! Great decision. And while this article is more about wrapping your head around the idea of covering the front brake than it is a how-to guide, let’s discuss a few details if you don’t currently employ this technique and want to time warp yourself back to the future.
First, let’s decide what finger(s) we will use. As I mentioned, I use only my index finger and can achieve effective and comfortable braking results on all but my old drum-equipped racebikes, on which I use only two. I recommend you let the overall strength of your braking system be your guide.
We want to make sure we have constant contact with the lever regardless of throttle position so that at any time during the manipulation of your controls, you can effectively apply the front brake. This means the lever needs to be close enough to reach when you twist the throttle, yet far enough to have adequate travel for maximum braking force. A great way to check if your lever is set in a good spot is to give it a firm squeeze and see if it “cages” the remaining fingers you have wrapped around the throttle. In other words, we don’t want the lever to touch your throttle fingers when you apply the brake.
Lastly, you need to familiarize your hand with this new way of interacting with your bike. My recommendation is to sit in your garage with your bike shut off and practice keeping your finger rested on the lever while manipulating your throttle throughout its range of travel. You should be comfortable with this in about the same amount of time it would take you to eat two large chimichangas with an ice-cold beverage. Pay attention to ensure you are manipulating your front brake at all throttle positions. If you can’t apply the brake at a moment’s notice, all is lost.
One finger on lever, throttle closed.
One finger on lever, throttle open
Once you feel comfortable with this technique in a static setting, ride your bike at slow speeds in your neighborhood or an empty parking lot, working this drill over and over. Keep focus on smooth throttle roll on and smooth front brake application.
Now that you’ve heard my pitch, I’ll make a few assurances should you choose to put on your spacesuit and give this a try. I promise you a greatly increased sense of security, knowing you are ready for an emergency stop at any moment. More critically, your overall braking distances will decrease because your reaction times will improve significantly. And I guarantee you will feel more confident about yourself as a rider the moment you start covering the front brake. Call it Quinn’s win-win-win.
After a disrupted day on Tuesday things were more of the same on Wednesday morning until around midday local time, when the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders took advantage of a drier track to complete, for the most part, around six hours of valuable running time at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was again the quickest rider as he used an SCQ tyre to full effect, while Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) put in their own impressive times on day two.
GARDNER LEADS THE WAY: #87 goes quickest again, Rea P5
Yamaha had enjoyed a strong showing at the Spanish Round last weekend and that’s continued into day two of testing. Once again, Gardner was the lead rider on the YZF-R1 machine, and the fastest of everyone. His time of a 1’38.448s was two tenths away from the all-time lap record and under Bautista’s pole time from Saturday as he led the field by 0.278s. Teammate Dominique Aegerter was in tenth place despite his strong pace on day one, with the #77 having a Turn 1 crash. It provided a small disruption to his day, but he was able to return to track action on his second bike. Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) had another fruitful day on his first appearance with Yamaha, finishing in third place and lapping in 1’39.179s with his last lap of the day as he continued adjusting to the R1. Brad Ray (GMT94 Yamaha) had a quietly strong day as he finished inside the top ten, setting a best time of 1’40.007s and lapping the Jerez venue 59 times. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was second in the WorldSSP field, joining Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and finishing six tenths back.
Bulega was one of the stars on Wednesday as the #11, on only his second day as a factory Ducati rider, posted a 1’38.726s using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre. His time was only a tenth down on teammate Alvaro Bautista’s pole lap from just a few days ago. Both riders tested from 14:00 (Local Time, GMT+1) onwards to use half-a-day of their allocation. In total, Bulega completed 52 laps while Bautista, who had a focus on the 2024 ruleset, was in seventh place with a best time of 1’39.962s, which included a long run on the SCX tyres as he racked up 48 laps. Elsewhere, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was fifth on his Panigale V4 R. Lapping in 1’39.335s, the #29 had been as high as third on a couple of occasions before other riders usurped him as he completed 70 laps. ‘The Maniac’ was one of the first to take to the track in the morning but his meaningful running came in the afternoon. Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s (Motocorsa Racing) life back at an Independent Ducati continued with sixth on Wednesday as he lapped 1.359s down on Gardner’s best time, completing 69 laps. In WorldSSP, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) was the fastest of two competitors. He completed 77 laps as he set a 1’42.470s.
LOWES ON TOP AT KRT: the Brit’s inside the top four
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) continued to be the lead KRT rider at the test as he finished in fourth with a 1’39.211s. The #22 had some different rpm limits to test as the team looked to 2024, while there were also what he described as “lots of ideas” to try between now and January ’24 before it all gets pieced together. Teammate Axel Bassani was around two seconds slower than his teammate as he adjusts from the V4 R to the ZX-10RR machine, with the #47 racking up 54 laps. Between them, Lowes and Bassani completed more than 120 laps to gain important information heading into their next test.
REDDING THE FASTEST BMW: #45 leads teammate Gerloff, the American crashes
Just two BMW riders took to the track during the two-day test, with Scott Redding making his Bonovo Action BMW debut alongside new teammate Garrett Gerloff. It was the #45 who finished as the lead rider for the German manufacturer as he took tenth place with a 1’40.291s, around half-a-tenth quicker than his teammate. The #31’s day was disrupted by a crash in the final 30 minutes at Turn 3 with the bike brought back to the pits on a truck. His best time was a 1’40.334s to take 11th place. The American had hoped to work on some setup items on day two of the test following yesterday’s limited running.
MACKENZIE BRINGS UP THE FIELD: re-adapting to the WorldSBK bike
Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) continued to be Honda’s sole representative at Jerez. He completed 39 laps on Wednesday as a crash at Turn 1 – which caught out a few riders during the day – hampered his running. The #95’s best time was a 1’42.110s to take 13th place as he continued his readaptation to the CBR1000RR-R machine, having raced in WorldSSP throughout 2023.
With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship remaining at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for two days of testing, it gave some riders the chance to evaluate the new 2024 regulations. One of these was Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with the double Champion looking at next year’s rules, including adding weight to his Panigale V4 R. After Wednesday’s action had concluded, the #1 explained how his team were working with the additional weight and how it impacted him on track.
A NEW CHALLENGE: “the bike feels different especially in the fast corners”
The newly-announced rules for 2024 include a new weight system, where riders under the reference weight of 80kg have to add 50% of the difference. The reigning double Champion said previously that he would like to try the new rules, especially when it comes to weight, and he was able to start that on the second day of Jerez test. The Spaniard finished the day in seventh place after setting a best lap of 1’39.362s, 1.5s slower than Remy Gardner’s (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) fastest time, as he completed 58 laps.
Expanding on how he and Ducati worked towards the new regulations, Bautista said: “Today, we were focused on the 2024 regulations especially with the weight. We tried many solutions with the weight. Putting some weight on some areas of the bike, also trying inside the engine, and did many tests to understand how the bike’s working. It’s not easy because when the bike’s working well, if you add 7kg, the bike feels different especially in the fast corners. We made some distribution to have more data and we got that data for this winter to try to work and try to see what could be the base for starting 2024.”
WHERE THE DIFFERENCE COMES: fast corners, but anywhere else?
With the Ducati star now able to talk about the difference the additional weight makes, he spoke about the differences he felt on the Panigale V4 R compared to when he was riding without it. In his first answer, he alluded to feeling different in fast corners and he was later asked where else on track he might feel a difference, such as under acceleration, or if it makes bringing updates and changing the setup more difficult.
Discussing this, he said: “I didn’t feel a difference on acceleration, I think it’s more the inertia I feel on the fast corners. Especially here at Jerez, the fast sector, I felt it was more difficult. But on acceleration, there’s not a big difference. Also under braking, there’s maybe more inertia to stop the bike but, for me, I struggled more in the fast corners. At the moment, there are no updates from Ducati. We are focusing on this. They now have a lot of data from today and they have to analyse and play with the setup of the bike. We didn’t touch anything on the bike, just put the weight and changed the area where we put the weight. Now we have to start to think about the setup to have a better feeling with the bike.”
Catch up on all the day two action HERE and watch interviews and highlights from the Jerez test using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
