One big story in the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The #54 made the shock move for this season and testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto was the first time Razgatlioglu was seen alongside his rivals on the BMW M 1000 RR. He showed strong pace across both days and finished fourth on Day 2, having been in the top three all day, before Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) found huge improvements on the SCQ tyre.
Every team and rider will be looking to find time, performance and outright speed before the season starts in Australia in little under a month. With the extra challenge of adapting to a new bike and a new team, it was a busy test for Razgatlioglu but the 2021 Champion was full of praise for the gains he’s been able to make across the two days as he continued getting valuable mileage under his belt as well as trying new components.
Summing up Thursday’s testing action, and explaining where he found some gains, Razgatlioglu said: “We made some big improvements, but we also lost. We tried some new parts. Sometimes they were very positive, sometimes they weren’t so good. We are working because we need to improve the bike and I need to understand it. For me, everything is new, but every lap, I am understanding the bike character more. We did a 1’38s, we saw a lot of 1’39s. It’s a very positive test today especially with the race tyre, we are very strong, but we need to learn with the SCQ tyre and change the setup for grip. We’ve improved corner entry and I’m happy with the bike. We are still working on rear grip because it’s not fantastic.”
Razgatlioglu went on to discuss where his biggest problems are with the M 1000 RR and, having made gains on corner entry, where some of the focus would be for the next test at Portimao. BMW also tried some new swingarms on the bike and Razgatlioglu didn’t reveal which one was better, with more tests set to be done on this part of the bike during next week’s test in Portugal, the final stop before everything heads to Australia for the Official Test and round at Phillip Island.
“My biggest problem is at full lean and acceleration”, started Razgatlioglu. “The acceleration is not bad, but we need to improve it. At full lean, we need more grip. We are working on this. We are not far away, if we improve the rear grip, we’ll always fight for a podium. I’m very happy that we improved corner entry and engine brake. Step by step, we will improve all problems. Swingarm differences aren’t easy to explain. Sometimes, I think it’s very good, and sometimes worse. In general, we used the new one today, but we need to ride again at Portimao with the new swingarm. I’m not sure now. I used the old swingarm for the 1’38.6s, but we tried the new swingarm in the afternoon. I’m not sure whether it improved or not because, in hot conditions, the bike completely changes. We need to see at the Portimao test.”
After revealing a neck injury was impacting him during his MotoGP™ wildcard, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was back on a bike for the first time as he assessed his physical condition and prepared for the upcoming MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign. Although he was able to put in a lot of laps, the double Champion revealed on Thursday that he still had some pain despite improvements with the injury.
Bautista finished outside the top ten on both days, and was down in P16 on Thursday, although his day did finish earlier than a lot of his competitors and he fell down the order in the closing stages. He racked up 80 laps on Thursday with a best time of 1’39.583s, only dropping further down the standings as other riders did a time attack towards the end of the test. Speaking after the Day 2 action ended, Bautista provided an update on his neck.
The Ducati star said: “After Wednesday, the thing for Thursday is that it was better physically. I felt better. Not perfect. I have some pain still when I’m riding, especially in left corners, and I’m not so comfortable but it wasn’t worse than Wednesday. It has been a bit better so that means I’m improving my physical condition. We decided to make some different setups on the bike we chose on Day 1 to see if we find some positive or negative things, like we do in a normal pre-season to make the best base possible for the beginning of the season. We tried some changes to the setup, and we decided what could be better or worse. It was positive because I could do a lot of laps, even with some pain, but the thing is I didn’t have more pain.”
With the injury came a change in his training programme, with the Spaniard unable to train properly until recently as the injury healed. Bautista had been working with his physiotherapist to help speed the healing process up as much as possible but, due to the nature of the injury, it had to heal slowly. The reigning Champion went on to explain how this impacted his training and how he’s hoping for another step with his fitness at Portimao.
Talking more about his training, Bautista added: “I couldn’t train well in November or December, I just tried to recover with the physiotherapist. With a nerve, it’s always very slow and you can’t do too much. You have to wait and not force it. I started my training at the beginning of the year, just a few weeks ago. At the moment, the plan was to check my physical condition on the bike. Fortunately, I can ride. Not perfectly, but I can. I hope to take another step at Portimao. After the Portimao test, we will see. There’s no real plan. We have to go day by day.”
2023 World Supersport Champion Nicolo Bulega continued to set the pace on the second day of testing at Jerez with his 1m37.809 more than half-a-second quicker than Jonathan Rea on the Pata Yamaha. The time was also four-tenths quicker than the race lap record set at Jerez by Jonathan Rea on a Kawasaki in 2019, and is also the fastest-ever time set by a WorldSBK rider at the circuit. Not all riders put in a qualifying tyre for a time-attack, but nevertheless Bulega has certainly proven his pace and potential.
Nicolò Bulega
“I am happy because we took another step forward, even compared to yesterday, and the feeling has grown steadily. We worked well on the time attack and that means I was also able to improve on the qualifying tires. I think it was an important test and now we go to Portimao to continue on this path. Today’s lap time? It doesn’t change anything: I remain a rookie and my objectives are different to the top riders“.
Nicolò Bulega
On the other side of the Aruba.it garage the struggles continued with Alvaro Bautista still suffering with the neck issues and lack of strength in his arm that are a result of a crash during testing last year, which resulted in a later diagnosis of spinal trauma consisting of a C6-C7 hernia and C5-C6 disc protrusions. Problems from that lack of strength were compounded by the extra weight added to his World Championship winning machine as a result of the new parity measures coming into force this season. Bautista was the 16th quickest WorldSBK rider at Jerez this week with a 1m39.583 but despite the difficulties he put in plenty of laps, 149 laps across the two days.
Alvaro Bautista
Alvaro Bautista
“I am satisfied because on Day 1, due to some pain, I didn’t get the best feeling; today things went better and this is undoubtedly a good sign. I can say that my condition has even improved. We worked a lot on the set-up, especially in light of the new regulations, and we got some important indications. We haven’t tried a time attack but that wasn’t the priority of this testing. I am looking forward to being at Portimao to continue on this path and to get further feedback on my condition“.
Alvaro Bautista
Ducati showcased strength across the board with Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) securing fifth place while Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) also delivered a solid performance, finishing seventh.
Sam Lowes
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed ninth while Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) was 15th after his sole day of testing.
Danilo Petrucci
“For me, it wasn’t an excellent test. I’m happy, but I wanted to do a bit more. We have the same issues as last year: I’m fast but can’t make the difference that others do with the new tire and soft tyres. I need to work to understand what it takes while trying to go fast at the same time. Both yesterday and today, in terms of lap times and race pace, the gaps were small. We’re not far from the others, but I certainly wanted to be higher in the standings at the end of these two days. In Portimao, we will surely have a lot of work to do.”
Danilo Petrucci
Six-time world champion Jonathan Rea completed an impressive 150 laps over the course of the two days as he continued to familiarise himself with the Yamaha R1. Working through various set-up changes and test items, Rea was able to make consistent progress culminating in both a strong race run and outright pace, with his quickest lap of 1’38.345 placing him second on the timesheets at the end of the two days.
Jonathan Rea
Jonathan Rea
“It’s been a really busy test, so first and foremost I want to thank the entire crew as they worked tirelessly from the very first day. It’s normal to make lots of changes when in these early stages of learning a new bike, not just to make things better but to also understand my feedback as I adapt to these changes and so the crew can better understand what I like and don’t like. Day one was frustrating at some points as it didn’t feel like we were making progress fast enough, but it was all really good data and the guys put their heads together overnight and this morning we were able to put a package together which I felt more comfortable with. We were able to work through some performance items quite fast and after that we did a race simulation before ticking off the remaining test items. I felt we could finish with a strong rhythm, our out and out pace was satisfactory, our race simulation was good so we can be content with the work we’ve done.”
Jonathan Rea
Rea’s team-mate Andrea Locatelli was joined for the first time by new crew chief Tom O’Kane, who joins the team from Yamaha MotoGP. The test provided an opportunity for rider and crew chief to get to know each other, with ‘Loka’ completing 145 laps over the course of the two days. His quickest time of 1’38.943 saw him tenth overall.
Andrea Locatelli
“It was nice to get back on the bike for two days of testing in Jerez, we tried a lot of things and for sure, it’s always a bit tricky as during testing you do not know what everyone is doing! But when we found something good the feeling was positive. It was my first two days working with my new crew chief Tom, so it was good to work with him and it was also important for him too so he can start to understand the bike. In the end we were in a good place and we have another two days in Portimao. We have a strong base set-up already and can work more with the data we have, I have confidence so let’s see what we can do in Portimao.”
Andrea Locatelli and Tom O’Kane
Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured eighth place after clocking 159 laps in total throughout the test sessions.
Remy Gardner
Remy Gardner
“Overall it’s been a positive two-days of testing, it’s definitely good to be back on the bike. I had good feelings and we made a lot of laps, almost 160 in total. On the second day our focus was on testing new solutions and we’ll now checking the data to put the pieces together. I cannot wait to be back testing in Portimao, it’ll be another good test session to increase our performance ahead of the opening round of the season.”
Remy Gardner
Gardner’s team-mate Dominique Aegerter was forced to sit out the first test of the 2024 season in Jerez after being diagnosed with a viral infection on arrival in Spain. Aegerter will also miss the two-day Portimao test next week, instead following medical advice to return home to Switzerland and focus fully on his recovery ahead of the opening race in Australia, which takes place one month from now.
Scott Redding put in a quick one at the end of the day to take top BMW honours from Toprak Razgatlioglu. The pair third and fourth on the time-sheets ahead of Stefan Bradl on the HRC MotoGP machine. Bradl’s MotoGP bike 15 km/h faster through the speed trap than any of the World Superbikes.
Scott Redding
Scott Redding
“So, the first two days of testing this year are completed. On day one I was feeling pretty sick. It has been difficult but we have been able to do some laps and find some feeling with the bike. It was just about settling with the new team and blowing the cobwebs away. Coming into day two I felt a lot better and then we worked a lot with the bike to get my confidence and my feeling. We played a little bit with the set-up and tested a few new parts from BMW and I was reasonably happy with the steps that we made for my confidence on the bike. I am looking forward to Portimão next and see if the set-up also works on another circuit.”
Scott Redding
Toprak Razgatlioglu
“These two days of testing have been very positive for me, especially as I am still learning the bike on every lap and I am improving. Especially on these two days we have learnt a lot and we improved some things. We tried many new parts. Sometimes they worked well, sometimes not, but this is normal. We just try to find a good set-up and good parts. In general, it has been a very positive test. I did not expect to ride a 1:38 lap time. I’m very surprised because for me the bike is still new, I am still learning and usually my plan is to do a mid 1:39 maybe, but yesterday I started straight away with a 1:39 and I believe that I also could have made a 1:38 yesterday. Today I finally made it and I am very happy about it because I see the potential of the bike and this is very good for me. Now we keep working hard and we just need to find my set-up. And after that we will start fighting.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) performed well, securing sixth place. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished 13th with a best time of 1’39.224s, overall a positive result for BMW heading into season 2024.
Garrett Gerloff
“Overall, it was a good test. We were able to sort out a few problems that we had which is good. All in all it was just really nice to get on the bike again after two months of not riding and to finally do some laps. I am really excited to head to Portimão and keep trying to get faster. I feel like we have an idea of what we want to try and change at Portimão and then we should be good to go for the season. I am happy with this test, happy to reunite with my team and looking forward to riding again in a few days.”
Garrett Gerloff
Michael van der Mark
“It has been a busy test; two perfect days with amazing weather, so it was great for testing and I really enjoyed riding again. We’ve been trying to test a lot of different set-ups and different parts on the bike. They have been quite busy days but I really enjoyed it. We are still trying to improve the bike, and are getting better and better. Also myself, my riding has improved so I am quite happy with it. We learnt a lot and I’m looking forward to Portimão. It’s one of my favourite tracks so I can’t wait to go out there and keep working.”
Michael van der Mark
Alex Lowes had a tough opening day on track after suffering with a stomach bug but he recovered well enough to post 82 laps on the final day, with a best lap time of 1’38.989.
Alex Lowes
Alex Lowes
“We had a good day of work today. We are trying to make the bike easier on used tyres, and that was our main focus. We lost a bit of performance on fresh tyres, but I think that’s what we need to do with our bike because we have always been really fast at qualifying and Superpole races, but we lack a bit when it comes to race distance. So we are trying to make the bike a bit easier. Honestly, it felt quite good today and because the conditions were consistent, everyone was fast. You always want to go better but after being sick yesterday, 82 laps was a decent day’s work. I am happy enough.”
Alex Lowes
Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes
“The test was very positive. I am happy with the result and happy with Alex. We have already done 1500km or so this winter and no one crashed, so we got very good information. We tested a lot of things and worked in many different areas, including the chassis and electronics. I am happy with the step we made in electronics. Most importantly we focused 100% with lap time stability to make the same lap time in the first lap and the last one. This is the target as this was our weakest point, and we made a good step. Alex is working very well and I am pleased. Now we go to Portimao and we will keep working.”
Newcomer to KRT this year, Axel Bassani, is still learning the finer points of his Ninja ZX-10RR as he grows into his role as a factory rider for the first time in his WorldSBK career. Axel and his pit drew found improvements in ergonomics and overall set-up at this test, and gained valuable data in dry track conditions. He was 15th overall, with a best single lap time of 1’39.419.
Axel Bassani
Axel Bassani
“We tried a lot of things, a lot of set-up things and different tyres. We did a lot of jobs, and we started to understand what I needed to change and what I need to change in my riding style. The last part of today was good, and we began to improve. I think we did a good job, had a good test, and now we have a lot of data to help us go better at Portimao.”
Axel Bassani
Marcel Duinker – Crew Chief for Axel Bassani
“It was good at this test, and I think everybody was ready to get back into action after an eight week break, which felt way too long this time. We had really nice weather in this test and after two tests in November, we had gathered a lot of information. The targets were very clear for his first January test. We ticked off all the items and we made some improvements on Axel’s riding position on the bike, and some changes on the geometry of the bike. We improved literally in every area. Alex Lowes is, of course, the reference on this bike. Our target is, at every single test, to come closer and closer and we reached that target at this test. We have a little bit of data to analyse at home and I am looking forward to Portimao.”
As well as the official KRT riders, Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was out on a KRT supplied Ninja ZX-10RR at this first 2024 test. The Spanish rider set a best lap of 1’40.100, which placed him 19th overall.
Tito Rabat
Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and team-mate Iker Lecuona focused on identifying a solid base-setup for the new CBR1000RR-R. This involved testing a series of upgrades made to different areas of the machine, and building on the work completed in November when the bike made its debut outing at Jerez. The Honda men are still struggling for speed and despite the new bike, still report drive grip as a primary issue of concern.
Xavi Vierge
Xavi Vierge
“I’m happy to be back working with my squad and all the members of my team. We’ve had two days of ideal weather conditions here in Jerez, which has allowed us to complete a lot of laps and get through a significant amount of work. It’s true that we’ve had a little more difficulty than expected, especially during the traction phase, so one of our main goals here was to improve traction and grip. The overall feeling on the bike is quite good, but as soon as we close the throttle, we cannot exploit the power and have too much spin. We’ve made a number of adjustments to the bike setup and electronics, and now it will be crucial for the engineers to analyze all the data and come up with a solid plan for Portimão, so that we can quickly make progress.”
Xavi Vierge
Iker Lecuona
“Over the winter I had a small surgery on my left hand, as I’d been having some issues last season, an after-effect of having broken my hand back in 2021. Although I’ve had to scale back my gym work a little, I’m almost 100% and am now training properly again; I feel strong physically but also mentally and was looking forward to getting on the bike yesterday. I see 2024 as being an important year for me, and so I want to do my best to be ready for it. I feel we’ve taken a step with the aero package, and the bike overall seems to work in a different way, thanks to updated electronics and the like, which helps us to improve in certain areas. Having said that, the bike is new, and we’re still struggling with certain aspects. I wanted to find better front feeling this week, and we worked hard to achieve that but are not there yet. The next two days of testing at Portimão will be important, giving us the chance to understand how the bike feels at a completely different track and to establish the best possible base before we head to Phillip Island.”
Iker Lecuona
2023 WorldSSP runner-up Stefano Manzi (Pata Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took top spot in the World Supersport field with a 1’41.338s, completing 64 laps. He was three-tenths clear of Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in second as he continues his comeback from arm surgery, while Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took P3.
Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was fourth, making it four different manufacturers in the top four at the end of Day 2 in the World Supersport rankings.
Jerez WorldSBK Test Times
Pos
Class
Rider
Bike
Time
1
SBK
Nicolo BULEGA
Ducati
1m37.809
2
SBK
Jonathan REA
Yamaha
1m38.345
3
SBK
Scott REDDING
BMW
1m38.572
4
SBK
Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU
BMW
1m38.638
5
MGP
Stefan BRADL
Honda
1m38.739
6
SBK
Andrea IANNONE
Ducati
1m38.744
7
SBK
Garret GERLOFF
BMW
1m38.832
8
SBK
Sam LOWES
Ducati
1m38.852
9
SBK
Remy GARDNER
Yamaha
1m38.871
10
SBK
Danilo PETRUCCI
Ducati
1m38.907
11
SBK
Andrea LOCATELLI
Yamaha
1m38.943
12
SBK
Alex LOWES
Kawasak
1m38.989
13
SBK
Philipp ÖTTL
Yamaha
1m39.039
14
SBK
Michael VD MARK
BMW
1m39.224
15
SBK
Axel BASSANI
Kawasak
1m39.413
16
SBK
Michael Ruben Rinaldi
Ducati
1m39.504
17
SBK
Alvaro BAUTISTA
Ducati
1m39.583
18
SBK
Xavi VIERGE
Honda
1m39.915
19
SBK
Tito RABAT
Kawasak
1m40.100
20
SBK
Iker LECUONA
Honda
1m40.237
21
SBK
Sylvain GUINTOLI
BMW
1m40.866
22
SBK
Bradley SMITH
BMW
1m41.266
23
SBK
Florian MARINO
Kawasak
1m41.316
24
SSP
Stefano MANZI
Yamaha
1m41.388
25
SSP
Can ÖNCÜ
Kawasak
1m41.724
26
SSP
Adrian HUERTAS
Ducati
1m41.942
27
SSP
Bahattin SOFUOGLU
MV
1m41.977
28
SSP
Marcel SCHROETTER
MV
1m42.015
29
SSP
Yari MONTELLA
Ducati
1m42.102
30
SSP
Federico CARICASULO
MV
1m42.234
31
SSP
Lucas MAHIAS
Yamaha
1m42.590
32
SSP
Glenn VAN STRAALEN
Yamaha
1m43.245
33
SSP
Niccolo ANTONELLI
Ducati
1m43.282
34
SSP
Gabriel GIANNINI
Kawasaki
1m43.671
35
SSP
Piort BIESIEKIRSKI
Ducati
1m43.746
36
SSP
Hikari OKUBO
Kawasaki
1m44.404
Top Speeds
Pos
Rider
Team/Bike
Speed
1
Stefan BRADL
HRC MOTOGP TEST TEAM
291,1
2
Alvaro BAUTISTA
DUCATI ARUBA.IT
276,2
3
Nicolo BULEGA
DUCATI ARUBA.IT
276,2
4
Garret GERLOFF
BONOVO ACTION TEAM
274,1
5
Florian MARINO
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM
273,4
6
Alex LOWES
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM
272,7
7
Sylvain GUINTOLI
ROKIT BMW MOTORRAD WORLDS
272,7
8
Andrea IANNONE
TEAM GOELEVEN
272,0
9
Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU
ROKIT BMW MOTORRAD WORLDS
272,0
10
Tito RABAT
KAWASAKI PUCCETTI RACING
272,0
11
Michael VD MARK
ROKIT BMW MOTORRAD WORLDS
272,0
12
Sam LOWES
ELF MARC VDS RACING TEAM
272,0
13
Scott REDDING
BONOVO ACTION TEAM
272,0
14
Danilo PETRUCCI
BARNI SPARK RACING TEAM
271,4
15
Xavi VIERGE
TEAM HRC WORLDSBK
270,7
16
Bradley SMITH
ROKIT BMW MOTORRAD WORLDS
270,7
17
Axel BASSANI
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM
270,7
18
Remy GARDNER
GYTR GRT YAMAHA WORLDSBK T
270,7
19
Michael Ruben RINALDI
MOTOCORSA
269,3
20
Jonathan REA
PATA YAMAHA PROMETEON WOR
268,7
21
Andrea LOCATELLI
PATA YAMAHA PROMETEON WOR
267,3
22
Iker LECUONA
TEAM HRC WORLDSBK
267,3
23
Philipp ÖTTL
GMT94
266,7
24
Adrian HUERTAS
DUCATI ARUBA.IT
243,2
25
Marcel SCHROETTER
MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE
242,7
26
Stefano MANZI
TEN KATE RACING
242,7
27
Bahattin SOFUOGLU
MV AGUSTA REPARTO CORSE
241,6
28
Yari MONTELLA
BARNI SPARK RACING TEAM
238,9
29
Federico CARICASULO
MOTOZOO ME AIR RACING
238,4
30
Can ÖNCÜ
KAWASAKI PUCCETTI RACING
238,4
31
Niccolo ANTONELLI
ECOSANTAGATA ALTHEA RACING
238,4
32
Piort BIESIEKIRSKI
ECOSANTAGATA ALTHEA RACING
238,4
33
Lucas MAHIAS
FRA GMT94
237,4
34
Gabriel GIANNINI
ITA TEAM PRODINA
236,8
35
Glenn VAN STRAALEN
NED TEN KATE RACING
236,3
36
Hikari OKUBO
JAP VINCE64 RACING TEAM
232,3
WorldSBK 2024
The 2024 WorldSBK season itself will get underway proper with official tests for all on the 19th and 20th of February at the first venue of the year, Phillip Island. Before then, many teams will also test at Portimao, to make their final preparations before the bikes and equipment are flown out to Australia.
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit will raise the curtain once again for the new WorldSBK and WorldSSP season with the Australian Round on the weekend of February 25.
Tickets for the 2024 season opener are on sale now, check out your options at www.worldsbk.com.au
Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) took second place of Day 2 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto after another strong outing in Yamaha blue. In his third test for the team, the six-time Champion was close to his 2019 lap record as he gears up for the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with Yamaha after his shock switch to blue. Although he was unable to top the times, his pace being close to the record will give everyone at Yamaha confidence heading into next week’s Portimao test.
Rea set a 1’38.345s to secure second spot, only behind rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who was unstoppable on Thursday at Jerez. The Italian was four tenths under the existing lap record set by Rea back in 2019, but the Ulsterman was not far off that either. His time was just a tenth away from the 1’38.247s he set back in the Tissot Superpole session in 2019, with Rea setting his time on his 21st lap of the day today. He completed 78 in total on Day 2 and was left feeling positive at the end of the day.
“My feelings with the R1 are really good,” he began when reviewing the test. “Right from the first time I rode the bike back in November last year, I felt comfortable. I could feel the strengths of the bike and some of the areas we needed to work on. This test was more a case of picking up where we left it last November, trying a lot of test items. I think we struggled to make so much progress on Day 1 because we were trying so many items on some key areas, but last night, when the guys sat down, they were able to go through all the data and really understood the way forward. This morning, I felt great straight away. We’ve done a lot of positive laps, we’ve learnt a lot, and we’re happy with the progress and the findings we have to move onto Portugal.”
Yamaha have had lots of items for Rea, and teammate Andrea Locatelli, to try throughout off-season testing including a couple of swingarm variations at Jerez. Although Rea didn’t go into detail about the swingarms he had available to him, he did speak about a direction that he liked as he goes in search of a good base setup for the season-opening round in Australia, which takes place in just under a month.
On the upgrades that Yamaha are bringing, Rea said: “There’s a clear direction that I like, which is good. Yamaha have been working really hard behind closed doors to move the package forwards and I feel really grateful to be part of that. Sometimes it’s hard being a rider because you have to do a lot of laps out there, but you have to be at a very exact rhythm and get really clear and concise feedback. These are hard parts we’ll probably start the year with and become our base setup, so feedback’s important. Today, I tried my best to give really accurate information because Portimao will be a track we re-confirm some items, re-test some items but we have to be very clear about the package we’ll go to Australia with.”
After stealing the spotlight on Day 1 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, it was more of the same for rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on Thursday. He once again topped the times in Spain against the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship but this time he did it by going under the official lap record by a huge four tenths as he became the first, and only, rider to lap in the 1’37s during the test.
After setting a rapid 1’38.292s on Day 1 using the SCQ tyre, Bulega improved that further early into Thursday’s running. In a four-lap stint just before midday local time (GMT+1), the 2023 WorldSSP Champion posted a 1’37.809s to surge into top spot with the first 1’37s of the test. In the same stint, two laps later, he set a 1’38.495s. Bulega’s time remained unbeatable throughout the day as he topped the times for the second consecutive day.
With the lap record set in 2019 by Jonathan Rea, then at Kawasaki, a 1’38.247s, Bulega was more than four tenths clear of this. Talking about his incredible lap and the test as a whole, Bulega said: “It was a solid test. We tried something that I liked. The time attack was very good and the pace was good all day with the race tyres. I’m happy with the work we’ve done during the first test of the year, and we’ll work hard for the next one. The lap time makes me very proud and very happy. The first test was incredible, and I already have a very nice feeling. The lap was obviously not easy to do. When I saw a 1’37.8s on my dash, I was smiling!”
Despite showing strong one-lap pace, and finding improvements with his race pace as he adjusts to the Panigale V4 R, Bulega refused to change his goals as he heads into his maiden season. He comes into the campaign full of confidence after a stunning WorldSSP campaign in 2023, while he was also quick at the Jerez test at the end of last season. He spoke more about what he expects from the season and also whether his rivals should be worried given his speed so far.
“It’s just a test! It doesn’t change anything. I’m still a rookie, I just want to enjoy my first season in WorldSBK,” began Bulega before expanding on what he’ll work on at the Portimao test next week, and talking about his rival. “I think there’s nothing special at Portimao, just to continue on this way and always getting better with my bike. I feel quite ready. Yesterday not too much, but today with the race tyre, I improved a lot and I think we can do well. I hope my rivals are worried! At the moment, I’m not sure, but I hope so!”
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) continues to impress as he gears up for his rookie MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign. ‘The Maniac’ was on his Independent Panigale V4 R for the second time and he secured a spot in the top five on Day 2 with eyes turning towards Iannone’s garage following impressive performances at Jerez in both the end-of-season test and the first test of 2024, including taking fifth at Jerez.
Iannone was quick on Day 1 as well as he finished inside the top ten and he backed that up on Day 2 with fifth place. He posted a 1’38.744s to claim P5 with 61 laps to his name, finishing just over nine tenths down on Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) after he set lap record place. Iannone was around half-a-second down on the actual lap record, with only Bulega beating it and most riders a few tenths or more away from it.
Discussing his test, Iannone said: “It wasn’t so bad. It’s our goal and focus to improve day by day. Today, we changed something on the bike, and we went a different way compared to yesterday. In the end, I’m quite happy. I need more kilometres, need to have more experience with the bike, the team and the tyres, but I think we finished the first test of the year in a good way. We’re not so far away. I think I did my best lap with the SCX tyre, so we are more or less the best rider! We struggled a little bit with the SCQ. I tried one Q tyre today, but we weren’t ready, the bike changed a lot, and I didn’t have experience. We’ll try it one more time at Portimao to change the setup a little bit and so the team understands what I want with this tyre. I used the race tyre well, but not the SCQ.”
Despite having a positive overall day, including a good outright lap time and the #29 referencing his race pace, there was some disruption. A small crash in the first half of the day disrupted his running slightly and Iannone explained what caused his spill, with the Italian able to return to the track after the crash and continue working on his return to action.
Discussing his race pace, where, in an 11-lap stint, he was only slower than the 1’39s on the first and last laps, as well as the crash, Iannone said: “I think my race pace was quite good. I don’t know about everybody else. We tried more or less a half race distance today and we, apart from the first laps, were always in the 1’39s. I think it’s good, but I think it’s a little bit early to understand everything and to say that we’re okay. At Turn 2, when I exited from the box and pit lane, I lost the front at 2km/h!”.
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Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was once again the rider to beat at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto as he lapped considerably quicker than the lap record pace. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rookie was unstoppable on Thursday, as he was on Wednesday, as the only rider to lap in the 1’37s bracket across both days to claim top spot for the second consecutive day after he lapped around four tenths under the existing lap record and secure P1 by more than half-a-second.
LAP RECORD PACE: a 1’37.8s for Bulega, Bautista in 16th
Bulega recorded a 1’37.809s in the first few hours of the session, a time which would remain unbeaten throughout the day. For comparison, the pole lap record set in 2019 is a 1’38.247s, with Bulega more than four tenths quicker than this as the rookie’s potential was shown once again. Teammate Alvaro Bautista had been quick in the opening stages of the test but dropped down the order to finish in 16th, lapping in 1’39.583s, and completing 80 laps, losing places in the final hour of the test as other riders found late gains.
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), like fellow rookie Bulega, impressed again. He claimed fifth on his Independent V4 R, 0.935s down on Bulega, although his day was interrupted by a crash in the opening sector of the lap in the afternoon. Despite this, he completed 61 laps. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) ensured Ducati had four bikes in the top ten as he took P9 with a 1’38.907s. ‘Petrux’, who was again trying a new, lower, seat, completed 73 laps. There were two other Independent Ducatis on track. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was seventh as he continued adapting from Moto2™ to WorldSBK with 91 laps to his name and a best time of 1’38.852s after finding gains towards the end of the day, while Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) was 15th on his sole day of testing. He racked up 89 laps with a best time of 1’39.504s.
REA SECOND, GARDNER QUICK AGAIN: a good test for Yamaha
Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was 0.536s down on Bulega’s best time at the end of Day 2. The #65’s 1’38.345s was only a tenth away from his own lap record from 2019 but wasn’t enough to claim P1 for Yamaha as he continued working on his new bike. Teammate Andrea Locatelli ensured both factory Yamahas were in the top ten as he added 73 laps to his total, with a best time of 1’38.943s. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) continued to show his speed as he took eighth, just a tenth behind Iannone, in P5 as he posted a best time of 1’38.871s, with Gardner re-confirming items tested on Day 1 with some back-to-back comparisons. Elsewhere, Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) was 12th after his first test days on the Yamaha YZF-R1, finding a second between his best time on Day 1. With another 58 laps recorded and a 1’39.039s as his best time, the German was one of the most-improved riders, looking at lap times, between days as his mileage on his new bike increased.
REDDING IN THE TOP THREE, RAZGATLIOGLU P4: showing BMW’s potential…
Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) put in a stunning late 1’38.572s to claim third place and demote Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to fourth. Redding completed 77 laps as he surged up the order in the final minutes of the day, while Razgatlioglu added another 78 to the collection for BMW. Razgatlioglu’s teammate, Michael van der Mark, was 13th with 76 laps to his name, posting a best time of 1’39.224s. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) secured P6 with a late lap to move up the order. The American’s best time was a 1’38.832s and he added 74 laps to his total. In terms of the BMW test team, Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Smith added 56 and 48 laps respectively, with the latter having a technical issue in the early stages of the day.
LOWES THE LEAD KAWASAKI RIDER: P11 for the Brit as Bassani takes P14
After a disrupted day on Wednesday while unwell, completing only 31 laps, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took part in the full day on Thursday. He was one of the busiest riders on track as he completed 82 laps and posted a best of 1’38.989s. The #22 wanted to spend today focusing on race pace and used tyre performance, particularly towards the end of a race distance. Teammate Axel Bassani was three places and half-a-second behind Lowes, although his time of 1’39.413s was around six tenths quicker than he set on Day 1. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 18th on his factory ZX-10RR, completing 76 laps with a best time of 1’40.100s.
ANOTHER DIFFICULT DAY FOR HONDA? Vierge P16, Lecuona P19…
Day 1 was challenging for Honda with both Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and teammate Xavi Vierge both outside the top ten, and that continued on Day 2. Vierge was the lead Honda rider with a 1’39.915s and 73 laps completed while Lecuona posted a 1’40.237s in is 49 laps. Lecuona, who changed the bike a lot on Day 1 as it wasn’t working as expected, completed the fewest number of laps of the full-time WorldSBK riders at the test.
MANZI ON TOP: Italian leads the WorldSSP field, four manufacturers in the top four
2023 WorldSSP runner-up Stefano Manzi (Pata Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) took top spot in the World Supersport field with a 1’41.338s, completing 64 laps. He was three tenths clear of Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in second as he continues his comeback from arm surgery, while Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took P3. With Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fourth, four different manufacturers were inside the top four at the end of Day 2.
The top ten from Day 2 at Jerez:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’37.809, 69 laps
2. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) 1’38.345s, 78 laps
3. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’38.572s, 77 laps
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’38.638s, 78 laps
5. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 1’38.744s, 61 laps
6. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 1’38.832s, 74 laps
7. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 1’38,852s, 91 laps
The start of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is edging closer and that means teams, riders and manufacturers will be refining their packages – particularly in terms of the new rules coming into effect for 2024. These include new weight regulations, where ballast might have to be added to a rider’s machine and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), as one of the lightest riders on the grid, has spoken about how this will impact him. At the Jerez test, Ducati Corse’s Technical Coordinator, Marco Zambenedetti, explained how both Bautista and Ducati are attempting to adapt to the new rules.
At the post-round Jerez test in 2023, Bautista spoke about how adding 7 kilograms to the bike made it different for him to ride as he first tried adjusting to the new rules. During the current test in southern Spain, Zambenedetti revealed that around 6kgs have been added to Bautista’s bike for the weight rules. Zambenedetti also explained that the double Champion had his training to try to gain more mass, while also talking about how Ducati were adapting to the rules.
Discussing how much weight has been added, and where on the bike, Zambenedetti said: “It’s quite easy, we’ve added 6kg more or less. Alvaro changed his training system, tried to get a bit more mass. The point is it’s 6kg. About where is a lot more complex. We are testing something that moves. First, we’d like to give him back the best feeling. The bike isn’t last year’s bike, we must forget about this, but try to give him a ballas configuration that isn’t so bad. We are working on this. We haven’t defined it at this moment. On the other side, we’re also working on engine configuration with fuel consumption and biofuel which is another big, important area to work.”
Speaking at the end of Day 1, Bautista said there were two directions the team were going in terms of the ballast added and he had a preference about which one to go in. This was put to Zambenedetti on Thursday at Jerez, who went on to explain that there isn’t yet a ‘clear idea’ about the direction to go and this might be decided when the WorldSBK paddock hits Australian in just under a month for the season opener. He also explained how, on Thursday, they were only working on one of the directions previously mentioned.
He added: “We have a lot of ideas and theories, but we are here just to test this. At this moment, we haven’t got a clear idea which is the best. Before Australia, or in Australia, we will close this experiment and we’ll start to work on a particular configuration. Today, we’re not testing both directions. We are improving a bit one direction, but we need to make a double check also in Portimao. It’s important that we have a reference at different tracks.”
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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to action for the first time in 2024 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, where the majority of the grid is testing. Reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is on track for the first time since sustaining a neck injury at the same venue in the end-of-season test, an injury which impacted his running as a wildcard during the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang and something he admits “started to feel better in the last two weeks”.
HAS BAUTISTA RECOVERED FROM INJURY? “I was very worried but, lap after lap, I felt better”
With the Jerez test the first of 2024, Bautista hasn’t been since on a bike since the Malaysian GP in November. He spoke at Ducati’s recent launch event and stated that he was feeling much better, with the next step to ride his Panigale V4 R and see how he feels on track. On day one, he completed 68 laps, a figure that was exceeded by some riders but also not matched by a lot and set a best time of 1’39.847s to finish in tenth. Teammate Nicolo Bulega was the pace setter, 1.5s quicker than the two-time Champion although the #11 did utilise the SCQ tyre for his lap time.
Reflecting on his day and providing an injury update, Bautista said: “It’s not been the best day for me. I struggled a lot during this winter. I had a lot of pain in my injury after the Sepang race. I was really bad. I cannot have good training and I was working hard with my physiotherapist to recover. It wasn’t easy because November and December, I was almost with pain all day. I didn’t feet improvement. I started to feel better in the last two weeks, and I started to work more on myself. Riding the bike in the morning, the strength in my arm was really good, but the problem was in my neck and back. I felt a lot of pain. I was really worried but, fortunately, lap after lap, it felt better so I got more relaxed, and I could do a lot of laps but not with my best performance. I was thinking more about the pain than riding the bike.
THE CHAMPION DOESN’T GIVE CLUES: “I don’t know how much weight we’ve added…”
Once it was certain that he was physically better and ready for the new season, attention soon turned to the upcoming campaign. One big talking point has been the announcement of new rules, with a new weight regulation coming into force that’ll impact riders up and down the grid. The #1 explained that, while he was aware of the impact it would have on his bike, he did not know how much would be added or where, but that there were two options.
Expanding on how he’s adapting to the new regulations, Bautista said: “We did the job because, after the test last year, we decided to have two different bikes regarding the weight distribution. Today, I could compare both bikes and it was very clear which direction we’ll take for the future. I’m happy about that and I’m happy for the feeling I have with the bike. “I don’t know how much weight I’ve added. The engineers know how much and know where to add it. I don’t have these kinds of details. I just tell them if it’s better or worse. I don’t know! You’ll have to ask Giulio Nava or Marco Zambenedetti. It’s much worse to ride because, with more weight, you have more inertia, so it’s more difficult to turn in the corners and stop the bike. It’s more physical and all the areas are worse.”
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was one of the headline-grabbers on day one at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, despite feeling unwell as he headed to Spain. Completing only 31 laps, by far the lowest number of the full-time riders on the grid, the #22 was still able to take second place and put in impressive lap times on his ZX-10RR and even confessed that he was “surprised” at how fast he went on the SC0 race tyre during his limited running.
STRONG DAY DESPITE ILLNESS: surprise at the pace, more work to be done
Lowes’ best lap time was a 1’39.474s which he set on his 24th lap out of the 31 he completed in total. With the Brit under the weather heading into the test, he opted for limited running on Wednesday to try and be in better shape for Thursday. Before Nicolo Bulega’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) late improvement, Lowes had been just a few tenths off the pace although the Ducati rider’s big gain late in the day meant everyone finished more than a second off his pace.
Reviewing his day and explaining the ups and downs of Wednesday at Jerez, Lowes said: “It was good, honestly. I couldn’t do many laps because I’ve been feeling properly sick. I didn’t think I was going to be able to ride this morning. I wanted to ride a bit today to hopefully feel better tonight and do a full day tomorrow. The pace was really good. I was surprised, especially with the SC0 tyre, at how fast I could be. After a couple of months off, you always wonder how you’re going to feel and I had such a good feeling in November, so I was really happy to start where I left off, feeling good on the bike and confident. Our biggest problem is used tyres and long run pace. I hope I can make a good step tonight physically to be able to work on that tomorrow. I enjoyed today and being back and nice to get the year started.”
NEW ITEMS TESTED: different forks and working to pick the bike up off the corner
With his 31 laps comparing unfavourably to the rest of the grid, Lowes will be hoping to feel better on Thursday, to get more mileage under his belt and work on the items that are at the test for both him and the team. The two-time race winner also expanded on where he wants to find improvements for the upcoming campaign, with a particular focus on long-run and late-race pace.
“I tried to dial myself in. I tried different forks which had a different feeling, especially on the trail braking”, Lowes said when discussing what he tested on Wednesday. “We need to try over more laps. The electronics stuff, we’re always working so hard to make small improvements on the bike and electronics can help with the lap time or the opposite if it’s not quite right. It’s a bit of a minefield. We’re not really working on corner entry but picking up the gas and driving off the corner, the balance between the bike spinning or wheelieing, and this stuff. What we’re trying to achieve is the most efficiency out of acceleration and also make the bike easier to use for the longer races. It’s really hard to make that compromise.”
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