Rea fastest at Aragon WorldSBK test

Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea being the fastest rider after a two-day WorldSBK test at Motorland may not be a surprise to many in normal circumstances. After suffering two virtual drubbings by his astronomical standards in the opening two rounds of the 2023 championship, in Australia and Indonesia however, it was some kind of relief, no doubt.

Problem is that there were only his own teammate Alex Lowes and two factory HRC Hondas of Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona to really, truly measure himself against. And it was, in terms of the combined times, incredibly close. Only 0.103 seconds separated Rea from Lowes in fourth place, after two relatively warm and dry days.

“We were testing some new ideas from a chassis point of view,” Rea said after the tests. “We also tested a swingarm specification. We have a lot of information for the engineers to put together and try to make a step forward. Yesterday I completed two race simulations with some positive results about the target of the test, which was to take some weight off the front tyre. We found some positives. From an electronics point of view we worked on some other items and different strategies, and put it all together.

“This has been probably the most valuable test we have had for the 2023 season, because in the winter the conditions are cold and sometimes damp, so you don’t get on track until lunchtime. Here, we were able to be on track from 9.30am to 6pm, so we maximised the good weather.”

Second fastest man Vierge, a new WorldSBK podium club member thanks to his Mandalika exploits, said, “On day one we started with our base set-up. We’re essentially looking for a standard base that can work well in different situations and doesn’t need to be massively modified each time.

“Amo