Motul FIM Superbike World Championship Test
Circuito de Jerez, Spain
October 17, 2016
Best Test Times (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:40.815
2. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:41.056
3. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 1:41.563
4. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.627
5. Nicky Hayden, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:41.740
6. Michael van der Mark, Netherlands (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:41.748
7. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:41.895
8. Jordi Torres, Spain (BMW S1000RR), 1:41.970
9. Markus Reiterberger, Germany (BMW S1000RR), 1:42.056
10. Davide Giugliano, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:42.247, crash
11. Leon Camier, UK (MV Agusta F4 RC), 1:42.861
12. Illia Mykhalchyk, Ukraine (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:44.658, crash
13. Saeed Al Sulaiti, Qatar (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:45.130, crash
14. Peter Sebestyen, Hungary (Yam YZF-R1), 1:45.411
15. Sebestyen Suchet, Switzerland (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:46.391
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Official WorldSBK Test: Lap Record Pace As Teams Test 2017 Parts
– Scorching times as WorldSBK looks to new season –
Following the two exhilarating World Superbike races in Jerez over the weekend, the majority of teams stayed on for Monday’s post-race test. With sunshine beating down, the test ran for eight hours between 10am and 6pm.
October conditions were typically foggy in the morning, but the mist rose as an intense day of testing commenced. Barni Racing Team, Grillini Racing Team, IodaRacing Team, Milwaukee BMW and VFT Racing had already planned to skip the test, but Team GOELEVEN joined them on the sidelines as the squad running Roman Ramos suffered a broken engine and had no replacement unit.
A total of 15 riders submitted lap times throughout the day, with most sampling new or modified components ahead of the 2017 season. This was certainly the case for the World Champion Kawasaki Racing Team which, due to rule changes next year will no longer be able to use split throttle bodies; the Honda WorldSBK Team and MV Agusta Reparto Corse are another two teams set to be affected by this alteration – and worked accordingly. At Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, new parts for 2017 included a raft of suspension components.
The best time came from Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), posting 1’40.815 to comfortably move underneath his race record from 2015. The top five was completed by teammate Tom Sykes, Jerez double race winner Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Nicky Hayden (Honda WorldSBK Team).
Yamaha looked to reconfirm its direction of development for 2016 as well as sampling 2017 parts and components for the upcoming Qatar race at the end of October. Honda’s focus was on new brake calipers, clutch settings and new steering dampers as well as working with the aforementioned stock throttle body. They also ran new front forks and axle clamps – something the Althea BMW Racing Team sampled as well.
In the Pedercini Racing garage, Saeed Al Sulaiti rode the World Superbike machine, focusing on engine braking settings and traction control maps, whilst the Italian outfit tested its Superstock 1000 bike with World Supersport rider Illia Mykhalchyk and STK1000 regular Sebestyen Suchet. Further up the pit lane, Team Toth and Peter Sebestyen carried out a back-to-back comparison of a new specification engine.
Riders to suffer Turn 1 crashes included Mykhalchyk, Al Sulaiti and Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), while Althea BMW duo Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger also experienced off-track moments during the day. In the final hour, Sykes ground to a halt with a technical problem at the first corner.
All of the teams worked with new tyres from Pirelli, as the Italian company supplied two new front and three new rear solutions for the field to taste.
The WorldSBK paddock will regroup on the 28th to 30th October for the Qatar season finale under the floodlights of Doha’s Losail International Circuit.
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Test concludes for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in Jerez, next stop Qatar
After a memorable weekend, marked by a double win by Chaz Davies, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team took part in the official DWO test in Jerez de la Frontera (Spain). The team’s agenda focused on trying some electronic upgrades ahead of the season finale in Qatar and also evaluating suspension components and new tyre compounds (both for the front and rear) for 2017.
Davies and Giugliano clocked 63 and 50 laps respectively on the Panigale R, completing their programs. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will resume action in Losail (Qatar) for the season finale, scheduled for October 28-30.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) 1:41.563
“Today was just about sticking to a program, we haven’t done too many laps or chased lap times, we just went through some items for now and 2017. We tried some new stuff for suspensions and a bit of electronics, all of which turned out to be quite positive, and also a couple of new tyre compounds. Compared with the racing weekend, the track was a bit more greasy since the temperatures were higher, but it has been a productive day nonetheless. We set our fastest lap in hotter conditions, so we leave Jerez happy.”
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) 1:42.247
“It’s been a positive day overall. Our priority was to improve the setup from the weekend, in order to be faster with higher temperatures when the grip is lower. We managed to improve our speed quite a bit, even without pushing for a lap time and working with used tyres extensively. The shoulder still hinders my riding, but we’ve made a good step forward. We still need more stability on the rear to allow me to turn faster and make the most of corner speed, and this is what we’ll focus on in Qatar to finish the season on a high note.”
More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing BMW:
Althea BMW concludes official testing at Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Monday 17 October 2016
The penultimate round of the 2016 Superbike World Championship may have only concluded yesterday, but the Althea BMW Racing team was straight back out on the same track today, taking part in official testing with its riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger.
After a rather difficult SBK weekend, the Italian team made the most of today’s fair weather conditions to work on the set-up of the BMW S 1000 RR bikes, with Torres putting in 64 laps and Reiterberger 72 throughout the course of the day. The work programme focused particularly on the front of the bike, with the riders testing various components in this regard, as well as on the development of certain electronic aspects.
At the end of the day, Genesio Bevilacqua’s team declared itself satisfied with the work completed. The squad now returns to Italy for a few days before travelling to the Losail International Circuit in Qatar where the final championship round is scheduled to take place over the weekend of 28-30 October.
Jordi Torres:
“Today we had chance to see what works well on the bike and what works less well, and better understand what went on this weekend, seeing as the front of the bike seemed to get gradually worse for some reason, something that has happened only here at Jerez. The idea is to continue to collect information and sensations and we definitely did this today. We also tested some new parts, some of which worked well, others less so but overall I’m feeling better and more positive, it’s been a useful day for sure.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“Today went a little better than the race weekend. We had two bikes to work with, with different settings, so we tested and compared these and worked to find some good solutions. We also tested three new rear tyres that Pirelli brought and also some new parts from Ohlins, as well as some new electronic updates. Once all this is put together I think we can definitely improve the bike. It won’t happen overnight but I think, looking ahead to the winter tests and next year, we’ll be able to find a good direction to take.”
More, from a press release issued by Pata Yamaha:
Productive Jerez Test Sets Guintoli and Lowes Up for Qatar
The Gaerne Spanish Round may have drawn to a close but there was no rest for Sylvain Guintoli and Alex Lowes today as the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team completed a full eight hours of testing at the Circuito de Jerez. Fresh from Sunday’s positive racing, the WorldSBK riders got straight down to business on their YZF-R1’s as the track reopened at 10:00 local time, riding until the flag at 18:00.
A detailed plan of action saw Guintoli and Lowes successfully work through a raft of 2017 development parts, including chassis components, software upgrades and engine development. Retrospective testing was also undertaken to further evaluate settings from this season’s earlier rounds, with both aspects proving fruitful.
The Pata Yamaha pair finalised the day by targeting their specific preparation for the Losail International Circuit ahead of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s visit to Qatar on Friday 28th October. With 13 WorldSBK riders on track, Guintoli concluded the day fourth in the times, his confidence growing further from his already strong performance during the past weekend’s races. Lowes rounded out his Jerez visit in seventh and greatly buoyed by the progress in pace made over the last 24 hours.
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team now prepares for a week back at base before making the season’s final trip, to the Middle East, as the series gets set to conclude under desert floodlights at the end of the month.
Sylvain Guintoli
4th / 1’41.627 / 71 laps
“It’s been a good day testing for us here at Jerez after a good weekend of racing. This weekend I have felt like my feeling with the bike has really sunk in and come back to me – I have really enjoyed my riding and I’ve felt like I was riding better. Today was good, we did about 70 laps and it was efficient work. We’ve worked hard to be ready for Qatar and also to carry on the development in general so it was a very positive day!”
Alex Lowes
7th / 1’41.895 / 84 laps
“The test today was good as we’ve already improved the bike from the weekend, there was no miracle step but we had a good day. We’ve worked through a lot of stuff, focusing on everything but specifically working on improving the front end feeling, and we now understand a little more the direction and the area of the bike that we want to focus on next, which is always a good thing. We were working a lot on old tyres and got plenty of laps in and I felt quite good. My consistent rhythm, even in the hottest part of the day and on older tyres, was really strong, which for me personally was nice because I didn’t get an opportunity to show that in the race yesterday, so yes it was good!”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Jerez Test Sessions See Rea And Sykes Lead The Field
Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes from the Kawasaki Racing Team were first and second quickest respectively in the official one-day Superbike World Championship tests at Jerez in Spain. Rea set a 1’40.815 best lap, which was under lap record pace. Sykes was also under the lap record and just 0.241 seconds behind his team-mate. He was also over half a second faster than the next quickest rider.
The 4.423km circuit provided dry and eventually warm conditions throughout the eight hour long test session. Rea and Sykes each worked toward 2017 settings, with Sykes running two machines back-to- back to allow for clear comparisons in chassis geometry. He also worked on settings to take into the final challenge in Qatar in two weeks’ time.
Rea used one machine all day and as a result set fewer laps than Sykes. He had a very positive test session overall, and set his fastest time after putting all the optimum material and settings together near the end, when the track was at its hottest. Sykes set 93 laps today and Rea 56.
Both Jonathan and Tom were also pleased with the progress shown by the Pirelli tyres they tried, and each feels confident going into the final races in Qatar.
The next round, the last of the season, will take place at Losail International Circuit, with racedays on 29th and 30th October. Either Jonathan or Tom will be crowned champion, as only they can score enough points over the final two races to win the title outright.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “That was a very positive day, maybe the most positive of the season. I spoke for a long time with Fabien Foret, who is helping me to improve my riding, seeing how I am attacking the corners in a different way. I am not a testing guy and woke up today with little motivation but step-by-step everything we were trying out was working. We were consistently fast all day and then, when we put all the items together we had been testing; we made a good step forward. We tested and refined some things in readiness for 2017 including some new front forks, and found not only a happy feeling with the forks but a rear shock we tried near the end as well. Even with used tyres we were able to lap very fast. I was happy all day. Even in the hot conditions we were able to be fast. I am very thankful to Kawasaki and Showa, and all my crew, who worked hard. Also to Pere and Paolo and to Fabien, who has helped me change my riding position on the bike. There were many positives today.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “It was a very busy test, lots of laps, and we had an opportunity to do a variety of things with the suspension and chassis set-up. There were a couple of new tyres from Pirelli and also new electronic stuff. I had two bikes so we could do direct geometry comparisons. A massive day of testing in dry conditions and it was really nice to have two bikes, as it makes the testing even more effective. The lads have worked hard all race weekend and during this test – and now they have got to prepare the crates for the flyaway round in Qatar. Credit to all those guys in the team and hopefully on the back of this test we can be even stronger in Qatar.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “Each rider is different and Johnny is a really strong Sunday rider; a race rider. He is always working but his strongest point is Sunday. During the tests he is doing the job well but this time he was really, really accurate with all the details he gave to the development staff. This was very positive because we used different things in engine management and suspension, thinking about 2017 and all the results have been very good. All the tests we made have been clear and gave a very strong lap time. We have a very solid package. We tried a new rear tyre from Pirelli that has been working fantastically well. We also tested some things to work out what the base will be to start from in the final round of this year in Qatar. I am so pleased with this test.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes, stated: “It was nice to have a test day again and we started with some 2017 items. In a Monday test after a race you have the best reference possible and the weather conditions were similar. We simulated the character of some 2017 material this morning and it was working better than expected. Soon after we started to focus on the remaining 2016 round at Qatar. We have a target there and we had clear planning today to help us achieve it. We went through all our items, with one exception, and we found some clear improvements. We will take all this through to the first free practice session in Losail.”