Sun shone down on the final day of testing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez, where the World Superbike Championship riders were able to continue their final arrangements ahead of the 2019 season opener that will be held in less than a month in Australia.

With the temperature being warmer than yesterday day two around Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto saw many riders improving their paces and the top ten riders of day closing in less than a second at the front.

Facing some stiff competition from the Yamaha and Ducati rivals, reigning world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took to the track early this morning working on the small 2019 updates for his ZX-10RR. The four-time world champion didn’t lose any time and, in the end, he was able to return at the top of the timesheets, thanks to a fastest lap time in 1’39.160, just a few seconds ahead of the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider Alex Lowes.

Stunning with his consistency and overall pace during both the two days, the Yamaha rider closed second in 1’39.372 and he continued to make progress with his machine as he completed 102 laps around the Andalusian race track today. Working on improving the acceleration of his bike and testing new parts for the YZF R1 machine, his teammate Michael van der Mark closed in seventh position with a fastest lap time of 1’40.145.

Focusing on getting more comfortable on his new bike, Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a positive two-day test, as he closed also just 0.342 s off his teammate in third position. The British rider was able to be fast on both days, building on his confidence with the ZX-10RR.

Making an important step forward, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) brought his Ducati Panigale V4 R in fourth position, closing 0.460 s off Rea’s lap time. The Spaniard had a busy day gathering as much information as possible to work on, and design the best base set-up for their all-new Ducati machine. On the other side of the garage, Chaz Davies sat out on the opening hours of the day and took to the track later in the afternoon putting in only a few laps, closing the day in tenth. As he was feeling some pain in his back after the crash he had yesterday, Davies decided to take it easy as he aims to be back at his full strength for the next pre-season test that will be held at the end of this week in Portimao.  Both independent team riders Michael Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) and Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), who finished respectively ninth and twelfth, worked alongside their new teams producing valuable feedbacks that will be used also by the factory team to improve their Ducati beast.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) continued to impress, stunning with his performance along the two days. The Turkish rider finished in fifth position, with a fastest lap time in 1’39.942.

Continuing to work with the new team structure GRT Yamaha WorldSBK rider Marco Melandri had a busy day as he put in a total of 87 laps onboard his Yamaha finishing eighth overall, while his teammate Sandro Cortese had his progression slowed down by a small crash he suffered early in the morning. The German walked away from the accident on his feet but had to wait for his bike to be recovered and repaired before returning to the track in the afternoon and setting the sixth fastest time.

Towards the end of the day, the BWM Motorrad WorldSBK riders Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterbergerhad their transponders finally recording a few of their lap times. Happy with the progresses made over the two day, they closed respectively in fourteenth and fifteenth position.

Among the WorldSSP riders Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) continued to lead the way also on day two with Frenchman Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) closing second just 0.222 s behind him.

Making her debut in the class, Maria Herrera was also out testing aboard the Yamaha YZF R6 of MS Racing. The Spaniard focused on getting acquainted with the new bike and finished her second day of testing with a fastest lap time in 1’46.957.

Whilst the Jerez Test may have finished some of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders who attended the two days will now head down to Portugal for the final pre-season test on European soil from 27^th-28^thJanuary at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve Portimao before the first round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship season in Australia.

Jerez Day Two Unofficial Times:

1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.160
2. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1’39.372 +0.212
3. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.502 +0.348
4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’39.620 +0.460
5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) 1’39.942 +0.782
6. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha Team) 1’40.075 +0.915
7. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1’40.145 +0.985
8. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha Team) 1’40.469 +1.309
9. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) 1’40.540 +1.380
10. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.621 +1.461
11. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 1’40.794 +1.634
12. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) 1’40.879 +1.719
13. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) 1’41.066 +1.906
14. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’41.206 +2.046
15. Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’41.231 +2.071
16. Alessandro Delbianco (Althea MIE Racing Team) 1’42.353 +3.192

source: worldsbk.com

As thoughts are turning to the 2019 World Superbike Championship battle, during the SBK Commission.

Held on the 30th November, in Madrid composed of Gregorio LAVILLA (WorldSBK Sporting Director, Chairman), Takanao TSUBOUCHI (MSMA) and Paul DUPARC (Deputizing for Rezsö BULCSU & secretary of the meeting), also present Charles HENNEKAM (FIM CTI Coordinator), Scott SMART (FIM WorldSBK Technical Director) and Daniel CARRERA (WorldSBK Executive Director), the CET Standard Time Schedule was confirmed, providing the final shape to the weekends format.

2019 will see World Superbike Championship change from four to three free practice sessions, meaning Friday will revert back to two WorldSBK Free Practices. WorldSSP on track action will remain the same, whilst WorldSSP300 will be split into two groups with two free practice sessions for each group. The final times from Friday’s sessions won’t affect qualifying positions.

Saturday offers a big change in the format as the Tissot Superpole will now become one single Qualifying session for all classes. The final results of the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole will decide the grid for WorldSBK Race One and Sunday´s Sprint Race, now branded as the Tissot Superpole Race.

For the World Supersport 300 Championship, the riders not qualifying for their first race will also have a ‘Last Chance’ race to follow on from Qualifying. The top six finishers of this race will secure the final six places on Sunday’s grid.

Four races will be the treat on offer on Sunday, with two WorldSBK Races. The first SBK race of the day will be an all new Sprint Race format of 10 laps (throughout duration of the season) where points will be added to the overall championship standings* and awarded in the Tissot Superpole Race as follows: 12/9/7/6/5/4/3/2/1. There will be no change for Race One and Two where point system remains unchanged and awarded to the first fifteen riders as followed: 25/20/16/13/11/10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1.

The second race on Sunday for WorldSBK will be the traditional format. The grid for this race will be determined from the first nine positions in the Tissot Superpole Race, and the grid from 10th onwards will be the positions from Tissot Superpole. Offering three races with different formats will give the teams opportunities to work on different strategies for each race throughout the weekend and will offer even more exciting races for fans and riders to enjoy. On top of this, the weekend will finish with the WorldSSP300 race, which is always a sensational fight to the finish line.

• Results not included in statistics and historical data.

source: worldsbk.com

Making their final preparations ahead of the 2019 season opener, 16 WorldSBK and 12 WorldSSP riders were out on track around Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto for the opening day of testing at the Andalusian circuit.

Despite the chilly temperature, the World Superbike Championship riders were able to take full advantage of the good weather, putting in a considerable number of laps and working all day through their testing programs. With the track having been resurfaced over the winter break they all had to wait for the tarmac to warm up, before continuing with the work they had planned for the day.

Completing a positive day one of testing, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider Alex Lowes closed the day at the top of the timesheets, impressing with a flying lap in 1’40.422. The British rider was not really focusing in making the lap times, but as the work on the bike was proceeding well for the rider, the fast lap times were achieved consistently, next steps are now all focused towards Phillip Island.  

Waiting for track condition to progress reigning world champion Jonathan Rea sat out the opening hours of the day and came out of his garage around 2 pm. Working on testing different components for his ZX-10RR, the Kawasaki Racing WorldSBK rider has been focusing in getting is the overall package ready for Australia and he will continue with the same program tomorrow. After a few laps done in the afternoon he was soon at the top of the timesheet before Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took the lead of the opening day, pushing the WorldSBK champion back into second position just 0.008 s behind him.

Sitting in third the new Kawasaki Racing WorldSBK team recruit Leon Haslam, continued the familiarization process with the WorldSBK machine. The British rider focused in putting in as many laps as possible, adapting to the new bike and learning the electronics. Thanks to a fastest lap in 1’40.885 he ended the day just 0.435 s off his teammate.

Impressing with his overall pace, Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) finished the day in fourth position, after returning in the saddle of his ZX-10RR for the first time for 2019. Leading during the first part of the day, the Turkish rider put in another strong lap in the afternoon closing in 1’41.001.

Testing a combination of chassis part, settings and electronics Dutchman Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) set the fifth fastest lap in 1’41.047, just 0.605 s behind his teammate.

Working on their full factory configuration for the first time, the brand new GRT Yamaha WorldSBK team took their time to get acquainted with the new package. Both Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese were able to get used with their machine updates early on and finished the day respectively in sixth and seventh position.

Following just behind the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista had a lot of things to work on as they continued to improve their Ducati Panigale V4 R. Back at his full strength, as he was riding injured last time, Davies completed a positive first day, despite suffering a small crash through turn 5 late in the afternoon, meaning he couldn’t improve more. The Ducati rider ended the day eighth with a best lap in 1’41.375.  Spanish star Alvaro Bautista took his time to get used to the WorldSBK machine as he had only two days on the V4 before returning to Jerez today. The Spaniard set a lap time of 1’41.857 after 44 laps ending the day in ninth position.

Davies and Bautista were not the only Ducati riders on track as also Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) were out taming their Ducati Panigale V4 R. The Irishman, who made the debut on the new Bologna factory bike today, finished in 12^th position, while Rinaldi, who was working also on new suspensions, finished the day thirteenth.

Closing the top ten Spaniard Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) ended the day in tenth position. The Spaniard put in 82 laps as he was testing new components for his Kawasaki ZX-10RR. Another Kawasaki rider, Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) finished eleventh as he was working with a different crew from last season.

Completing the timesheet, WorldSBK rookie Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team), who was the first SBK® rider to take to the track this morning, closed the day in 14^th position.

The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team were also out on track testing today. Both Markus Reiterberger and Tom Sykes were working on getting familiar with their bikes as well as a trying different electronic strategy. With their focus on these aspects and not on the times, both the two riders had not been using a transponder today, meaning they didn’t have they unofficial lap times recorded.

The WorldSBK riders were not the only one testing, as there were also FIM Supersport World Championship top team taking to the track around Jerez today. Federico Caricasulo (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) closed on top, followed by Raffaele De Rosa (MV AGUSTA Reparto Corse) and teammate Randy Krummenacher. Frenchman Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finished fourth with fellow Hikari Okubo close behind.

GMT94 Yamaha riders Cluzel and Perolari put in 49 laps respectively and closed the day behind the two Kawasaki riders.

Action resumes on track tomorrow for day two of testing at Jerez.

Jerez Day One Unofficial Times:

1. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1’40.442
2. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’40.450 +0.08
3. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’40.877 +0.435
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) 1’41.001 +0.559
5. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1’41.047 +0.605
6. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha Team) 1’41.119 +0.677
7. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha Team) 1’41.203 +0.761
8. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’41.375 +0.933
9. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’41.857 +1.415
10. Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) 1’41.973 +1.531
11. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 1’42.886 +2.444
12. Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) 1’43.376 +2.934
13. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) 1’43.973 +3.531
14. Alessandro Delbianco (Althea MIE Racing Team) 1’45.437 +4.995

Sun shone down on the opening day of testing around Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto and the World Superbike Championship riders were out to make some strong steps for 2019.

With four teams out on track, we were treated to an abundance of new bikes, new riders and new teams and plenty of laps were put in around the 4.4km track.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has been working through his testing programme, meaning he had a busy day around the circuit. Working with suspension, tyre work, finding a balance with their chassis and weight distribution and their new engine, it was a productive day for the reigning world champion who came out on track at 1pm and shot right to the top of the timing screens. The reigning world champion ended day one with a time of 1.39.657, putting in 57 laps.

Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is continuing to get used to his new bike and is focusing on putting in as many laps as possible throughout the two days in Andalusia. Despite suffering a crash through turn five, the British rider ended day one in fifth putting in 71 laps, with a time of 1.40.390.

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati had a big day in Jerez as their new recruit in Alvaro Bautista began to get to grips not only with his new team, but also adapting to the World Superbike machine.

Focusing on his pace with the all new Ducati Panigale V4 R, he was able to impress on his first day of the ‘new era’, setting a 1.39.919 after an impressive 65 laps and ending in second position. Whilst for Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who is embarking on his third day with his new bike – his second in the dry – he was still working on base setting for 49 laps. His time of 1.40.202 put him in third overall.

Brand new WorldSBK team GRT Yamaha had their first day with the step up into the premier class, with experienced Marco Melandri and WorldSBK rookie Sandro Cortese. Spending their first day getting adapted to the YZF-R1, the team are taking things step by step and were able to put in 125 laps collectively. Melandri ended day one in sixth, whilst Cortese finished the day in eighth.

Continuing to work on improving the gap to the front runners, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) continued to work through the parts and updates they had last week around MotorLand Aragon.

With elements of their chassis, swing arm and electronics to work on the 2018 race winners had another productive day in Spain. Lowes was never outside the top four and ended in fourth with a time of 1.40.296. Whilst van der Mark was taking a more steady approach and ended with a time of 1.41.572 in seventh position.

It wasn’t only SBK teams testing, as there were three FIM Supersport World Championship teams out on track. MV Agusta Reparto Corse had 2018 star Rafaelle De Rosa out on track, whilst Kawasaki Puccetti Racing took to the track with Hikari Okubo and Team Pedercini Racing were out on track putting in the miles over the winter.

Action resumes on track tomorrow for the final day of pre-season testing in November. Keep up with all the action on the WorldSBK VideoPass.

Jerez Day One unofficial times:

1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1.39.657
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1.39.979 +0.322
3. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1.40.202 +0.545
4. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1.40.296 +0.639
5. Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1.40.390 +0.733
6. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha Team) 1.40.663 +1.006
7. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 1.41.572 +1.915
8. Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha Team) 1.41.972 +2.315

source: worldsbk.com