Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes got their first look at the new 2017 Ninja ZX-10RR in all its glory, as the Kawasaki Racing Team revealed their green machines at Cine Comedia in Barcelona this week.

With the clear objective for the world championship winning team to refocus on the challenge ahead and take on any trials that they are set to face, the team are focused on their goals for the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship – to reboot.

With just two weeks remaining until bikes rumble out of pit lane for the opening free practise session of 2017 at Phillip Island, both Rea and Sykes are keen to put their productive winter testing to good use.

“It is really nice that every year KRT really pull out all the stops for our team launch.” Beamed reigning world champion, Jonathan Rea,

“The last few years it has been in beautiful iconic spots in Barcelona and again this year we are in this really cool cinema, pretty much in the heart of the city. It is nice to jump into my new leathers, see the finished bike and have so many other people around to share in the excitement of a new season."

"After celebrating the championship I have just refocused on testing since then. We have had such a productive off-season and now I am excited for the year to start.”

Team-mate and 2013 world champions Tom Sykes stated: “There has been a lot of work and preparation put in during the off season from everybody and now we are announcing the team officially. It is getting to that time where we will be flying to Australia soon.

It is all going to start happening very fast and tonight is the beginning of that. I am hoping to go to Phillip Island and be very competitive in the opening round. I have been trying my hardest in the winter to adapt to the bike. I would like to arrive strongly in the first round in Australia.”

KRT head over to Australia for the Official winter test from 20^th -21^st February, before hitting the track for Round 1, on 24^th – 26^th February. 

In the picturesque town of Gerno di Lesmo, Italy which is the new home to the Yamaha WorldSBK teams, the machines that will grace the 2017 WorldSBK Championship circuits were unveiled this afternoon.
With the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team now re-locating to the historic headquarters in Italy, the team will now have a deeper backing from Yamaha Motor Company as they head into the new season. Remaining British Rider Alex Lowes and new signing Michael van der Mark were both present at the launch, keen to get underway following strong steps made over winter testing.
van der Mark explains: “I’m really excited to change teams. I’m really excited, I was looking for a new adventure and I have a feeling that the bike has so much potential. Winter testing has been really good and for me, and the first lap I went out on track with the R1 I felt I’d made the right decision. We worked so hard during the winter to get more speed and improve the bike, and I just know I’ve made a good decision.”
“We’ve improved a small step in lots of different areas,” Lowes divulges, “So I’m very excited to arrive at Phillip Island and to understand where we are. We need to be up there fighting, but first we need to understand how to be there, and I’m looking forward to this. In the Phillip Island test I have to find a little bit of better confidence and a little bit better feeling, and if I find this I will be very happy going into the first race. My goal is to get the best result possible, I want to realise my potential.”
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team-mates Lucas Mahias and Federico Caricasulo took the covers off their new YZF-R6, as they head into the new season with the backing of Filippo Conti as their Team Manager. Eager for the season to get underway, they will also have ex-125 and 250 Grand Prix World Championship rider Mirko Giansanti as its Sporting and Technical Director.
On top of their two World teams, Yamaha also see the return of the Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team, with Florian Marino and Roberto Tamburini at the helm. Marino returns to the team for a second season, despite being hindered by injury for the majority of 2016 and will be joined by Tamburini who was STK1000 runner up in 2015.
Also launched in Italy were six bikes which on top of their official teams, Yamaha will provide six YZF-R3 machines in the new FIM Supersport 300 World Championship. This will see a ‘class within a class’ develop for the manufacturer, known as the R3 bLU cRU Challenge. Youngsters Robert Schotman, Enzo De La Vega, Kimi Patova, Renzo Ferreira, Mykyta Kalinin and Alfonso Coppola will spend the season fighting for this separate crown.
Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Project Manager explains: “2017 is a very important season for Yamaha as we are involved across all the classes, highlighting the strong commitment to motorsport and a strong commitment to the value of the sport. We are not only supporting the pinnacle of the sport, in Superbike, but always we keep in mind the dedication to growing the talent from the base and this year we will be present from 300 to 1000cc.
“Today, finally we launch the new season, and it has been nice to see all the teams and riders so committed for the challenge ahead knowing they can count on the full support from Yamaha Motor Europe and Yamaha Motor Japan. We will do our best in order to support from the technical point of view, from the human point of view and any other services we can provide, to allow them to become faster as riders but also to grow as professionals in their career. Yamaha believe in this talent from the roots to the top and they in turn are able to count on the competitive packages provided from the YZF-R3 to the YZF-R1.”

Data Center Aruba IT1 was the setting for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati launch this morning in Italy, as Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri unveiled the colours they will be battling with for the 2017 WorldSBK Championship.
Sticking with the traditional red on the Ducati Panigale R bikes, the duo were on hand to show off their liveries in front of the media as well as Ducati Corse general manager Luigi Dall’igna, sporting director Paolo Ciabatti and SBK project leader Ernesto Marinelli.

The team have made their goals of the upcoming 2017 quite clear; to win the World Superbike Championship.
Following a stunning end to the 2016 season, Welsh rider Chaz Davies won seven out of the final eight races and shows no signs of slowing down following an impressive winter testing regime.

Davies is keen to get the season underway: “The start of a new season is always an exciting moment. We are ready to start from scratch, even though we hope to maintain the form we had in the final part of last season. During the winter I realized that nothing stays still in this sport, we are all anxious to improve and redefine our own limits. Aruba.it and Ducati are giving everything to improve the bikes we have at our disposal, and every day we make another step towards our aim, but the best is yet to come.”
Returning Italian Marco Melandri is not just there to make up the numbers, and is keen to get the season underway with hope he can be up and fighting for podiums and wins; with 19 WorldSBK victories already to his name.

He explained: “I’m really excited about this opportunity. My feeling with the Panigale R and the team has been great ever since the start, and lap after lap we have discovered our potential, getting closer and closer to the leaders."

"It’s difficult to make any forecasts because the SBK championship is more competitive than ever, but I can’t wait for the lights to change at Phillip Island to have that feeling of adrenaline again that only racing can give you."

"It’s not going to be easy to beat our rivals, but we’ll do everything possible to be ready on time, after which…anything is possible.”
One top of the WorldSBK team, the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team were able to uncover their 2017 colours as Michael Rinaldi and Mike Jones get prepared for what is set to be an ever-competitive European Superstock 1000 season.

Jerez de la Frontera played host to pre-season winter testing for the Superbike World Championship again today, as teams continue to put in the miles before the season opener at Phillip Island, now only three weeks away.

Rain held up track action this morning, however once the track dried up, teams didn’t waste time to get out on track.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) made the most of the dry track in the afternoon and put in an impressive amount of laps – 61 in total. Moving to the top of the timing screens on his 12th lap he was only challenged by team-mate Tom Sykes all day.

However in the final 15 minutes of the day, the reigning champion clocked an impressive lap time of 1.39.248. At the end of day one 1.672s spilt Rea from Sykes, who also spent the majority of the afternoon out on track – putting in 64 laps and ending with a time of 1.40.920. The pair made the most of the track time and were both able to undergo race simulations.

IODARacing made further steps towards their 2017 campaign with Argentinean Leandro Mercado who set the third fastest time of 1.42.462, improving in the closing minutes of the day.

Making only his second appearance aboard the WorldSBK machine, the former STK1000 rider will be using his time in Europe as a learning curve, as he hopes to have competitive pace in Australia.
Riccardo Russo (Guandalini Racing) put in a solid day of testing in southern Spain, despite suffering from a small crash, of which he was able to walk away from unharmed.

As he makes the step up into the WorldSBK series aboard the Yamaha YZF R1 the 24 year old ended the day in fourth position.
Following on from a successful test at Almeria last weekend, Pedercini Racing SC-Project had both their WorldSBK and STK1000 efforts present for the Jerez test, as they continue to build on their machine for the season ahead.

Alex De Angelis was able to secure the fifth fastest time of the day whilst STK1000 rider Jeremy Guarnoni was just one position back from the San Marinese rider.

Illia Mykhalchyk (TripleM Racing) spent the majority of the day out on track, putting in long stints aboard his STK1000 machine. Setting the seventh fastest time of the day, the Ukrainian’s time of 1.44.151 put him as the third fastest rider from the class, and put him over two seconds ahead of his team-mate, Marc Moser.

Keen to get some laps under their belt ahead of the first ever season in the World Championship, ETG Racing were present at Jerez with their Spanish rider Xavier Pinsach putting in almost 50 laps in an interrupted day – securing a lap time of 1.45.619.