Superbikes | The point after the Misano tests in view of Jerez

After the show of strength exhibited in the Imola Round, where he achieved a double in the two races contested (Race 2 was canceled due to rain, ed), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) also dominates the Jerez de la Frontera pre-Round tests, which will take place this weekend, at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli: is something changing in the balance seen so far on the track?

On the one hand, in fact, Rea arrives in Spain in excellent spirits, while the current leader in the standings, Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), in addition to the defeat at Imola, carries with him the consequences of the crash at turn 13 in the Misano tests , also thanks to the torrential rain which greatly hindered the work of the riders, leaving the asphalt too wet to be able to make significant developments.
To further complicate the scenario, Yamaha now seems to have entered into a stable manner, both officially with the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team of Lowes and Van der Mark, and with the satellite team GRT Yamaha WorldSBK with Sandro Cortese, which with the fifth place time between the two Ducatis of Bautista and Davies.

Among the most interesting things seen on the track is certainly the return of Ten Kate Racing, announced during the Aragon Round: until now, however, we had not yet had the opportunity to see Loris Baz in action on the YZF-R1.
The Frenchman, despite two falls, didn't let the rain stop him too much, demonstrating that he is fast and that he now has a good base of work to concentrate on: "It wasn't a bad start with these conditions, we have to do a lot of work on the motorbike, how to choose the footrest, the fairing, and many other small details. The team also had to learn the new computer program. At the beginning I took it easy, trying to find a good feeling with the bike” – said Baz.

There were two other newcomers at Misano, familiar faces such as Xavi Fores and Yuki Takahashi who joined Morikawi Althea Honda Racing for the occasion. Nicolò Canepa instead tested with Pata Yamaha and former STK1000 wildcard Samuele Cavalieri (MOTOCORSA Racing).
Yuki Takahashi will replace Leon Camier in Jerez while the Englishman continues his rehabilitation after his crash at the Imola Round.
Another rider who tested during both days was Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who also crashed but without consequences, who will try to return to the podium in Jerez: “We made some changes just before the end of the day but as soon as I went out I slipped. At least I was able to complete 14 laps but I was still one or two tenths of a difference from the fastest” – declared the Englishman.

While waiting to see them back on track in Jerez de la Frontera, we report the unofficial times at the end of the two-day test in Misano:

1.) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldBSK) 1'34.9
2.) Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1'25.1
3.) Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1'35.2
4.) Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing Ducati) 1'35.5
5.) Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) 1'35.5
6.) Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) 1'35.5
7.) Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Team) 1'35.7
8.) Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1'35.9
9.) Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) 1'35.9
10.) Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) 1'35.9
11.) Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1'35.6