Winter test, Jerez: Rea and Sykes conclude an excellent session in Andalusia

The Kawasaki Racing Team has completed another winter test on the Jerez de la Frontera track and is confidently awaiting the first round of the season, scheduled for Phillip Island from 24 to 26 February.

Unfortunately, the bad weather affected the entire test, due to the rain that hit the Spanish circuit: Rea and Sykes however continued to work on the set-up and managed to resolve some problems, also in view of the official Dorna tests which they will take place a few days before the races, from 20 to 21 February again at Phillip Island.

Jonathan Rhea he finished both days in first position, focusing on the set-up of the front of the bike and working on some new developments brought by Pirelli: “The test was very positive. On the first day we waited for the track to dry and then had precious time which we maximized by trying different suspensions, with the 2016 fork as a base, to try out some ideas. We confirmed the best chassis and suspension we will use this year and worked with some engine components and clutches, to understand which was my favourite. We tried the departures and found something good. Pirelli also brought some developed tires to try and we committed to that. We have removed some things from our list, while we have confirmed others. Furthermore, on Wednesday we worked on performance, lap times and now we are preparing for Phillip Island."

Tom Sykes has found a new stability on his ZX-10RR and with the second fastest time of the test, he feels he is close to where he would like to be for the next test in Australia: “On the first day we worked hard and quickly tried many elements and changes of motorcycle configuration. We knew where we were in relation to the base of the bike and I spent a lot of time on the track, with the aim of arriving at Phillip Island with far fewer options to evaluate. We still have some small work to do in the Australian tests, but here we have focused on many things. Today, in the wet, I increased the speed, little by little we made some small changes and I got pretty close to where we would like to be. We got a lot of new information. Now we have a clearer vision of the preparations to be made in view of the first race. For Phillip Island we need to be more focused on performance."