Motorland Aragon Test-WSBK

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Motorland Aragon Test The First Step Into 2017 For KRT

A two-day test at Motorland Aragon in Spain is about to get underway for the KRT duo of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes at the 5.077km Spanish circuit as the transition to the 2017 Ninja ZX-10RR takes on a whole new level of significance.

The test days, between 16 and 17 November, are the start of the usual intense and wide-ranging on-track preparations the official Kawasaki Racing Team squad will undertake with the Ninja ZX-10RR.

The KRT tests will start after a media day at Motorland Aragon on Tuesday 15th November, in which journalists got to ride not only Jonathan Rea?s championship-winning Ninja ZX-10R Superbike but also the awesome new Ninja ZX-10RR.

Based on the current Ninja ZX-10R the new model is an even more focused high performance machine, with several race-ready improvements in its overall design.

Motorland is a known quantity as a test venue and a race circuit for the official WorldSBK team and is located relatively close to KRT?s base of operations in Barcelona. Both KHI and the KRT squad have significant amounts of data from previous Motorland experiences to make genuine comparisons and gauge progress.

With some technical rule changes in 2017, most notably on the electronics and induction systems, the entire focus of the tests will be on the forthcoming season and the opportunities it presents.

In 2016 Kawasaki won the Manufacturers? Championship, Rea and Sykes finished 1-2 respectively in the Riders? Championship and the official Kawasaki Racing Team also headed up the final classification in the team?s title race.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?It looks like we should have some consistent weather for the next couple of days at Motorland and that will be good because we have some chassis components to test, both from Showa and Kawasaki, and some engine components also. We have some ideas to improve the whole package so it will be very busy over the winter period. I will have two bikes at this test and what we do not tick off the list of work here we will take to the next tests in Jerez. We are starting again, step-by-step, and we will just work through our programme.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?We have two days on track and the plan is to try out different items to evaluate chassis and suspension materials and obviously we are changing things round to suit 2017 rules. There will be lot of small changes to start with. I am trying to confirm the chassis set-up from 2016 and have more time on the bike. We are getting close to our final 2017 bike already. The test is going to be different to the mid-season ones we have done already. Here we will have two bikes a more things coming. We can be more efficient in our working that way. This is where it all begins again and I am looking forward to getting on track at Motorland. We are looking to go faster, as always!?

Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, stated: ?The winter test period is very important. It is similar to when you have a school exam. If you don?t study, for sure you won?t pass. If you study you have a major probability of success. In racing it is 100% the same. In this period it is important to keep the riders focused and all staff must concentrate to make good analysis and then give proper indications to the suppliers and Kawasaki engineers. We have many ideas to work on so let?s see how we manage.?

 

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Positive WorldSBK debut for Bradl alongside Hayden at Aragon winter test

The Honda WorldSBK Team has completed the first test of the winter season today at the MotorLand Arag?n circuit in Spain. This has been the first outing on board the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine for new signing Stefan Bradl, who with Nicky Hayden completes the team?s line-up for the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship.

The two days on track were blessed with glorious weather which, despite low temperatures in the morning, allowed all teams to make the most of the 7-hour per day track-time available to them. Using the same machine he raced for the whole 2016 season, Hayden tried some new components with an eye to the future, including new electronics complying to next year?s regulations, a new 2017-spec front fork from ?hlins and new brake components. Hayden?s 1?50.8s was the fastest lap-time among the 132 recorded by the 35-year-old American over the course of the two days.

Only a few days after the end of his MotoGP season, Stefan Bradl joined the Honda WorldSBK Team on track for the first time as he got to grips with the Fireblade machine, as well as with Pirelli tyres and steel brakes. The former Moto2 Champion quickly got up to speed and was able to start working with the team on some early set-up changes. Despite not focusing on pure speed in what was his very first experience of production-based motorcycle racing, Bradl clocked a fastest time in 1?51.1 and completed a considerable amount of laps (134), which included two encouraging long runs.

The Honda WorldSBK Team will return to action next Monday for a two-day test at Circuito di Jerez in southern Spain.

You can view the teaser video of the MotorLand Arag?n test directly from this page or by clicking this link.


Nicky Hayden 69

Well, I think overall we have been pretty fortunate with the conditions: it wasn?t beach weather, but for being late November we?ve had a couple of really nice afternoons. We did a good number of laps and were able to go through some stuff; of course, we kept working with the 2016 bike trying to develop what we still can. Yesterday we spent a lot of time evaluating Pirelli tyres with a couple of positives from that side of things. We worked on what we think will be the same on next year?s bike but for other things like the clutch, for example, we aren?t sure yet whether it?ll be the one we?ll use in 2017. But we did work on brakes and suspension settings that we can put to good use for the future. Overall we can be happy with what we?ve done.

Stefan Bradl

It has been a busy two days of testing. Almost everything was new to me so we had a lot to learn, but I think we?ve done a good job. I was able to adapt to the bike quite quickly and the two long runs definitely taught me a lot, as they gave me a good feeling for the future and told me how to modify my style with regards to tyre wear. We tried a couple of things with the front and rear suspensions as well as with the geometry of the bike; we played around with the set-up, found our own way with things, and the feeling improved outing after outing. It?s been a very useful test to know how the bike and the team work, and I think everyone can be happy with what we?ve done so far.

Pieter Breddels -Technical Manager

Today with Stefan we kept working on the front of the bike, changing springs and positions for preload. In the end he was happy with what we found, so we turned our attention to the rear of the bike. We then did a long run and that turned out to be really a good one: he was lapping in the low 1m 51s area and after we put a new set of tyres he did another long run, in which he set his fastest lap for the test ? and then he matched it again! We compared the two bikes with different setups and he also did some practice starts, which again were positive. After only two days of testing, his performance has been remarkable. Nicky continued with the programme we scheduled for the winter. He tried some things but the breakthrough came when we changed the suspension settings at the rear. We evaluated some modifications to the rear brake but we were not fully happy with it, so we?ll continue working on that area. Overall we had some interesting results and now we can look forward to Jerez next week.

 

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Winter Test One Complete For Rea and Sykes At Motorland Aragon

The 5.077km long Motorland Aragon circuit hosted a two-day test session for the official Kawasaki Racing Team and its riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, with Rea going fastest and Sykes the second rider on the unofficial timesheets.

Held between 16 and 17 November the test was the most significant yet as the team started to make the transition between the official 2016 machine and the new for 2017 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR. With a new Ninja to race winter testing will take on a whole new level of importance from now until the first round of the new season, to be held in Australia in February.

Rea, who set fewer laps on day one than on day two, left Motorland with the fastest lap time of all. His 1?49.8, which is relatively close to the track best, was well under the official race lap record of 1?50.421.

Sykes put in 150 laps of Motorland over two days. While using harder SC1 tyres he set a best of 1?50.4, which was the second fastest time of the test and almost exactly on lap record pace. After working with some new engine specifications Sykes moved on to work on his chassis and suspension, all the while with a race set-up on his Ninja.

With a stated aim of going 1-2 in the championship again in 2017 the KRT squad has made a very strong first real step into a future that again promises much for riders, team and Kawasaki as a manufacturer.

Next up for all in the team is another Spanish test, this time at Jerez de la Frontera, starting on 21 November. Four days of track action are planned in all.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?The base bike was working quite well here and the track was in quite good condition on both days. We lost a bit of time on day one but on the second day we got really stuck into our test plan. Kawasaki has been working hard on the engine side and we had some upgrades on the chassis, which were positive. Showa have been working well and brought a new shock and forks to try. We are pretty happy and we can continue our work on the suspension side in Jerez next week. On the engine side we have been much more consistent than we have ever been here with race tyres. We were able to do a lot of laps today and it was a very encouraging test.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?We have had two bikes in the garage at this test to try and use the time more efficiently, so we are relatively happy. On hard tyres we have good showing on initial performance and over race distance, so I am pleased. We have been working a lot with the chassis and trying to find a better balance. We have gone absolutely everywhere with the chassis settings as we obviously cannot do that during a race weekend. We have been working to the new 2017 technical rules and overall we have had quite a few little tweaks to the gearbox, clutch, suspension, electronics and chassis. Thanks to the boys in the team and Kawasaki as they have been working so hard. They have hardly put their spanners down.?

Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: ?Step-by-step we have been working well and at the end of day one Jonathan had a good feeling, with quite a lot of laps already on the tyres. He was still doing the lap times, so that was positive. On day two we kept working to understand the new development and follow the testing plan. We reached nearly all the parts we wanted to test. We focused more on the chassis side and the suspension, as we had some new items to test. Jonathan was riding fast, riding really well, and this makes it easier to understand all the test items. We have been working strongly with the four Japanese staff that were at Motorland. We collected a lot of information and at the same time Jonathan was the fastest rider. Now comes the work to analyse everything to prepare for the next test at Jerez.?

Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes, stated: ?We only used the SC1 race tyre for both days as it gave us stable performance over 25 laps and our pace was strong with it. The track conditions were also good and the track was clean and consistent, so it provided a high level of grip. We tried mostly chassis and suspension components to suit the new engine character we will have next year. We have reached the targets we set ourselves for this test. Before we started we set a target for lap time and consistency and we have gone even better. I think Tom did around 150 laps over the two days so we worked on a lot of things and took our time over the new items.?

 

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First Steps Taken Towards 2017 as Lowes and Van Der Mark Complete Aragon Shakedown

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team returned to Spain this week as preparations began for the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Completing two days at Motorland Aragon's 5,077m circuit, the YZF-R1's were put through their paces as the Yamaha crew evaluated a raft of hardware and electronics updates. Alex Lowes and new teammate Michael van der Mark were satisfied with the progress made and new information discovered.

Totalling 141 laps across the 14 hours of track time, Lowes concentrated on multiple race simulations to evaluate the new season parts, witnessing improvements to consistency and lap-times on old tyres from that of his 2016 pace and confirming the appropriate direction for continued development. New chassis components also provided additional success both in initial analysis and under detailed longer runs, while multiple geometry and suspensions settings were fine-tuned to improve the Briton's feeling further.

Van der Mark's introduction to the Pata Yamaha team and machine also proved productive. Initially concentrating on basic set up, balance and understanding his YZF-R1, the Dutchman quickly got comfortable with his new Superbike allowing consistent and impressive pace throughout the test - without pushing for outright times - and already improving on the Yamaha's level of performance achieved during April's race visit.

With the extensive testing program complete and additional areas now identified for targeted development, Lowes and van der Mark are looking forward to 2016's final on-track analysis ahead of the winter break, as the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team travels to Andaluc?a for three days of testing, scheduled at Circuito de Jerez next week.

Alex Lowes
"We've worked really hard over the past two days and it's been a good test overall here at Aragon. The final day was probably the best testing day I've had on the R1, with some great consistency and pace during the long race simulations, so I am leaving happy.

"The technical developments have been positive but also the new additions to the team and the way the structure is working seems a good step forward. Michael looks good on the bike and is relaxed and smiling so that's a positive too!

"After these two interesting days we know where we must improve and I feel like the team are working in a good way to achieve that, so I'm looking forward to continuing the work at Jerez next week."

 

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Season-Ending Winter Tests Finish On A High For KRT

After a week of testing at Jerez in Spain Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes set impressive lap times as they shared the circuit with some of the main 2017 rivals and several top MotoGP runners. Riding the 2017-spec Ninja ZX-10RR Rea set the fastest individual lap time of the tests on a dry track on Thursday, with Sykes the third fastest WorldSBK rider and the fifth fastest rider overall.

After two tests in quick succession ? at Motorland Aragon last week and Jerez this week - the KRT squad has completed the 2016 sector of its overall winter test plan in positive fashion.

KRT was joined by several KHI staff at Jerez to help properly evaluate the new WorldSBK specification chassis and engine materials, which have been adapted for the recently launched ZX-10RR. Each rider had two machines to test, to allow for meaningful back-to-back comparisons.

The Jerez test for KRT featured three dry days in the middle of the week, bracketed by two wet days on Monday and Friday. Neither of the riders took to the track on Friday 25th, as conditions had deteriorated so much. Rea left Jerez with a track best of 1?38.721 while using a qualifying rear tyre with Sykes setting a 1?39.461, again on a ?Q? rear tyre. Rea was even more pleased with the 1?39.5 lap time he set on race tyres than his best-of-test flying lap of 1?38.721.

Rea had completed his pre-planned schedule by Thursday afternoon but a crash for Sykes earlier the same day lost him some track time just as his crew had fitted all the most promising new parts and settings to his number one machine. He still managed to complete a fast lap time on his spare machine and enjoyed consistent pace over distance.

A break in track action now begins for the team, with the winter test schedule restarting at Jerez on 24th January 2017.

Jonathan Rea, stated: ?It has been a very successful test with three days of very consistent weather. We also got a morning of wet conditions in which we confirmed a few things, especially a new Showa rear shock. I have to thank all at KRT for giving us this long test and KHI for bringing some extra engineering staff. Thanks to Showa for continuing to develop new parts for us and bringing them to the track. We did two race simulations on Thursday that we were very happy with. We can go into the winter in great shape and with a lot of confidence for next season. Having the new Ninja ZX-10RR has let us fix some of our weaker points, as our engine is a little bit stronger than before, with some extra RPM. That is always an added bonus. We can be optimistic for 2017. Looking back on 2016 it has been an incredible year to finish off here with a successful test I want to say thanks to all my team and all my crew, everyone inside KRT and KHI for these last few days.?

Tom Sykes, stated: ?During the Aragon tests and also here at Jerez I feel we have been doing good work. For sure we have still not hit the nail on the head but the good thing is we are doing a lot of trial and elimination. Even here, where I was not entirely happy with my feeling, we managed to put in good lap times. Both myself and Jonathan seem to be able to do consistent lap times, which is promising. I had a crash on Thursday that stopped me using my preferred machine but still we were able to continue testing. We know we can do what is required on whatever set-up we have, but now we are going to have a few weeks to relax, refresh and recharge the batteries. I am confident that with the information we now have we can put the jigsaw together in January and start testing again from there.?

Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: ?Always in the winter time we try to follow all the items we have that Japan has prepared. Chassis engine, suspension, everything. We focused not to set the bike up for the racetrack; we focused to try out the parts. I know the potential of Kawasaki as a manufacturer, Johnny, the team, everybody, but still it has been so positive here. With a Q tyre we made a big, big step forward. With a race tyre our target was to improve the durability in the second part of the race. It seems like we have made another step. I can say that we reached our targets for the first part of the winter tests. We are very pleased to be in the shape that we are in and with all the information we have.?

Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes, stated: ?Jerez was more complex for us than the recent Aragon test. The bike is harder for Tom to manage because of his unique way of riding and we have had to compensate for this by improving the chassis performance. We made some very fundamental steps on the bike set-up, with some good and not so good results. We have enough data to really study in the winter break and we will be able to bring all the good points together before we start testing again in January. We have a lot of information from the last five years, and three more tests before we go racing at Phillip Island. I am sure we can give Tom a proper bike set-up before the first race in Australia.?