English
Italiano
After the beating they took from Davies' Ducati Panigale in both of the weekend's races, the Kawasaki Superbike team reacted in the best way possible during the tests organised by Dorna at the same track of Jerez de la Frontera yesterday.
A very hot day made for interesting conditions on track, with riders testing new solution ahead of the final round in Qatar. Both Johnny Rea and Tom Sykes lapped with record times, as well as refining work completed on their ZX10R bikes. The two Brits, who will battle it out for the title in Doha, also tested some technical updates that will be in use next season.
Completing 56 laps, the Northern Irish current champion rode just one bike and with a best time of 1’40”815 proved unbeatable: “today was very positive, the best of the whole season in fact - smiled Rea- I don't really like testing and wasn't very motivated today but, step by step, we found what we were looking for with the bike. We were fast and consistent all day long and the details tested in terms of the 2017 bike gave good feedback, including a rear shock and some updated forks; I was fast also with the used tyres and have to thank Showa for its support, as well as Kawasaki and my team... Today there were many positive aspects”.
On the opposite side of the team green garage, Tom Sykes was also satisfied with the work completed: “today was a very busy but constructive day, I tested two bikes and this helped a lot; as well as the new Pirelli tyres, I also tested some updated electronics, new suspension and various frame modifications. My technicians worked hard over the entire weekend and again today; I want to thank them and from here we move on to Qatar where we'll be even stronger".
Coming in just behind the Kawasaki men in yesterday's test was the weekend's winner Chaz Davies, who worked calmly on the Panigale R, aware of his potential and the growth of the Bolognese bike. Setting the third fastest time, seven tenths from the leader, didn't worry the Welshman in the slightest: “Today was just about sticking to a program, we haven’t done too many laps or chased lap times, we just went through some items for now and 2017. We tried some new stuff for suspensions and a bit of electronics, all of which turned out to be quite positive, and also a couple of new tyre compounds. Compared with the racing weekend, the track was a bit more greasy since the temperatures were higher, but it has been a productive day nonetheless. We set our fastest lap in hotter conditions, so we leave Jerez happy.”
Davide Giugliano, after a different weekend in which his injured shoulder caused problems, enjoyed a more positive test day and his tenth place finish is interpreted optimistically: “It’s been a positive day overall. Our priority was to improve the setup from the weekend, in order to be faster with higher temperatures when the grip is lower. We managed to improve our speed quite a bit, even without pushing for a lap time and working with used tyres extensively. The shoulder still hinders my riding, but we’ve made a good step forward. We still need more stability on the rear to allow me to turn faster and make the most of corner speed, and this is what we’ll focus on in Qatar to finish the season on a high note.”
