Double World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea ended the third day of testing at Jerez test at the top of the timesheets and skinned all but one of the MotoGP riders also using the Andalucian track.

The Isle of Man, er, man was a country mile ahead of the WorldSBK pack and put in a best lap of 1’39.739 - only a tenth shy of Hector Barbera on the Avintia Ducati - and almost a second quicker than Kawasaki team-mate Tom Sykes who stuck in a best of 1’40.611. Rea focused on evaluating how a new Showa rear shock works with new Pirelli tyres as he completed a race simulation in the afternoon.

Sykes, meanwhile, has had to adjust to a new spec of motor that has a generator attached to the crank under new technical regulations. It gives the Yorkshireman more engine inertia than he wants and it is a characteristic he will now have to get used to, whereas Rea prefers the additional inertia that was removed on the 2016 bike.

In between the two was Aruba Ducati’s Chaz Davies on a 1’40.409. The Welshman only joined the test party today, as did Alex Lowes and Michael Van Der Mark on the Pata Yamahas. Lowes set a 1’40.985 while the Dutch newboy ended up on a 1’41.830.

Lorenzo Savadori was the quickest of the Milwaukee Aprilia riders in fourth place on a 1’41.048, just ahead of Marco Melandri who also joined the testing schedule today. The Italian veteran put in a 1’41.288 for sixth place, one in front of Leon Camier inhis opening day of testing at the circuit.

Eugene Laverty, on the second Milwaukee RSV4, was a little under two seconds off Rea’s pace with a 1’41.692.

Overall, Rea’s pace was outstanding considering he was faster than Loris Baz, Alvaro Bautista, Scott Redding, Aleix Espargaro and Michele Pirro all on MotoGP machinery, while Davies’ time was quicker than Danilo Petrucci on the second Pramac bike.

Jerez WSBK/MotoGP test day three - conditions dry

1 8 MGP Héctor BARBERÁ es 64 1:39.614 — ——- 46 21.475 40.743 1:10.292 286,5 - 1:41.705
2 1 SBK Jonathan REA gb 60 1:39.739 0.125 0.125 51 27.680 47.432 1:16.925 267,3 - PIT EXIT
3 76 MGP Loris BAZ fr 55 1:39.806 0.192 0.067 42 37.328 57.960 1:33.088 237,4 - PIT EXIT
4 19 MGP Álvaro BAUTISTA es 52 1:39.862 0.248 0.056 49 22.443 42.502 1:13.385 248,3 - 1:40.386
5 45 MGP Scott REDDING gb 55 1:40.085 0.471 0.223 46 20.910 39.650 286,5 - 1:40.835
6 41 MGP Aleix ESPARGARÓ es 45 1:40.086 0.472 0.001 43 22.102 41.986 1:12.697 272,7 - 1:58.149
7 51 MGP Michele PIRRO it 49 1:40.092 0.478 0.006 40 21.928 41.965 1:14.270 254,1 - 1:45.593
8 29 MGP Andrea IANNONE it 68 1:40.149 0.535 0.057 39 24.304 52.080 1:41.405 30,6 - 1:43.200
9 43 MGP Jack MILLER au 48 1:40.340 0.726 0.191 42 20.931 - - 1:40.739
10 7 SBK Chaz DAVIES gb 68 1:40.409 0.795 0.069 56 24.319 46.367 1:17.864 211,1 - 1:41.519
11 9 MGP Danilo PETRUCCI it 58 1:40.432 0.818 0.023 34 31.897 52.509 1:24.334 270,7 - PIT EXIT
12 17 MGP Karel ABRAHAM cz 59 1:40.484 0.870 0.052 59 23.220 43.675 1:13.509 271,4 - 1:40.484
13 66 SBK Tom SYKES gb 49 1:40.611 0.997 0.127 41 21.196 40.287 1:09.173 268,8 - 1:43.317
14 122 SBK Alex LOWES gb 48 1:40.985 1.371 0.374 44 23.850 1:24.614 1:56.185 215,1 - 1:42.201
15 32 SBK Lorenzo SAVADORI it 61 1:41.048 1.434 0.063 43 23.084 52.361 1:55.469 72,6 - 1:41.509
16 33 SBK Marco MELANDRI it 60 1:41.288 1.674 0.240 60 22.692 45.333 1:17.624 229,5 - 1:41.288
17 2 SBK Leon CAMIER gb 58 1:41.486 1.872 0.198 46 21.160 40.373 1:09.310 257,9 - 1:41.548
18 50 SBK Eugene LAVERTY ie 60 1:41.692 2.078 0.206 23 23.348 1:23.788 1:58.414 74,4 - 1:48.471
19 60 SBK Michael VD MARK nl 84 1:41.830 2.216 0.138 65 25.233 46.161 1:17.662 249,4 - 1:43.988
20 36 MGP Mika KALLIO fi 56 1:41.889 2.275 0.059 35 22.781 42.563 1:13.475 259,0 - 1:42.951
21 12 MGP Takuya TSUDA jp 67 1:42.003 2.389 0.114 54 21.792 43.304 1:18.306 255,9 - 1:43.574
22 38 MGP Bradley SMITH gb 49 1:42.362 2.748 0.359 41 22.305 42.107 1:13.858 278,3 - 1:56.276
23 72 MGP Hiroshi AOYAMA jp 68 1:42.531 2.917 0.169 31 22.605 42.832 1:15.792 274,0 - 1:45.504
24 22 MGP Sam LOWES gb 33 1:43.021 3.407 0.490 28 22.003 41.611 1:12.281 271,4 - 1:44.567