Jonas Folger’s preparations for his rookie WorldSBK campaign stepped up another gear as he trained on a BMW S1000RR machine at the Circuito de Almeria, Spain.

Riding last year’s bike, Folger got to grips with BMW machinery following his wildcard appearances throughout 2020 on a Yamaha bike, albeit remaining in the same team, run by Michael Galinski.

“I was super happy being back on a race track after this long winter at home, especially riding a BMW for the first time ever, even if it was just a production bike this time," said the German former MoroGP star.

"Yet, the character of the bike will be similar to our race machine, I guess and I really enjoyed it. It was good fun riding again, but also meeting some of the other riders there.

“I have to say, I was very happy with this first private training in Almeria and very delighted with the BMW.

"I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m positively surprised about the feeling, about the engine and the electronics, although my race bike should be even more advanced. Now definitely can’t wait to start. the tests with my Bonovo Action team and with the official Superbike machine.”