Reigning WorldSBK king Jonathan Rea worked on understanding the race potential of his new ZX-10RR during a one-day test at Jerez.
The works Kawasaki man, who flew solo after team-mate Alex Lowes injured himself in a flat-track crash, made use of the almost dry afternoon track surface and posted a total of 40 laps, with his best time of 1’40.6set on race tyres.
"We intended to test on Wednesday but we got bad weather. We made another effort to stay and we got some productive laps in on Thursday," said Rea.
"I thank them for the huge effort – everybody - and it was such a positive test. We had to confirm some items we had been working on in the off-season and I had a really good feeling.
"The track wasn’t in perfect condition because some corners were still damp but I was able to understand the bike, understand the changes, and give lots of good information and data to the engineers. It did not take me so long to get into the swing of things.
"I am leaving the test very happy with what we have done and I feel great on the bike. The work I have been doing at home has been paying off as well and I am looking forward to riding again.”
Rea focused on engine maps and electronics settings his team had worked on over the winter and how to manage the power of the new bike.
Because it rained in the morning, Rea has only used half a day of his ten-day test allocation under new rules and will be out again, with Lowes, at Portimao in early March.
