WorldSBK winter testing kicks off at Jerez on Thursday with Puccetti Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes joining the factory Kawasaki boys for two days on track.
The works BMW team will also be there with Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark on duty while Garrett Gerloff and Loris Baz are also due to roll out with Bonovo BMW.
Unfortunately, team boss Eugene Laverty is still in Australia after a big crash at Phillip Island and can’t yet fly home.
The second test features two more factory teams while it will also have the debuts at an independent squad. From December 13th to December 15th, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK and Team HRC will be on track; with riders Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli at Yamaha and Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge at Honda.
Once again, there will be a BMW presence at Jerez for the test. It will also mark the debut of riders with their new teams: Dominique Aegerter and Remy Gardner at the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team. MIE Racing Honda Team will also take part in the three-day test, while it could be the first chance to spot Garrett Gerloff in BMW colours.
The first test of the 2023 calendar year takes place at Jerez and there will be plenty of bikes on display across the two days. KRT and Pata Yamaha, will be joined by reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi – and could be the first sighting of Ducati’s new Panigale V4 R.
There will be Independent teams on track too, with Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) taking part in his first test of the season while, once again, there will be BMW representation at the test.
The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve will host the fourth test of the season and takes the testing season into February, with track action on January 31st and 1st February. The Portimao test features a very similar line-up to the Jerez test the week before, as teams and riders get to test new parts at a different venue.
February marks the start of the 2023 season with the season-opening Australian Round taking place from the 24th-26th February. In the week leading up to that, there will be two days of testing for the entire WorldSBK and WorldSSP grid with these two days on the Monday and Tuesday before the round; the 20th and 21st February.
2022-2023 testing calendar
1st-2nd December: Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto
13th-15th December: Circuit de Jerez – Angel Nieto
25th-26th January: Circuit de Jerez – Angel Nieto
31st January-1st February: Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
20th-21st February: Dorna Official Test, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
