He dominated the first day and then became the pursuer of Toprak Razgatlioglu in the second: Jonathan Rea concluded the two days of testing in Portimao with a more than positive balance, and in the Algarve he proved once again to be more aggressive than ever in sight. of the 2022 season. The Kawasaki rider was the only one to go under the 40 barrier on the last day, together with his direct rival, also going to break the record (later beaten once again by the reigning champion).
The one who appears at the end of the tests on the Lusitanian track is an extremely competitive Rea, where he also had the opportunity to test the new Pirelli SCQ. Although he is not yet fully satisfied, the Kawasaki rider does not reject the news of the tire supplier a priori, believing that working on it can improve: “Pirelli brought some tires that we had to try and I did a long race simulation with them. The new SCQs are tires to be understood, since at the moment they are not yet close to the consistency I need. But there is still time to improve and we will move in this direction ”.
Rea vs Toprak: it is already a world fight … with a look to the future
On the other hand, what satisfies the six-time world champion is what he found on the ZX-10RR, which seems ready for the world challenge. In fact, on the first day he dominated, continuing in the wake of the Jerez tests, where he proved to be in great shape. On the second day Rea folded only to Razgatlioglu, who set the track record. But, excluding the time attack, the stopwatch was not the focus of the tests: “Each rider here has a different strategy and a work plan to follow. What matters is the consistency of this test. Toprak’s time trial is impressive, but it is the race that counts, and when we return in October there will be completely different conditions ”.
“We completed many laps in these tests,” Rea continues. “We went back and forth a bit because we had a couple of frame elements that we weren’t sure about. In the end I think we can be quite confident that we have confirmed the things we had found in Jerez in previous tests and we have put the package together, having also worked a little on the electronics. Overall it was a solid test, I think we have a good base setup to manage to start the year with. During the long run that I did in the afternoon I didn’t feel a big collapse as it usually happens in Portimao after about 10 or 15 laps. I am happy with this and we will continue to work in this sense, because it is important to be fast and to be fast even at the end of the race ”.
The season has yet to start, however it will be 2022 that will mark the expiration of Jonathan Rea’s contract with Kawasaki. However, the Northern Irishman does not seem to be too worried about the future: “But we are still in February! For now I don’t care about 2023, I’m just thinking about this season, then we’ll see. I feel good in Kawasaki, I have an excellent relationship with the team. I just need a bike that allows me to take a step forward ”.
Alex Lowes, the injury is behind him and the feeling with the Kawasaki arrives
For the first time in a long time, Alex Lowes is back on track without the nightmare of injuries, which characterized not only the last part of the 2021 season, but all of his two-year career in Kawasaki. For the Brit this is the third year on the ZX-10RR and he seems to have started off on the right foot. The technical measures and the sensations on the track leaving him more than satisfied at the end of the two days of testing in Portimao, in which he collected important data, but above all he found the right feeling with the bike.
“We had a great test here and I think I did 162 laps over the two days,” says Lowes. ” “This is the best thing for me, because for over a year I have not been able to do a full day of testing due to all the injuries I have had. So doing 160 laps at a good pace, no mistakes, and working hard on the bike made me really happy. In terms of the bike setup, we have made some improvements, but it seems the other guys have made some too. I’m really happy with the work we’ve done, but we still need to find a couple of tenths or more before the season starts. After a long, long time, this is the best feeling I’ve ever felt on the bike. I am really happy and we will work hard with my team leader Marcel during this little break before the Barcelona test at the end of March ”.
Alex Lowes, Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
Photo by: Kawasaki Racing Team
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