Positive Motorland Test For Rea

Jonathan Rea made the most of the fair weather at a private WorldSBK test held between 22-23 March at Motorland Aragon in northern Spain.

The 5.077km long circuit, located close to the historic town of Alcaniz, was blessed with favourable conditions throughout the entirety of both days of track action. Jonathan and his technical staff made the most of this opportunity to test both parts and settings on the recently re-homologated Ninja ZX-10RR.

Day one saw Rea fastest of all but importantly he completed race simulations to find information about chassis balance and tyre wear, after experiencing some issues during the first two rounds of the season at Phillip Island and Mandalika. Rea was again fastest over a single lap on the second day of testing, with a lap time of 1m 49.482.

There will be one more two day test session for the Rea and the KRT squad between 30-31 March at Circuit de Barcelona - Catalunya, located just a few hundred metres from KRT’s HQ and workshop facility in Granollers. Most of the main WorldSBK championship contenders will be present at this test, the last before the WorldSBK season restarts with round three at Assen in the Netherlands, between 21-23 April.

Jonathan Rea, stated: “It has been nice to spin a lot of laps at a circuit that we know well. We were testing some new ideas from a chassis point of view. We also tested a swingarm specification. We have a lot of information for the engineers to put together and try to make a step forward. Yesterday I completed two race simulations with some positive results about the target of the test, which was to take some weight off the front tyre. We found some positives. From an electronics point of view we worked on some other items and different strategies, and put it all together. I have to thank all the mechanics and crew because they worked hard. There were a lot of chassis changes that took some time, but they did them all fast. That meant I could maximise track time. This has been probably the most valuable test we have had for the 2023 season, because in the winter the conditions are cold and sometimes damp, so you don’t get on track until lunchtime. Here, we were able to be on track from 9.30am to 6pm, so we maximised the good weather. Now we are looking forward to testing again at Barcelona next week, which is another track that can throw up some difficulties. But, I think the information we have gathered here will be very useful there, especially when it comes to making front stability and front grip much better - and more linear - throughout the longer runs.”