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The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

1 Junio 2017

Strong KRT Test Session In Hot Conditions

Soon after the most recent WorldSBK round at Donington Park last weekend Kawasaki Racing Team duo Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea were on track again testing with the Ninja ZX-10RR at the Misano World Circuit in Italy, on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

This was not scheduled as a performance test for new parts or major developments but mostly preparation for what is expected to be a hot and hard fought weekend at the largely flat circuit near the Adriatic coast.
 
Lap times were strong from each KRT rider at Misano, as was their overall race pace, as they made extensive tests in the summer conditions they expect to encounter during race weekend itself later this month.
 
The bright sunshine at the test did not disappoint in providing a hot track surface on which to try out bike set-up options for real race conditions.
 
In terms of setting their best lap times at the test each rider used both race and qualifying tyres, with Sykes doing a 1’34.2 on a race tyre, and Rea a 1’34.4. On a Q tyre Tom set a 1’33.6 and Rea posted a 1’33.9.
 
Track action was completed on the second and final day at 13.00, as the track was required for another event, but with a full day of action recorded on Wednesday the entire KRT squad feels fully ready to meet the challenges Misano will pose again soon.
 
The popular 4.226km long Misano venue will host the next round of the WorldSBK championship, with racedays on 17th and 18th June.
 
Tom Sykes, stated: “In a nutshell we had some good weather and put a lot of laps in. I think I did 103 laps on Wednesday and 55 on Thursday. We put a lot into it and had some good results. I had a little look at trying to improve single lap pace and we really covered a lot of parameters. I am very happy with our speed in Misano. Our speed in Donington was fantastic so we are trying to build on that momentum and trying to turn our season around. At Aragon, Assen and Imola my physical condition was terrible, at Donington it was almost better and now I feel slightly more settled yet again. That reflects in doing over 100 laps on Wednesday at a strong pace - then taking two cappuccinos for breakfast, a quick stretch, and I was straight back into it again today. A big thanks to Marcel, Danilo, Mattia, Tambu, Raul and Ruben because those guys were flat out in Donington - and then straight after they changed engines and set-up, put the bikes in the truck and a day or so later they are in Misano prepping the bike for me. So they definitely deserve applause.”
 
Jonathan Rea, stated: “It was a valuable test and the weather was amazing on both days, meaning we were able to complete a lot of laps. We had no new items to confirm so we used the time evaluating different chassis balance set-ups and gathering a lot of information which will be useful in future races. It seemed that the track was in great shape and we were able to be fast with various set ups, so our bike is working in a larger window than previous visits to Misano. All in all, I really enjoyed riding the bike and we have been super-consistent so I'm excited to return to race in a few weeks. I would like to thanks all my crew for working so hard under hot conditions.”
 
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes, stated: “This was a very good test. In Donington at the last round Tom had the speed to win the races and we continued that pace on into Misano. The track was in very good condition and the grip was high but the temperature was over 50°C. Consistency was also impressive. We made some changes to the chassis only necessary to adapt from Donington to Misano, so this test was just t make preparations for the Misano race. We are ready and looking forward to the race weekend. The lap times were good even though we are never focused on leaving these tests with the fastest lap times but Tom set a 1’34.2 on a race tyre and on a qualifying tyre he did a 1’33.6, and without any stress or pressure.”
 
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “We focused on setting up the bike for the Misano race in two weeks. It was good because the track conditions were good and the track temperature was 50-51-52°C. In the morning when it was cooler we had different conditions to understand the bike for Superpole or another earlier practice session. So we could simulate race weekend. Jonathan felt good on the bike, as usual and was very strong on new tyres and used tyres. Overall it has been a very positive test.”
 
2017 KRT Rider Statistics
Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015 and 2016
2017: Races 12, Wins 8, Podiums 11, Superpoles 3
Career Race Wins: 46 (31 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 99 (57 For Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 11 (7 For Kawasaki)
 
Tom Sykes: World Champion 2013
2017: Races: 12, Wins 1, Podiums 9, Superpoles 1
Career Race Wins: 32 (32 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 93 (92 For Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 39 (39 For Kawasaki)
 
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
4 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Sykes 2013, Rea 2015 & 2016), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
2 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016)
2 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015 & 2016)
 
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 100 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 328 – third overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 67 – second overall