The Pata Prometeon Yamaha squad have become the latest to unveil their 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship contender with Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli. It’s the first time looking at six-time Champion Rea in Yamaha’s traditional blue colours since his shock move from Kawasaki for the 2024 season, while Locatelli gears up for his fourth season with the team and goes in search of a first race win. Check out stunning images of the 2024 Yamaha in the gallery at the top of this article!

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Just a few days after the Jerez test concluded, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action again. This time at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, the entire paddock will descend on the famous rollercoaster venue to test for two days on Monday and Tuesday next week with it being the last test for teams and riders before everything is sent to Australia. It is therefore a vitally important test to make sure everything is in the best possible shape and with Portimao’s mix of fast and close corners, plus long straights, it is the perfect testing venue ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Track action takes place from 10am to 5pm (Local Time, GMT+0) on both Monday and Tuesday. To read about what you can expect to see from the Portimao test, catch up on all the action from Jerez. The Day 2 report is available here, showing who’s got work to do and who’s looking good, while you can read all the juicy stories that came from Jerez in the Hot Headlines.

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The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is getting closer, and the start of the season is less than a month away. However, looking slightly further ahead, you can get your tickets for Round 2 – the Pirelli Catalunya Round – from today as part of the stunning Barcelona Motorfest weekend which includes entertainment to cater for all audiences. 

WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 will all be in Barcelona, which takes place from March 22^nd to 24^th and tickets for the Motorfest event get you access to grandstand seats as well as the paddock to enjoy the action in style. Not only will the racing be excellent, but there will be a large Fan Zone with displays and entertainment for children, while local bands Buhos and Els Catarress, plus Mon DJ, will perform on Saturday.

With plenty of on and off track entertainment guaranteed, get your tickets now at www.motorfestbcn.com and www.circuitcat.com. 

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is fast approaching and that means everyone is looking for gains – big and small – ahead of the season. As the paddock touched down at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, new items and components were seen across all five manufacturers. Some of the biggest changes were seen down at Yamaha and BMW as, coupled with their big rider moves, they had some new swingarms to test at Jerez. Check out stunning pictures of the latest innovations in the gallery at the top of this page.

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As Day 2 drew to a close at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto and riders looked to put in a flying lap on the SCQ tyre, there was drama heading into the final corner between two former teammates. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) had a coming together at the Turn 13 left-hand hairpin as they looked to follow van der Mark’s teammate, Toprak Razgatlioglu, through the final run of the day as MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship teams tested in Spain.

With Razgatlioglu leading the trio around the track, both van der Mark and Redding were looking to be in position to follow the #54 around a flying lap as all three looked to improve their lap times but also understand how the bike behaves with the SCQ tyre on. While Razgatlioglu was able to stay in front, the squabbling started behind him with van der Mark and Redding fighting over track position which resulted in some small contact between the pair. After the day concluded, both riders gave their thoughts on the incident.

“I WANT TO TRY TO FOLLOW TOPRAK; I WANT TO LEARN”: Redding on the van der Mark incident

Explaining the incident from his point of view, Redding stated he was trying to follow Razgatlioglu to learn. He said: “The two factory guys went out in front, and obviously I want to try to follow Toprak; I want to learn, I want to see. I passed van der Mark twice already on the lap and he passed me back, it was one of those things. He was desperate to stay there, I was desperate to stay there. I passed him into Turn 9, he passed me back and I passed him into T11. In the last corner, he tried to outbrake me on the outside; it was a risky move. Crazy to do that, if I were him, I would’ve just accepted it and followed me. Then we went up to Turn 1, I went for a late entry, and he just went up the inside, so it ruined my first lap on the SCQ. I took it easy, was able to build some momentum and push again at the end and set my best lap. Overall, it worked out well for me. Times are tight and everyone wants to be there with the best. It wasn’t me trying to be an idiot, I just wanted to follow the best like I did last year in Superpole. I did everything I could to be behind the best in Superpole. I wanted to see what my full potential was. We didn’t look to go out with them, we exited the box and they exited at the same time. I thought it was meant to be and to make the most of it, but it didn’t really happen but there’s no hard feelings from my side.”

“HE WANTED TO PROVE SOMETHING, PUT EVERYTHING ON INSTAGRAM TO SHOW WHO’S THE BEST” – van der Mark’s view…

When Redding’s view of the incident was put to van der Mark, the Dutchman said: “He did nothing wrong? Well, honestly, I went out and followed Toprak. All three of us went out on a SCQ and I wanted to take the tow of Toprak and I was almost in his arse. Scott decided to pass me halfway around the lap. I didn’t leave a gap between me and Toprak. He wanted to be between us. I passed him back again. At the last corner, he decided to dive up the inside again, hit me, and he messed up Turn 1 and then he messed up my first sector. There’s no rule for this, it’s just disrespectful. I have no words for this. It’s a test, not a race weekend. For himself, he wanted to prove something, put everything on Instagram again to show who’s the best and have a good night’s sleep. I tried to outbrake him on the outside before he hit me. I wanted to go in front again.”

“THIS IS REALLY STRANGE BECAUSE IT’S NOT A RACE WEEKEND”: Razgatlioglu gives his thoughts

Although he was ahead of the incident, Razgatlioglu was able to speak briefly about it, describing it as “really strange” as it’s only a test. He said: “In the last run, we did with Mikey, but Scott also joined, and he was fighting with Mikey a little bit. This is really strange because it’s not a race weekend, it’s a test. He tried to follow me, and, in the end, he made a good lap time.”

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Cobwebs have been blown off, the first venture out onto a circuit of the season; a massive season awaits the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with a raft of changes, new names and a shaken up order in prospect. The first test of 2024 is in the pocket and we weren’t short on stories. We’ve put all the main ones in one place for you to digest.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “When I saw 1’37.809 on the dashboard, I was smiling!”

Fastest across both days and setting a new unofficial lap record for a Superbike, Nicolo Bulega stole the show: “We tried something that I liked and the time attack was very good. The pace was good with the race tyre; I’m happy with the work done for the first test and we move on to the next one. I’m very proud and very happy that the first test of the year has been incredible. It was obviously not easy to do, but when I saw 1’37.809 on the dashboard, I was smiling. It was just a test, it changes nothing and I want to enjoy my first season in WorldSBK.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “We are still working for rear grip”

Two days of dry testing, crucial for Toprak Razgatlioglu as his adaptation to BMW continues: “We tried some new parts; sometimes they are positive, sometimes not. We are still working as we need to improve it and I still need to understand it. Every lap, I understand the character more. We did a 1’38 and many 1’39s, so it was a positive test. With the race tyre, we are strong, but we need to learn about the SCQ tyre and the setup for the grip. We improved on corner entry so now I am happy with the bike but we are still working for rear grip. If we improve this, we can fight for the podium every weekend. Step by step, we’ll improve all areas. With the swingarm, we used a new one but we need to ride again at Portimao with both. I’m not sure now; with the old swingarm, I did a good lap time but in the afternoon, we tried the new swingarm, so I’m not sure if it is good or not because in the hot conditions, the bike completely changes.” 

Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon): “We have to be very clear of the package we go to Australia with”

Happier than on day one, Jonathan Rea and Yamaha worked on a variety of items: “We struggled to make progress on day one, trying so many different items and focussing on some key areas of the bike. This morning, I went out and felt great straight away. We’ve learnt a lot and I am really happy with the progress and the findings we have. With the swingarms, there’s a clear direction that I like, which is good and Yamaha have been working really hard behind closed doors to move the package forwards, so I’m really thankful for that. Sometimes, it’s really hard being a rider because you have to do a lot of laps but do them at the exact rhythm and give a lot of clear and precise feedback. These are hard parts that we’ll probably start the year with and become our base setup, so it’s really important. Portimao will be a track where we reconfirm some items but we have to be very clear of the package that we go to Australia with and that’ll be the key to the next test. 

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I still have some pain… I couldn’t train in November or December”

P16 on day two and not showing his hand at all, is there concern for reigning double World Champion Alvaro Bautista? “I felt better than yesterday but not perfect; I still have some pain when riding and on left corners, I’m not comfortable but it has been a bit better. That means I am improving my physical condition. We decided to change the setup with the bike that we chose yesterday, to find some positive or negative things, to make the best base possible I couldn’t train in November or December; with the nerve, it’s always very slow and you can’t do too much. I started my training at the beginning of the year, so not a lot of time. If I can’t ride like I want, it’s difficult to understand the bike. It’s always more difficult than last year because the bike is too heavy and I feel a lot of inertia. I don’t feel so good on the bike.”

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “I did the time with the SCX tyre so therefore, we are more or less the best rider!”

A first crash in WorldSBK for Iannone in WorldSBK but strong one-lap pace as well as a good string of laps, ‘The Maniac’ is in form: “It’s our goal and focus to improve day by day; we changed something on the bike and we followed a different way compared to yesterday. In the end, I am quite happy. I need kilometres, experience with the bike, team and tyres but I think we closed the first test of the year in a good way. We are not so far away. I did the time with the SCX tyre so therefore, we are more or less the best rider! We struggled a bit with the Q; we tried it today but the bike changes a lot and I don’t have experience. We’ll try it again at Portimao to understand the tyres more and what I want. I used the race tyres well but not the SCQ. I think the race pace was very good but it’s a bit early to understand everything.”

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s just disrespectful. I have no words for this”

Explaining a late, on-track incident with Scott Redding, Michael van der Mark’s words weren’t minced: “He did nothing wrong? Well, honestly, I went out and followed Toprak. All three of us went out on a SCQ and I wanted to take the tow of Toprak and I was almost in his arse and Scott decided to pass me halfway around the lap. I didn’t leave a gap between me and Toprak. He wanted to be between us. I passed him back again. At the last corner, he decided to dive up the inside again, hit me, and he messed up Turn 1 and then he messed up my first sector. There’s no rule for this, it’s just disrespectful. I have no words for this. It’s a test, not a race weekend. For himself, he wanted to prove something, put everything on Instagram again to show who’s the best and have a good night’s sleep. I tried to outbrake him on the outside before he hit me. I wanted to go in front again.”

Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW): “He was desperate to stay there… there’s no hard feelings!”

Giving his side of the incident, Scott Redding commented: “The two factory guys went out in front, and obviously I want to try to follow Toprak; I want to learn, I want to see. I passed van der Mark twice already on the lap and he passed me back. He was desperate to stay there, I was desperate to stay there. I passed him into Turn 9, he passed me back and I passed him into T11. In the last corner, he tried to outbrake me on the outside; it was a risky move. Crazy to do that, if I was him, I would’ve just accepted it and followed me. Then we went up to Turn 1, I went for a late entry, and he just went up the inside, so it ruined my first lap on the SCQ. I took it easy, was able to build some momentum and push again at the end and set my best lap. Overall, it worked out well for me. Times are tight and everyone wants to be there with the best. It wasn’t me trying to be an idiot, I just wanted to follow the best like I did last year in Superpole. I did everything I could to be behind the best in Superpole. I wanted to see what my full potential was. We didn’t look to go out with them, we exited the box and they exited at the same time. I thought it was meant to be and to make the most of it, but it didn’t really happen but there’s no hard feelings from my side.”

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “We can be very positive”

Talking about using the SCQ tyre and his progress moving forward, rookie Sam Lowes said: “It’s different to what I thought it’d be; you kind of improve everywhere. The run before, I used an SCX tyre and I thought ‘how am I going to go quicker than that’ but you just have more grip everywhere, so you have to anticipate the corner and use the grip through and out. The bike feels a lot better when it has grip and the better you can get the tyre working, the faster you go. We need a bit more time to understand but it transforms the bike sticking to the track. I still need to improve the first part of braking, I’m not constructive enough there and I need to pick up the bike more on exit. I’m really happy with the job done; we can be very positive looking at the next test and the first race.”

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC): “We can’t be happy, we struggled more than expected”

A tough test for Xavi Vierge as he got to grips with Honda’s new machine for 2024: “The first thing is that I’m happy to be back working with my team; we are lucky that we have really good weather to test, so this allowed us to make many changes on the bike, on setup and on the electronics side. Of course, we can’t be happy because we struggled more than expected on the traction phase but as I told you, we made huge changes on the bike setup and now we have some days off before Portimao, which will be crucial to analyse all the data and to understand the way to follow. We aren’t able to use the power we have; we have so much spin and right now, this is the point to work on. The goal of everyone is to win but right now, it’s too early because we have a completely new bike.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

After a small amount of testing back in December, rookie Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was back on track in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he met up with the paddock at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. During the two-day test, the Brit continued adapting to his Panigale V4 R machine as well as getting his hands on Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, the first time Lowes has used a qualifying tyre throughout his career.

PROGRESS MADE: “I think it’s normal for me to be making big steps all the time…”

The main focus for both Lowes and the VDS Ducati outfit would’ve been to adapt to WorldSBK machinery with both rider and team new to the Championship in 2024 although, as a pairing, have a long history of success in Moto2™. Lowes, who will run the #14 in WorldSBK, expanded on where he felt he was making progress especially compared to Wednesday’s action, specifically mentioning how he found time under braking.

Reviewing the second day of testing, Lowes said: “Definitely getting closer to a WorldSBK style! I still need to improve in some areas, but it was a really positive day; we made a lot of steps. We tried a lot of things with the bike, small details just to make me feel more comfortable and adapt to my riding style. Really happy with the consistent pace and it was a good first two days. I think a little bit was me, improving under braking. On Day 1, I wasn’t braking too well, and I was leaning the bike too much. On Thursday, I was really focusing on the exits and managed to make a step forward. I think it’s normal for me to be making big steps all the time because it’s all new. It feels like my bike after two days.”

THE SCQ CONUNDRUM: how does a rookie adapt and how does it impact the bike?

Official Tyre Supplier Pirelli have been making strides with tyre development throughout their team in WorldSBK, with one of the latest innovations the SCQ tyre. First introduced in 2022, it’s designed to be used in the Tissot Superpole sessions and 10-lap Tissot Superpole Races, offering balance between outright performance and longevity for the shorter races. This presents a new challenge for Lowes who hadn’t used a tyre like this during his career so far and he spoke about the impact it has after trying it at Jerez.

Discussing his SCQ tyre run, the 2013 WorldSSP Champion said: “Honestly, I messed it up the first two laps! I’d never used one before, so I was quite excited in some ways. I managed to do a 1’38s on my third lap, so it was positive. I think, if I could’ve had another go, I would’ve been able to improve a little bit more. It’s not that important now but look at how close the Championship is and the level, Superpole is going to be important for everyone. It is important we try, we have more to use in Portugal, so I’ll try a bit more.

“It was different to how I thought! You sort of improve a little bit everywhere. On the run before, I used a new tyre with the SCX and did quite a decent run. I thought, ‘how am I going to quicker than that?’, but you just have a bit more grip everywhere. You have to anticipate the corner, use the grip through and out to make the lap time. The bike always feels better when it has grip, that’s the biggest thing. The better you can get the tyre working, the faster you go. I need a bit more time to understand it because it transforms the bike, sticking to the track let’s say.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

One big story in the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The #54 made the shock move for this season and testing at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto was the first time Razgatlioglu was seen alongside his rivals on the BMW M 1000 RR. He showed strong pace across both days and finished fourth on Day 2, having been in the top three all day, before Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) found huge improvements on the SCQ tyre.

Every team and rider will be looking to find time, performance and outright speed before the season starts in Australia in little under a month. With the extra challenge of adapting to a new bike and a new team, it was a busy test for Razgatlioglu but the 2021 Champion was full of praise for the gains he’s been able to make across the two days as he continued getting valuable mileage under his belt as well as trying new components.

Summing up Thursday’s testing action, and explaining where he found some gains, Razgatlioglu said: “We made some big improvements, but we also lost. We tried some new parts. Sometimes they were very positive, sometimes they weren’t so good. We are working because we need to improve the bike and I need to understand it. For me, everything is new, but every lap, I am understanding the bike character more. We did a 1’38s, we saw a lot of 1’39s. It’s a very positive test today especially with the race tyre, we are very strong, but we need to learn with the SCQ tyre and change the setup for grip. We’ve improved corner entry and I’m happy with the bike. We are still working on rear grip because it’s not fantastic.”

Razgatlioglu went on to discuss where his biggest problems are with the M 1000 RR and, having made gains on corner entry, where some of the focus would be for the next test at Portimao. BMW also tried some new swingarms on the bike and Razgatlioglu didn’t reveal which one was better, with more tests set to be done on this part of the bike during next week’s test in Portugal, the final stop before everything heads to Australia for the Official Test and round at Phillip Island.

“My biggest problem is at full lean and acceleration”, started Razgatlioglu. “The acceleration is not bad, but we need to improve it. At full lean, we need more grip. We are working on this. We are not far away, if we improve the rear grip, we’ll always fight for a podium. I’m very happy that we improved corner entry and engine brake. Step by step, we will improve all problems. Swingarm differences aren’t easy to explain. Sometimes, I think it’s very good, and sometimes worse. In general, we used the new one today, but we need to ride again at Portimao with the new swingarm. I’m not sure now. I used the old swingarm for the 1’38.6s, but we tried the new swingarm in the afternoon. I’m not sure whether it improved or not because, in hot conditions, the bike completely changes. We need to see at the Portimao test.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

After revealing a neck injury was impacting him during his MotoGP™ wildcard, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was back on a bike for the first time as he assessed his physical condition and prepared for the upcoming MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign. Although he was able to put in a lot of laps, the double Champion revealed on Thursday that he still had some pain despite improvements with the injury.

Bautista finished outside the top ten on both days, and was down in P16 on Thursday, although his day did finish earlier than a lot of his competitors and he fell down the order in the closing stages. He racked up 80 laps on Thursday with a best time of 1’39.583s, only dropping further down the standings as other riders did a time attack towards the end of the test. Speaking after the Day 2 action ended, Bautista provided an update on his neck.

The Ducati star said: “After Wednesday, the thing for Thursday is that it was better physically. I felt better. Not perfect. I have some pain still when I’m riding, especially in left corners, and I’m not so comfortable but it wasn’t worse than Wednesday. It has been a bit better so that means I’m improving my physical condition. We decided to make some different setups on the bike we chose on Day 1 to see if we find some positive or negative things, like we do in a normal pre-season to make the best base possible for the beginning of the season. We tried some changes to the setup, and we decided what could be better or worse. It was positive because I could do a lot of laps, even with some pain, but the thing is I didn’t have more pain.”

With the injury came a change in his training programme, with the Spaniard unable to train properly until recently as the injury healed. Bautista had been working with his physiotherapist to help speed the healing process up as much as possible but, due to the nature of the injury, it had to heal slowly. The reigning Champion went on to explain how this impacted his training and how he’s hoping for another step with his fitness at Portimao.

Talking more about his training, Bautista added: “I couldn’t train well in November or December, I just tried to recover with the physiotherapist. With a nerve, it’s always very slow and you can’t do too much. You have to wait and not force it. I started my training at the beginning of the year, just a few weeks ago. At the moment, the plan was to check my physical condition on the bike. Fortunately, I can ride. Not perfectly, but I can. I hope to take another step at Portimao. After the Portimao test, we will see. There’s no real plan. We have to go day by day.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) took second place of Day 2 at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto after another strong outing in Yamaha blue. In his third test for the team, the six-time Champion was close to his 2019 lap record as he gears up for the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with Yamaha after his shock switch to blue. Although he was unable to top the times, his pace being close to the record will give everyone at Yamaha confidence heading into next week’s Portimao test.

Rea set a 1’38.345s to secure second spot, only behind rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who was unstoppable on Thursday at Jerez. The Italian was four tenths under the existing lap record set by Rea back in 2019, but the Ulsterman was not far off that either. His time was just a tenth away from the 1’38.247s he set back in the Tissot Superpole session in 2019, with Rea setting his time on his 21^st lap of the day today. He completed 78 in total on Day 2 and was left feeling positive at the end of the day.

“My feelings with the R1 are really good,” he began when reviewing the test. “Right from the first time I rode the bike back in November last year, I felt comfortable. I could feel the strengths of the bike and some of the areas we needed to work on. This test was more a case of picking up where we left it last November, trying a lot of test items. I think we struggled to make so much progress on Day 1 because we were trying so many items on some key areas, but last night, when the guys sat down, they were able to go through all the data and really understood the way forward. This morning, I felt great straight away. We’ve done a lot of positive laps, we’ve learnt a lot, and we’re happy with the progress and the findings we have to move onto Portugal.”

Yamaha have had lots of items for Rea, and teammate Andrea Locatelli, to try throughout off-season testing including a couple of swingarm variations at Jerez. Although Rea didn’t go into detail about the swingarms he had available to him, he did speak about a direction that he liked as he goes in search of a good base setup for the season-opening round in Australia, which takes place in just under a month.

On the upgrades that Yamaha are bringing, Rea said: “There’s a clear direction that I like, which is good. Yamaha have been working really hard behind closed doors to move the package forwards and I feel really grateful to be part of that. Sometimes it’s hard being a rider because you have to do a lot of laps out there, but you have to be at a very exact rhythm and get really clear and concise feedback. These are hard parts we’ll probably start the year with and become our base setup, so feedback’s important. Today, I tried my best to give really accurate information because Portimao will be a track we re-confirm some items, re-test some items but we have to be very clear about the package we’ll go to Australia with.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com