The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid hit the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for testing and it was a very positive one for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha). With new items to try to help make him feel even more comfortable on the Yamaha R1, Rea finished fourth on Day 1 and second on Day 2, leading Yamaha’s charge in Italy on both days. Speaking on Friday, he revealed why the changes had been made and how he felt riding with the new setup.

REA’S TEST: fourth on Day 1, limited running on Friday

Rea’s best time during Day 1 of the test was 1’33.206s as he finished in fourth, coming in the afternoon session on his 73^rd lap of the day. The #65 completed 27 laps in the afternoon and 46 in the morning as he tested a new chassis balance which came with positive results, as well as trying different weight distribution and rider positions as Yamaha look to make the six-time World Champion as comfortable and as fast as possible.

The Northern Irishman only did half-a-day on Friday, with the first four-hour session ending an hour early as rain fell. Rea was 13^th at the time but he was able to test for a further hour in the afternoon. He was able to set a 1’33.133s to provisionally claim P1 but found himself demoted by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) after the #54 set another unbelievable lap time with a 1’52.535s. Speaking after Friday’s action, Rea discussed the upgrades on his R1 and praised Yamaha’s rider coach, Niccolo Canepa, for his role in the upturn in form.

HIS VIEW ON THE CHANGES: “From the first exit, it seemed quite normal to me”

Rea said: “We put an SCQ tyre on at the end and I was able to go quite fast. It was the first time I felt that I could ride the bike the way I wanted with it. In the last few rounds, I’ve got nervous with the SCQ because I didn’t feel 100% with the bike. Step by step, it’s been a positive test but still a lot of work to do. The updates were just a balance change on the bike, setup ideas. I’ve been trying to ride the Yamaha in the Yamaha way and sometimes it’s not working. I always looked at the data of Loka, Remy and even sometimes Toprak but I’m me, I have my style. At Cremona, Nico Canpea was a big help with the video analysis, and I was able to see that my lap time wasn’t amazing, but I was really good in some areas. We just need to make this bike my bike in the way I need to ride. The idea to change the way the bike behaves, the style, the geometry was to let me ride in the way I want. From the first exit, it seemed quite normal to me.”

DENNNG’S THOUGHTS: “A really positive day of testing, making steps forward all day…”

Speaking during Friday morning’s action, Pata Prometeon Yamaha Team Principal, Paul Denning, reviewed the test for Rea, saying: “Day 1 was really positive. I think it was Jonathan’s best day of testing, and actually the first test at Jerez was good as well. It was a positive day of testing, making steps forward all day. At Cremona, we didn’t really find that. We came to a wall and couldn’t get over it. Here, he was progressively faster all day and arrived very close to the fastest riders at the end with P4, and the fastest Yamaha, so for JR it was a target achieved that he wanted to do at the start of the day. Jonathan will only do half a day today to finish his testing allocation. The plan was the same as yesterday. Just refining small details, trying to maximise our performance in braking, cornering, and turning so that the better we can exit the corner, and the faster we are in the middle of the corner, the better we are in terms of any straight-line speed differential. Chattering is always an issue here, especially in the last sector, so we’re trying some setting options to reduce that and, so far, they’re working quite well.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship hitting Misano for a two-day test, it was Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who left Italy as the fastest rider. Despite rain around lunchtime disrupting the day, the #54 was able to put in a lap time that was even faster than yesterday’s unbelievable effort as he finished ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in second. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) missed out on a place in the top three but more cause for concern would be his three Friday crashes.

RAZGATLIOGLU LEADS THE WAY: P1 again for ‘El Turco’

Turkish superstar Razgatlioglu set a 1’32.918s to claim first place on Day 2, backing up his P1 from Thursday with another strong day after topping the times in the initial dry running and again as the test concluded. After posting the aforementioned time, the 2021 Champion jumped on his second bike and set a 1’32.535s, a tenth faster than yesterday’s time. The #54 worked on setup and electronics, as well as aiming to prepare for the Emilia-Romagna Round in a few weeks. Teammate van der Mark claimed ninth spot with the Dutchman praising BMW’s new seat he first tried on Thursday. His best time was 1’33.715s, more than a second off his teammate’s barely believable time.

REA SURGES TO SECOND: using the final hour to full potential

Rea had been hovering outside the top ten until the final hour of testing, when he surged up the order with a 1’33.113s to provisionally claim top spot, although finished the day in P2. It came after what Team Principal Paul Denning described as his “best day of testing” with Yamaha on Thursday, with the #65 testing a new chassis balance, weight distribution and rider position at Misano. It was also a decent outing for teammate Andrea Locatelli who finished the day in fifth, just two tenths away from Rea as the Japanese manufacturer showed their potential.

Elsewhere within the Iwata-based brand’s camp, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was also inside the top ten as his rich vein of form continued with sixth place after he set a 1’33.639s. Next door, teammate Dominique Aegerter was able to move into the top ten with eighth to end the test on a high note. Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) rounded out the Yamaha field as he claimed 18^th place after bouncing back from his crash yesterday.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Bulega third, Bautista fourth with three Friday spills

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was the lead Ducati rider on Friday as he finished in third, overhauling teammate Alvaro Bautista in the final stages by posting a 1’33.133s. All eyes were on Bautista’s box though, with the reigning Champion claiming fourth with a 1’33.175s. However, it was a disrupted day for the #1 with THREE crashes – at Turns 8, 14 and 16 – bringing his total for the test to four. Michele Pirro was also on track with the team and the Italian claimed a highly-respectable 12^th place with a 1’33.876s.

Independent Ducati rider Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) secured P14 despite feeling under the weather, with the Brit focusing on rider position and ergonomic improvements and dropping down the order in the afternoon. The #14’s best time was a 1’33’949s, and he was closely followed by Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team). ‘Petrux’ revealed yesterday he still had some shoulder pain as he made his return from injury but a 1’33.963s meant he secured a top-five spot on Friday. The other Independent Ducati rider on track was Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) who finished in P16.

LOWES SEVENTH, RABAT IMPRESSES: a good day in green

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished seventh despite briefly topping the times as the afternoon progressed, setting a 1’33.458s while teammate Axel Bassani was 13^th. Lowes was continuing to work on the new electronics settings that teammate ‘El Bocia’ is already using, with the Brit explaining after Thursday’s action that he was happy with them but needed to work on finer details. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was one of the standout names on Friday after running second in the early stages, with the Spaniard posting a 1’33.856s and lapping only a tenth away from the fastest time. The #53 used the SCQ tyre for that time, ensuring he could use the softest tyre in dry conditions, but fell to tenth as riders went out later on during the day.

HONDA’S WORK CONTINUES: Lecuona moves into 11^th, Vierge 17^th

Japanese manufacturer Honda came into the Misano test full of confidence after a strong outing at Cremona and they had more upgrades to try in Italy in the shape of new exhaust pipes as well as continuing to evaluate a new swingarm option. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was the fastest Honda rider as he set a 1’33.866s to secure 11^th place, while teammate Xavi Vierge was further back in 17^th after the #97 posted a 1’34.419s. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) was just behind the factory team’s efforts as he claimed 19^th, while Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) rounded out the WorldSBK field.

HUERTAS ON TOP IN WORLD SUPERSPORT: two tenths between him and Manzi

In WorldSSP, it was Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) who claimed top spot after posting a 1’37.028s in the afternoon, lapping under race lap record pace although still some way off the all-time record time. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) had been top throughout the majority of Friday but Huertas’ was able to overhaul him in the closing stages, with Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in third. His teammate, Marcel Schroetter, crashed in the afternoon which briefly brought out the red flags.

The top six from Friday at Misano, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’32.535s

2. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.578s

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.598s

4. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.640s

5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.784s

6. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0-876s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” hosting MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship test action ahead of next month’s round at the same venue, it was a good chance to catch up with key figures from the paddock. From riders discussing their future, finishing strongly after a difficult test and upgrades where some conclusions could be drawn, we’ve gathered the best from Misano in one article for you.

AN UPDATE ON 2025: “After Misano, I start to decide for my future”

Reviewing the test and providing an update on when we might hear about his future, Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) said: “The feeling with the bike is not good, we struggled in many areas. We had an idea after Assen to improve something. But this is a completely different track so, at this moment we struggle. In any case, we don’t give up and we always try to improve. The braking point on entry. Also, the feeling with the tyres is not good. Engine braking, traction, wheelieing, I have problems in many areas. But we’ll try to improve at home. We’ll see the data better. In the slow corners, the feeling with the front is not good, so it is difficult to stop the bike. For us, turning is difficult. But this is normal. I’ll go to Mugello tomorrow, but only for one day. We will see. After Misano, I start to decide for the future. For sure, I have some options, but we will see. I have my targets, but in any case, it’s difficult to decide at this moment.”

ENDING ON A HIGH: “we struggled a bit with chassis setup and electronics… at least we have a great base to start the round!”

After spending a lot of time outside the top ten but eventually finishing P8, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) said: “We only did one lap with the SCQ. I think I can go a little bit faster in some corners. We improved a lot this afternoon. Big thanks to the team – they helped us to find the right direction. Finally, we can have a better setup to start here in two weeks. We didn’t test everything that Yamaha brought. We struggled a little bit with the chassis setup and electronics. We needed time to find the speed because testing without speed is meaningless. I think the four Yamahas are quite close. At least we have a very great base setup to start the round!”

AIMING HIGH FOR MISANO: “we found something to have more feeling with the front with the SCQ”

Looking ahead to his home round and explaining the gains he found at Misano, Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) said: “My time was with the SCQ tyre but the feeling with the SCX was better, I think it was possible to do 33.8s, 33.7s on it. We found something to have more feeling with the front with the SCQ. The lap was not so good, but the ideal lap was not so bad. We found something. We had a lot of things to try, so we hoped for good weather. Unfortunately, today was s**t weather. It’s part of the game and it’s the same for everybody. We missed a lot of work but it’s okay. We have to focus on the race weekend, my home weekend, so I want to do a good job and try to have a good round for our fans. I want to do a good job for the fans but it’s not easy, the level this year is so high.”

CHASING THE ROSTRUM: “the bike feels more like my bike…”

Discussing the final step to get on the WorldSBK podium, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) said: “Just a bit of tyre management. The Superpole’s not been bad actually but starting on the front two rows is very important. Since the last race at Assen, my position on the bike has changed. I feel more natural on the bike, and the bike feels more like my bike.”

NEW ITEMS REVIEWED: “We were expecting to make a big jump”

Honda brought new items to Misano to test, with Team HRC Team Manager Jose Escamez explaining the conclusions they could draw: “We have found some productive things. Not as much as we expected, because we were expecting to make a big jump. Obviously, there is always a willingness to make the big changes that we really need, but we couldn’t make it as much as we thought. We have found small things and details that will allow us to understand the direction that we need to take moving forward. We couldn’t make many conclusions. We also have other things to test which was also important. But we will keep trying to work in that direction.”

HOME ROUND JOY: “it will be special, being an Italian on an Italian bike…”

Giving an overview of the test and explaining how he’ll feel heading into his first home round in WorldSBK, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) said: “Not bad because today we focused on finding different setups on the bike. I feel more comfortable on the bike. We just need to work on it and improve my feeling. The feeling is not better on the bike, but my position on the bike, yes. I think we can start to work from this position in order to improve my feeling. I think we are in a good way. it will be special, being Italian on an Italian bike. It will be nice.”

TEAMMATE RELATIONSHIP: “we want to improve this package so sometimes you have to ride together.”

Speaking about how he was occasionally riding with teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Michael van der Mark said: “We had some clear things to try. Every time we wanted to try something this morning, it started raining or drizzling. It was a long day. You want to work and improve, try different things, and I didn’t really get the time to. At the end of the day, we had two dry hours but it’s never enough. It’s always useful to ride together, you can always learn and improve. We want to improve this package so sometimes you have to ride together.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has headed to Misano for a two-day test ahead of the latest round of action on the Adriatic Coast. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team have enjoyed a super start to 2024, with Turkish star Toprak Razgatlioglu starring onboard the M 1000 RR. Teammate Michael van der Mark has also impressed, currently sitting P7 in the Championship. WorldSBK caught up with BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers to get his thoughts on BMW’s line-up for next year.

“BOTH PARTIES ARE PLEASED”: Bongers delighted with top form from Toprak

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bongers is thrilled with the sturdy start made by Razgatlioglu at BMW. Having already been a podium finisher in six races so far this season, including three race victories, Bongers was naturally jubilant when asked to discuss Toprak’s season so far after the #54’s instant impact on the German manufacturer.

He said: “Both parties, Toprak and ourselves, are pleased with how things are going. We’re not in a rush. We’re a happy family. If you’re in a happy relationship, you don’t see any point in splitting up…we have a really happy atmosphere in the box.” Toprak himself discussed his happiness at being part of the BMW team, and he confirmed that he has a contract with the Bavarian outfit for 2025. He also discussed his appreciation of his teammate, Michael van der Mark, which you can watch here.

“STRONG RESULTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON”: van der Mark impresses on injury comeback

Like teammate Toprak, Dutchman Michael van der Mark has also impressed in the early stages of the 2024 season, sitting firmly inside the top ten in the Championship standings. The #60 rider has endured a horrid last couple of years, including a broken leg just last year, but has rebounded to enjoy a much more positive start to his 2024 campaign and has been fighting just outside the podium places.

Addressing van der Mark’s form, especially in the context of wider silly season rumours, Bongers had this to say: “Mickey’s shown strong results in the beginning of this season. I speak for the entire project that there’s no plans to split anything. We plan to communicate towards the end of June.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

There’s been a mini rider reshuffle in the FIM Supersport World Championship ahead of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Jorge Navarro will now race for Orelac Racing VerdNatura in 2024 after previously being with the WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph squad. The #9 replaces Lorenzo Baldassarri after the Italian left the team by mutual agreement after three rounds of the season.

Navarro made his WorldSSP debut last year and secured one podium for the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha outfit in what proved to be a challenging season off the back of a severe injury he suffered towards the end of the 2022 Moto2™ season. He ended the campaign strongly but found himself looking for a new ride, linking up with the WRP-RT Motorsport-Triumph team for 2024 as they made their debut in the Championship.

In six races this season, the Valencian rider managed a best of seventh place on four occasions and was a regular fixture inside the top ten as he and his new team impressed early on. He claimed the fastest lap in Race 1 in Barcelona, a track he knows very well – proven by the 28-year-old setting the all-time lap record in Moto2™ in this year’s Catalan Grand Prix in Practice 1 although it was subsequently beaten by Sergio Garcia in Practice 2.

The one-time WorldSSP podium finisher steps into Orelac Racing VerdNatura to replace Lorenzo Baldassarri, who returned to WorldSSP this season after a difficult debut WorldSBK campaign in 2023. There were high hopes the ‘Balda’-Ducati combination would propel him to the success he enjoyed with Yamaha back in 2022 when he was a regular fixture at the front, but it hasn’t turned out that way. A best of ninth is the highlight, with Phillip Island Race 2 the only time the Italian scored points this season.

Discussing the move, Team Manager Jose Calero said: “Signing Navarro was an old aspiration that now allows us to make a considerable leap in quality and with which we will continue working to be among the top positions of the World Championship. We have everything we need to fight for victories. Navarro replaces Lorenzo Baldassarri in our team, with whom, by mutual agreement, we have decided to separate our paths.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descended on the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for a two-day test. Day 1 generated plenty of headlines, from Honda’s new upgrades to how Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) is feeling after his return to action. Here, you can read some of the hottest quotes from Thursday in Italy, with several topics covered.

A NEW SEAT FOR VAN DER MARK: “I went out, liked it, kept it on all day…”

BMW brought a new seat for Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) at Assen, and now teammate Michael van der Mark tried it. Discussing this, and Razgatlioglu’s incredible lap time, the Dutchman said: “I feel alright. I just put it on. Toprak used it at Assen. It is different, a lot different. I went out, liked it, kept it on all day. We’re going to stay with it. Toprak’s lap time was impressive. It’s not just the SCQ time, it’s the laps he did before with the SCX tyre. He’s pushing everyone! I tried a lot today with back-to-back comparisons, things like swingarms, testing them back-to-back without changing the bike too much.”

A STEP FOR BAUTISTA? “I improved my feeling… we tried different setups, it didn’t work; I crashed at the last corner”

Reviewing his day at Misano, reigning Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) said: “I’m happy because we did some tests that we wanted to do here. One of them was with engine behaviour. From this year, I didn’t feel the same as last year with the management of the gas, traction or the force I put on the tyres; for me, it’s something different from last year. In the winter tests, we couldn’t try as I wasn’t at my best. In the first few rounds, we were more focused on setup. Here, we had the chance to try. Fortunately, I was correct in my feeling, and we found we needed to work in this area, especially the first part of the throttle. For me, it felt like too much power and more than last year; technically, it was similar but here we adjusted the electronics, and I improved my feeling and the way I can ride the bike. We tried different setups on the bike, but it didn’t work; in fact, I crashed at the last corner. We were trying a bit of an extreme setup. I tried to force it and find the limit, and I found the limit very quickly.”

ELECTRONICS TESTING FOR LOWES: “First impression was good… I improved my feeling compared to last year here”

Reviewing his new electronics settings and a day where he didn’t get to use the soft tyres, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) said: “I felt quite good on the bike and good to be back at Misano. We went out after lunch, more or less on the base bike, and I was able to go down to a good pace. We had some things to try but unfortunately, we had to finish early because we had some issues, so I missed the hour or so and didn’t use any soft tyres. I think I improved my feeling compared to last year here, so it was quite positive. I used the new electronics, or new settings, and it’s constant work like electronics are. We stuck with them all day and there’s still some small tweaks tomorrow, especially on the initial touch of the throttle; trying to get comfortable in the first sector, when I’m on the edge I’m still struggling to be fully confident to open the gas. Overall, the first impression was good. When you use the same thing, you get used to it, so when you change it, you need to understand the positives and negatives and maybe change the riding style a little bit too.”

LECUONA REVIEWS HONDA UPGRADES: “It was different… it gave us some positives and some negatives”

Lecuona: “The crash was just to wake up! It was a very small crash at Turn 8. It was my fault. The lap before, I went a bit wide, and I said, ‘I need to try’. I felt comfortable on the bike, so I needed to try to stop. I crashed just at the end, I lost the front very gently and the bike finished up just a metre inside the gravel. It’s one crash I need to have to know the limit. We tried only the new exhaust. We put the focus on our base and worked hard on the new bike to be ready for the race. It was different. It gave us a little bit more in one point, a little bit less in another. We tried to improve the bike, so we tried new things. Honestly, it had some positives and some negatives. We need to check the data and learn in case we can rebalance the bike.”

BULEGA SEARCHING FOR GAINS: “I’m still missing something when I’m releasing the brake with angle”

Bulega: “I’m happy but we have to work because my feeling is still not at 100% like at the beginning of the season. Step by step, I’m getting better. The feeling at Cremona wasn’t so good but here, today, we improved a lot. We got almost to my 100%. I think we still have to work because I’m not there yet, and I’d like to do something different on my bike when I’m riding. I don’t have the perfect feeling at the front and I’m still missing something when I’m releasing the brake with angle.”

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Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) secured P1 as testing at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” with a lap time that would’ve turned heads up and down the paddock. The BMW rider was four tenths underneath the existing MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship lap record at the Italian venue as he utilised the SCQ tyre to full effect on Thursday in Italy to claim P1.

The #54 had been quick all day but he saved the best performance to last, chucking on Pirelli’s SCQ tyre designed for Tissot Superpole sessions and Tissot Superpole Races to set a barely believable 1’32.663s. His time was around four tenths quicker than last year’s pole time, a 1’33.017s set by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati); that time is also the outright lap record at the historic venue.

Reviewing his epic lap and his test day, Razgatlioglu said: “I’m very happy because we tried many parts. This is really positive. Also, I did a very good lap time with the SCX tyre, after I used the SCQ tyre, and I did another very good lap time. I kept working after the SCQ tyre run, using old SCX tyres for 10 laps to understand the new parts. On the last lap, I did a 1’33.5s with the 18-lap old tyres. This is nice. Just at the end, I felt the front with too much stress because the tyres did a lot of laps. I hope we improve more. The electronics setup is now much better, and we improved a lot. Normally, when the put the SCX tyre, the bike immediately changed a lot. Now we’ve found a good setup, and good electronics setup and I’m enjoying it a lot with my bike in the final two hours; we found a good electronics setup, including engine brake. Step by step, we are getting stronger. We’re finding a good setup and trying new parts.”

Despite a strong day and an incredible lap time with new parts tested, Razgatlioglu revealed he was feeling the effects of a crash he had while training at mentor Kenan Sofuoglu’s ranch recently, with the #54 revealing he had ‘a little bit of pain’ in his right shoulder. Although he had a small amount of pain, the 2021 Champion didn’t let it affect him with his incredible lap time and he was still delighted with his, and the team’s, work on Thursday.

Razgatlioglu said: “Today, I’m also a little bit tired because two days ago, I crashed at Kenan’s track. My right shoulder is in a little bit of pain; on track, it’s not bad. I think, because it’s getting warm, I’m not feeling the pain. Only at Turn 10 I am feeling the pain and also the first braking zone, but after it’s okay. I’m very happy because the team’s very happy. We did a good lap time with the SCX tyre and SCQ tyre. Tomorrow, I have three more SCQ tyres… we will see!”

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Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) continued to set the pace for the rest of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock, as he ended the first day of the Misano test fastest ahead of his Championship rivals. Turkish superstar Razgatlioglu battled with current World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) all day for the lead, but ultimately, a scarcely-believable 1’32.663s lap was enough to secure top spot. Current title holder Bautista ultimately was forced to settle for P3, whilst fellow Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Nicolo Bulega finished in P2.

BMW BACK WITH A BANG: Razgatlioglu and van der Mark pick up where they left off

Arguably the most anticipated team ahead of testing was that of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, who haven’t been seen in action since Assen. Thankfully for fans, their riders looked as if they hadn’t skipped a beat. Turkish rider Razgatlioglu was one of the first riders out of pitlane at the sight of the green flag, and he took to the track immediately, establishing himself as one of the fastest riders during the opening display at Misano. He repeatedly swapped positions at the summit of the timesheets with Champion Bautista and looked set to settle for a P2 finish to end the opening day. However, Toprak set an insane lap pace of 1’32.663s with just minutes remaining, enough to secure him the summit spot at the end of day one. Teammate Michael van der Mark also had a solid showing, rounding out the top ten with a P10 finish. ROKiT BMW Team Principal Shaun Muir, accounting for van der Mark’s increased success on Day 1, explained experimenting on rider position, leading to a lower center of gravity in order to obtain a more natural turning position for the #60 rider.

DUCATI IMPRESS AGAIN AT MISANO: Bulega, Bautista lead the way

Much like their last test at Cremona, Ducati continued to impress on Thursday morning at Misano. Reigning World Champion Nicolo Bulega continued his impressive form by finishing P2, whilst being the only other rider to score a sub-1’32s time (1’32.731s). Teammate Alvaro Bautista completed the top three by finishing P3, finishing just under half a second behind his teammate. He also endured a crash at the last corner of the track. Elsewhere within the Bologna camp, ELF Marc VDS Racing Team’s Sam Lowes continued to catch the eye, finishing P5 by the time the chequered flag dropped to end the opening salvo on Thursday. Barni Spark Racing Team’s Danilo Petrucci capped his return from injury with an impressive P15, whilst Andrea Iannone of Team GoEleven ended the session in P7.

YAMAHA STRONG AGAIN: Rea P4, Locatelli P6

Yamaha, once again, continues to impress in testing. The Iwata-based manufacturer finished the opening section of Misano testing with three riders firmly inside the top 10. Ulsterman Jonathan Rea showed his developing feeling onboard the Yamaha R1, collecting an excellent P4 finish. Pata Prometeon Yamaha Team Principal Paul Denning pointed to a different chassis balance yielding positive results, as well as working on weight distribution and rider position as all being key factors accounting for Rea’s success. Rea’s teammate, Andrea Locatelli, was right behind, having collected a P6 finish. Remy Gardner continued his impressive testing form that he displayed in Northern Italy, finishing P8. Gardner’s Yamaha colleague, Swiss native Dominique Aegerter, was the lowest ranking Yamaha rider, finishing the session in a lowly P24.

ALEX LOWES P12: Kawasaki show signs of positivity

Kawasaki have shown cause for optimism and positivity recently. Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK’s Alex Lowes enjoyed a very positive start to his Misano test, ultimately finishing P12 in the combined standing. Speaking about Lowes’ successes, Pere Riba, his crew chief, mentioned that Lowes was going well in the direction that they planned in winter. As far as new items being tested, Riba said that it would mostly be electronics and some different intangibles, similar to those used by teammate Axel Bassani, who also endured a positive start to his Misano test, ending up in P10. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Tito Rabat recently completed 233 laps across two days of testing at Cremona, and he has continued to put his testing form to good use, finishing the first day of the Misano test P11. Rabat, yet again, completed the most laps out of any rider on track, finishing with a total of 110.

HONDA STRUGGLES CONTINUE: Lecuona P15, Vierge P16

Unfortunately, Team HRC continues to struggle with testing lately. Both Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge looked quite some way off the pace, ultimately finishing in P15 and P16 respectively. That being said, both HRC riders have been clear that their expectations are tempered, and that they are more geared towards improving the fundamentals of the bike itself. Speaking about their struggles as well as their ambitions, Team HRC Team Manager Jose Escamez outlined the development and implementation of a new exhaust system for the Team HRC riders, with the aim and hope of developing power delivery and throttle connection for both riders. For the full insight into Honda’s technical developments, you can catch them all here.

MONTELLA VS HUERTAS VS MANZI: Three tenths between three riders

WorldSSP was also represented at today’s test, with just three tenths separating the top three riders from the class. Yari Montella ultimately finished as the top WorldSSP rider, with a best time of 1’37.222s. Adrian Huertas was hot on Montella’s heels with a time of 1’37.237s. Stefano Manzi completed the trio with a top time of 1’37.489.

The top six from Day 1 at Misano, full results here:

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 1’32.663s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.068s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.488s

4. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.543s

5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.683s

6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.927s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) made his first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship return at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” as the WorldSBK field descended on Italy for the first of two days of testing. It marked the #9’s first on-track action since a training accident back in April left him injured and unable to compete at Assen, with Petrucci providing an update on his fitness and recovery on Thursday at Misano.

Petrucci was left with shoulder and jaw injuries following a motocross accident and he provided an update on those in the weeks leading up to the Misano test. With the Italian back on his Panigale V4 R machine at Misano, Petrucci completed 19 laps in the morning, the fewest of anyone on WorldSBK machinery on Thursday with a best time of 1’34.508s. In the afternoon, he added another 10 laps to his total although didn’t improve his lap time although the laps did come in one stint.

Discussing how he felt on the bike, ‘Petrux’ said: “It’s like having two people inside me because physically I feel good with 90% of the body. The problem is my right arm. I was able to do 10 laps in a row but now I can’t hold the handlebar. It’s really painful. On the mental side, I’m really happy. First, I re-joined my bike and my team, and I had a good day. There was no pressure; the pressure was inside my head because I wanted to see how my shape was. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the day after two laps, I was in pain. We modified the position a bit and I was able to ride in the 1’34s with a race tyre but I was not able to do more than three or four laps because, under braking, the shoulder was really, really painful. I need to work a lot on my shoulder. I think it was one of the first times I was riding and feeling a lot of pain. I thought I’d be tired and not fit but it’s the opposite! I’m really fit because I’ve worked out at home, but the right arm isn’t working after a few laps.”

With the first day in the bag, Petrucci was asked about his plans for both testing tomorrow, and in the days and weeks leading up to his home round, the Emilia-Romagna Round, at the same venue. ‘Petrux’ revealed he was flying to Indonesia for Ducati where he’ll get a bit more mileage under his belt – although only an hour per day for three days – before returning to Europe for the Misano round where he’ll hope to be at full fitness.

Petrucci added: “I’ll try to do half a day tomorrow and at lunchtime, we’ll see. We did a full day today but, in the afternoon, I was able to do 10 laps, I re-joined for a lap, and I felt a lot of pain. I feel, off the bike, a lot of pain. Let’s see tomorrow morning if I recover well or not. These days, we’ll continue working with my therapy and then on Tuesday, I’ll go to the Ducati riding experience so at least I have a chance to ride a bike for three days at Mandalika. I’m one of the teachers and I have one rider to teach, so they said I have one hour each day to ride. On Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, I’ll ride the bike. I think it’s better for the body to feel the heat and so on, and then I’ll come to Misano.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s racing resumes in a couple of weeks and teams are utilising the tests between rounds to try to make as much progress as possible. After a challenging start to 2024, Team HRC tried new swingarms at the Cremona test and, at the Misano two-day test, will have new exhaust pipes as well as completing more work on the swingarm. At Misano, Team Manager Jose Escamez revealed more details about Honda’s upgrades and what they hope they’ll bring.

Honda’s best result this season has been a pair of tenth place finishes courtesy of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), with teammate Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) missing races in Australia and the Netherlands through injury. At the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team, Tarran Mackenzie has been in the mix with the factory Honda riders as the season progressed and the team’s best result came at Assen in Race 2 with 11^th place.

With Honda looking to find gains as quickly as possible, a new swingarm was introduced at Cremona for the WorldSBK team although it wasn’t new to Honda. It’s one that’s been used by the British Superbike Honda team and, with their riders present at Cremona, it was a good chance for the WorldSBK outfit to test it – Lecuona and Vierge gave their feedback in Italy. That swingarm will be on the bikes again at Misano, as will new exhaust pipes in the hope of better power delivery while the team will continue to work on the electronics of the CBR1000RR-R machine.

Discussing the upgrades, Honda team boss Escamez said: “A test is always important, especially for us in the situation we’re in right now. After the Cremona test, we were working on some parts of the chassis, especially the swingarm. Here, we want to try again to reconfirm or decline whether it works or not for our bike. We’re also going to try a new exhaust pipe configuration. It’s a new exhaust that we expect can help with our power delivery and the connection of the throttle with our riders. Pretty much, we’re focused on that. Of course, as we’re going to work on the exhaust, we’ll need to adapt our base maps and electronics and all those things. We’re going to try again the swingarm to make sure it works as we thought or not and the exhaust. We’ll keep, as always, working on the electronics which is a topic where we are struggling.”

With mixed feedback on the swingarm so far, Escamez also explained why they opted to bring it to Misano – a track that the riders, team and manufacturer are familiar with – rather than make a decision based solely on the feedback from last week’s test. With every upgrade vital when it comes to making gains, opting to bring changes to a second test can often be crucial when making decisions about whether or not to follow a certain direction.

Explaining the swingarm re-evaluation, Escamez said: “It’s a bit confusing. At some points, it looks better, and, in some others, it doesn’t. That’s why we want to try it again here. We’re not 100% sure it’s going to be better. It’s true that, as Cremona was a new track and changeable conditions, we think here it’s going to be the ultimate test just to reconfirm if it can be better or we can decline.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com