Australian three-tuner team competitor Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completed 61 laps on Wednesday with a best time of 1’38.448 seconds. Gardner confirmed that the bike suits him and he can only provide positive surprises next year. “It was a positive test,” said the Australian. “The pace was really good both days on the race tires and of course today when we went to the SCQ towards the end and had a really nice time. I can do more. I made a few mistakes on that run, but was pretty happy with the results of the two days. It’s not a perfect bike, but it’s not bad. More than bike time, I’m happy with our improvement over the two days thanks to what Yamaha brought here.” Gardner’s teammate Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was third fastest on the first day, on the second day his almost identical time of 1’40.103 seconds was not enough for the Top 3 and ended the day as the ninth rider in the standings. The Swiss racer recorded a total of 67 laps and was one of the most diligent racers on the track.

In second place is a new member of the Ducati manufacturer Nicola Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who managed to complete one lap with a time of 1’38.726 seconds. The Italian racer and supersport world champion managed to complete 52 laps during the day and was less than three tenths behind the first Australian. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) prepared for the regulation change, which is a big change for Ducati, and ended day seven with a time of 1’39.962 seconds. The Spaniard was the last rider under the forty minute mark. “Today we focus on the 2024 regulations, especially weight,” said the current WSBK World Champion, Alvaro Bautista. “We tried different load solutions. Loads on various parts of the bike, we also try the engine and carry out a series of tests to understand how the bike works. It’s not easy because when you have a bike that suits you and it adds seven kilograms of weight, it behaves differently, especially in fast corners. “We’re working to get as much data as possible in preparation for winter, so we can build a good foundation for the start of the season in 2024.”

He recorded third time with a time of 1’39.179 seconds Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK), new racer on the factory Yamaha team. Rea lost more than seven tenths on the first lap and managed 68 laps on the day. Test Rea commented saying: “Step by step today we tried different things, fork specifications, different tire combinations to understand the performance of the Yamaha with different compounds because I have seen in the past that Yamaha is able to make the most of the SCX tires. I asked for slightly different electronic settings, but nothing major. I’ve used “basic” for now, let’s say R1 and in the next test we’ll start working on the development part. Very positive experience from both days. I’m sure tomorrow will be even better, but I’ll have to wait a few weeks for that now!’ He tested it on a Yamaha saddle Bradley Ray (Yamaha), which finished the series last year only in European countries. The Briton didn’t perform too badly as he finished eighth on Wednesday with a time of 1’40.007s.

He is the fastest rider on Kawasaki Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who occupies fourth place in the standings with a time of 1’39.211 seconds and is less than seven tenths behind the first Gardner. His new teammate Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was twelfth with a time of 1’41.346 seconds.

In the private team with Ducati technology, he took an excellent fifth place Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), who with a time of 1’39.335 seconds was also one second behind first place. “It was really fun, I really enjoyed it today” stated on Wednesday afternoon Iannounce. “My feeling for the bike improves from exit to exit and from ride to ride. It was interesting because I was a little surprised by the results, and also the feeling with the shoes and everything. We have a lot of work to do, but we are starting from a very good point. This is good.” Sixth order Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Motocorsa Racing) recorded a time of 1’39.807 seconds.

The BMW drivers got the tenth and eleventh chances Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) a Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW). During the day, Redding scored 47 laps with a maximum time of 1’40.291 seconds and the American racer 66 laps with a maximum time of 1’40.334 seconds. Gerloff had a crash at the end that destroyed his bike, but he himself escaped unscathed.

WorldSBK Test – Day 2

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 – Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto

Editorial information

Petr Czyz – (Subscribe to the author’s articles)