Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea being the fastest rider after a two-day WorldSBK test at Motorland may not be a surprise to many in normal circumstances. After suffering two virtual drubbings by his astronomical standards in the opening two rounds of the 2023 championship, in Australia and Indonesia however, it was some kind of relief, no doubt.

Problem is that there were only his own teammate Alex Lowes and two factory HRC Hondas of Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona to really, truly measure himself against. And it was, in terms of the combined times, incredibly close. Only 0.103 seconds separated Rea from Lowes in fourth place, after two relatively warm and dry days.

“We were testing some new ideas from a chassis point of view,” Rea said after the tests. “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.

“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.”

Second fastest man Vierge, a new WorldSBK podium club member thanks to his Mandalika exploits, said, “On day one we started with our base set-up. We’re essentially looking for a standard base that can work well in different situations and doesn’t need to be massively modified each time.

“Among other things, we tested a new exhaust and had positive feedback there, and we know we’re quite strong in terms of race pace, but the important thing was to complete a lot of laps and collate as much data as possible. Day two was again very productive, and we tried to put together everything we’d worked on during day one, focusing on many small details, which can really make the difference.

“During the final stages of the afternoon, we concentrated on carrying out a time attack, an area in which we were keen to work, and I can say we’ve identified a good direction and now have a lot of useful data to use during next week’s test in Barcelona.”

New Motoxracing Yamaha inductee Bradley Ray only got in laps on the afternoon of the second day, after some fairly major tech issues with his machine. He set a best time of 1’51.716 at the 5.007km long circuit in northern Spain. He will take part in his first 2023 WorldSBK weekend at Assen, in late April.

That was it for the WorldSBK regulars but Florian Marino tested for the Kawasaki squad, while Isaac Vinales rode both days for TPR Pedercini by Vinales team.

Tom Booth Amos and his new Motozoo Racing by Puccetti WorldSSP teammate from Australia, Luke Power, were also testing. Booth Amos was quickest with a 1’55.869, while Power overcame some issues with his bike to post a best of 1’57.050.

Next up for the Motorland few, and many more WorldSBK riders, will be two days of testing at Barcelona Catalunya, between 30-31 March.