Kawasaki will kick off an intense World Superbike testing period at Almeria starting on January 16, one day after the winter ban ends, for three days while all the official teams are expected at Portimao from January 18-20.

Most keen to get some track time will be the Honda and Suzuki squads which both need work on their electronics packages while Kawasaki and Aprilia have to content with a huge drop in the number of engines they are allowed to use in 2014 so will work on getting the most from engines in a less advanced state of tune.

With only eight motors per rider for the year, the gap in speed and power between the Suzuki/Honda and Kawasaki/Aprilia will be much reduced, bringing a much more level playing field.