Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Complete Stand-Out Successful Winter Test in Jerez
Jonathan Rea completed an extremely positive two-day test at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, as the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team and Yamaha’s engineers prepare for an assault on the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2024.
Rea completed 173 laps of the Andalucian circuit over the two days as he continued to familiarise himself with the Yamaha R1 race machine that he will campaign next year. Testing alongside his new team-mate Andrea Locatelli for the first time, Rea had the benefit of three separate bikes to assess different parts and set-up options. He finished the test with a fastest lap time of 1m 38.592, a little more than one tenth of a second behind Locatelli’s best time.
The next scheduled test for Jonathan and the team will be at the end of January next year when they return for a further two-day test at Jerez followed by two days at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
Jonathan Rea said. “The test has been really positive and I’ve really enjoyed riding my new R1! We’ve had great conditions, especially on Day 1 – the temperature was warmer than we expected, similar to the race and we were able to get a lot of work done. I had three bikes to try different options on, and loads of different parts. I think we never managed to quite put everything together to arrive at the perfect combination, but we still have a lot of time and we got through the main test items. It’s normal that some items we can discard but some items are very interesting going forward. I completed the test with a 20-lap race simulation that was very positive and I think the more laps that I do on the R1, the more I understand it – how the bike behaves in certain conditions and the more confidence I can build. I don’t feel like I’ve found the limit yet, still understanding how to manage the last part of braking – but, I feel competitive already, so step-by-step! We did a lot of laps, around 766km and 173 laps. The guys did well – a big thanks to all the mechanics because they worked so hard between three bikes, a lot of changes – and it’s been an intense but very valuable couple of days. A nice way to sign off on 2023! Everyone can go back now and have a bit of rest before we look forward to the next test at the end of January.”