Despite bad weather, Stefan Bradl has completed his first laps with the Honda RC213V during the second day of testing at the Jerez circuit, on 21 January.  The session was not particularly useful for the SBK riders in attendance, but the German test rider did get out on track for a brief shakedown with the 2021 Honda MotoGP.  Jerez WorldSBK test, Rea: &ldquo;A waste of money not to ride, but the regulation limits us&rdquo;  &nbsp;Significant development work   Unable to work on the engine, as per the regulation, the Japanese engineers are focusing their efforts on the frame, electronics and aerodynamics.  Honda&rsquo;s work has involved the development of a frame that differs from that used during the second half of last season (it looks like the engine fastenings have changed in order to alter the weight distribution), as well as a new, redesigned swingarm for increased stiffness. The goal is to improve the bike&rsquo;s dynamic qualities, making it easier to ride and enhancing rider feeling. The Japanese technicians also want to get the Michelin tyres working as well as possible, with the 2020 compounds set to remain the same in 2021. The exhaust system is also updated, now a different length and with collectors that are smaller in diameter.  In Japan they want to &quot;tame&quot; the RC213V so that it can be ridden by everyone, and not just Marc Marquez. It is not yet known when the Spaniard will be able to return, and he will almost certainly be replaced by Bradl during the first part of the season.  With the Sepang MotoGP test now cancelled, Stefan Bradl and Honda will be back at Jerez next week, ahead of Pol Espargaro&rsquo;s first outing, scheduled to take place during the Qatar test sessions on 6 and 7 March.  Translated by Heather Watson  Ducati, Zarco: &ldquo;A future in WorldSBK? Yes please!&rdquo; 

The adverse weather conditions in Andalusia didn&rsquo;t stop Stefan Bradl from completing some initial laps aboard the new RC213V

MotoGP: first laps for the 2021 Honda at Jerez

        Johann Zarco was one of three "special guests" at the Jerez SBK test. A test that never actually came to fruition. Faced with weather conditions that were far from ideal, the KRT Provec, Kawasaki Orelac, Pedercini, Aruba Ducati, Go Eleven, Barni and HRC teams chose not to waste days that they could instead use in a more favourable situation. Meanwhile, Michele Pirro and Zarco, unlike &lsquo;deserter&rsquo; Maverick Vinales, rode during the afternoon of day two, the Italian aboard the Panigale V4 R, and the Frenchman with the V4S 1100. A few hours before he headed out, we had a quick chat with Johann: "I got to Andalusia by plane &ndash; he explains &ndash; while my two collaborators loaded the bike in the van, left France and came here via road. I want and need to ride, because I want to be ready for the MotoGP Sepang test&rdquo;. A test that will be fundamental, ahead of a season that sees the two-time Moto2 champion fly the Ducati Pramac flag: "I&rsquo;m very pleased and very keen. I can&rsquo;t wait to get started. We have a good team, Jorge Martin and I have three world titles between us, two in Moto2 for me and one in Moto3 for him. I&rsquo;m sure we&rsquo;ll both do well&rdquo;. WorldSBK, Rabat's Ducati features aerodynamic brakes from... Moto2 The more we ride, the better  Johann is already focused. He knows that 2021 is a year of possibility for him. For Ducati, the new MotoGP pairings represent the present, but also the future. Zarco comments on the factory line-up: "Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia are young and strong, a promising pair&rdquo; and Pramac: "As I&rsquo;ve said, Martin and I make a good pair, we&rsquo;re going to have fun&rdquo;. Speaking of fun, and considering how the Frenchman is such a pure racer, we touch on a subject that wasn&rsquo;t just a hypothesis in 2020: &ldquo;Yes, there was a real chance I&rsquo;d move to SBK &ndash; he confirms &ndash; but in the end it didn&rsquo;t work out. I&rsquo;d like a future in the production-derived paddock, because with three races per weekend, it&rsquo;s three times the fun". Physically and mentally, it would be very different to the single race GP format he is used to. But he doesn't think that would pose a problem: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve very well prepared and trained &ndash; he points out &ndash; as are all the riders. The Superpole Race, on the limit from start to finish? Well, you&rsquo;re on the limit in a MotoGP race from the first to the twenty-fifth lap, so I can&rsquo;t really see any issues there&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Ducati continues to pursue the title: agreement with Dorna until 2026       

Johann likes the production-derived series: "With three races per weekend, it&rsquo;s three times the fun. But my goal for now is to do well with team Pramac in MotoGP, Martin and I have three titles between us"

Ducati, Zarco: “A future in WorldSBK? Yes please!”

        It was not the two-day test that most people were expecting, with very few riders on track and inclement weather that kept most of the WorldSBK teams inside their garages, engines off. Not even the factory Kawasaki Provec team headed out, and they will make up for this wasted day on Thursday 28 January with riders Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes. The Englishman doesn&rsquo;t appear to be overly concerned about the two lost days: &ldquo;Not going out isn't a big problem as, although the bike is new, we still have a lot of time before the start of the season. I&rsquo;m sorry for the team, as they made a big effort to bring various new elements here". Rea: &ldquo;A waste of money not to ride, but the regulation limits us&rdquo; "The new engine is key"  As the English rider confirms, one of the most important new features regards the engine: "We would have focused largely on the new engine, which differs from the last one. During the previous tests, Jonathan and I had the same impressions, which is a good thing in terms of our teamwork in preparation for the start of the season. There&rsquo;ll be more new elements that we&rsquo;ll test next time out&rdquo;. As for eventual wet rounds, season-opener Assen being one possible example, Alex already feels prepared: &ldquo;If there are wet races, I can be competitive. At the end of the day, I&rsquo;m an English rider, I like to race in the wet. I&rsquo;d prefer rain during a race than during a test". Translated by Heather Watson Pirelli, Barbier: &ldquo;The SBK calendar is great, it will be an interesting season&rdquo;       

Like almost all of the riders in attendance at the Angel Nieto track, the British Kawasaki rider did not go out on track during the two-day test due to the weather conditions

WorldSBK Jerez Test, Lowes: “Rain? Better during a race than a test”

        Jonathan Rea can only be disappointed as the two-day test at Jerez comes to a premature close, having never actually got started. The Northern Irishman was keen to continue developing the new ZX-10RR, but any ideas and hopes the team might have had remained just that. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a real shame not to be able to make the most of this test - admits Johnny - seeing as the riders and teams have made such an effort to be here, despite the difficult situation. With the new regulation, we only have ten days of testing during winter, and so we preferred not to go out yesterday and today. It&rsquo;s a waste of money being here and not riding, but that&rsquo;s the way it is.&rdquo; His thoughts turn to the last tests, or rather those held at Aragon in November, where the current champion got a first taste of his new steed. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult to draw any conclusions as we were the only team there, but I was fast. The bike is young and so we still need to understand and correct the engine character. I want to work with my engineer to make it smooth, as I like it, but we&rsquo;ve definitely taken a step forward with respect to last year. I&rsquo;ve seen improvement in terms of the aerodynamics too, and I would probably have understood more this week. The new fairing has better downforce and that gives you greater confidence with the front as well as better wheelie control&rdquo;. SBK, Rabat's Ducati features aerodynamic brakes from... Moto2 "I would have preferred Imola to Estoril, Dorna should take a cue from MX"  Back to the present, and the future, as Johnny talks about Tito Rabat, one of the most interesting new arrivals in the SBK paddock, and the fact that Imola is missing from the 2021 calendar. &ldquo;I know Tito a little, we&rsquo;ve exchanged messages in the past but we haven&rsquo;t talked here. He wants to battle with me? I wish him luck (he laughs). I&rsquo;m really sorry there&rsquo;s no Imola on the 2021 calendar, as the track and fans always give me the best feeling, better than anywhere else maybe, despite me never having raced for an Italian manufacturer. I really hope the championship returns to Imola. I would definitely have preferred Imola to some other tracks, like Estoril for example&rdquo;. Rea closes by mentioning the anti-Covid vaccine and offers some regulatory advice to Dorna, to combat the uncertainty of the current times.&nbsp; &ldquo;I would like the vaccine as soon as possible, it&rsquo;s not available in Northern Ireland yet. I think in this situation Dorna should introduce a rule that already exists in MX, or rather the possibility for every rider to cancel their worst weekend in terms of results from the classification. Look at what happened to Hamilton or Rossi. I was nervous last year too, because the championship wouldn&rsquo;t have stopped if I were to have tested positive&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson Pirelli, Barbier: &ldquo;The SBK calendar is great, it will be an interesting season&rdquo;       

"With only ten days available, we preferred not to take the risk. The bike is new but already seems better than in 2020. A pity not to have Imola on the calendar, I&rsquo;ve always loved it&rdquo;

Jerez WorldSBK test, Rea: “A waste of money not to ride, but the regulation limits us”

On day two of the SBK test at Jerez de la Frontera, yesterday&#39;s sessions having been hindered by rain, our reporter Mirko Colombi continues to send us interviews.  Pirelli SBK manager Giorgio Barbier speaks to Motosprint and considers both what is happening at the Andalusian track right now and the 2021 calendar in general.  New products   Despite the first test day proving to be a flop for most riders, the SBK field hopes to take to the track today: &ldquo;These tests are undoubtedly important - states Giorgio Barbier - because we finished a good test season in November and it&rsquo;s essential to carry on again now and understand. There are new riders and many modifications have been made to bikes and these need to be tested. In addition, on our side, we&rsquo;d like to restart with something after a 2020 that was a little short on development. We have material ready and we&rsquo;d like to test it before March&rdquo;.  These new products include a rain tyre: &ldquo;Already last year we brought a new specification for use in the wet and that worked well at Magny Cours. We have another one ready, but for now this is not a priority for teams and they are not so interested. They have a lot to test on the bikes, then perhaps the slick tyres and, lastly, the rain tyres. Finding someone who&rsquo;s happy to head out with a brand-new bike on a damp track is difficult right now&rdquo;.  SBK, Rabat&#39;s Ducati features aerodynamic brakes from... Moto2  On the 2021 season   This year, and despite the fact the championship&rsquo;s not started yet, it appears the level might be even higher: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a clear upturn in competitiveness - explains Barbier &ndash; both in terms of the bikes and the individual teams, so we&rsquo;ll see more bikes from the same manufacturer and more challenges for Jonathan Rea who&rsquo;s going to have some good rivals or some good battles going on behind him if he&rsquo;s able to break away early. This is a good sign&rdquo;.  Adding to the on-track battles are the independent riders who also appear increasingly competitive: &ldquo;Those who have a better chance of doing development will be up front, but the fact that the regulation allows for privateer bikes that are not so different to the factory machines means that a good rider and a good team can be well up on the grid. I&rsquo;m sure we&rsquo;ll see this again in 2021 and it&rsquo;s very interesting. BMW is doubling its presence on the grid, while Ducati has decided to maintain a strong presence with riders like Chaz Davies on team Go Eleven. These are signs that the championship is active and alive&rdquo;.  The new calendar: &ldquo;The right decision&rdquo;   Barbier also considers the 2021 calendar, and the rounds scheduled so far: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a sensible move if we consider last year and understand that we were never going to be out of the pandemic early this year. With respect to Formula 1 and MotoGP that are already having to postpone races, SBK, with a start scheduled for late April, can afford to wait and see, and also allow its teams to test more in Europe until late March. Teams can prepare well for the Assen opener&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Redding&rsquo;s soft side: &ldquo;Jacey, you warm me up&rdquo; 

From the Jerez circuit, the Pirelli SBK manager talks about next season: &ldquo;With respect to F1 and MotoGP which are already postponing races, SBK can wait and better prepare&rdquo;

Pirelli, Barbier: &ldquo;The SBK calendar is great, it will be an interesting season&rdquo;

        Even if Tito Rabat has not yet got a taste of the team Barni Panigale V4 R, we&rsquo;ve noticed a few interesting technical solutions on the red bike that the Spaniard will ride during the 2021 season. In the cover image you can see an all-Italian carbon creation. The company TK Dischi Freno has its base in Cislago, a small town in the province of Varese. The Mariani family is known for its talent and innovative spirit. Pietro describes the efficiency of the cover in question: "This is a solution adopted by many Moto2 teams - he explains - and it&rsquo;s proved very effective. As well as guaranteeing better aerodynamic flow and less vibration, the cover allows the water radiator to &ldquo;breathe&rdquo; better. It also protects the flywheel and relative sensors, so there are benefits in terms of data acquisition too&rdquo;.  The number 35 rider and his technical team have also worked on his riding position. The former Moto2 rider likes the seat, appreciates all the on-board instrumentation and has one specific request: &ldquo;I want a red bike, totally red. None of the Desmosedicis I raced were red. A Ducati should be red and I want that". Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Redding&rsquo;s soft side: &ldquo;Jacey, you warm me up&rdquo;       

The firm TK Dischi Freno has created a carbon cover, that "fills" the front discs of the Barni V4 R, improving both air flow and radiator cooling

6 risultati per 'WorldSBK Jerez Testing'

MotoGP: first laps for the 2021 Honda at Jerez

Ducati, Zarco: “A future in WorldSBK? Yes please!”

WorldSBK Jerez Test, Lowes: “Rain? Better during a race than a test”

Jerez WorldSBK test, Rea: “A waste of money not to ride, but the regulation limits us”

Pirelli, Barbier: “The SBK calendar is great, it will be an interesting season”

SBK, Rabat’s Ducati features aerodynamic brakes from... Moto2