Little action at the SBK test at Motorland due to rain, Hayden's debut

The Motorland Aragón Circuit is hosting a private World Superbike test, with the official teams of Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati and Yamaha, with several important points from the first day of testing at the Aragonese track.

For this occasion we have two days of testing; the first has left the first impressions and today they will consolidate their pre-season work. First thing in the morning, the riders of the teams present found the track wet and a lot of fog on the circuit, so they had to postpone their time on track. As the morning progressed and conditions improved, most of the group has already started their respective work programs.

One of the key points was to see Nicky Hayden make his World Superbike Championship debut at the controls of his new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, which he will ride in the 2016 season and with which he will open a new chapter after 13 seasons competing in MotoGP. Before heading out on track, the rider from Owensboro (Kentucky) spent some time carrying out tests in the same garage to get used to his new mount, adjusting his riding position, footrests, etc., and also took part in a photo session alongside his new teammate Michael van der Mark.

For its part, at the Ducati team we have once again seen Chaz Davies as the sole official representative, with Davide Giugliano still working on his physical recovery. The Welshman has begun testing the numerous chassis and engine solutions that his team has brought to Alcañiz in the hope that this test will prove more productive than the previous one at this same venue, where he lost important track hours due to rain. Meanwhile, during this test, Davies has been accompanied by Valencian Xavi Forés, who has ridden the team’s second unit.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Rea, the 2015 SBK World Champion, took to the controls of the Kawasaki late in the afternoon, when the track was completely dry. He has mainly worked on the chassis and engine, and still has some basic bike adjustments to finish and will probably have to wait for the next test (next week in Jerez) to carry out that simulation. Rea rode with Nissin brake calipers instead of his usual Brembos. For its part, Tom Sykes decided not to go out in these conditions.

The riders of the Yamaha Motor Europe team aim to continue with their 2016 pre-season programme, although for this test they have no new parts to try on the YZR-R1 and will simply continue their tests where they left off in Jerez last week.

The test continues today.

Source | WorldSBK