Jonathan Rea has not finished this last official test held at Phillip Island completely happy. The Northern Irish rider finished his pre-season in fourth position in the timing table, separated from the fastest in the test, Álvaro Bautista, by almost half a seconda gap that worries the Kawasaki right now, convinced that his Spanish rival has something more than the rest.
The Larne rider has taken advantage of these two days of training in Australia to finish off the last details of the set-up of his ZX-10RR 2023, a model that now has a VAI variable intake system that, according to Rea, Doesn’t seem to make much of a difference compared to last year’s model. In fact, today at Phillip Island, number 65 took to the track with last year’s bike to make a final comparison between the two models, finally opting for the 2023 version.
“Today afternoon we were comparing the 2023 bike with last year’s. Each has its pros and cons, but let’s move on to the new ZX-10RR.“assured a Jonathan Rea who continues to miss a little more thrust in his four-cylinder in-line engine.
If yesterday the Northern Irishman crashed in turn 4, today he crashed again in the same place in the middle of the race simulation, thus ruining his conclusions: “During the mock race I crashed at turn 4 after 14 laps. There was a lot of dirt on the track, the wind was blowing hard from behind and I was on the limit. The sensations were being good, and I was able to maintain the 1:31, it’s the pace you need here to get on the podium. After that, I tested the SC0 with the Superpole Race in mind, and I also set decent lap times.”
After a bit of a strange Monday for Rea, today the Kawasaki rider seems to be a little more optimistic about the potential of the 2023 Ninja, although he admits that he expected more: “I ended up happier with the bike today than on day one. But we still have to improve. The new Kawasaki has potential, but we have to keep working to unlock it. I’m happy with the current situation of the bike, compared to 2022, we’ve We have taken a step forward. We have improved in electronics, acceleration and tire wear, the problem is that the others have also progressed. In the end, the bike has a new homologation, but it is the same as last year because the changes are small . We need more power, much more power“.
At Phillip Island, Rea has been able to verify that the Ducati is still substantially faster when it comes to opening the throttle: “There is still a lot of difference in acceleration and on the straightaway in front of Bautista, he can go five motos. Unfortunately, we do not have a magic wand and we have to go step by step. Last year I was always pushing the limit in every corner and then losing acceleration. What I need is power, because the bike has not undergone any revolution.”
In any case, despite the fact that other Kawasaki riders like Tom Sykes have decided not to use the new VAI system on their bike, Rea seems to be sticking with it: “I was a partner of Sykes for many years on Kawasaki, if I said something was white, he said black. He always had opinions contrary to mine.”he says between laughs.
Perhaps the biggest change that ‘Johnny’ has found compared to the 2022 bike lies in the area of electronics, a department that the KRT has reinforced this year by bringing Sander Donkers and Christophe Lambert into the team.: “As far as electronics are concerned, I am happy with the changes that have occurred in the equipment. Everything works perfectly, and the bike is now quieter than before. I only have problems in the bumpier parts of the track, for example turns 7, 8 and 9, it is something that we will have to try to solve on Friday.
Facing the first round of 2023 that will start in a matter of four days, Rea believes that “Álvaro is on another level” and? “he could do the race by himself here in Australia” after checking his pace in the test. “I am convinced that we can fight for the podium, we will have to try. I think I have the rhythm to be with Toprak, Rinaldi or Locatelli, we are all pretty close. But Bautista is one step ahead of everyone.”
Read also: Álvaro Bautista: “It has been one of the best pre-seasons of my career”
The six-time WorldSBK champion assures “want to start” the season, a year in which he says “not start as favourite” y “without the pressure that accompanied me last year. I’m in a different position, but I think we can be competitive. I think here at Phillip Island we have what it takes to get on the podium.” Rhea sentence.