Jonathan Rea regroups after morning crash to complete 'very productive' World Superbike test at Misano

Jonathan Rea enjoyed a ‘very productive’ day on his return to action at Misano in Italy on Wednesday, despite a crash on his Kawasaki in the morning.
Jonathan Rea in action on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR at Misano in Italy.Jonathan Rea in action on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR at Misano in Italy.
Jonathan Rea in action on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR at Misano in Italy.

The World Superbike champion and team-mate Alex Lowes will conclude the test on Thursday before travelling to Spain for a further test at Montmelo in Barcelona, where the Catalunya circuit will host a round of the series for the first time in September.

Rea said: “Today was very productive and valuable because we were not in a rush to test so much and I was able to do a lot of laps and check a lot of settings.

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“After the long break I was not so happy with the normal base bike setting this morning. They have re-asphalted the circuit at Misano and the grip level is so high – abnormally high – which means we have had to take some grip away from our bike to make it a little bit smoother.

Strigent protocols to protect against the threat of Covid-19 are in place at the Misano test.Strigent protocols to protect against the threat of Covid-19 are in place at the Misano test.
Strigent protocols to protect against the threat of Covid-19 are in place at the Misano test.

“I had a crash this morning which I was able to rebound from, pretty fast. For day one I feel satisfied but we’ve still got work to do to be comfortable.”

Kawasaki said both riders lapped inside the 1m 34s bracket, without providing specific times.

The Misano test is the first time the Kawasaki riders have been reunited with their machines since the opening round of the championship in Australia, which took place prior to the coronavirus lockdown.

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A number of other teams are also in action at Misano, most notably the Aruba.it Ducati pairing of Scott Redding and Chaz Davies.

With the Covid-19 threat still prevalent, stringent protocols are in place at the test, with team members wearing face masks and observing social-distancing measures.

The championship is set to resume at Jerez in Spain from July 31-August 2, before Portimao in Portugal hosts the next round the following weekend.

Briton Lowes, who signed a recent extension to his deal to remain with the team in 2021, leads the standings after the first round at Phillip Island by 12 points from British Superbike champion Redding, who impressed on his debut on the Ducati V4.

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Rea is in fourth place, 19 points down on Lowes. The Ulsterman made a winning start in Australia in the Superpole race, securing his 89th career WSBK victory.

Last week, the five-time champion signed a new ‘multi-year’ deal with Kawasaki to stay in the World Superbike Championship.

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