World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea 'feeling great' on new Kawasaki after Jerez test

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Jonathan Rea says he is ‘feeling great’ on Kawasaki’s new ZX-10RR after completing a test at Jerez in Spain on Thursday.

The reigning World Superbike champion was back on track for the first time this year after a planned test at Jerez last month was disrupted by wet weather.

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Rea was the sole Kawasaki Racing Team rider at the test after team-mate Alex Lowes was ruled out with a slight shoulder injury, which he sustained in a flat track accident last Saturday.

The team had also hoped to test on Wednesday but Rea was prevented from going out on track due to rain, opting to make better use of the time later with teams and riders limited to just ten days of private testing.

Jonathan Rea completed his first test of 2021 at Jerez in Spain on Thursday.Jonathan Rea completed his first test of 2021 at Jerez in Spain on Thursday.
Jonathan Rea completed his first test of 2021 at Jerez in Spain on Thursday.

Rea, who completed 40 laps on Thursday, said: “It has been so nice to ride my bike after what feels like such a long time.

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“I want to really thank my team for the huge effort to be here. Travelling in this moment is difficult for everybody. We intended to test on Wednesday but we got bad weather. We made another effort to stay and we got some productive laps in on Thursday.

“I thank them for the huge effort – everybody - and it was such a positive test,” added the six-time champion.

“We had to confirm some items we had been working on in the off-season and I had a really good feeling. The track wasn’t in perfect condition because some corners were still damp but I was able to understand the bike, understand the changes, and give lots of good information and data to the engineers.

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“It did not take me so long to get into the swing of things. I am leaving the test very happy with what we have done and I feel great on the bike. The work I have been doing at home has been paying off as well and I am looking forward to riding again.”

Northern Ireland rider Rea is bidding to win the World Superbike title for an incredible seventh succesive year in 2021.

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