Jonathan Rea was in Jerez this week for two days of World Superbike testing, completing 173 laps. The Pata Yamaha rider worked with three different bikes and various components, already feeling competitive aboard the YZF-R1.

The six-time world champion told worldsbk.com: ‘It’s been really positive and I’ve really enjoyed riding the bike at this test, especially on day one when the temperature was warmer than expected and similar to the race. We were able to get a lot of work done. I had 3 bikes to try different options on and loads of different parts. We never managed to put everything together to be perfect but we still have a lot of time and we got through the main test items. We managed just about everything on the list; some items we can discard, some very interesting going forwards’.

While acknowledging he hasn’t yet reached the bike’s limits, Rea ensured he already feels competitive: ‘I completed the test with a race simulation which was positive; the more laps I do on the R1, the more I understand it and how it behaves in certain conditions and also, the more confidence I get. I don’t feel like I’ve found the limit with the bike yet. I’m understanding the last part of braking but I feel competitive already’.

O conteúdo ‘I don’t feel like I’ve found the limit with the bike, but I feel competitive already’ – Jonathan Rea aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Honda debuted the new CBR1000RR-R for the World Superbike Championship this Thursday in Jerez, during the first of two days of testing with Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge. Initial indications are positive, but there is caution

Speaking to the championship’s official website, team manager Leon Camier stated: ‘There are a few changes with the new bike; the split throttle bodies is something that’s a good step in the right direction for the race bike and what we want on track. The normal thing to expect is more edge grip and better connection when you first touch the gas because you are only opening two cylinders, not four. Many other manufacturers are running this but for us, it’s something we wanted for the race bike. For the lighter crankshaft, it’s a small difference but we should expect a little bit better acceleration and deceleration. We have a different weight distribution of the bike; Honda wanted to go in this direction because it’s better for what we need for racing; it’s all going in the right direction’.

Regarding the innovations in the motorcycle, the official detailed: ‘The first feelings with the bike are quite good, even though there are positives and negatives. With it being the first test, it’s good that the riders are feeling the positives and with the negatives, they are things we have to work with. Setting the bike up, putting things in the right places… it’s normal that it takes time to smooth things out. Both riders need time to set it up for their style and their way of riding. First impressions are positive so we need to get through these two days, see where we are at the end of it and keep making a step forward’.

Despite the innovations, Camier revealed that the super concession, which Honda is entitled to for 2024, has not been incorporated. The British leader talked about more details about the new CBR1000RR-R: ‘It’s done in a different way with a different weight distribution; the centre of gravity is a little bit different. Overall length, I’m actually not sure where we are but I think it’s something similar but you can play around with that anyway. Alter the swingarm length a little bit and you can have a big change, so it’s just done in a slightly different way’.

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O conteúdo New CBR1000RR-R encourages Honda for the next WSBK season aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Franco Morbidelli completes his final round with Monster Energy Yamaha at the Valencia GP. After more than two very challenging seasons, his journey with the Japanese team comes to an end.

The Italian aims to conclude on a positive note, leaving behind the 16th place in Qatar. He also admits that this farewell to Yamaha will bring more emotions than usual:

– The Qatar GP didn’t go the way we wanted, but we will leave that behind us now because we need to focus on Valencia. This will be my last GP with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team, which adds some extra emotion to this weekend. I want to end our run together in the best way possible and make some final nice memories with the crew, so that is the goal.

O conteúdo Say goodbye to Yamaha with more ‘nice memories’ is Franco Morbidelli’s goal for Valencia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After returning to the podium in the Qatar GP, Luca Marini faces the MotoGP Valencian GP with high ambitions. Currently, he is ten points away from fifth place in the championship standings.

While it’s uncertain if this will be his last round with the Mooney VR46 Racing Team, the Italian highlighted his aim to end the season among the strongest riders, aiming for the top five in the World Championship.

– We arrive in Valencia for the last race of 2023, a very particular track, after a great weekend in Qatar. Let’s check the weather and temperatures, let’s not forget that we are now at the end of November. The goal is to finish on top, be able to show a good performance here too and be there in the leading group. The top 5 in the overall standings would be fantastic.

O conteúdo Luca Marini aiming for the top 5 in the championship aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

At the MotoGP Qatar GP, Jorge Martín experienced a sudden drop in performance from the Sprint race to the main race. The reasons aren’t clear, but they might have been related to tyre performance, and Marco Melandri highlighted the importance of this component for overall performance.

The former rider told Corriere dello Sport: ‘There have been some races where I expect a setback for Martín because of the tyres: Michelin said the tire was fine, like the others, so it could have been a pressure problem. Martín is the one who has scored the most points in the last races, so I don’t think he suddenly… fell asleep’.

Melandri stressed that tyres have always been crucial: ‘The tyre makes the bike. It’s much easier to improve with a tyre than with a change in the bike: the secret to being fast is to put power or braking power on the ground in the correct way, and the tyre is the only thing directly related to the asphalt. It has always been like this’.

O conteúdo ‘The tyre makes the bike; it’s much easier to improve with a tyre’ – Marco Melandri aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Francesco Bagnaia arrives at the Valencia GP with a 21-point lead over Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) in the MotoGP title fight. So, the championship situation is better for the Ducati rider.

However, the Italian emphasized that the margin doesn’t allow him to be completely at ease in the final round of the year: ‘After the Qatar GP, we arrive in Valencia with a 21-point lead over Jorge. They definitely give us a bit more breathing space, but they are still not enough to relax completely’.

Confident in his potential, Bagnaia assured that he won’t change his strategy or goals: ‘Valencia is a track where we have been fast in the past and where we have the potential to do well. Our approach to the weekend will not change compared to the other races. The goal will always be the same: to work well from the first session on Friday and try to fight for the win in the race. I am calm and looking forward to getting on track for this season’s last act’.

O conteúdo ‘The 21-point lead give us a bit more breathing space, but…’ – Francesco Bagnaia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Jonas Folger will continue as a test rider for KTM in MotoGP in 2024. The rider joined the project this year, standing in as a replacement for Pol Espargaró at GasGas Tech3 on six occasions. Despite the Spaniard taking on the role of test and wildcard rider, the German will remain within the structure.

Confirmation came from KTM Motorsport director Pit Beirer, speaking to SPEEDWEEK.com: ‘We extended the contract with Jonas. First, because he did a great job this year as a test rider and because he did a good job as a reserve rider this year when he came to Texas and really replaced Pol in many races’.

In an expanded team of test riders, veterans Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio also remain, a situation that pleases the manufacturer as stated by the Austrian: ‘With three test riders, we are certainly in a luxury situation. And we also have Mika. Our MotoGP test team really likes working with Jonas. That’s why there was no discussion about the new agreement’.

O conteúdo Jonas Folger remains as KTM’s test rider for MotoGP in 2024 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The Valencian GP will close the MotoGP season this weekend. As the final event, it will be marked by many farewells, with several riders switching teams or potentially exiting the grid.

One of the most notable goodbyes is that of Marc Márquez, who leaves Repsol Honda after a decade to join Gresini in 2024. It will be an emotional weekend for the rider and the team, after having achieved numerous successes together. As Márquez enters Gresini, Fabio di Giannantonio exits, possibly marking the end of his time in the paddock despite recent successes, including the win in Qatar.

Similarly, Pol Espargaró is set to compete in his last GP as a primary rider. The #44 was displaced by Pedro Acosta at GasGas Tech3 and will become KTM’s test rider. At Monster Energy Yamaha, Franco Morbidelli bids farewell after five years with the Iwata-based manufacturer (including his time with the satellite team).

In 2024, the #21 will move to Prima Pramac, where Johann Zarco says goodbye after three seasons, heading to LCR Honda… replacing Álex Rins, who, after a difficult season, leaves to become a factory rider in Yamaha next year. This also seems to be Luca Marini’s final race with the Mooney VR46 Racing Team, amid persistent rumors pointing to his move to Repsol Honda in 2024. For the Italian, it would mark the departure from his brother Valentino Rossi’s team, a connection since their Moto2 days in 2018.

O conteúdo The Valencia GP, the stage for farewells aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Ducati will have Marc Márquez on their roster for the MotoGP in 2024, lining up at the satellite team Gresini with this year’s bike. Despite seeming ideal to have such a strong rider as the six-time champion of the premier class, according to Jorge Lorenzo, not everyone wanted him aboard a Desmosedici GP.

Quoted by the website Motosan.es, the former rider spoke about some disagreement within Ducati’s leadership regarding Marc Márquez’s arrival: ‘Having Marc join is good news for Ducati because they get the best rider at no cost. But this is also a problem because not all Ducati leaders wanted Marc’.

Lorenzo explained two concerning factors: ‘Gigi [Dall’Igna, general manager] certainly wanted him because he always aims for the strongest riders. However, there are two worrying aspects: the first is losing Marc after only a year, as he would take with him all the knowledge he gained. The second is that he might beat [Jorge] Martín and [Francesco] Bagnaia. I think he will win many races next year. I’m not sure if he can fight for the title, but if I had to bet, I would bet on him’.

O conteúdo Ducati wasn’t unanimouis about Marc Márquez, reveals Jorge Lorenzo: ‘There are two worrying aspects’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team began a partnership with Aprilia in MotoGP this year. It was a season of ups and downs, not always yielding the expected results for Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández – particularly, the Portuguese rider faced some bad luck and injuries that affected his adaptation. Razlan Razali, one of the high-ranking officials of the team, anticipates improvements for 2024.

When questioned by SPEEDWEEK.com about whether the expectations for 2023 were higher, Razali explained that it was an adaptation year despite the high ambitions at the start:

– Firstly, I have to say we were ambitious and confident. The season also started well, but sometimes we faced misfortune. People forget that this is our first year with Aprilia. At the same time, Aprilia is managing a satellite team for the first time. This means it’s entirely new territory for us; we need to gain experience with the RS-GP22, get used to working with Aprilia. We know that last year, Aprilia didn’t run entirely smoothly. Additionally, we have a mix of problems with the team, with Aprilia, and the riders.

Razali also highlighted encouraging signs for 2024: ‘If you look at lap times, we are much faster than the factory riders with this 2022 bike. So, it can only improve for next year in our second season with Aprilia’.

O conteúdo Razlan Razali encouraged for 2024: ‘It can only improve for next year’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.