WorldSBK 2025
January Jerez Test Day Two
The second day of the season-opening WorldSBK Test at Jerez this week was a wet affair that saw the majority of riders sit out proceedings, content with the dry laps they banked on Wednesday.
Jonathan Rea topped the timesheets with a best lap of 1’53.058s and completed 40 laps during the wet session as he and his Pata Yamaha team continued their preparations for race form. The Northern Irishman was 13th quickest in the dry on Wednesday.
Jonathan Rea
“It’s been a positive test and it’s nice to be back – yesterday we got off to a really good start and wasted no time in getting up to speed, I felt good on my Yamaha R1 from the first laps and step-by-step we’ve just built on that. Pace was okay, we didn’t complete any time attacks and worked through the development programme. Held up in the garage a couple of times with just some small issues but I was satisfied with the first day! Woke up today and the weather was bad obviously, so we only managed wet laps and I did enjoy riding round familiarising myself more with the R1 in these conditions and honestly, we made some really positive changes! Big thanks to the crew for their efforts, two days of good information and now we more to Portugal in quick succession to keep putting the package together for Australia.”

His team-mate, Andrea Locatelli, also ventured out on track, setting a fastest lap of 1’55.429s despite a small crash in the morning.
Andrea Locatelli
“Even with the wind yesterday, we tried to ride a lot in the dry conditions and focused on completing a long run to re-establish a good feeling with my R1 after the winter. Today we didn’t do a lot of laps, but we tried some things on the bike to be a bit more ready for Portimão next week. It was helpful to do a small shakedown to check how everything is working in the wet, for example electronics and chassis set-up after yesterday and we will see! We have Portimão to work further, complete more distance and prepare for Phillip Island. The changing conditions here in Jerez were strange, a lot of wind – warm yesterday and today, wet. The most important thing is to continue building the feeling with my R1 and then we will have a clearer idea, working well towards our objectives for the 2025 season.”

The GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team were on track on Wednesday, the first time Remy Gardner had been on track since Estoril last October, the Australian undergoing surgery on some injuries and staying on the sidelines for the subsequent recovery period. Gardner completed 85 laps in total on Wednesday, finding a good feeling to cross the line 12th fastest with a time of 1’40.293. On the other side of the garage, Dominique Aegerter lost some time due to a technical issue, but was still able to produce 68 laps in total, sitting 19th on a 1’41.488 at the end of the day. The team sat out the second day to save on test days for the remainder of the year.
Remy Gardner
“Overall it was nice to be back on the bike, and we had a productive test. Unfortunately, we couldn’t test the second day due to rain, missing some valuable track time, but on the first day we tried new things and the feedback was positive. Now let’s stay focused and hope the weather stays clear in Portimão for the next test, I’m looking forward to produce some more laps there.”

Dominique Aegerter
“It was good to be back on the bike after a long time and to test my body. It wasn’t easy to get used to the Yamaha R1 machine after a long period, but lap by lap I felt stronger and I wish we could have more laps. Unfortunately some technical issues forced us to lose some time, but we were still able to produce some productive laps in Jerez trying the new parts we have here. I hope the weather stays clear in Portimão and to clock many laps to get ready for the first round of the season.”

The Honda HRC team has made the most of proceedings to evaluate their new Ohlins suspension package, switching from Showa. Xavi Vierge was supported by Honda test rider Tetsuta Nagashima, and replacement rider Borja Gómez, who stood in for the injured Iker Lecuona this week. Lecuona was nevertheless on site for the duration of the test, following the action with the team in the garage. Vierge completed more than 100 laps over the course of the two days despite cutting things short halfway through Thursday, the Spaniard maximising track time in different conditions, and keen to continue in a similar vein at Portimão, where testing will continue on 28-29 January. It is anticipated the Iker Lecuona will rejoin his team-mate for the Portuguese test sessions.

Xavi Vierge
“We’re back on track at last and I’m very happy with how this test has gone, it’s been very positive. Conditions stayed dry on Wednesday, albeit a little windy, and my feeling with the bike was pretty good right from the start. I’m working with a new crew chief, and my initial impression is very good; he’s very experienced and I think we can work well together. As for what we’ve been doing here, we worked to try and find a new suspension set-up and also focused on the electronics side of things. Sadly, rain cut into our track time on Thursday, but that allowed us to make some initial laps in the wet with the Öhlins suspension and understand more as a result. We still have work to do, but this should help us to find more in terms of traction, which has been something of a weak point for us. Then, in addition, we worked on different aspects to improve my overall feeling. I think we made some good progress this week and now have a lot of data to analyse. Next up is Portimão, where I hope we can enjoy some drier weather as we continue to prepare for the start of the season.”

Iker Lecuona
“In early January I had a small crash while training and unfortunately that left me with a fractured rib and a shoulder injury. Just before coming to Jerez, the doctor told me it would be better to wait a little longer before riding and so I’m sitting out this week’s test, in agreement with the team. I’m not in perfect shape but generally feel ok and will try to ride next week in Portugal. I’m doing my best to recover fast, following the doctors’ advice, and so we’ll see how it goes.”

Ducati rookie Yari Montella impressed with the third-fastest time of the day, gaining valuable experience in wet conditions, while team-mate Danilo Petrucci chose to sit Thursday out after finishing the dry test on Wednesday in sixth place on the time-sheets.
Danilo Petrucci
“It was a partial test, but positive overall. We knew about today’s wet conditions, so we focused on completing as many laps as possible yesterday, without making big changes to the bike, sticking to the baseline setup. We’re close to the fastest times and know where to improve. Instinctively, I still make some unproductive moves on this bike, but I’m happy to have picked up where we left off. Last year in Portimão, we were on the podium twice. It’s always a unique track, but we need to focus on details, and I’ll be concentrating on improving myself.”

Yari Montella
“These were two important days, with a full day on dry conditions and half a day on wet. It was useful to better understand the bike and introduce myself to the new technicians. I’m satisfied: we completed many laps on the first day without significant changes, and although we weren’t among the fastest, the goal was to build confidence. Now, the focus is on understanding the bike thoroughly and gradually improving. The approach at Portimão will be different: I already know what to expect, and we’ll push a bit harder.”

Scott Redding, testing his Panigale V4 R in the wet for the first time, clocked a best lap of 1’54.893s.

Factory Ducati riders Alvaro Bautista and Nicolo Bulega sat out Thursday but Bulega had proved quickest in the dry on Wednesday.
Nicolò Bulega
“I’m happy with how things went on this day of testing. It was essential to regain the feeling we had in the November test. I can say that the wind didn’t make things easy, and sometimes, I had to concentrate more on correcting the trajectories than riding the bike. In any case, the first day of 2025 was very positive“.

Alvaro Bautista
“The positive news is that we could do at least one day in dry conditions. We continued the programme we started here at Jerez in November, but I couldn’t feel comfortable on the bike because of the strong wind. It is only the first day, and we must continue on this path“.

Andrea Iannone and Team Pata Go Eleven presented their new livery and proved second quickest on Wednesday but sat out the wet Thursday sessions. The first day was fundamental in establishing an initial relationship between Andrea and the new electronics engineer.
Andrea Iannone
“The adverse weather conditions in Jerez prevented us from completing the planned program, but we still started on the right foot. For this season I hope we can be more consistent, taking advantage of the experience gained last year. Knowing the tracks and building up the team, especially now with the two new entries, is fundamental. In these days we have learned to know each other and, even if there is still a lot of work to do, I am confident. It is important to always be positive. Next week we will be back on track in Portimão, hoping for two days of sunshine.”

Axel Bassani, adapting to the bimota KB998, posted the fourth-fastest time despite a crash on his 13th lap. He capitalised on the rainy conditions to gain more wet-weather experience on the bike, which has had limited testing in such conditions. His team-mate, Alex Lowes, chose to stay in the pit box on Thursday.
Alex Lowes
“It’s been nice to get back on the bike. I felt better than I expected straight away, even if there were some damp patches still around. I felt quite good on the bike. After two pitlane exits we started to go into test mode, as we had some new parts for the fuel tank and riding position. It took a few pitlane exits to feel comfortable with these. I did get comfortable so we have confirmed the new, tank, seat and riding position. We made two or three good steps. We had some things to do off the bike here too, with new parts arriving, etc. With the windy conditions we decided just to use four hours of testing on day one. Every time we work with the new bike it is important. The runs we did were quite consistent. There is still loads of things to do and but I think it was a good day of testing at Jerez.”

Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes
“The plan was to do one complete day of testing in dry conditions because we are taking care to follow the rules about how many testing days you can have. On day one with Alex we made a half a day on track because it was really, really windy. With the items we wanted to test we had to be clear and take a good understanding of the decisions and directions we should take. We worked with Alex in many small areas and it was very good. We didn’t have to use any soft tyres, we just focused on the work and the plan we wanted. One day before Alex started we used our new test riders Xavi Fores and Xavi Artigas. Florian Marino did a great job during all the development of this new bike, so I want to say thank you to him. It was raining on the final day of this Jerez test so we decided not to do any laps with Alex, but we did some laps with Fores to collect some information. All his comments were very clear. This has been a quite positive test, even if the weather has not been so good, and now we are looking forward to going to Portimao.”
Axel Bassani
“We have had two good days of testing, even if we did only a half day on track each time. We did not do a lot of laps but we took a lot of data, and this is important. It was especially important as day two was the first time I had ridden in wet conditions on the bimota. The first day in the dry was good, although it was difficult because there was a lot of wind. The base of the bike was not bad and the lap time was not so fast, but also not slow. For us, every day is important so that we can understand what we need to do and what we have to improve. On the rear, I do not have the feeling I want yet, so we are working to find improvements in that area. The team now has some data to work with for the next test in Portimao.”

Marcel Duinker – Crew Chief for Axel Bassani
“Our experience with the new bike and Axel is still quite new. This was only the third day with Axel on the new bike. First of all, I must give a lot of credit to Bimota, Kawasaki and the team for all the progress they have made from the previous test at the end of November. All the material we requested was ready for us to test here. We had quite an efficient four hours of testing on day one and today was our first time with the bike in the wet. We gathered very valuable information. The conditions in November at Jerez and the conditions we had at this test were very different. We moved from high grip to lower grip conditions, so of course the bike was behaving differently. This is not a negative; we just learned a lot that we will bring to the next test. The weather was a bit inconsistent but we gathered very valuable information. I am looking forward to Portimao – and in three weeks we will already be on the other side of the planet. Things are moving!”
After a morning crash, sole Kawasaki rider Garrett Gerloff finished the day in 10th place, with a best lap of 1’56.893s.

Garrett Gerloff
“Day One was really positive, even though we didn’t have most amazing riding conditions because of how much wind there was. We did complete some good testing and we were able to set some strong lap times. I think it is positive to leave Jerez with that. The weather on day two wasn’t great, but we did a few laps in the rain. I didn’t have a lot of time to ride as I had a pretty big highside crash in the last corner, taking a big impact on my right hip. So, we decided it was better to wait until Portimao and do more testing there. I’m looking forward to it.”

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team were on track on Wednesday with Tarran Mackenzie getting to work on setting up the 2025 Honda CBR1000RR-R. Rainfall on and off throughout Thursday morning saw the team ultimately decided to bank this second day so as to use it at a later date.
Tarran Mackenzie
“We completed our first test of the season in Jerez today and even if it was great to be back in action again, the session left us wanting more. The bike’s changed with respect to what we were using at the end of last year, with a lot of new items including a new tank, seat, and electronics. That means a lot of set up work, and it’s why I didn’t immediately have the feeling I was looking for. I was confident that we could use day two to get used to everything but, unfortunately, wet weather has prevented us from doing that today. That’s just the way it goes sometimes I guess; it’s a little frustrating but hopefully the weather picks up at Portimão and we can get out there and really make the most of the track time.”

While Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) didn’t make an appearance despite his acumen in rainy conditions, ROKiT BMW instead featured test drivers Markus Reiterberger and Sylvain Guintoli each running different setups in order to collect as much data as possible on BMW’s new M 1000 RR. The pair had a very full -and very wet- day at the office, cumulatively recording 175 laps between the two of them; Reiterberger with 83 and Guintoli with 92. Toprak Razgatlioglu sat out both days after sustaining a finger injury while riding enduro earlier in the month.

The testing action now shifts to Portimao next week, with the entire WorldSBK grid gathering on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th January.
The opening round of the 2025 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship gets underway at Phillip Island on February 21. Organisers have confirmed that the season opener will feature mandatory pit stops due to tyre wear issues on the notoriously abrasive Phillip Island track surface.
Jerez WorldSBK Test Times
Day Two – January 23 (WET)
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
1 | J Rea | Yam | 1m53.058 | 253,3 |
2 | X Vierge | Hon | +0.608 | 257,9 |
3 | Y Montella | Duc | +0.920 | 254,0 |
4 | A Bassani | Bim | +1.368 | 256,5 |
5 | S Redding | Duc | +1.835 | 260,4 |
6 | S Guintoli | BMW | +1.910 | 260,5 |
7 | X Forés | Bim | +2.154 | 252,1 |
8 | M Reiterberger | BMW | +2.163 | 254,1 |
9 | A Locatelli | Yam | +2.371 | 256,5 |
10 | F Alt | Hon | +2.836 | 255,2 |
11 | G Gerloff | Kaw | +3.835 | 256,1 |
12 | B Gómez | Hon | +5.414 | 249,2 |
Jerez WorldSBK Test Times
Day One – January 22 (DRY)
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Speed |
1 | N. Bulega | DUC | 1m38.731 | 268.7 |
2 | A. Iannone | DUC | 1m39.181 | 272.0 |
3 | S. Redding | DUC | 1m39.280 | 269.3 |
4 | G. Gerloff | KAW | 1m39.332 | 267.3 |
5 | A. Bassani | BIM | 1m39.463 | 268.7 |
6 | D. Petrucci | DUC | 1m39.548 | 274.1 |
7 | X. Vierge | HON | 1m39.916 | 267.3 |
8 | A. Bautista | DUC | 1m40.135 | 270.7 |
9 | S. Lowes | DUC | 1m40.207 | 269.3 |
10 | A. Lowes | BIM | 1m40.270 | 267.3 |
11 | M. VD Mark | BMW | 1m40.285 | 266.7 |
12 | R. Gardner | YAM | 1m40.293 | 264.7 |
13 | J. Rea | YAM | 1m40.368 | 263.4 |
14 | R. Vickers | DUC | 1m40.586 | 268.7 |
15 | A. Locatelli | YAM | 1m40.989 | 263.4 |
16 | M. Reiterberger | BMW | 1m41.276 | 262.1 |
17 | B. Sofuoglu | YAM | 1m41.296 | 260.9 |
18 | Y. Montella | DUC | 1m41.308 | 268.0 |
19 | D. Aergerter | YAM | 1m41.488 | 261.5 |
20 | T. Nagashima | HON | 1m41.498 | 260.9 |
21 | B. Gómez | HON | 1m41.525 | 261.5 |
22 | T. Rabat | YAM | 1m41.591 | 264.7 |
23 | T. Mackenzie | HON | 1m41.715 | 261.5 |
24 | X. Forés | BIM | 1m41.926 | 260.7 |
25 | F. Alt | HON | 1m42.182 | 262.8 |
26 | R. Ramos | KAW | 1m42.438 | 254.7 |
27 | S. Guintoli | BMW | 1m42.787 | 265.3 |
28 | M. Schrötter | DUC | 1m43.289 | 235.3 |
29 | K. Toba | HON | 1m43.504 | 230.8 |
30 | J. Alcoba | KAW | 1m43.811 | 234.8 |
31 | O. Vostalek | DUC | 1m44.079 | 230.8 |
32 | QJ Proto | QJ | 1m44.344 | 229.5 |
33 | C. Perolari | HON | 1m44.416 | 230.3 |
34 | QJ Moto | QJ | 1m44.435 | 228.3 |
35 | M. Dunlop | DUC | 1m48.440 | 226.4 |
36 | A. Carrasco | HON | 1m48.582 | 223.6 |
Compiled with the assistance of Dorna
2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Calendar
Date | Circuit | WorldSBK | WorldSSP | SSP300 | WCR |
21-23 Feb | Phillip Island | X | X | ||
28-30 Mar | Portimao | X | X | X | |
11-12 Apr | Assen | X | X | X | X |
2-4 May | Cremona | X | X | X | |
16-18 May | Most | X | X | X | |
13-15 Jun | Misano | X | X | X | |
11-13 Jul | Donington | X | X | X | |
25-27 Jul | Balaton Park | X | X | X | |
5-7 Sep | Magny-Cours | X | X | X | X |
26-28 Sep | Aragon | X | X | X | |
10-12 Oct | Estoril | X | X | X | |
17-19 Oct | Jerez | X | X | X | X |