J
onathan Rea (Kawasaki
Racing Team) once more
demonstrated why he is a double
WorldSBK champion and still
favorite to lift the crown again
in 2017 by posting a lap time on
race tires in official pre-season
testing that would be up the sharp
end of any Superpole contest.
His 1:30.545 on day two of
the Phillip Island pre-season
test may have only been 0.030s
ahead of WorldSBK returnee
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Ducati
WorldSBK) but Rea's laid back
approach perfectly mirrors his
sky-high confidence.
"The track was in good shape
and a bit hotter this afternoon
than this morning so the pace
was a little bit slower," he said of
the final day's action, which was
as dry and consistent as the first
day was changeable and messy,
He worked with two machines
and despite having identical set-
ups on each has now chosen
his "favorite" one.
"We have understood both
of our bikes today, understand-
ing some new parts for the race
weekend and put some mileage
on the new parts to get ready.
I feel good on the same tire for
many laps, although we did not
put one full race run together
because I did not really want to.
All-in-all it is just putting the best
IN
THE
WIND
P40
REA
SMASHES
PHILLIP
ISLAND
WORLDSBK
TESTING
Rea showed the skills that took
him to the last two WorldSBK titles
with a blistering Phillip Island pace.
(Below) Melandri's adaption to the
Ducati is now complete, the former
WorldSBK winner flying in Australia.
