Crew chief to six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea speaks of the recent Jerez test, as well as looking ahead to what is set to be an incredible 2022 season

The 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is a little over two months away from starting and already, teams have hit the track to get crucial testing laps under their belt. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was quickest at both the December Jerez test and the recent one in January, even though he completed just half a day in the latter. Testing items that were brought out at the end of 2021, Rea’s crew chief Pere Riba talked us through the team’s findings and looked ahead to the rest of the year.

Starting with a general summary, Riba said:

“The half a day was very good. In the December test, we compared different items in terms of chassis, and we liked to test it again, to get more data and information. Even from December, we had something new, to understand the direction that we’re going to go. Finally, we did half a day, to save some time and also because I can do my job in half a day; we tested all the parts we wanted to test, and we are very pleased with the result.

“We tested one tyre at the request of Pirelli, as they are working hard to make this SCQ. I think they have a very hard job, because the Q tyre was an impressively high level, and we need to get close to that. To do six or seven laps won’t be easy but they’re working really hard. If they request us to test something then of course, we help.”

Talking about what to expect in 2022 and Rea’s motivation, Riba commented:

“Jonny is very happy and he’s very motivated. Sometimes, people forget what happened in the past. He’s been six years consecutively with the number one but this year, we lose it. I have to say that Toprak really deserved it because he did a great job. We lost the Championship in the last race and I’m honestly very proud of all the guys in the team, and also proud of Jonny and what he did in 2021. Now, we focus on 2022 and we have a big challenge; the target is to win again, and this gives great motivation to everyone.

“When you finish second, it means that someone else is in front. We want to beat him but to beat him, we must work even harder. Then, you’ve got different manufacturers who are working very well, plus Alvaro Bautista will be with Ducati and that will be very strong, and I believe it won’t just be Jonny and Toprak. I believe they’ll be at the front consistently, but Alvaro will be there, Honda are working hard to make a step forward and the two young riders will bring great speed and motivation to the team. They are quick, young and motivated, which is very good for the team. Also, BMW, they are working hard, and they have two top riders. I believe that 2022 will be a very, very good year for the show with many winners.”

Rounding off with a glance forward to the next test, Riba confirmed KRT’s presence at Portimao in just over a week’s time, as well as their programme there:

“We’ll go to Portimao, where we have to test a lot of the things that we’ve been testing here, to compare it in a different track. We will keep working to try and improve the package. We are working in the electronics side and in the chassis side. In the engine, it’s just small details and it will be quite similar. The chassis area requires more time, because for example, if you change the rigidity of some areas then you need to test at a different track, different layout, and different temperatures, to be sure about going forward, durability of the tyre and many, many things. You need the time and the right test to understand the right direction.”