The World Superbike riders haven't had the best luck at their recent testing sessions. Cold and rainy weather plagued the Aragon testing session, and the conditions weren't that much better in Portimao. Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus of the Castrol Honda team were able to put in a few laps, but they didn't get to test all aspects of the bike that they were hoping to.
"It’s been good here at Portimao," Rea said. "We didn’t get the best testing weather – we wanted dry days, really, to try and progress the bike. We had some new things to try and, to be honest, I think we got two sessions, but we were pretty much at the sharp end in both of them. In the wet we were really fast as well, so I’m really happy with where we are. I always worry that you might lose some speed or talent over the winter but it hasn’t been the case and we’ve reconfirmed that my wrist is perfect and my shoulder’s good. It’s exactly what I needed before I head off to Australia on Tuesday where my trainer’s meeting me to get some sunshine and get me properly prepared.
Here's a video from Castrol Honda.
"We got 50 or 60 dry laps so I’ve learned a lot from the bike and from the guys," said Rea's Castrol Honda teammate Ruben Xaus. "They’ve taught me how to do some things and Johnny (Rea) also taught me some steps. Slowly, we made some progress and overall I’m quite satisfied because although conditions were very difficult here, I’ve seen something of the bike and I can go home, relax and think about where I need to put in the effort from my side. Despite all this, I think it’s one of my best starts to a season from a physical and motivational point of view. As a package, the team looks really great, everybody works together on both sides of the garage, so let’s go to Australia and enjoy ourselves with the kangaroos!
The Castrol Honda team, as well as the rest of the WSBK Paddock, will have one more chance to test out their motorcycles before the start of the World Superbike season on February 27th.
