Much-needed testing boost for Jonathan Rea who pinpoints Yamaha area to improve

Finally, some good news for Jonathan Rea.

The Yamaha rider emerged from Thursday, the first of two days of WorldSBK testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, optimistic about his feeling and the development of his bike.

Rea finished fifth-quickest on Thursday after completing 73 laps where he was consistently among the frontrunners, posting a top time of 1’41.655s.

• 2024 World Superbike Catalunya Test - Results (Day-one, Final)

“From Lap 1, the bike felt more normal, more like it had when testing throughout the winter,” Rea said.

“The guys went back to Milan after Australia to analyse all our issues and problems we’ve been having.

“We came here, fixed all of that.

“We still have some things to work on but now it feels like a normal test. We can keep working lap by lap.

“Phillip Island was a really bad start. Mentally, we had a bit more of a reset and started from zero, but also some changes to the bike with more of a base.

“I felt quite okay with the bike. It feels good but I’m not talking 100%; we need to work in some areas.”

Rea scored zero points on his Yamaha debut at Phillip Island in the first round of the 2024 season, and crashed in Race 2.

But in Barcelona on Thursday, the rear chatter problem that he suffered with in Australia had gone.

It left Rea pointing at another area he wants Yamaha to prioritise.

“An area I really want to focus on with the bike is trying to generate traction with the rear,” he said.

“That’s not just coming from a rear shock or suspension, that’s a combination of linkage, swingarm, bike character… it’s really hard to pinpoint where to improve that.

“No complaints, for sure. They’re working in a really good way.”

Rea returns to test again on Friday in Barcelona.