Jonathan Rea wants changes to current WorldSBK testing rules

Jonathan Rea had criticised the current WorldSBK testing regulations which allow every team/rider no more than ten full days.

While the amount of testing days available is not necessarily the issue at hand here, pre-season testing for WorldSBK is largely conducted with private tests organised by teams - leading to different manufacturers being on track at different times. 

This can, and already has led to several teams being impacted by poor weather, resulting in half days being used, or in the worse case scenario a full day being wasted.  

Unlike WorldSBK, MotoGP pre-season testing is always officially organised by Dorna which sees every team and rider on track together - aside from concession teams such as Aprilia who are allowed private test days, while rookies are also extended an extra three days for the yearly Shakedown test which is again an official event.

The only Dorna organised test for WorldSBK in 2022 takes place in April, days before the season gets underway, but with Kawasaki and Honda already having to change their testing schedule at Jerez, we could see a scenario where some teams have tested considerably more than others.

Until the 2020 campaign, testing was without restrictions from the end of that current season and the first European race of the next. Within that time frame eight test days were allowed during the season.

But in December 2020, the Superbike Commission decided on the current rule which is a total of ten test days between the season finale and the end of the following season. 

The current rule does not include official Dorna events, while riders can also take part in as much track riding on their own bikes (without their team and not with a full Superbike derived machine) as they wish.

Should WorldSBK adopt a more MotoGP-like format, then there’s an argument it would benefit teams from a financial point of view, while also making sure no one team/riders gains advantages. 

As reported by SPEEDWEEK.com, Rea said this on the topic during the recent Portimao test: "In my view, Dorna should intervene in the testing program, just as it does in MotoGP. On certain dates before the start of the season, in which all teams participate. 

"The current rules are a waste of money. They force us to stop when the conditions are worse, just so we don't lose a test day."