For 2015, David Salom returns to the outfit headed up by Lucio Pedercini. It’s a familiar environment for the rider who took EVO honours in WorldSBK last year, having already ridden for the team in 2012, although on this occasion the setup is slightly different as he receives support direct from the Kawasaki factory.

“Well, I return to the Pedercini family but things have changed a bit,” Salom explains. “I have brought my Crew Chief with me. On top of that, we have the support of Kawasaki and its official team. We intend to make great use of our resources!”

Although teams and riders were able to enjoy near-perfect weather conditions in the two-day Jerez test session a fortnight ago, Salom admits there is work to do.

“Yes, there is still much room for improvement,” he acknowledges. “In Jerez we were still running with the standard engine, although we were using this year’s electronics. We tested some Showa suspension parts as well. Even so, there is still a lot to improve, especially with the engine; we still need to do a lot of development work with the engine that we are to race this year.”

Naturally, the 30-year-old from Palma de Mallorca is not setting wild goals.

“It’s still too early to set targets,” he begins to sum up. “We’ve been to Jerez, we have tested and we are very happy with our progress with the bike so far. But to set specific goals right now would be complicated. We will have to see where we are when we get to the Phillip Island test ahead of the opening two races.”

2015 marks Salom’s ninth season on the WorldSBK scene. He debuted in World Supersport in 2007 prior to his World Superbike debut two years later. Since then, he has competed in both categories. In 2011, he finished runner-up to Chaz Davies in World Supersport, before in 2014 claiming EVO honours in World Superbike for what proved to be the only year in which EVO bikes featured in the field.