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Four rounds are done in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and although there’s a break until the next round at the start of June, action continued as a Supported Test was undertaken at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. With the circuit, a stone’s throw from the Adriatic Sea, hosting the fifth round of the season, it was all-important in terms of dialling setup in and trying to improve pace with new parts, so what were the key takeaways from two days of testing action?

BAUTISTA VS RAZGATLIOGLU: race pace tells a tale

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was in a league of his own in the previous two rounds at Assen and in Barcelona, strolling to a triple in each. His race pace was once again strong at the Misano Test, where he was lapping consistently in the low 1’34s and 1’33s, faster than his pace from last year’s full races. However, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was also fast, with Bautista calling the Turk’s race pace as “amazing”, with him able to get down to a very similar pace as Bautista. It’s two all in the win tally at Misano between them over the last two years, so who will make it three – or perhaps four – first? For a full, in-depth analysis of their pace, click here.

HONDA RIDERS’ CONTRASTING EMOTIONS: Vierge’s joy is Lecuona’s disappointment

So often, they’ve echoed the same feedback in development and been close on track, but the Misano Test saw Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and teammate Iker Lecuona share two very different thoughts on the latest new parts. Starting positively, Vierge stated that perhaps a “new base setup” had been established, with a positive reaction to Honda’s new overslung swingarm. On the contrary, Lecuona didn’t hold back, with the Valencian stating that he “expected more” and that he “can’t be happy”, seemingly at a loss, hailing the test as “very difficult.” Team boss Leon Camier stated the new parts helped Vierge “quite a lot”, although for Lecuona, the feeling was a bit better but lap time didn’t really improve. A careful analysis is needed, but Camier maintained that a step had been made, but that the bike is still needing to be improved in all areas.

SYKES IS BACK AT BMW: a positive return for the #66

It was a bright return to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2013 World Champion Tom Sykes, as the Yorkshireman was back to grinning ways at Misano. A consistent pace saw him finish as top factory BMW on day one, with a fast lap time but also a decent pace. Although teammate Scott Redding’s pace may have been a bit better over the course of long race distance, Sykes made gains throughout the opening day and was able to run well in the 1’34s. The atmosphere was also good within the BMW camp, with team principal Shaun Muir praising Sykes’ return and although no commitment can be made in the future, in the words of Muir himself, “the old Tom is there”, so it remains to be seen how the race rounds themselves go. For an in-depth look at Sykes’ comeback to BMW, read a full round-up here.

SURPRISES: Baldassarri and Gerloff feature at the front

It was a positive test for both Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), as they were able to showcase some serious speed across the two days of action. Starting with ‘Iron Balda’, the 26-year-old Italian was up inside the top five at points on day one before finishing P11 at the end of the day, whilst on day two, he improved his race pace and outright one-lap speed to finish fourth and second Yamaha, behind fellow countryman Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). For Gerloff, he was top BMW rider and setting a strong pace, completing the top five on day one. He set times in the high 1’34s and low 1’35s, with that pace good enough for the top ten last year. Finishing the test as top BMW overall, Gerloff has plenty of information for the round to build on a decent showing in Barcelona.

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