"The first steps we made from a chassis point of view were in a positive direction" – Rea, Locatelli on Day 1 at Jerez
The two Yamaha riders were left feeling optimistic after the first day in Spain as their 2025 winter testing programme got underway
Pata Prometeon Yamaha riders Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli have reviewed their first day of testing as a few MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship teams test in the south of Spain. The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto is the venue for Yamaha’s first winter test of 2025 with both Rea and Locatelli on track as they prepare for next season, with ‘Loka’ trying out some new items on Day 1 while Rea got to work with his new crew chief in that role for the first time.
WORKING WITH PALLARES: “He got a massive round of applause from everybody at the end of the day!”
Team Principal Paul Denning outlined the reasons for the crew chief change, with Uri Pallares making the step into that role and replacing Andrew Pitt. Rea and Pallares have a long-standing relationship after a successful time at Kawasaki, where the #65 broke almost all WorldSBK records and won six consecutive titles between 2015 and 2020. He was followed to Yamaha for this season when the Ulsterman made the bombshell move, with Pallares initially joining as chief mechanic before getting a new role for 2025. Speaking at the end of Day 1, Rea was full of praise for the way his new crew chief had taken up the new responsibilities.
Reflecting on his first day working with Pallares as a crew chief, Rea said: “It was really good. He got a massive round of applause from everybody at the end of the day because it’s no easy thing, just coming in and slotting in the way he’s done. I was quite happy. I had no doubts he could step into that role and do it very well. That was the clear target, to have somebody who really understood me and tried to get the best out of me. That’s not going to be easy in a Championship that’s so competitive right now as WorldSBK is. I don’t doubt myself, but I need a bit extra, I need people to drag the best out of me and help me with developing the bike. Certainly, from his point of view, the way he’s managed the test plan, the guys, and the atmosphere, is really cool. I’m also impressed with how he’s working with Yamaha to organise when we test, how we test, new parts coming, but also Yamaha; they’ve been working and recently haven’t gone to sleep since halfway through the year to develop the bike. The biggest thing from a visual point of view is the wings that were added to the 2025 bike, but that’s just scratching the surface. Next year, I expect that we can take a good step forward with all the development ideas the Yamaha guys had over the winter.”
DAY 1 SUMMED UP: “We finished with a smile… there was a good rhythm and feeling with the bike”
Jerez marks Yamaha’s first winter test as they look to bounce back from a winless 2024 campaign, where they started and ended well, with podium charges particularly in the hands of Locatelli, but had a mid-season slump. Both riders racked up more than 70 laps on Day 1 as they looked to get the feeling back on their Yamaha R1 machines, while Locatelli got to try some new items on Tuesday while Rea’s focus was on getting the same feeling across two bikes with two different setups.
Reviewing his Tuesday at Jerez, Locatelli stated: “We did 70 laps in total and today the focus was riding and trying some things and to get back the good feeling we had at Jerez from the last race. I’m quite happy. We weren’t working for the lap time, so this is a normal Day 1 for us, to get back the feeling with the bike and looking to prepare for Day 2 because this will be more important for us. Maybe we’ll try something extra. In general, I’m quite happy. Immediately, I was riding well. It’s important for me, after a long time with Yamaha, that when I get back on the bike I start to be immediately faster as it’s important for the weekend; especially when the conditions could be like at Assen, where it could be sunny and raining. If we can be fast immediately, this is a big advantage for us. Step by step, I increased my level with this area. There were no mistakes, a good rhythm and feeling with the bike and I’m looking forward to what more I’m trying on Wednesday.”
Rea added: “We finished with a smile. We got straight into work, started with a base setup that Uri had come up along with the Yamaha guys and both bikes were very similar. Quite early in the test, I felt one bike was better, so we tried to achieve that same feeling with the other bike, and we found some positives and negatives. The first steps we made from a chassis point of view were in a positive direction. I was riding very consistently. We also have to be honest with ourselves that Jerez is always strange in winter; it can sometimes give false feelings and a lot of grip. Comparatively to everybody else, I felt my pace was quite good on Day 1 but with a lot of room for improvement. We didn’t test so many new items; that’s more for Wednesday that we’ll start to work through the Yamaha test plan.”
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