WSBK | CATALUNYA TEST | MARCH 25-26

https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/worldsbk-rea-ready-to-get-the-title-back/

1:40.571 Impressive numbers being put down by Toprack and Bautista. I went back and looked at Moto GP test and best race lap which shows Zarco at 1:39.939.

It would put these WSBK boys right in the mix...

Toprack is coming sooner than later

 

Tires always seem to be a topic with these tests. Were the WSBK times set on the race or Q tire? Seems like they claim the Q tire can be worth 1-2 seconds and GP doesn’t have a true Q tire anymore.

 

I would think they would be looking for both... a consistent race pace and a hot lap for Q

 

Bautista set his fast time on day 1 on the X tire.

Bautista completed 82 laps on his way to top spot as he continued testing a swingarm on his Ducati Panigale V4 R machine, with the plan for Bautista’s side of the garage aiming to improve the entire package based on the Spanish rider’s feedback. He lapped the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit four tenths faster than his nearest rivals using Pirelli’s SCX tyre although did suffer a crash at Turn 10, laying down a marker with the 2022 season just a couple of weeks away. Bautista’s Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi claimed fourth place on a strong day for the factory Ducati squad; the Italian completed 65 laps with a best time of 1’41.360s.

 

GG31 has shown serious pace this pre-season and I REALLY hope that translates into him regaining his confidence and battling inside the top 5 all season.

He has the talent, he has the machinery, and he'll be on year 3 so knows the team, tires, and tracks.

Flip side - the BMW's look lost, nowhere close to the front in terms of pace.

 

Note scX tires are not necessarily a "Q" tire and remember they race on SCXs. And what I've seen normally with a Pirelli Q is that they are about .8 to maybe 1.2 faster than a race tire.

 

I love it when Bautista gets y'all's hopes up.

 

this

 

Yeah but, but, he has pigtails now so that will translate to podiums all year, not just the first half.

 

Thanks for better data on the q tire times. I knew it was somewhere around there. Also seems to depend on the track going by memory but that could be related to other variables as well.

Also right on the scx tire, seemed most of the grid could make it last for the super pole race and even the full length races at times so not just a 1 or 2 hot lap tire.

 

Iker in 3rd on a Honda is pretty impressive too.

 

When does the WorldSBK silly season kickoff? GG stay on independent team? Unless Toprak goes to GP I don’t see a seat for him at factory Yamaha.

 

That's cold.

 

Found this PR from the old boss

With less than two weeks to go until Round 1 of the 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the MotorLand Aragon circuit in Spain, there’s been big news from Pirelli. The Italian brand’s Motorsport Director, Giorgio Barbier, confirmed that the new-for-2022 SCQ tyre will replace the older Q tyre in Tissot Superpole, starting from Round 1.
Previously, the Q tyre – officially named the SCW – would be used exclusively for Tissot Superpole on Saturday morning, giving riders one flying lap to determine their starting position for the races. However, the ideology behind the development of the SCQ tyre is that it will be able to be used in the Tissot Superpole session, while also in Sunday morning’s 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race, introduced in 2019 with the top nine positions determining the grid for the final race of the day.
Speaking at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya circuit during WorldSBK testing, Barbier confirmed the change for 2022: “The older Q tyres will disappear from Aragon Round 1. It will only be the new SCQ, and you will see some riders using the old Q tyres here but that’s because they had them left over from other tests and just to make lap time. We are quite confident that the new SCQ will be faster than the SCX, so fast enough for the guys.”
Talking about the evolution of the SCQ tyre, Barbier said: “We know the target is to reach the level of the Superpole Race, ten laps. For the moment, the results we achieved in the winter tests just achieved two, four or five laps. The first target for us is to be faster than the SCX in order to give the riders a chance to make the Superpole properly. Then, when the tyres will be developed enough, we will make them for the Superpole Race. At the moment, we saw this in the winter tests, and we prepared a new version that will be available at the test in order to, maybe, change the spec for Estoril. For the first two races, the SCQ will remain what it is now.”
Barbier touched on the development of the SCX tyre, with last year’s SCX ‘development’ tyre – the SCX 0557 – now becoming the ‘new’ standard SCX, whilst another development and variation of it will take place throughout 2022: “The SCX 557 will become the standard SCX. Last season, in WorldSBK, we developed the 557. It was so good that I was convinced that, by the end of last year, we changed and put the 557 as the new SCX. Making the SCX last most of the race, we have to work on something new. That is the reason why we’re thinking to test something different. We already tested something at Misano and we are testing in these two days a new SCX as well. That will be introduced probably in the summer, to enlarge the working range it has.”
Barbier’s final comment was regards to a specific ‘Catalunya front tyre’ which Pirelli announced at the Misano test. He said: “In the front, we have a range that’s SC1 and SC2. Actually, the SC1 is working well in almost every place. But there are some circuits like this one, Mandalika and Assen where the SC1 suffers a little bit because of the wear of the tyres. The thing that we saw last year is the SC2 is not the solution because it could give you more life but the grip you lose is too much from the riders’ point of view. With these two new tyres, we tried to have more durability but the grip very close to the SC1. We succeeded with that yesterday in the test.”

 

I dont see Toprak going to GP either. Kawi, HRC, and Duc will have open factory contracts next year. Hopefully he can jump ship.

 

I'm thinking if Toprak is up for another wsbk title this year he will get a offer from someone. Does he have the ambition to win at the top level?

Obviously Yamaha will not want their star jumping ship.

I can't wait to see him backin er in on Miller

 

My only concern with that is Garrett's time on the Yamaha. I think there have been times he's struggled to adapt a bit to certain circumstances and I'd worry a little bit about his ability to jump on a completely new machine and just rip.

 

I hate that this feels like a personal attack.

 

Top-Raz is already in discussions with Yama-GP for when Q20 steps away end of this year.....