Alex Lowes has confirmed that he and Pata Yamaha have already completed a race simulation with the new YZF-R1.

The original Yamaha R1 appeared on the market in 1998, but the 2016 season will mark the first appearance on the WorldSBK grid of the latest model which has already enjoyed much success in its first season of competition, in both sprint and endurance racing.

At the MotorLand Aragon test this week, Sylvain Guintoli completed 56 laps following what were described by the team as ‘minor technical issues’, while Lowes put 88 on the board.

“This afternoon we finally really got going after waiting for the weather - we didn't have much time on track yesterday and today was a long morning waiting for the fog to clear,” explained Lowes, who was British Superbike Champion on a Honda in 2013 prior to two taxing WorldSBK seasons on a Suzuki in which he achieved a total of three podiums finishes.

“We did a race simulation and then some work on the bike, setting-wise, getting a better feeling on corner entry. We are getting better every time we go out and we still have a lot to learn, but I feel really good; it was my best ever lap around here and I'm starting to really understand the YZF-R1. I still feel like there is a lot more to come, but it was fun and I am feeling like I was getting more out of the bike this afternoon. I'm looking forward to Jerez!”

Yamaha will continue testing in Jerez next week, starting on Wednesday 25 November.