There is a change of scene for Jonathan Rea in 2015. Having achieved his best WorldSBK season to date last year, finishing third overall with the PATA Honda World Superbike Team, he is now brimming with confidence ahead of his Kawasaki Raving Team debut alongside 2013 World Champion Tom Sykes.

“We found a lot with the bike,” Rea tells WorldSBK.com of last month’s test session in Jerez. “At the end of the second day, everybody was going crazy with qualifying tyres – us included, as we wanted to see our pace. But we found a lot with the bike over a race distance and I got it a lot easier to ride.

“You can never be ready enough for the first race but I think we can go to Phillip Island more confident than I’ve ever gone there before. I think I’ve got a really good package underneath me.”

As is the case for new team-mates Sykes, Rea is fully aware that Kawasaki may have ground to make up early in the new season.

“For sure, the 4-cylinder bikes have had to take a step back in performance with things like standard pistons and conrods,” Rea explains. “Manufacturers like Ducati - who were already using that specification last year - don’t need to develop so much, so it makes sense that we are starting on the back foot a little bit.

“The guys are working in the workshop. I have spent the last ten days here (at the Kawasaki Racing Team factory, in Cabrera de Mar on the outskirts of Barcelona), so I know how much everybody wants it and how much KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries) are working. I am looking forward to seeing where we can stack up.”

On Friday, Rea flew to his Australian home in order to spend time with his wife and son ahead of the two-day Phillip Island test which starts on Monday 16 February.