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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock is preparing for a brand-new challenge with the Pirelli Navarra Round although some riders got the chance to test at the venue earlier in the summer, providing riders up and down the paddock an opportunity to give their views on the Circuito de Navarra, the second consecutive round taking place at a new circuit after the Autodrom Most made its debut on the calendar.

Riders were full of praise of the 3.933km circuit when testing in June, where it was a Yamaha battle between Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), but the top four were separated by less than two tenths, showing how close racing could be at the Circuito de Navarra when WorldSBK visits.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was third in that test, less than a tenth away from title rival Razgatlioglu. Discussing the circuit, he said: “Corner one is big balls! It’s sixth gear, tipping in there and it’s like no other corner in the world, that’s why it’s unique. It’s almost like tipping into Curvone at Misano. The last bit is like Portimao with the kink, kink and then hairpin. It’s not difficult to go fast here, but it’s difficult to go really fast. Those last tenths are very difficult to find because the circuit is so tight and very technical.”

Rea’s KRT teammate, Alex Lowes, added: “For me, the track was great. There’s a lot of character. Some parts are quite small, a little bit of up and down, some really fast corners. The first corner is amazing, it’s real fast and gets tighter and tighter. The track is quite technical. I really enjoyed it!”

American star Gerloff had a strong test in June and will be hoping he can return to the rostrum throughout the Navarra Round. He said: “It’s definitely an interesting layout! There are some places that remind me of Misano, for example, and maybe Portimao. It’s definitely its own thing, it has its unique characteristics. I think I’m in first gear six times around the track so it’s definitely tight, kind of reminds me of a go-kart track a little bit.”

Team HRC were also present at the two-day test with rider Leon Haslam saying: “It was a little difficult to understand but, in the end, it was very fun. It was like dancing with the bike for the whole lap. I think when we race here it’ll be some exciting racing.”

Check out more views on the Circuito de Navarra in the video at the top of this page!

Watch every moment of action from Navarra using the WorldSBK VideoPass!