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With racing in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship getting underway in just a couple of weeks, all five manufacturers gathered at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the penultimate test before the season begins. Each factory had new items on display throughout the test, from the back of the bike to the front as they go in search of their ultimate performance.

YAMAHA: new exhausts and material under the seat

A new exhaust featured on the Yamaha YZF-R1 machines at the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK squad as the Japanese manufacturer aim to retain the three titles they won in 2021. The angle of the exhaust is steeper while the spring is now situated under the bike to help improve top speed. Another new component on the Yamaha is the material under the seat. While it had previously been a mix of carbon and aluminium, the 2022 version is all carbon. Yamaha have also been looking at making steps with their electronics package in 2022, with the Catalunya test including more testing of this to refine it ahead of racing, while three accelerometers were fitted to the bike for additional data. Yamaha have been trying a short and long swingarm throughout the test as part of their development.

KAWASAKI: fins for Rea, forks for Lowes

Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK duo Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes continued their off-season testing programme with more new components during the test. Six-time Champion Rea tried the fins on the fuel tank that teammate Lowes has used, although he wasn’t a fan of them. Rea also tried some small components, including with the clutch, while teammate Lowes had a similar programme. On his ZX-10RR was a slightly different front fork as he goes in search of mechanical grip.

HONDA: new exhaust and a double brake duct

Team HRC spent a bit of time looking at cooling their brakes in the hotter conditions for the summer. Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, on day one, had a double brake duct design to assist cooling on a hard-braking circuit; with the same venue hosting the Catalunya Round in September. The team also tried out a slightly modified exhaust system on their CBR1000RR-R, looking for ultimate performance ahead of the season starting. The team have gone under something a revolution over the winter with all-rookie line-up Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, switching to Nissin brakes from Brembo and to Showa suspension from Öhlins.

BMW: new brake callipers and working on the electronics

At German manufacturer BMW, the team were able to try out new brake callipers from suppliers Nissin, looking for their best setup for the 2022 season. Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) also revealed that he had worked on some traction control strategies on day one of the test, with BMW constantly evolving their in-house electronics system.

DUCATI: refining the new swingarm, items inside the front fork

At previous tests, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad have used a new swingarm on their Ducati Panigale V4 R. In Barcelona, a new variant of the swingarm was seen after Alvaro Bautista opted to work with the new design. The swingarms have different rigidity impacting on the bike. Bautista was also trying new items inside the front fork as he looks to get back to winning ways for the first time since 2019. At Independent Ducati outfit Team GoEleven, a new exhaust supplier came in over the winter with Spark now their supplier. Throughout testing, the team have been trialling Spark’s exhaust and continued this in Barcelona.

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