The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship off-season continues with a number of teams heading to the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for two days of testing at the Italian venue. Both days will be busy for a lot of the paddock with nine teams scheduled to take part in the test, including the factory Ducati and BMW squads. The test takes place on Wednesday and Thursday with two defined track sessions on each day, with the action taking place between 9am-1pm (Local Time, GMT+1) and 2pm-6pm.
The test has been organized by Ducati and they will be on track with their Ducati Panigale V4 R and riders Alvaro Bautista and Michael Ruben Rinaldi as their preparations continue for the upcoming campaign. Bautista’s return to Ducati will gather pace with his latest test for the team, while Rinaldi will be looking to work with Bautista as they aim to bring the Riders’ Championship back to Bologna.
The Eazi-Grip supported BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are also going to be on track at the test, but with only one rider. New recruit Scott Redding will take to the track on the BMW M 1000 RR as he continues to adjust to a new team and new bike, as well as an inline engine. He was due to be joined by teammate Michael van der Mark, but the Dutchman fractured his leg while mountain bike training and will not be at the test.
Both Ducati and BMW will have more bikes on track through Independent squads. Motocorsa Racing will take to the track with Axel Bassani as he returns for a second campaign in WorldSBK with the Independent Motocorsa Racing squad after an impressive rookie season in 2021. They will be joined by Barni Spark Racing Team and Luca Bernardi for his second test with the squad since securing a two-year contract with the team. Bernardi impressed in WorldSSP in 2021, despite his season being curtailed by injury. Eazi-Grip supported Team GoEleven will be the final team using Ducati machinery on track with rookie Philipp Oettl as he continues to gear up for his maiden WorldSBK campaign after testing with the team in Portugal.
In terms of BMW, their satellite squad Bonovo Action BMW will take to the track at Misano alongside the factory squad with Redding, bringing the total number of BMW riders to three with van der Mark’s absence. Eugene Laverty and Loris Baz, both new recruits to the team but with plenty of WorldSBK experience, will be on track with the M 1000 RR.
Yamaha will be represented at the test, albeit not their factory team, with GRT Yamaha conducting their second test of the month with riders Garrett Gerloff and Kohta Nozane as they continue to get set for 2022. Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha, with Christophe Ponsson, will also be on track for the second time in March as they continue to prepare for the new season, having tested different components in Portimao on the YZF-R1 machine.
There will also be one Kawasaki on track in WorldSBK-spec with Lucas Mahias and Eazi-Grip supported Kawasaki Puccetti Racing taking part in the two-day test. Mahias had his season ended early by injury in 2021 and will complete his second test of the off-season, having tested at Jerez in January on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
There will also be a number of WorldSSP machines taking to the track for the two-day test. Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team will once again be on track with Nicolo Bulega as they get set for their debut WorldSSP campaigns, while Eazi-Grip supported Oli Bayliss (Barni Spark Racing Team) will return to action following an injury sustained at the Portimao test after a crash. Rookie Maximilian Kofler (CM Racing) will get another taste of the Ducati Panigale V2 after his first experience in Portimao, with the Austrian, like Bulega and Bayliss, preparing for his maiden WorldSSP campaign. The Kawasaki ZX-6R machine will take to the track from Eazi-Grip supported Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, too, with Can Öncü and Yari Montella preparing for the 2022 campaign. MV Agusta Reparto Corse will take to the track with riders Niki Tuuli and Bahattin Sofuoglu as they gear up for 2022, having previously tested the new engine for 2022 on an older frame.