With a new model of Ninja ZX-10RR to compete with during the forthcoming WorldSBK season the official KRT squad will take to the tracks again soon for a two day test at Motorland Aragon, between 21 and 22 April.

KRT riders Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea are particularly keen to get some valuable track time at what will be the opening venue of the WorldSBK season. The first round is scheduled for 21-23 May at Motorland.

Most recently the KRT duo rode the new Ninja ZX-10RR together in a supported test at their team’s local Montmelo circuit in Catalunya, alongside almost all of their championship challengers. This week’s test will be a more private affair as KRT will share the track with Yamaha teams.

At the recent Montmelo tests six-times WorldSBK champion Rea was fastest of all on the new Ninja, while Lowes continued his strong comeback from injury to his shoulder.

The Motorland Aragon circuit is a well-known venue for the KRT duo, who tested there at the end of the 2020 season, after racing in two rounds there earlier last year.

With the team now in the final stages of preparation for the new season both this Motorland test and the subsequent outing in early May will be especially significant. The importance of these final testing steps has also increased now that round two has been confirmed for Estoril in Portugal just one weekend after the season opener at Motorland.


Alex Lowes, stated:

“I am excited to get back out on the bike and I’m looking forward to the test this week in Aragon. We are just going to continue the programme of work we started at Jerez and continued in Montmelo. I am feeling good physically; feeling great. I am looking forward to a good test, with plenty of laps. We are starting to turn it up a notch now we are getting closer to the season. I’m looking forward to getting back with the guys in the team and I know what I need to work with after our most recent tests - a little bit of corner exit with the bike and the same thing with my riding style. We are on target at the minute so it is a case of getting out there and enjoying the Ninja ZX-10RR.”

Jonathan Rea, stated:

“I am really happy to get on the Ninja ZX-10RR again and we will keep working from what we had at the Barcelona test. I felt really comfortable on the bike there. I know from an electronic point of view we still have some items we need to test but it is more about putting all the pieces of the jigsaw together. We will be collecting all the things we learned at the last test together, working on our full potential and doing race simulations to built up to the opening Motorland Aragon race itself. It is nice that we are able to test there before the race. It is exciting to get back to the team again and carry on the work we have been doing.”

Guim Roda, KRT Team Manager, stated:

“We planned this particular test at Motorland to start preparations for the first round of the championship. Historically speaking, this track has been a difficult one because the Ducatis can be so strong there, so we have to really find perfection in Motorland to start the season with good results. The opening round is like a first exam so we need to prepare really well to do the job properly. Of course, we are still working on the bike set-up. We had many days of rain during the winter tests so now we need to catch up with some things we are working on. Still we have a big margin to improve. The new Ninja ZX-10RR has many different details from last year so we have to organise and put them all together. This is one of the big jobs we still need to do before the start of the season. Alex is good in his physical fitness and I think Johnny is in a good moment right now. We have to see how they will make competition inside the team to improve things for them both, to put them ahead and beat the other manufacturers. Let’s see how we can manage and - if we have good weather - what kind of lap times we can set.”