Jonathan Rea’s in-depth feedback after first test on the Yamaha R1

The two-day WorldSBK test in Jerez was the first opportunity for riders to jump on their 2024 bikes with their new teams.

Most notably, six-time champion Rea wore Yamaha blue rather than Kawasaki green for the first time.

Rea’s feedback of the Yamaha R1 was: “The first day was more about getting familiar with the bike.

“It was a big shock to ride the bike because I got a lot of different sensations, compared to what I’ve been used to.

“In a positive way - the bike is very user-friendly. Not easy to go fast, but easy to arrive.

“Step-by-step we tried different things. Different tyre combinations, to understand how the Yamaha uses the different tyre options.

“I could see, from the past, that Yamaha have maximised the SCX tyre. So we go through that.

“We made setup changes. I requested different electronic setups, but not much.

“I used the base setting of the R1. At the next test we’ll try some development parts.

“A really positive experience on both days.

“I can’t say the R1 is really mine yet, but it’s a familiar feeling now.”

'It encourages you to go fast, it inspires confidence'

Rea crashed his Yamaha on Tuesday before going fourth-fastest. He spent time on Wednesday leading the timesheet before finishing in third.

His new bike, like his old one, has an inline-4 engine.

Rea explained: “It’s a really different feeling, the R1. A unique feeling.

“The bike has a lot of traction, easy to use traction. It encourages you to go fast, it inspires confidence.

“You can get into the throttle and use the power of the machine.

“Even when you’re going really fast, it feels under control.

“Now I can see why Toprak was riding the way he was! Why Locatelli was competitive this year! I understand why now!

“At the next test, we can get into more setups.

“I’m pleasantly surprised with the first feeling.”

Asked if it was easier to find the limit on the Yamaha, Rea said: “Step by step, I still need to understand the bike.

“One thing I felt? We could use the used tyres and be competitive.

“We need to be in a race situation because everyone, in testing, has different strategies.

“It’s a good first contact. We’ll leave it like that.”

The Yamaha R1's weakness?

What areas does Rea want Yamaha to improve upon?

“I could feel a little more edge grip, as soon as I opened the gas. An area we could improve,” he said.

“Electronics? Mappings that follow my riding style.

“Just keep working, trying different parts, understanding how different parts influence the bike.

“Communication between my crew chief and my electronics engineer will only keep improving. Understanding my comments, reacting in such a way.”