Former MotoAmerica class champion and Superbike race winner Garrett Gerloff completed the penultimate pre-season test with his Kawasaki WorldSBK Team as he rode his #31 Ninja ZX-10RR for the first time at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portimão Circuit) in Portugal this week. It was Gerloff’s fourth test with his new team since the end of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship season, with the three previous outings taking place at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain.
As was the case with last week’s test in Jerez, weather was a factor at Portimão with damp patches of track surface and persistent winds conspiring against the Texan, as well as almost all of the rivals he’ll face this coming season. Capitalizing on the vital setup information they had gathered in Jerez, the Double-G and his team ended the first day sixth-fastest overall with a best lap time of 1:41.164, which was just over half a second from the fastest rider. Unfortunately, as in Jerez, the weather worsened on the second and final day of the scheduled test, which prevented Gerloff from getting any additional track time.
“It was a positive test at Portimão,” Gerloff commented. “Although the (weather) conditions were not perfect, we still had a good test, and we were able to confirm some things, which is nice. I think, in general, we have a good base to take to Australia, and I hope we can have a positive test there before race weekend. I am really happy with the bike, the team, and I cannot wait to keep going in Australia.”
Kawasaki WorldSBK Team owner Manuel Puccetti added, “Even though we were only able to ride for two days between Jerez and Portimão, we are very happy with how our tests went. Gerloff was able to ride many laps and was always very fast, confirming the validity of the work done by our technicians who found excellent setups for our Ninja ZX-10RR. We are ready for the Phillip Island tests and the first round in Australia – but not before having presented our team in Reggio Emilia and then in Japan.”
With the European portion of pre-season testing now complete, the next test for Gerloff and his Kawasaki WorldSBK Team will be at Phillip Island in Australia, during the official pre-season tests on February 17 and 18. A few days later, the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship will get underway, also at Phillip Island, on February 21 through 23.
