On Thursday afternoon, when we went into the paddock at Magny-Cours with Pere Riba (Rea’s chief engineer), we said to him: “Pere, Kawasaki certainly doesn’t need a new bike for next year. ”It was obviously a provocative joke, to which he replied:“ From the outside everything is easy, but we always worked to the limit. We need a little more horsepower for next year because the other drivers are as strong as trains on the straight,He said jokingly.
For the past two years, Johnny Rea had understood with all Ducatis what it meant to deal with the engine performance of competing motorcycles. In fact, the Cannibal has been riding the same bike for five years. One that, however, presents some updates from the previous one at the beginning of each season. But there were no special innovations like Ducati with its Panigale V4 or Honda with its CBR 1000 RR-R.
Johnny always had to work on the same bike, find alternative solutions and ways to go fast. He told us several times: “Every evening I pray for a new bike for the coming year. “After so many years he finally made it.
That’s right because Rea will be racing a new Kawasaki in 2021.Yes, you read that right! There won’t be any updates, however a completely new bike. Which the rider had asked several times. This applies to him, but also to his teammates Lowes and the Puccetti, Pedercini and Orelac teams, who receive the same treatment.
At Magny-Cours we tried to understand a little more about the innovations the Japanese manufacturer will bring to market. First of all, the engine will be more powerful than the current one. IIn fact, there are rumors of about 1,000 more RPMs. The Kawasaki will increase from the current 14,600 to 15,600, probably the same as the Honda.
The fuselage is then completely redesigned with the Introduction of wings. Remember that Kawasaki had already tested wings in Portimao last summer. That was a first indication of what should later flow into the project for the new bike, without forgetting the electronics, as these are also being revised.
In short, these are some of the innovations that Kawasaki will showcase on the track from winter testing. There has been talk of a MotoGP style Kawasaki for the past few months. In this respect, we are cautious when making comparisons, since in Japan They don’t want to change their longstanding philosophy regarding the world of derivatives. So it is forbidden to talk about a Kawasaki MotoGP. You probably wouldn’t like that definition in Akashi.