WorldSBK all set for Round 1 at Phillip Island

Phillip Island is all set to welcome the first round of the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after a successful official test at the same location, with the weekend boasting a three race schedule for Superbikes, as well as new faces joining the grid.

Several riders are aiming to end Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) dominance at the crest of the mountain, but does their bite match their bark? Winter testing has thrown up many questions, but we’ll only truly find out the answers when the lights go green this Saturday. One thing however is clear: if you think you’ve seen everything in WorldSBK, think again.

Jonathan Rea – Image by GeeBee

As always, the four-time world champion will have a target on his back from the moment the weekend’s action starts. Rea has won five times at the 4.4km circuit, all since joining the Kawasaki Racing Team, and has appeared incredibly relaxed throughout the entirety of pre-season testing, the synergy between himself and the ZX-10RR perhaps stronger than it has ever been.

The Northern Irishman was however outpaced by several riders on the final day of official testing, one of whom was new teammate Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). The 35-year-old won his last race on the Island back in 2015 and has inched closer to Rea’s pace one practice session at a time. Haslam has been a force to be reckoned with every time he’s set foot on the WorldSBK tarmac – don’t expect that to change in 2019.

Alvaro Bautista – Images by Geebee

There were just four wins for Ducati riders in the entire 2018 season and none since early April, but all that could be set to change at the Island. Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is the talk of the town at the moment thanks to a scintillating performance in both days of official testing. It has been a full six months since the Spaniard was announced as Ducati’s star signing for the 2019 season and he may very well be the man to beat on his debut, after he topped every single session of testing in Australia by a comfortable margin each time.

Chaz Davies – Images by Geebee

A win would be a dream start for the Panigale V4 R in WorldSBK, one that Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) would also like to add to his resumé. Davies has never been victorious in Australia and has somewhat struggled through winter testing, but few riders are more capable of finding form at the right time than the Welshman.

There’s also a buzz of anticipation surrounding the other debuting bike on the grid, as BMW partner their new S 1000 RR with a full factory team led by Shaun Muir Racing. While development of the machine is still at an early stage, the first lap times from Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) around Phillip Island and Portimao before that have been nothing short of impressive.

Tom Sykes – Images by Geebee

The 2013 World Champion is never satisfied if not winning races and will have a partner capable of pushing him to his limits in the 2018 European Superstock 1000 Champion, Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who returns to the premier series.

Without a new bike to place on the grid, Yamaha have gone for numbers in their approach to the new season, as they place four full-fledged factory bikes onto the tarmac at Phillip Island. On the Pata Yamaha side of things, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) will look to get their first win on Aussie territory after an incredibly successful 2018 season for both men.

Alex Lowes – Image by TBG

Meanwhile, Phillip Island brings back good memories for both pieces of the GRT Yamaha puzzle. Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) left Australia last season with maximum points in the bag after a double win, while Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) scored a meritorious podium on his World Supersport debut, a solid first step towards securing the title eight months later. There doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut favourite amongst them, but all four men will have the rostrum in their sights from Race 1.

And what can we expect from the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team? The Australian Round will be the first time that HRC’s official return to WorldSBK is put to the test in racing conditions after an extraordinarily secretive off-season. With a project that is evolving from the ground up as the days go by, Leon Camier (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) and three-time WorldSBK race-winner Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) will look to gain a better understanding of the Fireblade around the winding Aussie track.

Troy Herfoss – Image by GeeBee

Aussie Troy Herfoss will also join the grid as a wildcard, although issues with bike setup saw a disappointing official test result.

World Supersport at Phillip Island

With the most recent champion gone and the most legendary figure in the series’ history happily retired, the FIM Supersport World Championship enters 2019 with several riders desperate to etch their own names into the history of the championship. The breathtaking Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit will host the first race of the season and will give us a first hint of who is capable of going the full 12 rounds, as 24 riders seek to land the first blow.

Randy Krummenacher – Image by GeeBee

Setting up for 2019 with a two-rider line-up, neither of BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team’s riders has been pulling their punches in pre-season. Randy Krummenacher will start the weekend having topped the timesheets on both days of official testing in Australia, while Federico Caricasulo was only bettered by his own teammate. Grabbing one race win apiece in 2018, this dream duo could be the early favourites to lock out the top steps of the rostrum.

Whilst the most recent WorldSSP champion is no longer there, another remains in the class. Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) has switched to Kawasaki machinery for 2019. It is certainly a bold move but one that the 2017 World Champion hopes will pay off, and the early signs have been very promising. Mahias dominated on the Island last season and is a strong contender to take P1 again this year, while teammate Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) aims to edge closer to the top five.

Lucas Mahias – Image by Geebee

After a heartbreaking ending to last season, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 YAMAHA) is back onboard a Yamaha in 2019. Keeping consistent with his ‘never give up’ attitude, the Frenchman will settle for no less than more race wins and the world title, starting Down Under. He’ll be facing strong competition inside the all-French GMT94 team, as 20-year-old Corentin Perolari looks to gain experience and build upon a fantastic ending to last season as he debuts at Phillip Island.

Over to the men in red, where Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) will still be leading the charge for the Italian squad. The 31-year-old seems as comfortable as ever on the F3 675, and after claiming five successive podiums last season he will be aiming for that maiden winner’s trophy. His new teammate Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), switching over from the Moto2 world championship, will take his first steps in World Supersport in Australia.

Sandro Cortese – Image by 2snap

Last season Kallio Racing’s late signing of Sandro Cortese paid off massively, as the German went on to win the title. The Finnish-based squad have filled the gap left by Cortese with two different but supremely talented riders: Isaac Viñales and Thomas Gradinger, while Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) remains as part of a three-rider line-up. It will be interesting to see who out of the three can take up the role of team leader, starting at Phillip Island.

Six Honda machines will also line up on the 2019 grid, with the duo of Peter Sebestyen and Jules Danilo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) looking to start the season successfully. Both men are young yet have vast experience across several championships, although this will be their first foray onto the Australian tarmac with a Supersport bike.

Elsewhere, Spaniards Héctor Barberà (Team Toth by Willirace) and Maria Herrera (MS Racing) will be another two to watch at the Island: the former MotoGP star has adapted to the YZF R6 in no time and is more than familiar with the Aussie rollercoaster, while Herrera becomes the first woman to race full-time in the class. A first points finish would be a promising start for the 22-year-old.