Chaz Davies tops FP1 as WorldSBK 2017 gets underway at Phillip Island
The 2017 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship officially swung into action this morning at Phillip Island with a 60-minute opening practice sessions. The weather was cool this morning, around 17-degrees celsius, with a fairly stiff 17km/h breeze blowing up the main straight beneath cloudy skies. The official track temperature was 25-degrees.
Davies, who won the last six races in the 2016 WorldSBK title, set a best lap of 1min30.189secs on his factory Ducati to complete the 60-minute session ahead of world champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki, 1:30.255) and hard-charging Spaniard Xavi Fores (Ducati, 1:30.486).
Fores and Rea also spent time at the top of the timesheets in the session, but it was Davies who eventually came out on top – carving nearly a second off his best time in the final pre-season test at the grand prix circuit earlier this week.
Another three riders dipped into the 1:30s: world No. 2 and 2016 Phillip Island polesitter Tom Sykes (Kawasaki, 1:30.573), Marco Melandri (Ducati, 1:30.673) and Yamaha’s Alex Lowes (1:30.911).
American Nicky Hayden (1:31.099) showed a lot of improvement on the all-new Honda machine, with the top 10 completed by BMW teammates Markus Reiterberger (1:31.129) and Jordi Torres (1:31.130) and Dutchman Michael van der Mark (Yamaha, 1:31.351).
Leon Camier (1:31.405) was 11th, but had a scary moment earlier in the session when an oil leak on his MV Agusta nearly saw him cash at the ultra-fast Doohan Corner (turn one).
Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori also just survived a near highside a turn 11, but continued circulating. Lorenzo’s teammate Eugene Laverty, a two-time WorldSBK winner at Phillip Island, finished the session in 14th position.
Australia’s wildcard Josh Brookes (1:32.143) was 16th, his Yamaha clearly struggling for top speed down Gardner Straight compared to the opposition.
This morning’s session is followed by another one-hour FP2 at 1430.
World Superbike 2017 – Round One – Phillip Island – Free Practice One Results
- Davies 1m30.189
- Rea 1m30.255
- Fores 1m30.486
- Sykes 1m30.573
- Melandri 1m30.686
- Lowes 1m30.911
- Hayden 1m31.099
- Reiterberger 1m31.129
- Torres 1m31.130
- Van Der Mark 1m31.351
- Camier 1m31.405
- Krummenacher 1m31.468
- Savadori 1m31.677
- Laverty 1m31.706
- Bradl 1m31.707
- Brookes 1m32.143
- Ramos 1m32.165
- De Angelis 1m23.253
- Badovini 1m32.559
- Russo 1m32.563
- Jezek 1m32.870
Now for the confusing bit…
In Dorna’s efforts to make World Superbike as confusing as possible, both these ‘Free Practice’ sessions are actually timed towards qualifying, with the rankings from those sessions then making up the start order for Saturday afternoon’s Superpole session.
Before that Superpole session, however, is a third free practice session at 1020 on Saturday morning, this session lasts for only 25-minutes, but the results from this session do not count toward the qualification for Superpole.
This season, Superpole results will only decide the grid for race one, while the grid for race two will be decided on results using a strange new format, never used before.
We extrapolate on this machievallan new regimen below.
- Top three riders in race one move back to row three for race two, and see 1st and 3rd reverse their positions.
- Riders who finished in 4th, 5th and 6th in race one, will be promoted to the front row for race two.
- Riders who finished in 7th, 8th and 9th in race one, will start from the second row in row two.
It’s fiendish with its brilliance in ensuring nobody has any idea what is going on.
The opening WorldSBK race is scheduled to get underway at 1500 Saturday afternoon, a 22-lap journey amounting to 97.8km around the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit. Race two is slated for 1500 on Sunday afternoon..
2016 back to back World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) had the perfect opening to his championship defence Down Under last year, as he took the double victory in two stunning races; a sign of things to come for the season ahead for the Northern Irishman.
Taking his first win at the Island back in 2015, Rea has a meticulous pace around the circuit and topped the recent winter tests at the Australian circuit. The last time the 30 year old stood on the top of the podium was back in September in Germany, so he’s hungry for a taste of the Prosecco.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) will be hoping to hit the ground running in 2017 and following a tough winter testing regime, the Yorkshireman will be heading out of pit lane with a point to prove and one person on his mind to beat – his team-mate. An act of true sportsmanship was shown in the final race of 2016 at Losail International Circuit which meant Sykes could secure second position overall in the championship, however the gloves are off once more. The 31-year-old holds the pole position record in Australia, but is yet to take that all important first win at the track. Sykes’ last race win was in Race Two at Laguna Seca back in July, with just six podium finishes following that. 2017 brings the Kawasaki ZX-10RR and new challenges, but he’s certainly not one to give up without a fight.
Coming off the back of a stunning run of form at the end of last season, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), is looking like the man to beat heading into 2017. Making no secret of his blisteringly fast pace aboard the Panigale R, Davies will be working on the base setting he has secured from testing into 2017, with the hope of dominating the field as he did at the back end of last season. Taking six wins out of the last six races, the Welshman is on a winning streak but is yet to take the win at Phillip Island, despite Ducati being the most successful team at the circuit. Confident the ‘best is yet to come’, Davies and Ducati have made their aim for 2017 clear; to take the title.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) will be one to ruffle some feathers this season, and so far his testing times prove he will have the pace to fight up at the front, the Italian narrowly missed out on the top spot during the final pre-season test, going within two-hundredths of a second of pacesetter Jonathan Rea. With 19 WorldSBK wins to his name, Melandri has over 17 years of experience around Phillip Island from racing in MotoGP to the WorldSBK paddock; therefore he will certainly be one to watch when the lights go out for Race 1. With podium finishes in Australia in WorldSBK under his belt, he will be able to work alongside his team-mate in order to get the best pace possible out of his Ducati.
Challenges lie ahead for Stefan Bradl and Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team), as they take on the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 around the testing and relentless Phillip Island circuit. German rookie Bradl is making the sometimes difficult step across from MotoGP, and with a brand new bike in the mix he will make the most of visiting a circuit he is familiar with. Putting in some solid testing time aboard his new machine, Bradl’s first feelings are positive and with a steady set of results here in the past, it will be a learning curve. Heading into his second year in the series, Nicky Hayden will be looking to improve on what he and his team learnt last season. Taking a victory in his debut season, the Kentucky Kid will be returning to the circuit for the third time in the last year following a visit back to his Repsol Honda machine last year. Hayden was 14th quickest here in pre-season testing while Bradl could only manage 19th quickest on the timesheets, indicating there is still plenty of set-up work to be done with the new Honda.
Taking on the twists and turns of the famous Phillip Island, the newly structured Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK team are a force to be reckoned with for 2017, and Australia is the perfect place for Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark to start. Alex Lowes is heading into his fourth season in the series and is looking to impress, as the YZF R1 has made some solid steps over the winter. Lowes is ready to bring the fight and to secure that all important debut podium with Yamaha. Michael van der Mark has made the move to the blue corner and is feeling confident aboard the machine so far. In his debut WorldSBK round at the Island in 2015, the young Dutchman got a steady start and last season he was able to secure two podium finishes, meaning he has set the bar high as he goes Down Under in 2017. Lowes was the quickest of the pair during the Phillip Island Test, with the Brit eighth quickest while the Dutchmen ranked 13th on the timesheets.
Lone MV Agusta rider Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) has had minimal testing throughout the winter it may be a tough weekend for Camier. Into his eighth full season in the FIM Superbike World Championship the lanky Brit continues to make big progress with his Italian squad, working up to securing solid top seven finishes throughout 2016 and his is no doubt hungry for more. Camier stopped the clocks here earlier in the week at 1m31.293, good enough for sixth so if their set-up is solid MV Agusta could achieve a podium finish this weekend.
Milwaukee make the switch to Aprilia for 2017, now known as Milwaukee Aprilia. Signing impressive rookie Lorenzo Savadori and WorldSBK veteran Eugene Laverty – both with experience aboard the Aprilia – the British squad will be taking their new RSV4 RF to new heights for 2017. Australian sun beckons for the pair as they look to take on the ever popular circuit. Following a strong test at the beginning of the season, they are set to cause ructions through the field and with the new grid rules for 2017 coming into force this year, it may benefit the satellite squad. Already they have tested better than what they achieved with the BMW they campaigned last year, with Savadori seventh quickest at the test while teammate Eugene Laverty was 12th on the charts.
The sole Australian in the opening round of the Superbike World Championship is Josh Brookes, who for remainder of this year will contest the British Superbike Championship. The 33-year-old is contesting this round as a privateer, on the same Yamaha YZF-R1M that he rode to the 2015 British Superbike Championship title. An engine failure during testing early this week put the Sydneysider behind the eight-ball but he will be doing his best for a strong showing this weekend as he tried to achieve a competitive set-up on his old machine.
“I love racing so much that I have poured my own money into this campaign,” said Brookes at today’s WorldSBK season launch. “It has been a huge undertaking, but the excitement of racing was very much a drawcard. I hope we can leave Phillip Island with a smile on our faces. Our No. 1 engine blew on Tuesday and this engine does not have the same top-end power as the other one, but it still drives off the corners really well so that’s a bonus,”Brookes said. “When practice starts tomorrow, my main focus will be on fine-tuning the engine braking as it’s a little loose under brakes at the moment. The Yamaha likes to be ridden like ‘Jorge Lorenzo’ – fast and flowing. When it’s all over the shop it may look good on television, but it doesn’t suit the Yamaha’s chassis.”
Fergus Cameron, Managing Director, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
“It’s wonderful to see how over a period of time this event has grown, I can say I have been here for every one of those Superbike event s and it has given me the opportunity to see the professionalism that the event delivers. We had amazing amounts of motorcycling activity here in February, and it really gives us the profile to becoming one of the best motorcycle circuits in the world, and I would just like to wish luck to all the riders.”
Daniel Carrera, Executive Director for Dorna Group
“First of all I would like to thank our partners in Australia, Phillip Island Circuit, the Australian government, Yamaha Finance and motorcycling in Australia for their support and co-operation. I think there is no better place to start the championship other than Phillip Island in the Australian summer. We always find a very welcoming atmosphere, and it is a pleasure for our championship to start the season here. I think we have a very interesting and exciting championship in front of us. We have new faces on our grid, and the combination between teams and manufactures is very powerful which will provide much excitement over the season. I would like to wish good luck to all our riders and teams.”
Tickets for the Yamaha Finance round of the WorldSBK are available through Ticketek, with a three-day general admission pass costing $120 – a saving of $35 over the gate price. BarSBK passes, for undercover viewing locations at some of the most spectacular parts of the circuit, are $260, while adult single-day passes cost $30 for Friday, $65 for Saturday and $80 for Sunday.
Camping is available for up to four nights for $105. Best of all, children aged 15 and under are in for free, making the event affordable for families of all sizes.
For WorldSBK Tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
FIM Supersport World Championship
The FIM Supersport World Championship welcomes an introduction of flag to flag races, meaning we will see Supersport motorcycles change tyres during a race when conditions change. Subsequent rule updates have been brought in to allow modifications to the wheel axles, related parts and front fender mounts to facilitate easier, safer and faster wheel changes.
New season promises new challenges and World Supersport is certainly the series to look to in terms of challenges. Revving up to the magical Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit from 24th-26th February, the ever competitive class is about to enter a new season, and the challenge for the title will continue to be hotly contested amongst the world’s best production riders.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) suffered a blow to his title defense campaign as he was forced to fly home from the Official two day Phillip Island test on Tuesday night, and announced he is to sit out of the opening rounds of the season. After an injury sustained over winter, the Turkish rider chose to miss the remainder of his team’s winter testing plan, before he flew over to Australia to try out his fitness. Completing over 30 laps across the two days it was decided that despite his top six pace he will return home to rehabilitate. Potentially missing out on 50 points in the opening rounds, Sofuoglu won’t be too disheartened – in 2016 he went into the third round of the season with an 18 point deficit and suffered two DNFs, but still came out as champion.
Moving over to MV Agusta for the 2017 season, PJ Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) will be looking to get back to winning ways in the World Supersport series as he makes the switch to the Italian factory. The American begins his fourth full season in the class and is no stranger to the twists and turns of Phillip Island, securing a top five finish around the circuit last season. Proving he has a fast pace ahead of the season kick off, Jacobsen ended the Official two day Phillip Island test on the top of the timing sheets which means he will be able to take confidence into the season ahead.
A clear contender to bring the fight to Sofuoglu this year is Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), as he embarks on a new season with a new team. Bouncing back from a tough mid-part of the season last year, the Frenchman was back to his winning ways in the closing rounds of 2016. He will be hoping to continue this run of form aboard the Honda, and with two team-mates in Robin Mulhauser and Hikaro Okubo he won’t be short of support and even some tight competition.
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team are starting their season with Lucas Mahias and Federico Caricasulo as the Japanese factory returns with a factory supported effort for 2017. Mahias moves up alongside the Yamaha team, with whom he had great success in the STK1000 series in the latter stages of the season – he finished on the podium in three out of the final four races. Meaning it will make for a smoother switch for the Frenchman. Italian Caricasulo provides a seasons worth of WorldSSP knowledge, on top of a strong record around the Australian track. Taking second position in his debut finish around the testing Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit last year, Caricasulo brings positive memories and a strong understanding of the season ahead.
It would be hard to ignore the new addition to the WorldSSP grid; Kallio Racing Team as we head into a new season. Originally a one-event team for the final three European rounds of 2016, they dazzled as Nikki Tuuli secured three podium finishes in as many races. Ran by former MotoGP rider Mika Kallio, the experience behind the team certainly won’t be lacking. Heading to Phillip Island with duo of Tuuli and Sheridan Morias, they will offer a variety of knowledge around the stunning circuit. South African Morias boasts a wealth of experience in Australia but is yet to secure a podium finish there, so they will work together in order to get the best potential out of their YZF R6 machines.
Joining Sofuoglu aboard the Kawasaki ZX-6R will be young Brit Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), moving onto his second season in the World Supersport series. Last season saw Ryde have a strong start to his weekend Down Under; qualifying in ninth position but crashed in a practice session, which meant his race performance suffered. An unsettled 2016 brought the 19 year old some tough results; however signing for Puccetti Racing will give Ryde the chance to showcase his true potential.
Profile Racing enter 2017 with a British duo of riders at the helm in Luke Stapleford and Stefan Hill, as they hope to bring the Truimph Daytona 675 up into podium contention for 2017. Ending last season on a high, Leicestershire’s Stapleford took pole position in a stunning Superpole session under the floodlights, at Losail International Circuit. He will be hoping to take this strong feeling into the new season, and the adrenaline fueled Phillip Island is a good place to start. Teamed with fellow Brit Hill, the pair will no doubt be working together to bring their machine up to the best of its potential.
Other teams worth a mention heading into the season opener, which kicks off on 24th February at 9.45AM LT (+ 11) are GEMAR Team Lorini, who with Aiden Wagner and Kyle Smith, who won the closing round of 2016 in the closest race of the season. Team Kawasaki Go Eleven have signed WorldSSP regular Gino Rea to take on the tight 2017 season as he’s accompanied by Kazuki Watanabe, who takes on his first season in the closely fought WorldSSP series.
As always the WorldSSP season is set to be a closely fought battle and the famous Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is the best place to kick off the drama.
