Phillip Island, Australia – 24 February

RACE 1

The World SuperBike Championship starts again in the summer of the southern hemisphere. More exciting every time, thanks to a winning mix of rules that have limited the technical differences of the vehicles, resulting in heightened competition and proficiency of the riders. Guaranteed spectacle, unknown outcome: what more could you ask for?

The Phillip Island circuit, by now the classic stage for the season première, has updated its look for the occasion, with a brand-new surface. Not a minor tweak, by any means: Pirelli tyres have only had limited tests on the new surface, and this added a touch of unpredictability to precisely how the race played out.

Race 1 began with a Ducati in pole position, but at the end, no less than three Aprilias were in the first three places as already occurred at the Nürburgring last year.
Aprilia hits the jackpot with Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), who kept teammate Eugene Laverty under control after passing him on the 15th lap. Third place for an irrepressible Michel Fabrizio, protagonist of a furious “remontada” (comeback) after slipping in 11th place at the end of the first lap.

An unpredictable ride dealt a bad hand to Carlos Checa, in as peculiar symmetry with the first race of last season, right here in Australia. Then it was a fall without consequences; this year it didn’t turn out so well. At the 12th lap Ducati’s rider arrived too fast at the sharp braking on the Honda Hairpin, and couldn’t help running into Marco Melandri’s BMW: race over and a trip to the hospital for the Spaniard.

Just outside the podium was Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team) who fought long and hard against the other Brit, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), outpacing him at the finish by a ridiculous 51 thousandths. Sixth place for the other Kawasaki of Loris Baz, who also fought in the battle for fourth place.

RACE 2

Still plenty of Aprilia and finishing places turned on their heads in Race 2: Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team), with an irresistible second half, had the better of teammate Sylvain Guintoli and a stoic Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team), bloody but unbowed after the accident in Race 1.
The 26-year-old from Toomebridge, Northern Ireland, put on quite a show: first getting the best of Melandri on bend 4 in the second-to-last lap, then unleashing an incredibly fast lap of 1'31.168 (new lap record), and finally trouncing Guintoli on the home straight.
Great satisfaction in the Aprilia box: Laverty and Guintoli had never bettered third place in the general standings, and now they’re joint leaders.

In fourth place, and excellent Michel Fabrizio once more, with the third Aprilia: he could already taste another third place, but a minor error stopped him from overtaking Melandri at the finish.
To follow: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Aprilia), Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) and Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike).

Reassuring news on the medical front. Carlos Checa, hospitalised in Melbourne after a nasty fall in Race 1, underwent a CAT scan that ruled out any complications. For Marco Melandri, the fall didn’t have any consequences, but the rider from Ravenna decided to undergo surgery in any case to resolve his shoulder problem for good.