WSBK Phillip Island Test Day Two
Morning Report

Leon Haslam, Tom Sykes and Loris Baz were the first riders on track this morning as they gingerly felt their way around the Phillip Island Circuit after heavy rain overnight. The track was mainly dry though and drying further with each minute that passed.

Day one pace-setter Toprak Razgatloglu along with Alvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies then joined the track about half-hour in to the two-hour morning session.

Baz was the first man into the 1m30s this morning, a 1m30.524 as the session went into the second hour.

Jonathan Rea then went quickest so far this week, a 1m30.448 to the reigning world champion with half-an-hour remaining in the morning session.

Tom Sykes then joined the 1m30s party with a 1m30.568 on the BMW S 1000 RR and Toprak Razgatlioglu set a 1m30.886. The Turk improved to 1m30.752 later in the session, still did not quite match his 1m30.740 from yesterday.

Tom Sykes

The top-end horsepower of the Honda was again displayed today with Alvaro Bautista hitting 322.4 km/h down the chute, the fastest top speed recorded here so far this week. For comparative purposes, Bautista was the fastest through the speed trap at the Phillip Island WorldSBK race event last year with 322.4 km/h on the Ducati V4 R in practice. Chaz Davies set the fastest speed here last year in a race at 321.4 km/h on the Ducati.

Bautista made solid gains this morning down to a 1m31.453 but Haslam remains the quickest Honda, the Brit sixth fastest this morning on 1m31.046. Haslam was third quickest through the speed trap.

Takumi Takahashi had a big crash yesterday and did not feel up to riding this morning.

WorldSBK riders will hit the circuit again at 1340 this afternoon for a final two-hour session before WorldSSP competitors are then out on track between 1550 and 1740.

Phillip Island WorldSBK Testing
Tuesday Morning Times

1. Rea 1m30.448
2. Baz 1m30.524
3. Sykes 1m30.568
4. Razgatlioglu 1m30.752
5. Redding 1m31.022
6. Haslam 1m31.046
7. Van der Mark 1m31.077
8. Laverty 1m31.436
9. Rinaldi 1m31.438
10. Bautista 1m31.453
11. Davies 1m31.533
12. Lowes 1m31.560
13. Cortese 1m31.781
14. Caricasulo 1m31.944
15. Fores 1m32.312
16. Gerloff 1m32.405
17. Scheib 1m32.415
18. Camier 1m32.676

Tuesday Morning WorldSBK Speeds

1. Bautista – Honda 322.4
2. Davies – Ducati 320.5
3. Haslam – Honda 318.6
4. Rinaldi – Ducati 317.6
5. Razgatlioglu – Yamaha 317.6
6. Redding – Ducati 316.7
7. Rea – Kawasaki 316.7
8. Lowes – Kawasaki 315.8
9. Van der Mark – Yamaha 314.9
10. Sykes – BMW 314.0
11. Laverty – BMW 313.0
12. Camier – Ducati 312.1
13. Caricasulo – Yamaha 312.1
14. Scheib – Kawasaki 311.2
15. Gerloff – Yamaha 310.3
16. Fores – Kawasaki 307.7
17. Baz – Yamaha 306.8
18. Cortese – Kawasaki 305.9

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Images by GeeBee

Source: MCNews.com.au

WSBK Phillip Island Test Day One

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While the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit remained dry for the afternoon WorldSSP session, unfortunately a few tiny drops of precipitation started falling around the circuit just as the final two-hour WorldSBK session got underway on schedule at 1540. It really was something of nothing, but changed the risk versus reward ratio in the balance of a very quiet track this afternoon.

With just under an hour remaining Loris Baz, Michael Rinaldi, Leon Haslam, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alex Lowes, Scott Redding and Chaz Davies were amongst the first riders to break the Phillip Island silence. The ambient air temperature was around 20-degree celsius while the track temp’ was just under 30-degrees.

Alvaro Bautista set the highest trap speeds in both sessions today on the new Fireblade

The track was obviously not in too bad a condition as Leon Haslam quickly bettered his morning time, as did Eugene Laverty.

Tom Sykes was the only man to dip under the 1m31s barrier in the morning but was joined in the 1m30s by Loris Baz on the Ten Kate prepared Yamaha with ten-minutes remaining in the afternoon session, the 27-year-old going top of the time-sheets with a 1m30.777s.

Tom Sykes returned fire a few minutes later to lower the benchmark to 1m30.762, besting the Frenchman by a narrow 15-thousandths of a second.

Tom Sykes

Jonathan Rea then wound up the KRT bike and dropped in a 1m30.996 to go third quickest, he backed that up with a 1m31.194, cruised a lap then made another time attack, a 1m31.175 the result.

Jonathan Rea

Turkish star Toprak Razgatlioglu saved his best for last and went top at the chequered flag, a 1m30.740 at the last gasp to top the days proceedings.

Alex Lowes had gone down at turn four late in the session, as did Federico Caricasulo.

Alvaro Bautista set the fastest trap speeds in both sessions

Honda’s new Fireblade does is not short on mumbo. Alvaro Bautista hasn’t mustered any competitive lap-times on the Honda as yet, but the diminutive Spaniard is setting the fastest trap speeds, 317.6 km/h to top the morning session and then 314 km/h to also top the second session. HRC team-mate Leon Haslam was also in the top five speeds.

Alvaro Bautista – P15

“Today we were able to test some new items that the HRC engineers brought us. We are moving in the direction I requested, though we’re not quite there yet. Essentially, we are working to find a set-up that allows me to get better feedback from the bike and the tyres. We have actually improved front feeling to some extent, but not enough yet, and having good feedback from the tyres is particularly important at this track. Considering that this is still a brand-new project, I think it will be challenging for us this coming weekend, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time and we will get there if we continue to put in the work.”

Bautista’s 1m32.541 a long way from the 1m30.303 he set at the Phillip Island Test last year on the Ducati V4 R. Haslam though is competitive, his 1m31.196 was good enough for fifth quickest today.

Leon Haslam – P5

“To be honest, we were looking for more track time, but a red flag and rain meant we weren’t able to put in many fast laps. Luckily, we got the last 40 minutes or so this afternoon, and the lap times were not so bad. We’re quite consistent but there’s still a lot of work to be done. At this point, we also need to look ahead to the race weekend and work with that in mind, planning accordingly. With it being a new bike, and not having any references from last season, we need to be focused in our approach as we can’t do everything in a single test. A lot of my strengths suit this kind of track, so I’m confident in that regard, but right now the important thing is to develop, testing everything we have and starting to make some decisions. So, we’re trying to be methodical in our work during this test rather than focus on setting fast laps.”

Leon Haslam ran competitive pace today on the new Fireblade

Scott Redding was the fastest Ducati in sixth ahead of Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark, BMW’s Eugene Laverty and KRT’s Alex Lowes while Chaz Davies rounded out the top ten.

Scott Redding was the fastest Ducati in sixth

Testing continues tomorrow ahead of this weekend’s opening round of the Motul backed 2020 World Superbike Championship. Tuesday does present some probability of rain showers but hopefully riders can get in plenty of dry track time. The forecast for the race weekend is mostly sunny with expected temperatures in the low 20s.

Phillip Island WorldSBK Testing
Monday Combined Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	T   RAZGATLIOGLU	Yamaha YZF R1	1m30.740
2	T.   SYKES	BMW S1000 RR	+0.022
3	L.   BAZ	Yamaha YZF R1	+0.037
4	J.   REA	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+0.256
5	L.   HASLAM	Honda CBR1000RR	+0.456
6	S.  REDDING	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+0.496
7	M. VAN DER MARK	Yamaha YZF R1	+0.700
8	E.  LAVERTY	BMW S1000 RR	+0.845
9	A.  LOWES	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+0.925
10	C.  DAVIES	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+1.373
11	S.  CORTESE	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.524
12	M. RINALDI	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+1.532
13	X.  FORES	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.747
14	M. SCHEIB	Kawasaki ZX-10RR	+1.758
15	A.  BAUTISTA	Honda CBR1000RR	+1.801
16	F.   CARICASULO	Yamaha YZF R1	+1.966
17	G.  GERLOFF	Yamaha YZF R1	+2.089
18	L.   CAMIER	Ducati Panigale V4 R	+2.889

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Phillip Island WorldSSP Testing

23-year-old Italian Andrea Locatelli topped both World Supersport test sessions at Phillip Island on Monday. The Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha rider set a 1m33.362s in the morning session before narrowly besting that this afternoon with his 1m33.336s the benchmark for the day.

Andrea Locatelli topped both World Supersport test sessions at Phillip Island on Monday

Randy Krummenacher had left that team after winning the championship in 2019 and fronts this season with the #1 plate on the MV Agusta Reparto Corse entry and was second quickest today, three-tenths behind Locatelli while De Rosa rounded out the top three ahead of Vinales.

16-year-old wildcard Oli Bayliss acquitted himself well today on the Cube Racing Yamaha and recorded a best of 1m35.918 to end the day 16th out of a 22-rider field.

Oli Bayliss

At 258 km/h though Bayliss was the slowest through the speed trap. Spain’s Manuel Gonzalez set the fastest speed through the traps with the ParkinGo Kawasaki registering 271.4 km/h.

Oli Bayliss

“The day ended better than it started. Not so happy this morning. So we worked in the break, and I had a whole new bike set-up for the afternoon session and it came together from there. And that time was on an old tyre, and we had a few other issues, that we are working on. Tomorrow, I am aiming to break into the top ten. I’d be happy with that for the test,” he said of his bike, that was only prepared to world-spec in the last two weeks and was given its first run on the island circuit today.”

Oli Bayliss

Phillip Island WorldSSP Testing
Monday Combined Times

1. Locatelli – Yamaha 1m33.336
2. Krummenacher – MV 1m33.638
3. De Rosa – MV 1m33.671
4. Vinales – Yamaha 1m33.882
5. Mahias – Kawasaki 1m33.896
6. Cluzel – Yamaha 1m33.921
7. Odendaal – Yamaha 1m34.426
8. Oettl – Kawasaki 1m34.543
9. Perolari – Yamaha 1m34.599
10. Soomer – Yamaha 1m34.750
11. Oncu – Kawasaki 1m34.862
12. Fuligni – MV 1m35.131
13. Gonzalez – Kawasaki 1m35.224
14. Sebestyen – Yamaha 1m35.259
15. Okubo – Honda 1m35.269
16. Bayliss – Yamaha 1m35.918
17. Bergman – Yamaha 1m36.006
18. Hobelsberger – Honda 1m36.092
19. Webb – Yamaha 1m36.218
20. Cresson – Yamaha 1m36.326
21. Verdoia – Yamaha 1m36.329
22. Van Sikkelerus – Yamaha 1m36.419

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Images by TBG

Source: MCNews.com.au

Ahead of the 2020 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship’s first racing weekend, there’s one final bit of testing to take care of.

It was a Yamaha onslaught at the most recent test at Portimao, with Toprak Razgatlioglu leading the way come the end of play. Finding a breakthrough solution with the Q tyre at Portimao, Razgatlioglu now looks like a threat in Superpole as well as the races. Teammate Michael van der Mark concluded the Portimao test in fourth and was just over 0.6s off his teammate at the top of the standings. Both riders have been on the 2020 bikes, hailing aerodynamic improvements made for taller riders.

Toprak Razgatlioglu

Scott Redding made strides at Portimao and was looking on course to finish both days on top before Razgatlioglu pipped him to the post. The Brit has been working away on rear-end grip and hopes that Phillip Island – one of his favourite circuits – can confirm his and his team’s findings. Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) also made gains at Portimao and finished fifth overall. Ducati as a manufacturer have won the last five WorldSBK races in Australia and will look to continue their dominance Down Under into the new decade.

Ducati WorldSBK Team 2020 launch was staged at Imola

The Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK didn’t feature at Portimao and instead, took to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for a private afternoon of testing. However, when they were with the opposition, it was Jonathan Rea who topped the timesheets at Jerez. His 2020 team-mate, Alex Lowes, has also been on the pace, enjoying crucial wet weather running at Jerez whilst also taking to the Barcelona-Catalunya track for the first time. Both riders hope to utilise the testing days at Phillip Island to return to the top Down Under come the race weekend.

Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK 2020

Going into the Phillip Island Test, BMW’s S1000 RR has been transformed since the start of 2019. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and teammate Eugene Laverty head to Australia after strong testing in Portugal, working with the chassis set-up, braking strategies, electronics and more. Sykes is keen to start his season with a podium, whilst Eugene Laverty’s last win came at ‘The Island’. The Official Test gives both riders two days of track time in order to refine parts ahead of racing.

Tom Sykes

The final factory team at the Phillip Island Test is Team HRC, fielding 2019 runner-up Alvaro Bautista and 2010 runner-up, Leon Haslam. Both riders go well around Phillip Island, with Bautista storming to a hat-trick in 2019. Keeping their development secretive has added intrigue about the CBR1000RR-R ahead of the new season. However, Haslam topped day one of a wet Jerez before finishing sixth in the dry at Portimao. Can the Japanese manufacturer shine again in Australia?

Leon Haslam and Alvaro Bautista

Independent teams will join their factory counterparts for the Phillip Island Official Test, with Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) leading the way. The Frenchman was third on the final day is set to take to Phillip Island for the first time with Yamaha. Other Independent Yamahas include Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team), who makes his Phillip Island debut during testing. His team-mate Federico Caricasulo was quick in testing and hopes to build on that. In all, the five Yamahas on the WorldSBK grid all packed out the top ten in Portimao testing back in January.

GRT Yamaha will field Garrett Gerloff and Italian Federico Caricasulo

Remaining Independent teams include Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, who were the best Independent team for 2019. They’ve got best Independent rider from 2018 Xavi Fores for 2020 and are hoping to make more progress. Leon Camier (Barni Racing Team) will also be back out on his Ducati, whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Goeleven) completes the Ducati presence.

Max Scheib (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) will be in action at Phillip Island for the first time, as will Takumi Takahashi (Mie Racing Team), with the latter not featuring during any pre-season tests.

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WorldSSP

Changes headline the 2020 FIM Supersport World Championship, meaning that testing is of high importance. The last pre-season test before 2020 launches comes on the 24th and 25th of February, giving the new team linSe-ups one last chance to get to grips with their 2020 motorcycles. Slick tyres that will be introduced for the first time in World Supersport history, providing an extra challenge. Taking place at Phillip Island just days before the opening round, it’s a crucial pre-season test.

2020 MV Agusta Reparto Corse WSSP livery

2019 WorldSSP Champion Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) moves manufacturers in 2020, switching from Yamaha to the MV Agusta. The iconic Italian brand is in its 75th season of motorcycle production and is eager to recapture a World Championship. The Swiss enjoyed his pre-season testing schedule, which ended at Jerez, where he was first. He’s joined at the team in 2020 by Raffaele De Rosa and Federico Fuligni, both of whom impressed during the pre-season.

Replacing ‘Krummi’ is Italian Andrea Locatelli (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team); he was quick at the Portimao test and enjoyed more dry weather running than most, with him and the BARDAHL squad taking to Almeria instead of Jerez in January. Back to one bike in 2020, the team is focusing on retaining the crown, with their title defence starting in testing and at a track Locatelli already knows.

Jules Cluzel

The GMT94 Yamaha team topped the Portimao testing timesheets with Jules Cluzel in January, with the French outfit heading to Phillip Island as the team in form. Cluzel is in his eighth season of WorldSSP action and despite being runner-up three times, the title still eludes him. Joined once again by fellow countryman and good friend Corentin Perolari, it is a strong line-up for the all-French team. Perolari himself aims to be in the mix from the off, having performed well at the end of 2019.

The second half of 2019 saw Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) out-score every other rider, with the 2017 WorldSSP Champion perfecting the Kawasaki ZX-6R. Ahead of 2020, Mahias needs as much testing as possible after a finger injury sustained in Valencia in the MotoE World Cup. Joining Mahias is former Moto3 GP winner Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who joins WorldSSP from Moto2. Both are aiming high in 2020 and aim to improve further at the Phillip Island Test.

Three podiums in the last three races make Isaac Vinales (Kallio Racing) a rider to watch in 2020 and he knows the Phillip Island layout inside-out. Perfecting finite details and becoming re-accustomed to slick tyres, Vinales aims to pick-up where he left off. He has a new teammate in 2020, with Estonian star Hannes Soomer handed a huge opportunity to impress in WorldSSP. Soomer will be utilising testing in order to be in top five contention come the opening round.

South Africa’s Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) has shone in testing and aims to cement Ten Kate Racing’s status as the most successful WorldSSP team of all time. Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) moves over to WorldSSP and is Turkey’s flag carrier in the class, whilst Indonesia’s hero Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU Yamaha WorldSSP Team by MS Racing) moves to WorldSSP with Andy Verdoia, as does WorldSSP300 Champion Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team). The test is crucial for Gonzalez, Verdoia and Hendra Pratama, with it being their debut at the track.

Oli Bayliss will also wildcard in the World Supersport event at only 16-years of age – TBG Image
Source: MCNews.com.au

No tread for

The Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, which has reached its thirty-third edition, the seventeenth consecutive with Pirelli as the Official Sole Supplier of tyres for all classes, again commences at Phillip Island, Australia. The season opens with the official tests of February 24th and 25th and subsequently with the race weekend scheduled from February 28th to March 1stthat involves the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes.

For the first year ever, the WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 classes will also use slick tyres, with the WorldSSP class starting from Phillip Island while the WorldSSP300 class opens at the Jerez event.

The Phillip Island circuit has always been one of the most demanding circuits on the WorldSBK calendar because tyres are exposed to strong and constant thermo-mechanical work, especially on the left side.

In Phillip Island, we note a localised overheating on the tyre surface which at the same time also occurs on during maximum lean angle. This generates different forces with very strong torsional stresses. The peculiarity of the Australian track is that it generates both a mechanical and a thermal stress to which the tyres are constantly subjected.

The famous Southern Loop is the longest parabolic of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, which requires ‘full throttle’, with a fixed lean angle for an extended period. Under these conditions, the tyre is forced to work for some time with mechanical stresses located on a small tread surface and, in that area of continuous use, there is a rapid increase in temperature.

Also this year Pirelli has developed various solutions designed to counter the multiple pitfalls of the Australian circuit and which will be tested by both the WorldSBK and WorldSSP class during the two test days preceding the race.

Test solutions for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes

In the WorldSBK class, in addition to the intermediate and wet tyres that are always present in case of adverse weather, the riders will have four slick solutions, two front and two rear. The front options are the standard SC1 in soft compound and the standard SC2 in medium compound in the sizes 125/70, the only front size available this season.

As for the rear options, the riders will have two compounds available only in size 200/65: the development SC1 W1049, developed specifically for the Australian track and reference solution in previous years, and the development SC1 Y1093, which thanks to a reinforced structure allows better thrust during acceleration, allowing greater stability.

WorldSSP

In the WorldSSP class, the riders will test for the first time on Pirelli slick tyres and will have two front and one rear solutions available. For the front, there will be the standard SC1 and SC2 in sizes 120/70. At the rear the riders will try the development SC1 Y1006 in the increased size 190/60, the only rear size for the 600 class.

It is an evolution in the slick version of the development SC1 U1149: a treaded solution and reference in the past editions with a compound able to guarantee greater stability during high temperatures. Lastly, there will be the development SC1 Y1035,with a new profile and structure to improve the contact patch and stability under acceleration, as well as performance consistency.

Since Pirelli has never used the new slick tyres developed for the 600 class on this circuit, the Italian company will evaluate the best strategy to be put in place for the race, based on the results and data obtained during the tests.

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Pirelli Test solutions for Phillip Island

Pirelli Test solutions for Phillip Island WorldSBK

Pirelli Test solutions for Phillip Island WorldSSP

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WorldSBK Yamaha Finance Australian Round, Phillip Island

Thursday 27th February 2020
*Thursday session not open to public*
Time	Class	Program
13:10	Oceania Junior Cup	FP1
13:30	Australian Supersport	FP1
14:05	Australian Superbike	FP1
14:40	Australian Supersport 300	FP1
15:15	Oceania Junior Cup	FP2

Friday 28th February 2020
Time	Event	Program
8:25	Oceania Junior Cup	Qualifying
8:45	ASBK Supersport	FP2
9:05	Australian Superbike	FP2
9:30	ASBK SS300	FP2
9:50	FIM Medical Inspection
10:00	FIM Track Inspection
10:30	WorldSBK	FP1
11:30	WorldSSP	FP1
12:25	Pit Walk 1
13:00	Australian Superbike	Q1
13:25	Australian Superbike	Q2
13:50	Oceania Junior Cup	R1 | 6 Laps
14:15	ASBK Supersport	Qualifying
15:00	WorldSBK	FP2
16:00	WorldSSP	FP2
16:55	ASBK SS300	Qualifying
17:15	Parade Laps
Saturday 29th February 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:25	ASBK Oceania Junior Cup	R2 | 6 Laps
8:50	ASBK Supersport	R1 |10 Laps
9:30	FIM Medical Inspection
9:40	FIM Track Inspection
10:00	WorldSBK	FP3
10:35	WorldSSP	FP3
11:05	Australian Superbike	R1 | 12 Laps
11:40	ASBK SS300	R1 | 8 Laps
12:15	WorldSBK	Superpole
12:55	WorldSSP	Superpole
13:40	Pit Walk 2 & Safety Car Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R1 | 22 Laps
16:15	Australian Superbike	R2 | 12 Laps
16:50	ASBK SS300	R2 | 8 Laps
17:15	ASBK Supersport	R2 | 10 Laps
17:50	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)
Sunday 1st March 2020
Time	Class	Program
8:20	Oceania Junior Cup	R3 | 6 Laps
8:50	FIM Medical Inspection
9:00	FIM Track Inspection
09:30	WorldSBK	Warm Up
09:55	WorldSSP	Warm Up
10:30	Australian Superbike	R3 | 12 Laps
11:05	Pit Walk 3 & Safety Car Laps
12:00	WorldSBK	SP Race | 10 Laps
13:15	WorldSSP	RACE |18 Laps
15:00	WorldSBK	R2 | 22 Laps
16:15	ASBK SS300	R3 | 8 Laps
16:45	ASBK Supersport	R3 |10 Laps
17:20	Hyundai N Experience (Test Drive)

Source: MCNews.com.au

Rea leads BlazeAid bushfire auction

Ahead of the 2020 season-opening Yamaha Finance round of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit next weekend (February 28-March 1), the paddock has united to stage a charity auction to help out the victims of the recent Australian bushfires.

Five-time world champion Jonathan Rea has donated gloves and boots for the auction, with all funds raised going to BlazeAid, a volunteer-based organisation which works alongside rural families and individuals impacted by fires and floods.

Jonathan Rea in Melbourne today

Rea spoke about the bushfires at a media conference in Melbourne today, after the disaster struck a very personal note for the Kawasaki factory rider.

The family of Rea and his Australian wife, Tatia, owns a house just out of Bright in the heart of north-east Victoria, and for three weeks they watched from afar as the fires threatened their home, evacuations took place, and they saw farms and communities surrounding Bright ravaged.

Rea and his Australian wife, Tatia

“During the height of the fire, it got to within 5km of the house and Tatia’s parents were told to leave,” said Rea. “We were at home and keeping a constant eye on the emergency apps, and in the end we were very fortunate.

“It’s great the WorldSBK paddock is doing something, as it’d be easy to come here and then move on. Everyone has been sensational with their support.”

For full details on the auction and to make bids, visit https://www.charitystars.com/collection/bushfires-action.
The auction ends on March 3, 2020.

The statistics don’t lie

Rea is now the most successful WorldSBK rider of all time, topping all the key metrics: titles won (five), number of race wins (88), podiums (168) and fastest laps (67).

His dominance over the last five years has been profound, and the hard-nosed 33-year-old will now strive for six titles in a row against a manufacturer, machinery and rider base (both factory and privateer) that’s the strongest it has been during his reign at the top.

Jonathan Rea

Competition for Rea will come from all quarters, including Spaniard Alvaro Bautista (Honda) who won the first 11 races in 2019 before Rea came home with a wet sail; Briton’s former MotoGP rider Scott Redding making his debut in the production series on a factory Ducati; his new teammate Alex Lowes; his old teammate Leon Haslam (Honda); Yamaha guns Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark; Chaz Davies (Ducati) and BMW duo Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty.

Haslam, Bautista and Laverty are all past WorldSBK winners at Phillip Island (Bautista doing the double in 2019), so the anticipation ahead of round one is palpable.

“Phillip Island is the closest thing to a home round for me, so I always enjoy racing there,” said Rea. “There’s always expectation and nervous energy ahead of a new season, but I’m trying to take a more mature approach in 2020.

“Last year, I was super excited at the start of the season, but the wind was then knocked out of my sails a little bit in those first four races,” continued Rea, referring to Bautista’s early season dominance.

“Of course I’d love to leave Phillip Island with three race wins, but it’s a 39-race championship and it’s more important that I leave Australia healthy and with a platform for the rest of the year.

“More than ever, consistency is going to a vital asset in 2020. I’ll just continue to focus on myself, and after the first 4-5 rounds everyone will eventually find their place.

“I had to come from behind to win the 2019 championship, and that was a valuable lesson in just focussing on my own form and not worrying about everyone else.”

Rea showed them a clean pair of heels at the Jerez test in November

Final pre-season testing will be held at Phillip Island on February 24-25, and then the paddock reconvenes three days later for the real business of racing.

Rea heads into the test after strong testing form in Europe

“I’m going to focus on polishing the package during the test,” said Rea. “The last two years I haven’t nailed setup at Phillip Island, and the goal will be to finish up with a bike that turns naturally – which places less stress on the tyres.”

2020 Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK livery

There will be three WorldSBK races at Phillip Island: two 22-lappers at 3:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, and a 10-lap Sprint at midday on Sunday.

Add in World Supersport competition and round one of the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship featuring four classes – Superbike, Supersport, Supersport 300 and the Oceania Junior Cup – and there will be a total of 15 races.

Buy your ticket and save

If you’re ready for fab adventure of the high-horsepower kind, book now for a weekend getaway at the World Superbikes next February 28-March 1 at Australia’s sensational Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the Yamaha Finance round. Book at https://tickets.worldsbk.com.au/

· Purchase a three-day General Admission ticket with Free Paddock Access just $125* Add on-circuit camping for $110* per adult for four-nights making a three day entry/four night camping ticket $235*

· Kids 15 and under, accompanied by a full-paying adult, are free for entry and to camp

· Want to upgrade to grandstand access and under-cover viewing? Opt for a Bar SBK ticket – three days for $265* giving access to three under-cover viewing areas at the circuit’s most thrilling corners – Doohan Corner, Siberia & Lukey Heights. Bar SBK ticket holders also get access to the exclusive grandstand at Doohan Corner, along with parking at Siberia & Lukey Heights and prime Superscreen viewing from each facility

*All ticket prices quoted are advance (more expensive at gate) and subject to Ticketek charges

** Kids 15 and under free to enter and camp, accompanied by a full-paying adult

Source: MCNews.com.au