Editorial Note: The current Circuit Best Lap Record in 1:29.573, set by Jonathan Rea in 2017, and the current Race Lap Record is 1:30.949, set by Chaz Davies in 2014.
Motul FIM Superbike World Championship
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Victoria, Australia
February 20, 2018
Best Combined Test Times (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Jonathan Rea, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:30.598
2. Marco Melandri, Italy (Duc Panigale R), 1:30.726
3. Tom Sykes, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:30.804
4. Eugene Laverty, Ireland (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:31.074
5. Xavi Fores, Spain (Duc Panigale R), 1:31.076
6. Michael Van Der Mark, Netherlands (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.131
7. Alex Lowes, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:31.370
8. Leon Camier, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:31.537
9. Loris Baz, France (BMW S1000RR), 1:31.542
10. Lorenzo Savadori, Italy (Apr RSV4 RF), 1:31.579
11. Chaz Davies, UK (Duc Panigale R), 1:31.614
12. Toprak Razgatlioglu, Turkey (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:31.822
13. Jordi Torres, Spain (MV Agusta F4 RC), 1:31.866
14. Leandro Mercado, Argentina (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.069
15. Jake Gagne, USA (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:32.288
16. Troy Herfoss, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 1:32.297
17. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.453
18. Roman Ramos, Spain (Kaw ZX-10RR), 1:32.520
19. Wayne Maxwell, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), 1:32.651
20. PJ Jacobsen, USA (Honda CBR1000RR SP2), 1:32.663
21. Daniel Falzon, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), 1:32.828
22. Ondrej Jezek, Czech Republic (Yam YZF-R1), 1:33.143
More, from a press release issued by Dorna WSBK Press Office:
Rea ends on top as one second covers the top ten
Sun shines down on final day of official test
Keen to get out on track for the final day of the 2018 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship pre-season, the weather was kinder to riders Down Under on Tuesday and they took advantage of two full sessions on track. With less than three days to go until the first official WorldSBK session of the season begins, it was Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who secured the first honours in Australia.
Blue skies welcomed the riders out on track this morning and Rea ended on top, despite a crash through turn 10. Finishing ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) by 0.206s, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was in third but nearly half a second behind the Kawasaki rider. Beginning to improve the rear feeling they have been consistently searching for, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) was fourth and close to Melandri, whilst Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) bounced back from a crash early this morning to take a top five finish.
The afternoon’s final session continued to have the sunny weather and some stunning action, with times tumbling compared to the morning.
After losing some time in this morning’s session once they changed the front callipers on the Panigale R machines, Melandri and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) once again had a mixed day over all. With the Italian completing a stronger test, he was surprised and happy with his pace so far. Ending his day in third overall, he was half a second ahead of team-mate Davies in 11th.
Laverty ended the day in a strong position of fourth, despite a crash towards the end of the day at turn four. After working with both his RSV4 RF machines set-up almost identically. Again focusing on rear grip, his team are now looking at the pace throughout the full race distance, hoping to be able to challenge at the front of the pack until the end. On the other side of the garage, Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) suffered from problems with his number one machine. Despite this the Italian improved on his opening day time, and with a final position of, tenth he was happy with the overall test.
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team continued to work on the pace for the race, changing very little to Monday’s set-up and are hoping to be as fully prepared for the weekend as possible. Improving on their times from the opening day, they are able finish in the top seven. Michael van der Mark was sixth and Alex Lowes in seventh.
Crashing at the start of the day, Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) was able to get back out on track in the afternoon and put in some long runs, as he lost track time following his crash through turn four. Having to wait to use his bike to it’s full potential in the afternoon, he was happy with the set-up and potential, which showed on the timing screens with a top five finish and lap time of 1.31.076.
Continuing to impress the field with his new team, Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) ended his day in the top eight and is just under a second behind the Kawasaki Racing Team riders, he is still working with the electronics on the CBR1000RR SP2. American team-mate Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) is continuing to work through his pace and feeling on the Honda.
Returning Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) had a solid overall test session, as he continues to work to understand the BMW and adjust to Pirelli tyres once again. His time of 1.31.542, put him in ninth. Whilst Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was hindered by his 190kph crash on Monday, as his new team had to reconstruct the bike. Putting in a lot more runs this afternoon, he ended in 13th position overall.
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Successful Test Prepares KRT For New Season
KRT’s WorldSBK riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes have now completed their pre-season preparations after the conclusion of a two day test at Phillip Island in Australia, which will be the host venue for the first round of the championship this coming weekend.
Often taking place under windy conditions the tests were led in the end by Rea, setting a 1’30.598 best lap on the final day as he found the correct feel and feedback from his machine.
Sykes was third quickest on his Ninja ZX-10RR, with a 1’30.804 best lap; despite suffering some discomfort from the ankle he hurt in a highside crash on the first day. Rea had also crashed on day one, and again at slow speed today, but both KRT riders will start in good shape for the first practice session of race weekend, to be held on Friday 23rd February.
All Kawasaki riders will start the 2018 season with an upper rev limit of 14,100rpm. Despite this being a lower level than any of the other four-cylinder manufacturers at present, KRT now starts the season in a defiant mood after some positive testing experiences.
The heavy winds that characterised this test overall were also accompanied by sunshine at times, allowing a lot of track time for the riders and teams to make their final pre-season preparations.
Now the riders will have a slightly changed weekend schedule to take part in, with three practice sessions on Friday 23rd and then race one on Saturday 24th and race two on Sunday 25th.
Jonathan Rea, stated: “Even though the track was not in perfect condition this afternoon we managed to put together a full race simulation and we are better equipped with that information to improve the base of the bike for the race. Unfortunately yesterday I had a big crash at T11 and gave my mechanics a lot of work. They have been working super late and hard during this test and I’m so grateful for their efforts. Also a special mention should go to Arai, Alpinestars and the physio Albert, because I woke up this morning feeling relatively ok! Now we can enjoy the build up to the weekend and keep our eye on the conditions.”
Tom Sykes, stated: “Overall I am third in the lap times but I am very happy. Even happier when you consider my physical condition, after a big crash yesterday. Big thanks to the boys in the garage who worked until the early hours of the morning to be ready for today. They have given me another great bike. I have to thank Dainese and Shark for my protective equipment, and the airbag as well, as I did a few barrel rolls through the gravel in my Monday crash. I could not believe it when I woke up this morning and was ready to go. I will definitely be OK for race weekend.”
Pere Riba, Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea, stated: “I am happy with the results of this test and the job has been done. We have tried to prepare for the race weekend and compare some points. I think we have a good base to prepare for Friday’s race weekend. Johnny has also been improving himself from yesterday until the end of today. He is quite confident with the bike. Now we will analyse everything and try to make another step in the right direction. We tried some different items and also some tyres we tested in Jerez and Portimao. But mainly we have been trying to prepare for race weekend.”
Marcel Duinker, Crew Chief for Tom Sykes stated: “Most of our job was done over the previous winter tests. We worked through our complete test programme then and we knew that this test in Phillip Island was only to prepare ourselves for the race. We did this and we even managed to improve our general bike setup over these four test sessions. In our initial speed we are happy but over distance we are more than happy. We have done a good job during this test and we are ready for the weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Honda WSBK Team:
Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team wraps up pre-season testing at Phillip Island
The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team ended its pre-season testing programme at Phillip Island today, as another strong performance from riders Leon Camier and Jake Gagne ensured the team is ready to go at the 2018 WorldSBK season opener this weekend.
In warm and at times windy conditions at the 4.4 kilometre Phillip Island Circuit, Camier and Gagne completed a total of 267 laps over the two days of testing. Building on the work undertaken at the previous pre-season tests at Jerez and Portimao, for this test the team focused on fine-tuning chassis and electronic settings on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 ahead of the first race of the 2018 WorldSBK season.
Having shown good pace over a single lap, the focus for Camier at the Phillip Island test was working on race pace and overall he set eighth quickest time with a personal best of 1’31.537, set in the morning session on the second day. Riding at Phillip Island for the first time, Gagne showed continual improvement over the two days and ultimately set the fifteenth fastest time of the test, his 1’32.288 coming in the final session on Tuesday afternoon.
With pre-season testing completed, the team turns its attention to the opening round of the 2018 WorldSBK season at Phillip Island, which gets underway this Friday, February 23.
Leon Camier 2
Overall this test helped me learn a lot about the Fireblade on a different track and we focused on trying some different things to improve our race pace. It was a good test for me to learn the adjustability of the bike and what works and what doesn’t in terms of setting for my riding style. We now have a base setting we can use this weekend for the race and all we need is to find a couple of tenths a lap so we can be in the fight with the top six.
Jake Gagne 45
I’ve always wanted to ride the Phillip Island track so it was great to finally get out there. I had a good first day yesterday and at the start I tried to be patient and focus on working out my lines and reference points. Today I was able to use what I learned yesterday to adjust my riding style and improved in every session. I feel like I’ve come a long way in learning the track and the bike at this test, we now have a lot of good data to work with and I’m looking forward to the race.
Kervin Bos
Team Manager
This two day test at Phillip Island test went very well and I believe we’re well prepared for the start of the WorldSBK season. For this test we wanted to build on our good work at Jerez and Portimao, and focus more on finding a strong race pace. With this in mind, with Leon we worked on some different settings to ensure consistency in long runs and to help manage tyre life, especially in the warmer afternoon sessions when track conditions will be similar to the race. For Jake, he was able to learn a lot about the Fireblade and the track and he showed improvement in every session. With testing over, we can now focus on the season opener and everyone in the team is looking forward to finally go racing with the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.
More, from a press release issued by Gulf Althea BMW:
Gulf Althea BMW in action at Phillip Island
Phillip Island (Australia), Tuesday 20 February 2018
The Gulf Althea BMW Racing team has concluded its final test session ahead of the opening round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship.
On track at Phillip Island in Australia both today and yesterday, the Italian team and rider Loris Baz made the most of this final opportunity to fine tune their BMW S 1000 RR ahead of this weekend’s races. The weather remained dry, although strong winds, typical at this track, limited what riders could get done during Monday afternoon’s session.
Continuing with the work programme it had begun in recent tests at Jerez and Portimao, the team focused on performance over race distance. Yesterday, Baz positioned eleventh, setting a fastest time of 1’32.157 after having completed 57 laps. Today, the Frenchman made good progress, making the final preparations aboard his BMW. Making 81 laps of the track, a best of 1’31.542 saw him conclude in ninth place.
The Gulf Althea BMW Racing team, ready and confident after this latest test, will return to the same track on Friday for the timed practice sessions making up round 1 of this new 2018 championship.
Loris Baz:
“The test hasn’t gone too badly. Yesterday morning, we were working well, improving with each exit but then things were more complicated in the afternoon due to the wind. This morning I had better feeling with the bike and we were able to close the gap to the front a little. Then, in the afternoon, warmer weather allowed me to carry out a race simulation of 15 laps. All in all, I can say I’m feeling confident.”
Genesio Bevilacqua:
“A positive test. We sorted out a number of things that we wanted to do in response to Baz’s requests and needs. The riders are all very close, with similar times, even if Rea has a little more right now, so we can be hopeful of a good first race. I’m pleased, our work has gone well and now we’ll focus on achieving a positive result this coming weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Aruba.it Racing Ducati:
Testing concludes for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team at Phillip Island with Melandri 2nd and Davies 11th in the combined rankings
After an eventful start to its pre-season tests at Phillip Island (Australia) on Monday, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team resumed action today for a second and final day of testing ahead of the opening round of the 2018 WorldSBK Championship, scheduled for this upcoming weekend on the same track. In warmer weather conditions – with approximately 25 degrees outside and 40 on the tarmac – Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies moved forward with the work on the race setup of the Panigale R, posting the 3rd and 11th fastest time respectively today.
Melandri, who yesterday topped the sheets with a 1:30.726 that puts him in 2nd place in the combined rankings, focused his work on the chassis to improve the overall stability in light of the strong lateral winds, finishing with a 1:31.053. Davies, on the other hand, improved his lap times by circa half a second compared with yesterday, drawing multiple comparisons and posting a 1:31.614, 11th fastest overall.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will take it back to the track on Friday at 09:45 local time (CET +10) for the first official practice session ahead of the opening races of the year, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #33) – 1:30.726 (2nd)
“It’s been a couple of intense days of testing, during which we improved under many aspects. We gathered plenty of data but today wasn’t easy because track conditions changed once more compared with yesterday, and we struggled once again with stability, especially on the main straight. Our lap times are competitive, but we still need to improve to be more consistent over the race distance. The races here are always very tactical, so it’s hard to make predictions, but we’re very motivated and keen to get started.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:31.614 (11th)
“We focused on consistency, lapping mostly with one tire to better evaluate all the modifications we were trying. I feel better on the bike, even though the lap times don’t show it yet. We’ve basically covered all the items in the program. We’re still looking for improvements in some key areas but we have some more upgrades coming for round 1 so I’m optimistic about our chances to make steps forward and be competitive come race weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:
The WorldSBK Championship is Ready to Start in Australia: Pirelli Takes Advantage of the Two Day Test and Communicates the Solutions for the First Round
The Reigning Champion Jonathan Rea Puts his Kawasaki on top of WorldSBK, While Yamaha’s Randy Krummenacher is quickest in WorldSSP During Pre-Season Official Tests at Phillip Island Circuit
PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia (February, 20 2018) – The two days of testing dedicated to WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders is over at the Australian circuit of Phillip Island that, next weekend, as per tradition, will host the first round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. It reaches its 31st edition this year, the fifteenth with Pirelli as the Official Sole Tire Supplier for all the classes.
At the end of testing, the fastest riders in the WorldSBK class was Jonathan Rea on his Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK ZX-10RR stopping the clock at 1’30.598, in the WorldSSP the fastest was Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) recording a time of 1’33.499 with his Yamaha YZF-R6.
The first round of the season will involve only the WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders and, as usual, is preceded by official pre-season test days, which are extremely important because they allow teams and riders to refine the set up of their machines before the start of the Championship. Above all, it is important to test tires brought by Pirelli to tackle what, from the tire manufacturer’s point of view, represents the most challenging circuit among those on the calendar. It generates both a constant mechanical and also thermal stress for the tires, especially on the left side, due to the track layout.
WorldSBK class riders spent a total of eight hours on track, four hours a day divided into two-hour sessions, while WorldSSP had two sessions a day, each one of an hour and fifty minutes for a total of seven hours and twenty minutes on track.
During the tests the riders of both classes were able to try both standard and development solutions, including the last season’s race references, which offered the starting point for comparison with new solutions developed by Pirelli for this year’s races.
Both on Monday and Tuesday, temperatures remained constant and never higher than 27° C degrees for the air and 38° C degrees for the asphalt, but affecting the tests was, especially on Monday, winds that touched 45 kms/h contributing to the crashes of some riders.
WorldSBK test overall standings (combined Monday + Tuesday):
1. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) – 1’30.598
2. M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 1’30.726
3. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) – 1’30.804
4. E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) – 1’31.074
5. X. Forés (Barni Racing Team) – 1’31.076
6. M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) – 1’31.131
7. A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) – 1’31.370
8. L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) – 1’31.537
9. L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) – 1’31.542
10. L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) – 1’31.579
11. C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 1’31.614
12. T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) – 1’31.822
13. J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) – 1’31.866
14. L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) – 1’32.069
15. J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) – 1’32.288
16. T. Herfoss (Penrite Honda) – 1’32.297 (wild card)
17. Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing) – 1’32.453
18. R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) – 1’32.520
19. W. Maxwell (Yamaha Racing Team) – 1’32.651 (one event)
20. P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) – 1’32.663
21. D. Falzon (Yamaha Racing Team) – 1’32.828 (wild card)
22. O. Jezek (Guandalini Racing) – 1’33.143
WorldSSP test overall standings (combined Monday + Tuesday):
1. R. Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) – 1’33.499
2. L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) – 1’33.547
3. F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) – 1’33.643
4. S. Cortese (Kallio Racing) – 1’33.871
5. A. West (EAB antwest Racing) – 1’34.038
6. L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) – 1’34.074
7. R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) – 1’34.081
8. K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) – 1’34.161
9. J. Cluzel (NRT) – 1’34.227
10. H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) – 1’34.507
11. N. Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) – 1’34.555
12. M. Di Meglio (GMT94 Yamaha) – 1’34.864
13. K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) – 1’34.954
14. A. Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) – 1’35.031
15. S. Hill (Profile Racing) – 1’35.056
16. L. Cresson (Kallio Racing) – 1’35.140
17. T. Toparis (Cube Racing) – 1’35.490
18. M. Canducci (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) – 1’35.655
19. T. Gradinger (NRT) – 1’35.670
20. J. Van Sikkelerus (GEMAR Team Lorini) – 1’35.672
21. N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) – 1’35.698
22. H. Soomer (Racedays) – 1’36.191
23. L. Epis (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) – 1’36.511
24. A. Wagner (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) – 1’37.025
The race solutions for the WorldSBK class:
For the race weekend the options available to the riders are those evaluated on the testing days with two additional solutions, one for the front and one for the rear.
In total the slick solutions the riders will be able to use will be seven in all, four front and three rear, in addition to the super soft qualifier tire that can only be used in the second session of Superpole®.
At the front, in addition to the standard SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium), the development SC1 V0952 already used by riders in 2017 at Aragón, Assen, Imola, Donington, Misano, Laguna Seca, Lausitzring, Portimão, Magny-Cours, Jerez and Losail will be available. This solution uses the same compound as the standard SC1 but has different structural components. In addition to these three solutions that have been made available to riders during testing there will be a fourth option, the development SC1 W0746 which is in an even softer compound than the standard SC1 and that should ensure a high level of grip for the front.
As for the rear options, during testing the riders were able to use the development SC1 V0965, already a reference in 2017 when it was used by all the riders in the races, and the W1049, a new development solution, in medium hardness compound, but in an increased 200/65 size. This solution uses the same compound of the V0965 but a larger diameter and structural solutions designed to maintain lower operating temperatures. The third option, not available for testing, is represented by the development SC1 W1046, which uses the same compound as the option V0965 but a different carcass in an attempt to limit the operating temperature.
The race solutions for the WorldSSP class:
Also the riders of the WorldSSP class can count on a total of seven solutions, four front and three rear, but in this case are treaded tires and not slicks.
At the front, in addition to the standard SC1 and SC2, there is the development SC1 W0378, which uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but with a different process of distribution of the compound on the carcass and, as the fourth option not present for testing, the development SC1 V1267, which uses the compound of the SC1 of the slick product but with a different construction process.
For the rear, as alternatives to the development SC1 U1149 which is the race reference for 2017 and has a compound able to provide greater stability in the presence of particularly high temperatures, the development SC1s W0743 and W1048 will be available – the latter not present for testing. All three rear solutions are in the bigger 190/60 size compared to the standard 180/60.