Phillip Island circuit Track length: 4448 m Year opened: 1956 Superbike lap record: 1:33.019 (Troy Corser, 1999) Last year’s winners: Regis Laconi and Garry McCoy (both Ducati) After a solid start in the opening round at Qatar, Yamaha’s Superbike World Championship campaign makes their only racing trip to the southern hemisphere for the Yamaha-sponsored round two of the series at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. This was the venue where the officially-supported Yamaha Motor Italia team started their 2005 campaign with a three-day test in January and since then the team has been busy developing and improving their YZF-R1s. Having started life as standard R1s, the Yamaha Motor Italia machines have been transformed into superbike contenders through the use of Yamaha’s range of YEC racing kit parts and a number of exotic parts including factory Ohlins suspension, Magneti Marelli engine management system and a one-off exhaust system made by Termignoni. Having already tested at Phillip Island, riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt go to the circuit with good basic settings. Both set competitive times on the final day of the test, especially local man Pitt, whose best of 1:33.9 would have qualified him second on last year’s grid. But Yamaha knows only too well that good race settings are more important than one-off qualifying laps so work at interim tests (Qatar and Valencia) has focused on improving tyre longevity and throttle connection and the team hopes that new front end settings will improve rider feedback in Australia and eliminate the high front tyre wear experienced during the opening round. Among the many R1s lining up on the grid in this year’s championship is the two-rider entry from Yamaha Motor France. Their riders Norick Abe and Sébastien Gimbert also showed their pace in Qatar, Abe running with the leaders and posting two top ten finishes at the Losail circuit and Gimbert establishing a new lap record. Both are no strangers to the Phillip Island circuit, having competed there in Grands Prix, and will look to build on their Qatar performances. Phillip Island The Australian round may be as far away from the teams’ European bases as is geographically possible but thankfully the Phillip Island circuit is a favourite of almost all the riders, who revel in the fast and flowing nature of the circuit. Situated a little more than one hour’s drive from the city of Melbourne, Phillip Island is a tourist spot popular with surfers and nature lovers alike. The layout of the circuit means that it suits riders who can carry high corner speeds and usually promotes close racing with riders slipstreaming each other down the long home straight, which is followed by a 200kph fifth gear right-hander – one of the fastest corners on any circuit in the world. Of all the circuits on the calendar, Phillip Island is probably the toughest on tyres due to its combination of fast turns with high lean angles. It’s a fast, flowing circuit and maintaining good momentum is the key to a fast lap. Both front and rear tyre wear can be high, so the riders will all be working on finding a good set up that will allow them to maximise the life of their Pirellis over the full race distance. Phillip Island’s location can also add another variable into the equation. Situated on the Bass Strait, high winds are common and can change the circuit characteristics, not just from session to session but often from lap to lap. Significantly, there is only one hard braking zone at Phillip Island, the entry to turn four, meaning that riders will trade off some stability under braking for a set up that works well in the fast corners. Yamaha’s key development areas are the way to unlock a good lap at Phillip Island. With so many long sweeping corners to contend with, the engine management settings will need to be spot on to provide good, linear power delivery. Suspension-wise, most riders will go for a slightly soft set-up to provide a good feeling and save tyre life. A similar setting is likely to be used up front as good feedback is needed to provide the rider with confidence at these high speeds and extreme lean angles. Supersport World Championship Yamaha Motor Germany’s Australian pairing of Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes are hoping to uphold national pride in round two of the Supersport World Championship in Phillip Island. Home riders have won this race since Curtain’s victory in 2001. Since then, fellow Aussies Andrew Pitt, Chris Vermeulen and Josh Brookes have stood on the top step of the podium as the locals dominate the 600cc class. Like the Yamaha Motor Italia squad, the German team also spent three days testing at the Australian circuit in January and, like their Italian colleagues, have also made significant strides with the front end settings of their machines. After overcoming injuries to post solid fourth and sixth place finishes in the opening round, both go into their home race fully fit and raring to go after making big progress at the recent Valencia test.