Category: World Superbikes

The Thai WSBK round was an explosive one – quite literally if you are Leon Camier and Lorenzo Savadori. But what else did we learn in the Far East, apart from the fans are crazy and the weather is hot and humid?

One thing we learnt is that Jonathan Rea is in fine form (as if that was ever doubted). The Ulsterman took his 2nd consecutive double and became the first rider since Neil Hodgson in 2003 to win the first four races of the season. The Kawasaki rider is the man to beat, although he goes to a circuit which he hasn’t won at since 2015, with Aragon next up. On the other side of the Kawasaki garage, Tom Sykes took a double podium, with 3rd in race one and 2nd in race two. The former champion is already 38 points back from his teammate and at this early stage in the championship, that is a worrying sign. But then again, it is only early.

The Ducati team had a mixed weekend at Buriram. Firstly, Chaz Davies took a remarkable 2nd in the first race, after picking his way through the field early doors. The former World Supersport champion was in 2nd place in race two before crashing at turn 3 in race two. A red flag did help him recover from the back of the grid to achieve 6th in come the chequered flag. Chaz is 2nd in the championship but 30 points back – but don’t worry – he is actually 10 points nearer to Rea after 4 races than he was last year and he scored 10 points more than Rea in the 2nd half of the championship. I’ll leave it down to you to derive from that what you will. All is not lost yet. As for teammate Melandri, he came away with a great 4th and 3rd after his first visit to the Chang International Circuit. The Italian was mugged on the final corner by Tom Sykes in both races on the final lap. One thing is for sure though, Marco is competitive and if anyone is going to upset the Kawasaki dinner party and turn it red, Melandri could be the rider to do just that.

On the whole, the Yamaha’s performance from Australia definitely looks like it was carried into Thailand. Michael van der Mark found form, finishing in the top 5 in race 1, whilst Alex Lowes picked up his third 4th of the season in race two. Paul Denning’s Crescent Racing squad have figured out how to get the speed out of the Yamaha, adding an interesting dynamic to the season. If the Yamaha can keep the pace with Ducati and Kawasaki, could we see more upsets amongst the front men? There’s no doubting Lowes’ ability, and van der Mark will only get stronger and stronger as the season unfolds.

One thing we did learn is that Honda, despite being nowhere near where they’d like to be, are making progress. Nicky Hayden’s 9th place in race one was a solid performance, putting him on the 2nd row for race two, propelling the Statesider to 7th. Moto2 champion from 2011, Stefan Bradl, endured a trickier brace of races, although it was his first time at the track. The German took a hard earned 10th in the first race, before crashing at the final corner in race two. His results are a drastic improvement on his pair of 15th place finishes at Phillip Island and the next circuit is Aragon, one that he knows well. Testing at the circuit may also give Honda an advantage over some riders. The wins and podiums will come, it will just take a lot of perseverance and effort – but they will come.

On the contrary, Milwaukee Aprilia had a woeful time of things in Thailand. Like BT Sport commentator Keith Huewen said last season, “Laverty will find it more difficult than some are saying”. Never has a better prediction been made. The Irishman retired on the final lap of the first race before crashing late on in the 2nd outing. Teammate Lorenzo Savadori plummeted in race one to 13th and was the reason behind the red flag in race two, after his Aprilia burst into a cloud of smoke on approach to the final turn, throwing the former European Superstock 1000 rider off the bike, landing awkwardly on his neck. Shaun Muir’s team have a lot of work to do in the three weeks between now and Aragon. However, I’m an optimist and believe that by Misano in June, the team will be a regular podium threat. Whether or not this transfers into actual podiums or wins will depend on a variety of things, luck being one of them.

The BMW team were again consistent. Jordi Torres bringing his Althea BMW home in both races, 7th and 5th respectively. Teammate Markus Reiterberger also finished both races, breaking into the top 10 in the 2nd. The team went well at the track last season, so it was to be expected that they perform well. However, you can’t help but feel that the team have reached their maximum and will stay a mid-table outfit, possibly with the odd podium. That’s not so much a criticism of the team, but more a fault on BMW’s behalf. A manufacturer with a relative amount of success should be giving the Althea team some more factory support. Then again, what do I know? Times are hard back in Europe, with uncertainty being a leading factor. At least they have two solid riders.

A few shout outs now. Great ride from Ricardo Russo on the Guandalini Yamaha, taking his first points of the season with a 12th in race two. Roman Ramos’ point scoring run continues, now stretching 26 consecutive races that he has started (he missed Imola and Sepang through injury last year). He took his first top 10 of the year in race two, with 9th. Jamie Whitham also gets a mention, after his “how do you damage a tyre” comment spontaneously came over the air during Eurosport’s qualifying coverage in the typical, Yorkshire accent which he fashions oh so well.

In conclusion, the Thai WSBK round proved many things. Rea is fast as usual. Chaz is serious about ‘win it or bin it’. Honda are growing steadily. Aprilia are stuck in a rut. Yamaha are improving lap on lap. But most of all, the WSBK crowd is back. And whilst some people may say that the level of competition isn’t there, I’d counter that. The level of competition is there, it’s just harder than ever before to be able to compete for a podium because the guys at the front have such serious pace.

And off to Spain we trek…

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

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Chaz Davies of the Aruba.IT Ducati Team took a brace of 2nd positions as the season got underway at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia. The Welshman secured his best ever start to a World Superbike season, and is only 10 points behind double winner and reigning double champion Jonathan Rea.

The 30-year-old former World Supersport champion took the lead at periods throughout the race but wasn’t able to cross the line ahead of rival Rea. The Ducati staying in the slipstream, finishing half a tenth away in both races. 2017 was the first season since he joined Ducati that he didn’t set the fastest lap of a race, although Ducati took that particular honour with Marco Melandri in race two.

“Race two was a bit more difficult to manage than the first, given the hotter conditions. The glass is half full though, without a doubt. We tried something different but we lost a couple of bike lengths here and there and we just couldn’t pass Rea before the finish line, said Davies, who finished last season with seven wins from the last eight races.

“When you look at the full picture, this is a really positive result. It would be easy to be disappointed because we barely missed two wins, but historically this has never been a favourite circuit for me and sometimes I lost precious points here, so two second places are a good building block for the rest of the season”.

The 3rd placed man in last season now heads to Thailand where the WSBK circus starts the next chapter of this year’s already-exhilarating championship. The round takes place on the 11th and 12th of March.
Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Race one of the new WSBK season was an absolute cracker. Rea, Sykes, Davies, Melandri and Lowes all lead the race, exchanging places with Fores and Camier in the mix too. However, the Northern Irishman held the lead by 0.042 to beat Chaz Davies’ slipstreaming efforts on the run to the chequered flag. Tom Sykes managed to hold Yamaha’s Alex Lowes for the final position on the podium, with MV Agusta’s Leon Camier holding on to take his best result at Phillip Island with 5th, ahead of the Barni Racing Ducati of Xavi Fores.

The race got underway and the Kawasaki were swallowed up by turn one and it was returning Marco Melandri who hit the lead, with Davies in 2nd. The Kawasaki pairing fought back, placing 3rd and 4th.

Eugene Laverty made a fairly rapid start, from 13th to 8th, whilst Althea BMW’s Markus Reiterberger went the other way, ending the first lap in 15th.

Slipstream city down the Gardner Straight led to an all-out brawl at the front, with both Ducatis, Kawasakis, Yamahas, Fores’ Ducati and the BMW of Torres were all in the leading group, swapping places at every possible opportunity.

Lorenzo Savadori was the first casualty, having got into 7th, he watched the front group start to escape. As the Italian set off on closing down the gap between the lead 12-wheeler and the Milwaukee Aprilia, he crashed at Siberia but was OK apart from a damaged pride.

The race progressed and early race leader Marco Melandri was down in 4th but remained in the leading group, however it was Alex Lowes who hit the front. The 2013 British Superbike Champion was leading the way, the first time for Yamaha at the front of a WSBK race for 6 seasons.

Rea and Sykes regrouped, with Davies, Lowes, Melandri and Fores keeping them in their sites. Unfortunately for Melandri, his race came to an end as he tagged the back of Lowes at the Southern Loop, crashing out on his return to competition on lap 15. He will start 19th for race two.

The final 5 laps saw the remaining 5 spread out, with Rea and Davies going head to head in dramatic fashion. Davies took Rea at Doohan’s on the final lap but ran wide, allowing arch rival Rea to take the lead back instantly. That was how they finished, as although the Ducati of Davies had a slipstream chance with Rea down the straight on the run for home, the Ulsterman beat him, with Sykes taking the bronze medal position 1 second back.

Alex Lowes took his best finish since his 3rd place in Thailand back in 2015, with a 4th place ahead of the revelation of Leon Camier, who saw off Xavi Fores’ privateer Ducati outfit.

Fellow Spaniard Jordi Torres was 7th, ahead of qualifying crasher Eugene Laverty, the sole surviving Milwaukee Aprilia. Yamaha’s new signing, Michael Van Der Mark was a solid 9th in his first outing on the R1, with Randy Krummenacher storming to 10th place on his and the Pucetti Kawasaki’s WSBK premier class debut.

The rest of the points were sorted out, with former GP champion Nicky Hayden in 11th, ahead of Markus Reiterberger, Roman Ramos Alex de Angelis and former Moto2 Champion, Stefan Bradl on his debut. Russo, Jezek and Badovini rounded out the field, not gaining any championship points.

The only other rider not mentioned is Josh Brookes, who retired his privately entered Yamaha with a technical problem, whilst Leandro Mercado wasn’t racing his Ioda Aprilia through injuries sustained in a testing accident.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The final team of our big six previews is the Spanish Althea BMW Team. In 2016, the Althea Racing Team made the switch from being the satellite Ducati team to the Factory BMW team, and with a few good results, the former champions want to return to winning ways now that they have a year of experience under their belt. Keeping to the same bike is crucial but keeping to the same rider line-up is just as vital. Could 2017 see the boys in black and white reach the chequered flag first?

The BMW Factory Team withdrew from competition at WSBK after their 2012 season, leaving the GoldBet BMW squad to be the lead team for the manufacturer. However, after their collapse, it is now the Althea Team who have some backing from BMW HQ. The bike itself is a weapon. It is one of the fastest bikes in a straight line and it handles superbly through the twisty parts of the tracks. However, one issue that has occurred is that throttle control is very difficult to manage. Tyco BMW and Hawk Racing BMW experienced that issue over in the BSB series, but different regulations at WSBK level mean that the issue isn’t as prominent for Althea.

Jordi Torres remains with the team for 2nd consecutive season. The Spaniard came to the championship in 2015 aboard a semi-factory Aprilia, and took his first win at Losail. Having endured last season with no win and no podiums, Torres will feel like he needs to get back where he belongs. A handful of 4th places helped him into 6th come the season’s end, but Torres knows he is top five material, and 2017 has to be the year where he is back up front.

Partnering the former Moto2 winner is double IDM champion, Markus Reiterberger. The German had a solid rookie year at World Superbike level on a bike that is hard to get to grips with. 16th in the championship doesn’t reflect some of the more successful rides that he had in the season, with a season best 5th at Buriram in Thailand. The 5th in Thailand proved that on a more less new circuit, Reiterberger is very fast indeed. Can the 22-year-old be a spoiler from the off in 2017?

As for circuits, Thailand was a very good circuit for the team last season, highlighted by the aforementioned Reiterberger and his 5th. Imola is one of Torres’ favourites, having taken his first ever podium at the track in 2015, and a 4th place last season. The last time a BMW won a WSBK race was at Portimao in 2013 with Melandri, and that very circuit returns after a year absence in 2017.

You can keep up to date with the goings on of World Superbike here at The Pit Crew Online. Give us a follow on Twitter @PitCrew_Online, and keep up with the live text commentary of all the big meetings!

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The Honda World Superbike team come into the 2017 World Superbike season with an all new bike to play with. The much awaited new Fireblade will be used to try and propel the team to their first championship victory since 2007 and James Toseland. The team took 10 podiums in 2016 on the old Fireblade, so can they have a more successful and champagne littered year in 2017.

The bike is a beauty. A more sophisticated chassis, more horsepower and more agility is just what the team wanted and needed to play with in order to fight for the championship. Honda however haven’t endured too much of a bad World Superbike campaign in the last year, as they took their first win since Jonny Rea in 2014 with Nicky Hayden at Sepang. The bike also had one final swansong in British Superbikes with Jason O’Hallaron taking the machine to 5th in the title just in behind teammate Dan Linfoot.

The riders that are guiding the bike to potential success bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. Nicky Hayden retains his seat for a 2nd season in WSBK, as he looks forward to getting back up the sharp end of racing. The American took one win last season in the wet and took a further three podiums. The Kentucky Kid only retired four times and when he did make it to the finish, it was never outside of the top 10. If he can cut out the mistakes, bag some wins and podiums and keep in the top four, the American could become the first rider ever to win MotoGP and World Superbike titles.

Hayden has a new teammate in 2017, with a fellow MotoGP refugee in Stefan Bradl, who leaves the Gresini Aprilia Team and makes the transition over to the production based class. The German will be wanting to get straight down to business, but as ever with change, there are new challenges. Besides the bike, it will be the tracks that the MotoGP podium finisher will need to learn during the Free Practice sessions. Tracks he hasn’t been on at a competitive level include Buriram, Imola, Lausitzring, Magny Cours and Portimao. However, the former Moto2 champion is a quick rider, and a seasoned campaigner and although his recent career may not be a lot to shout about, Bradl on a quick bike could be something worth watching. Maybe, a potential dark horse?

The new Honda is more or less unproven on the tracks of the World Superbike calendar. However, recent history shows that Phillip Island, Buriram, Assen, Sepang and Laguna Seca to be good tracks, but Imola seems to be their favourite, with a double victory with Rea back in 2014, although 2 lacklustre results at the track last season do throw that statement into disrepute. The season opening round at Phillip Island was good last season, with a double podium for the departing Michael Van Der Mark, but a win hasn’t occurred since 2007 and James Toseland. Can Bradl and Hayden use their MotoGP experience at the track to re-write Honda’s history books?

You can keep up to date with the goings on of World Superbike here at The Pit Crew Online. Give us a follow on Twitter @PitCrew_Online, and keep up with the live text commentary of all the big meetings!

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

The Aruba.IT Ducati Team come into the 2017 World Superbike season as one of the favourites to take not just the constructors championship, but a riders’ championship too. The bike, which has no fully acclimatised to WSBK and is up to speed, has been in the series for four seasons now without a title success. Can they go all the way?

The bike itself is a proven race winner in the hands of Welshman Chaz Davies. After initial teething problems, the machine is now firing on all four cylinders (despite it being a twin cylinder), and is ready to take championship success from national, to international race series. Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took the Panigale to its first British Superbike Championship in 2016 at the first time of asking and Matteo Baiocco took the bike to Italian Superbike glory also. Having finished in the top three in the WSBK on two consecutive seasons, the Aruba.IT Ducati will seek to go on to finish top of the championship tree in 2017. One problem that prevailed last season was the straight-line speed of the bike – yes, you just read that Ducati struggled with top speed! It was an issue in Phillip Island and at Buriram due to the long corners that lead onto the huge straights.

But just who have Ducati hired to take the bike to the top? Unsurprisingly, Chaz Davies signed for a 4th season on the Ducati, having come so close to glory last season. Despite taking 11 race wins – more than anyone else – Chaz could only manage third in the title as inconsistencies in the mid-season put him on the back-foot. 20 wins to his name thus far, can the soon-to-be 30 year old take that all important championship victory?

Out to stop him – or act as wingman – is former 250cc champion and MotoGP winner, Marco Melandri. The famous #33 returns to a series in which he has become known as a nearly man, where the Italian has never been out of the top four, but never took the elusive title win. Having had a torrid time in 2015 for half a MotoGP season, and a retirement year in 2016, Melandri comes back hungrier than ever to challenge at the front. Having had successful surgery to fix an injured leg, he can now focus on returning to former glory and becoming the first Italian to win on the Bologna Bullet since Michel Fabrizio in 2010.

The more troubling issue for Ducati is their start of season form, as they haven’t taken a win in the opening two rounds since Carlos Checa in 2012. They’ve never won in Thailand and haven’t won at Assen since 2012 with Sylvain Guintoli. Donington Park hasn’t been kind to them either, with no win since Carlos Checa back in 2011. However, Davies comes into the championship off the back of six consecutive wins towards the end of last season – the first to win the final six races in a season since Colin Edwards in the amazing 2002 season. Both of their riders are seasoned campaigners and both will be looking for a title win, at any costs…

You can keep up to date with the goings on of World Superbike here at The Pit Crew Online. Give us a follow on Twitter @PitCrew_Online, and keep up with the live text commentary of all the big meetings!

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko